Miti Miwiri

Since there are only a few comments here about Miti Miwiri of the last years, I will write a more detailled description since our experience was so great and I would like to share it with you. Ibo was hit hard by Hurrican Kenneth in 2019, destroying most houses of the villagers. After that, Corona and islamist terrorists in northern Mozambique kept Tourists away. So it is a sleeping beauty waiting to be discovered! During our trip through Mozambique we had dreamt about going to Ibo but did not want to decide before being in Pemba. We thought it is better to assess the situation when we are in the area. We were pretty happy to learn in Pemba that the road to Ibo is safe and Ibo and the surrounding islands also. This was also confirmed by Jörg, the German owner of Miti Miwiri. He arranged the trip from Pemba to Tandanhangue, the pier of Quissanga. This takes about 4hrs on a dirt road. There are 3 Military check Points on the way. From Quissanga it takes another hour by boat, passing wonderful Mangroves. Miti Miwiri is located directly in the old "stown town", how they call the portugese part. Some houses are rebuilt like Miti Miwiri, many others are still ruins. Miti Miwiri has a nice garden with pool and bar where you can relax. There are 9 rooms, some where rented by associates of NGOs that work on IBO. The rooms are quite spacious, all having their own bathroom. There is no hot water, but we enjoyed the cold shower rather since it is hot anyway. At Miti Miwiri you get a decent breakfast and also lunch or dinner if you like. Our favourite was the lobster for sure. But there are also some other places to eat, you will see them when walking around. There are several trips you can do when you are in Ibo. Jörg arranged several trips for us, always considering the tides and planning for sandwiches and drinks. He is really very helpful and I had the impression he enjoys doing so. We had a great day going by boat to the sandbank, a wonderful sandy island only existing during low tide where you can swim, watch fisherman or simply relax. On the way there we saw dolfins and even humpback wales! We also snorkeled at a shipwrack where you can see some corals and colorful fish. On another day, we went to Quirimba by foot, through the waterchannels in the Mangroves, and back by boat. Twice, we took the canoe to paddle through the Mangroves and watch the birds. We also liked to stroll around both trough the stown town and the villages. The people are very friendly and unlike other parts of Africa, the kids are not begging. There are still soldiers on the island although the islamists have been pushed back. We met one official who told us that the soldiers were going to leave in November when the president is going to visit Ibo to inaugurate both the new soccer stadium and the new wing of the hospital. The 5 days passed too fast and we were sorry to leave.

Joerg (the manager) did the utmost to make our stay comfortable. The rooms are very big, the bed is good, there is a mosquito net. Only downside; no hot water. After a while (and with the heat) you get used to that, and it becomes actually very nice taking a cold shower in the morning. Breakfast is basic, egg with bread, butter and marmalade plus a cup of tea/coffee.