After a few days in Pemba, enjoying the beautiful Indian Ocean, we were ready to continue our adventure. Next on our list was Ibo Island , part of the Quirimbas Archipelago. The directions from the backpackers we’d met yesterday made it sound easy: catch the morning bus, wait for the boat, and you’d be there. But, as with many things in Africa, it didn’t go exactly as planned.

Our day started really early, even before sunrise. Buses and vans in Pemba start driving around as early as 4 AM, and if you’re not quick, you could miss them. After some searching, we managed to get a spot in a Toyota Hilux. I was lucky to get the front seat, due to my long legs but the air conditioning was a welcome treat from the campsite we’d been staying at in Pember.

We made our way to Quissanga Beach as this where we’d catch the boat to Ibo Island. Our driver told me that everything here depends on the wind and the tide. Nature is in charge in the Quirimbas, and you have to go with the flow he told me. More so as the islands now from the The Quirimbas National Park and this is UNESCO biosphere reserve. This makes sense when you arrive as the landscapes are unbelievably stunning, with clear waters, lush forests, mangroves, and coral islands plus theres miles of white sandy beaches. they really do deserve to be protected.

At Quissanga Beach, we waited for the boat to Ibo Island. when the boat, a dhow, arrived it was loaded with goods, food, and supplies along with a few animals. -all essentials that 120,000 islanders rely on. Pretty much everyone who lives on these islands are considered Coastal Residents as their very survival depends mainly fish. There are those who are situated inland and are more traditional farmers. But either way; if they depend on the sea or the land, their way of life hasn’t changed much for generations.

Sitting on our dhow in the light breeze confirmed this. I later learned that Ibo Island is mostly inhabited by  the Mwani people , which in Swahili means “those who live along the coast, in contact with the sea”.

As our boat slowly set off, we were amazed by the vastness of the archipelago. A passenger who was eager to practice his english , told us that Quirimbas Archipelago stretches some 400 km from Pemba all the way back up to the Tanzanian border. (To that point where some guys had risked their lives with crocodiles to help us make it safely in to Mozambique). The passenger then went on to say that given that traveling between the islands depends on the winds and tides; it was highly unlikely that we would be able to cover significant distance in few days which we had planned here. Best not to rush he said before we said goodbye.

Our first island was Ibo Island and is the most populated in the archipelago filled with fishermen and silver jewellery makers but not too long after disembarking, we found the out about Ibo’s rich history as a major centre for the slave trade and later as a trading hub for the European empires.

That night I remember saying, I love it here. i love it more than i love the matapa which we’d had for dinner. And that was phenomenal.