Sussurro – the Ocean Sets the Pace

Some destinations arrive with energy. Others ask for it. Sussurro does neither. Instead, it quietly alters your pace before you have time to question it, easing you into a rhythm shaped less by itinerary than by wind, tide, and light.

Set along the mainland coast opposite the Bazaruto Archipelago, Sussurro occupies that rare space where landscape feels elemental rather than decorative. Sand, sea, dune grass, and sky do most of the work here. The result is not dramatic in an obvious way, but deeply absorbing. You begin to notice small shifts: the angle of morning light, the changing colour of the water, the wind moving differently through the grass as the day settles and then opens again.

That sense of natural rhythm extends into the way the lodge itself has been imagined. The villas are open, understated, and beautifully spare, using canvas, timber, texture, and airflow rather than excess to create comfort. Nothing feels overdesigned. Luxury is present, certainly, but it has been softened, stripped back, and allowed to breathe. It feels as though the architecture has stepped aside just enough to let the setting remain the main event.

Days here unfold with a kind of deliberate looseness. You might begin with coffee and an uninterrupted horizon, then drift into a dhow excursion through clear, shallow water. Sandbanks emerge and vanish with the tide. Islands appear less like destinations than temporary invitations. Further out, the sea deepens into richer blues, and the sheer space of it begins to alter the scale of your thoughts.

Snorkelling adds another layer. Beneath the surface, reefs pulse with detail and colour, creating a vivid contrast to the minimalist calm above the waterline. But even these experiences never feel compulsory. Sussurro is not a place that overwhelms you with options. Its real gift is permission: permission to move slowly, to leave gaps in the day, to sit still long enough for the landscape to become something more than a backdrop.


Meals, too, feel in step with that same philosophy: fresh, generous, unhurried, and shaped by place rather than performance.

And that is ultimately what makes it memorable. The quiet here is not empty. It is textured, changing, alive. You hear wind in canvas, distant water against sand, the subtle sounds of a place continuing perfectly well without performance.

Sussurro is not trying to impress you. It is doing something more difficult than that. It is allowing you to settle fully into a coastal world where very little is forced, and almost everything feels true.

Once that shift happens, leaving feels strangely unnatural, as though you are stepping out of a rhythm you had only just begun to understand.

Beach & Bush: the Perfect Holiday Combo

The East coast of Africa is one of the most amazing coastlines to visit in the world. And it is almost endless.

Starting from Cape Town right on the south-western tip of the continent, moving east past Cape Agulhus (which is technically the southernmost point of Africa) and up the coast towards Durban, one experiences an amazing change in climate; Mediterranean weather (hot dry summers and cool wet winters) gives way to a sub-tropical system (warm all year with rain over the summer months), and the incredible diversity of habitats along the beaches reflects this.

The coastline is so full of life that documentary makers come from all over the world to film the spectacular array of creatures and natural events taking place.
The Academy Award winning feature My Octopus Teacher was filmed in Cape Town, and the annual sardine run off the appropriately named Wild Coast north of East London is one of the greatest marine shows on earth with countless whales, dolphins and all sorts of other marine life flocking in to take advantage of this bounty.

And that’s just in the south.

Golden beaches with bath-warm water await you in Mozambique. The Kenyan coast and its coral fringes have some of the best big game fishing in the world. And offshore you have the jewels of the Seychelles, the Comores and Mauritius awaiting.

The point is you are absolutely spoilt for choice, and the accessibility of so many of these dream destinations is more often than not a short flight from Johannesburg, the flight hub of Southern Africa.

45 minutes in a light aircraft can get you from your safari destination to Johannesburg, and then a connection down to the coast will not be much more than that.

You can be on a game drive in the morning watching a leopard climb a tree and elephants drinking from the waterhole, and by sunset you can be sipping a pina colada under a palm tree, the Indian Ocean lapping the shoreline only a stone’s throw from your verandah whilst a fresh seafood buffet – caught that day – is being prepared for dinner.

And whilst safari can offer the ultimate opulence, with luxurious rooms and Michelin-quality food, amazing service and hospitality, after four or five days of extended game drives, getting up before sunrise for a 5:30 departure, one can feel the need to slow down and unwind a little bit. And that is where the beaches come in!

A few days reclining in a hammock, reading a book whilst reminiscing over your favourite safari sightings, or snorkelling on shallow reefs, marvelling at the myriad tropical species to swim in front of your goggles

Be you a honeymoon couple, a family with kids or a group of friends travelling together, there is something for everyone along Africa’s extensive coastline.

Get in touch at info@iconicafrica.com, and let’s start planning your beach and bush combination holiday…

Azura Benguerra: Paradise Found

Off the coast of Mozambique lies an archipelago that was surely designed in some make-the-perfect-tropical-getaway kit.

