A 300-hectare private retreat on the southern tip of Benguerra Island, where a small number of designer residences — each with its own beach, infinity pool and personal service team — sit alongside a natural wellness centre, all beside one of the Indian Ocean’s richest reef systems.
Kisawa is an architecture-and-wellness island retreat, and its defining feature is space. The eight residences are spread across 300 hectares of forest, beach and dune, so each has its own stretch of beach, infinity pool, outdoor day area with kitchen, and a dedicated butler and service team. Residences range from one to three bedrooms.
The stay is all-inclusive, and dining draws on farmers and fishermen within 300 km of the resort. Wellness centres on a standalone spa with an Ayurvedic focus. Guests arrive by helicopter, a flight of about seven minutes from Vilankulos.
Ideal For
- Couples looking for a design-led, private island retreat
- Families and friends who want one-, two- or three-bedroom residences of their own
- Wellness travellers drawn to Ayurvedic treatments, yoga and sauna
- Design- and architecture-minded guests
- Divers and snorkellers exploring the Bazaruto Archipelago
Kisawa Sanctuary – Wilderness and Wellbeing, Carefully Held Together
Kisawa is the local word for unbreakable, a nod to the bond between the land and its people. The retreat covers 300 hectares of forest, beach and sand dunes on the southern tip of Benguerra Island, in the Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique’s first marine national park.
The residences are contemporary and organic, with thatched roofs, floor-to-ceiling windows and interiors made from locally sourced materials. Each has an open-air deck, an infinity pool, an outdoor kitchen and its own beach, and each comes with a butler and a service team.
Wellbeing has its own home: a standalone Natural Wellness Centre with Ayurvedic treatments, an infrared sauna, a yoga nest and a lagoon pool. The Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, Kisawa’s non-profit sister organisation, sits at the opposite end of the island. Beyond the beach lie the archipelago’s dive sites, its seasonal whales and dolphins, and its dugongs and nesting turtles.
Accommodation
- Eight residences: one-, two- and three-bedroom
- Each has a private beach, infinity pool, open-air deck, outdoor day area with kitchen, and a mini moke
- The Founder’s Residence: two bungalows joined by an open-air deck, with views over both the ocean and the cove
- Dedicated service team and butler for every residence
Wellness & Dining
- Natural Wellness Centre: Ayurvedic treatments, infrared sauna, yoga nest, lagoon pool
- Curated yoga and wellness journey for stays of four nights or more
- All-inclusive dining; supplier network within 300 km; beach dining and a pizza tuk-tuk
Setting & Access
- Southern tip of Benguerra Island, about 14 km off the Mozambique mainland
- Helicopter from Vilankulos, about seven minutes; Vilankulos is reached by scheduled flight from Johannesburg
- Adjoining the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park
