Ilha dos Portugueses

As cruise ships are not able to dock here you will be tendered ashore in little motorboats. Life jackets required, with all the instructions you cant get it wrong "Shoes off, hold everything in your right hand, left hand free, left knee on blue towel, hold rail with left hand, step onto the boat."

It seems Mozambique have recently changed their Visa conditions and it appears that they can no longer be obtained on board - Dont know how long that will last as it means most visitors from non Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries will need a visa before travel and Mozambique do not have consulates in many countries and if there is a consulate, fees will expensive and will take a lot of effort. Before you book a cruise, please check with your cruise line!

Cruise Schedule for Portuguese Island.

Portuguese Island (2.5 square km) is an almost uninhabited island offering a glimpse into island life as nature intended.

Surrounded by azure seas, the coral reefs are the perfect playground for tropical fish, making the snorkeling and diving here as good as you will find anywhere. The rare Red-Tailed Tropic Bird uses Nosy Ve as a nesting ground and shares their home with ground tortoises and hermit crabs.

The best thing about Portuguese Island is to swim in its warm azure waters, to suck salt air into one's lungs and lie in the buoyant sea water, a happy distance from the noise of citylife.

The cruise cooks will set up some braai stands on Portuguese Island with braaied sausage, lamb and burger patties. The few locals from nearby Inhaca island will greet you with drinks, handicrafts etc.

The currency of Mozambique is the Metical (plural: Meticais, pronounced 'meta-caysh', abbreviation: Mts.). Prices are often given verbally with the thousands dropped, e.g., Mts 150,000 would be 'one hundred fifty'. In all towns you will find cash dispensers (ATMs) which accept all major credit-cards.

Official language Portuguese. Most educated Mozambicans speak English.