Crystal clear, still waters and extensive white sandbanks fringe the islands on their landward side, while from their eastern edges the warm Indian Ocean stretches away to the horizon. 

The Bazaruto archipelago has long been a place of romance and adventure, and on one of its larger islands, Benguerra, sits a lodge that is perfectly designed to wring every last bit of delight out of this special corner of the world.

Azura Benguerra is appropriately named – we doubt you will ever see a sea as blue as the one you will encounter here.

The days start early; as the sun rises above the ocean to the east, the gently lapping water is too tempting not to walk down into to wake you up in the most refreshing way possible.

Sheltered reefs brimming with tropical fish life wait for you to explore their nooks and crannies by snorkel, while for those looking for a proper underwater experience, the scuba diving in this part of the roof is second to none. Manta rays are often encountered and during the humpback whale migration over the second half of the year, these leviathans’ songs are a constant accompaniment underwater.

Days are spent lounging by the pool or exploring the islands interior, and for those who want to play a part in providing dinner, offshore fishing excursions are offered. Tuna, mackerel and dorado feature regularly on the menu, and fresh-caught sashimi may well be the order of the day.

Evening cocktails on the white sand beach (made up of millions of years of coral erosion) will have you watching a sunset so vividly exquisite, no photograph will do it justice.

Just 20 villas are nestled along a totally unspoilt stretch of beach. Open plan rooms flow so seamlessly with their exteriors that it can be hard to work out where the beach begins and your chalet ends.
This is the enchanting island escape you always imagined. Azura Benguerra, the first eco-friendly resort in Mozambique, was hand-built by the local community and is operated in partnership with it.

Although to some international visitors Mozambique may seem like a little off the beaten track, the opposite is the case. Luxury island resorts are well-established on the coast here, and Benguerra in particular is readily accessible; a short flight from Johannesburg to Vilankulos and then a brief helicopter flip across the lagoon will have you there in the space of a morning. From the air you will gaze down over crystal clear waters with the local dhows plying their fishing trade, and if you are really lucky you might catch sight of the rare dugong – a marine mammal that has a stronghold in the Bazaruto archipelago.

Azura Benguerra is perfect for families looking for an exciting coastal adventure as well as couples who want a romantic escape. Its proximity to the prime safari areas of South Africa and its accessibility from the Kruger National Park airport make it an ideal option to tag on to the end of a bush getaway.

Get in touch to find out about the specials we are currently running for South African residents…

White Pearl: an Idyllic Mozambique Beach Getaway

While it’s the more famous Indian Ocean islands like the Seychelles, Maldives and Mauritius that have traditionally stolen the limelight, it is the white sand beaches along Mozambique’s southern coast that are shooting to prominence in the international travel space.
Long revered by South African vacationers as the perfect beach getaway, Mozambique has caught the attention of the overseas market, and offers a bit of something for everyone craving a getaway by the sea.
Whether it’s surfing, scuba diving or simply lounging on the white sand that you’re after, there is something for you, and White Pearl at Ponta Mamoli offers the perfect space in which to immerse yourself into the best of what this magical country has to offer.

Built in 2011, White Pearl is best described as laid-back beachside chic.
Set on stilts and nestled in the lush vegetation of the coastal dunes, the resort is tucked away in a sheltered bay, mere metres from the warm, azure waters of the Indian Ocean.
The beaches here are untouched, and the waters offshore abound with life. Coral reefs play host to a stunning array of tropical marine life, and dolphins are regularly viewed from the deck of the lodge. During the Humpback whale migration from July to November, it is almost impossible to look seawards without seeing at least one of these behemoths of the deep breaching in a spectacular display.

The resort itself features 22 luxurious suites which have been sensitively designed to take advantage of their beautiful natural setting. Subtly blending into their bush surroundings, the chalets all feature magnificent views of the ocean, whose lapping waves serve as a constant background accompaniment.
Your very own plunge cool provides a wonderful place to cool off and rinse the salt of the ocean away before heading down to a sumptuous dinner, much of it delicious seafood, sustainably sourced of course.
Your personal butler will take care of your every need, and if you need to feel even more relaxed than you are pretty much guaranteed to be at White Pearl, massage therapists are standing by to offer massages as well as a variety of other spa treatments.

For those looking for an eco-adventure, the Maputo Special Reserve is only a short distance away, and morning excursions to this magnificent park will give one a broader exposure to and understanding of the unique bush-beach habitat merging to be found in the area. The elephants that populate the park may also put in an appearance, as experienced rangers know the spots they frequent at different times of the year.

Mozambique offers a superb beach holiday option, particularly for those who want to add it to the tail end of a safari. With major safari destinations being so close in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, the beach-bush combo is the perfect getaway for a family, and more particularly a honeymoon couple.

Get in touch to find out more about White Pearl, or other amazing beach holiday getaways…