Linene Island Lodge
is situated on a small island in a tidal lagoon
on the East side of San Sebastian peninsula.
This is just South of the town of Vilanculos
in Mozambique. The lodge is reachable by boat
only. Transfers are done with the lodge boats
between Vilancoulos and the lodge whenever
required. At times transfers can be delayed
because of tidal movements, as it may not
be possible to access the channels at low
tides. If a flight arrives in Vilanculos over
a low spring tide guests may have to relax
for a couple of hours and enjoy a drink at
Smugglers Bar while waiting for the water
to come in. In extreme cases it may even be
necessary to overnight in Vilanculos and leave
for Linene the following morning. This does
not happen often, but if it does the accommodation
in Vilancoulos is paid for by Linene.
Accommodation at Linene Island Lodge consists
of four wooden chalets, which sleep a maximum
of 3 guests per chalet.
The entire lodge is built on stilts in order
to make the most of the view over the lagoon
and to capture the cooling sea breeze. Raised
wooden boardwalks connect all buildings, which
keeps sand and crawling micro fauna out of
the living areas. The main lodge area consists
of a large open plan dining and bar area,
which also has a television set, which receives
a DSTV signal. The television is a bonus for
those who like to keep up to date with sport
news etc. This area has a beautiful view over
the lagoon towards the beach.
Management Staff at the lodge are South Africans,
the rest of the staff are local Mozambicans.
The locals are very friendly and helpful,
but are still learning to speak English. Please
remember that these are people who have grown
up in the bush without electrical appliances
and modern technology. Should you have questions
of a technical nature rather direct them at
the management staff.
The lodge does fall within the malaria belt,
and necessary precautions should be taken.
We recommend guests to consult their doctors
about malaria before traveling to Mozambique.
The risk of contracting malaria at Linene
is reasonably low as there are no local villages
in the area, but it is still worth taking
precautions. Mosquito nets are supplied in
all the rooms.
The lodge accepts rands, so there is no need
to change money for a visit to Linene. There
are no credit card facilities however, and
payments for transfers and bar accounts will
need to be settled with cash.
The Lodge accommodation rates include a twice-daily
return boat trip to the main beach for guests;
other longer trips by boat will be charged
for according to the trip. Please check with
lodge management for the tariffs of various
trips.
Resident fishing guide:
Linene now has the knowledge and experience
of a full time guide on the Island who is
available to the guests at no extra charge.
Earl has fished the San Sebastian area for
a number of years and has dedicated his fishing
skills to hunting the giant kingfish.
Fishing:
This area is famous for its excellent fishing.
The chef at the lodge will happily prepare
your catch for you to enjoy, but please remember
that the lodge falls within a conservation
area and catch and release of excess fish
is encouraged. No fish may be frozen and taken
out of the area. Linene offers both offshore
fishing with its boats and surf fishing from
the beach. Use of the lodge's boats and skippers
for fishing is charged for. The lodge does
have tackle available for offshore fishing
for those who have not got their own. There
are some very productive offshore reefs in
the area and anything from sailfish and wahoo
to kingfish, tuna and barracuda can be expected
when fishing from the boat. Offshore fishing
excursions can be arranged with lodge management.
Preferably let management know the night before
if you plan on fishing from one of the ski
boats offshore so that the necessary arrangements
can be made.
