Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
100)
, which also includes large inland areas on the fringing coastline. The one-time entry
fee is collected by hotels within the park area. There are also various other park fees, in-
cluding Mtc100 per person per day for camping, but their enforcement status is still in
flux.
In addition to its pristine natural beauty, the archipelago is known for diving - which is
considered to be especially good around Quilaluia, Vamizi and Rongui - and for birding.
History
Ibo and Quirimba, the two main islands in the archipelago, were already important
Muslim trading posts when the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century. The islands were
renowned in particular for their production of silks, cottons and maluane cloth; on some
old maps, they are shown as the Maluane Islands. Ivory, ambergris and turtle shell were
also important items in local commerce, and trade extended south as far as Sofala, Zam-
bézia and north to Malindi, off the Kenyan coast.
By the early-17th century the Portuguese had established a mission on Quirimba and a
fortified settlement on Ibo. They also built cisterns to store rainwater, which encouraged
the development of agriculture, and the islands began to supply food to Mozambique Is-
land. Beginning in the mid-18th century, the archipelago, particularly Ibo Island, served as
a base for the clandestine slave trade, attracting boats from as far away as Zanzibar and
Kilwa in present-day Tanzania. In the late-19th century, as the slave trade came to an end
and colonial attention shifted to the mainland, trade in the archipelago began to decline.
Today Quirimba, with its coconut and sisal plantations, is probably the most economically
active of the islands, though all are quiet - largely ignored until recently and caught in a
fascinating time warp.
Getting There & Away
Air
CFA Charters
( 82-575 2125;
www.cfa.co.za
)
flies five times weekly between Ibo and
Pemba (US$310 return, 25 minutes), with stops on request at Matemo, Medjumbe and
several other islands. Book directly or through Kaskazini (
Click here
)
in Pemba.
Boat
To reach the islands under your own steam, you'll need to go first to Quissanga, on the
coast north of Pemba. A direct
chapa
departs Pemba from the fish market behind the
mosque in Paquitequete bairro (Mtc200, five to six hours) at about 4.30am daily. Once in
