Bazaruto Archipelago National Park

The Bazaruto Archipelago is a chain of sand islands off Vilanculos on the Mozambique coast, protected as a marine national park for its dugongs, the last viable population in the western Indian Ocean, its coral reefs and its turtle beaches. Bazaruto and Benguerra are the main islands, with a few high-end lodges, dune systems, freshwater lakes with crocodiles, and diving and snorkelling on the reefs and the Two Mile reef. Humpback whales pass from about July to October. Access is by boat or helicopter from Vilanculos, and the area is a malaria zone.