Dolphin Resort Holiday In Mozambique

I used to work in travel and I knew about Ponta Do Ouro, so when I was doing my search on the internet for the area, Dolphin Encountours (make an enquiry) came up and they were very close to Durban, so we decided why not try them? Specifically to swim with dolphins and to visit Mozambique.

I e-mailed their Johannesburg operation and I think it was Peter (Angie's brother) who mailed us all the information. We looked at it and decided to go with it.

This dolphin resort set up is great; you're so close to the beach and it's like a sort of Robinson Crusoe experience.

How did they perform as an operator, and how eco-friendly are they?

I think very, very eco-friendly. If they found the dolphins weren't very friendly they'd let them be.

The operation seems to go very well from what I could see and I think that everybody that was there - there was Roxy, I don't know if she's still there - they had another girl from the UK and 2 or 3 life guards. They all work together and when there were meals everybody would sit and chat.

I think on the service levels they delivered quite well.

I think it's what you choose, maybe. We stayed in we stayed in a reed casita. I would have preferred to stay in the wood casita.

Why do you say that?

It's just that I didn't like the sand. It's like a beach mat on the sand and I don't like constant sand. They had 6 or 7 other bungalows with wooden floors and I think if you're constantly in sand, then - some people like it, mind you - but when we got there it was fully booked so we couldn't change it. That was okay, but if you're there for 4 or 5 days, the sand gets to you.

We had some of the dinners at the dolphin resort. I remember salads, bread, prawns… I can't remember all of it but I know there was a variety.

There were always drinks and they left everything open. You had to write down if you took something and that's how they keep tabs, so it's a very honest operation. I'm sure people like that freedom. You just write your room number and it is be billed to you when you leave the dolphin resort.

Apart from where they are, when you walk out there's a fresh bakery, there's lots of different food, coffee shop, a night club - everything within the area. So you don't have to eat the meals provided by Dolphin Encountours.

I'm a coffee person so because of the bakery I would also go there and eat things.

Eat, drink and sleep! I'm not kidding.

When we did the early morning launch, you're up at 6am already by 8am when you eat breakfast the day is already long.

Around 10am we'd read or something. We hired a 4x4 - my husband and I and a friend - so we also got around to explore the area around Ponta. So we were not exclusively at the camp or dolphin resort but on the days it was very hot we came back at noon and you just sit in a hammock. They've got a lot of places where you can rest and recuperate and have a beer or something.

Then in the afternoon you'd have lunch and come back … it depends if you want to do the night activities - they've got a turtle walk that go in the night and things like that.

But if you just want to relax around the dolphin resort you can do that. For me it was more about relaxing.

Who did you rent the 4x4 from?

The brother of a friend of mine in Cape Town, has 4x4 vehicles in Johannesburg. So he had drove the vehicle down to Durban and we picked it up at the airport in Durban and drove from there.

We used it for everything, because after that we drove from Ponta Do Ouro to Maputo and stayed at the Polana for four nights as well.

I would definitely recommend if people are going to explore a bit, to rent a 4x4. If it's raining or something you can leave the dolphin resort and go driving around. There are also a lot of places that you can see, but you need a vehicle to access it as well.

The roads are quite sandy - a normal car won't work at all.

I think because it's so close to Kosi Bay and practically on the border, this particular area feels very much like South Africa, although it's in Mozambique.

And you actually notice the friendliness of the people. They're very calm and very helpful and you don't feel threatened. Even when we were walking around at night and you see them you don't feel scared or wonder "am I going to get jacked?"… not at all.

Did you get around with English, or did you need a touch of Portuguese?

We spoke English, which was fine.

Before you actually go out they explain all the different things you have to do and giving you tips about the water, telling you about safety which I think is very beneficial. It was for me, because I was not a very good swimmer but I also decided to go.

During the briefing they also prepare you on how to act around the dolphins. So you are aware of what to expect and how to behave.

When you come onto the beach, everybody assists in launching the boat into the water. I think they take a maximum of about 8 people. You have all your equipment with you, you also have to wear a life jacket.

When you go beyond the break then you take off your life jackets and they see if they can find the dolphins. Generally it's quite visible from what I remember. Even if you just sat on the boat itself and you didn't go into the water, you could see them.

Our group had some wonderful experiences. Angie was always the one who went in first to sort of acquaint herself with the dolphins. The people who swam behind her had very amazing experiences because the dolphins would come up to their faces and things like that.

My husband swam but I just panicked and stayed on the boat. I got very scared ... I couldn't do it. But I was the only one. All the others in our group went in, and everyone tried to get me to go in.

Dolphin Encountours were really eager to ensure that everybody got an experience during our stay at the dolphin resort - even on the last day when the seas were really high, the life guards would go with you holding you hand and helping you around. They were careful that you were always safe and taken care of.

I think they have two launches a day. One's at about 8am and another one in the afternoon. It all depends on the tide and the visibility of the dolphins as well.

We got there on the Friday, so on the Saturday morning we had the first one and that was very pleasant because the water was calm. I would say, depending on the weather - because the second dive we did the weather wasn't that great so the time was shorter - anything from about 30 to 45 minutes.

Were the dolphins in large pods?

Yes, I think we found about 8, maybe 10... some of them swimming together. There was never an isolated dolphin; they were swimming in their pod… that's how you see them.

From the boat, was the visibility into the water also good?

Yes. And they [Dolphin Encountours] take pictures as well. They're not just a dolphin resort, they also do a lot of research. I asked Angie to mail me some of her pictures as well and even from the pictures, it's like something from a book. The water was very clear.

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The weather was fine; very hot.

Just on the second-last day when the weather was bad, the waves were really high. I was sick but the other people were enjoying the boatride. But for me - no! It was a personal thing, you know if you're not used to the water. But it was also great being there and overcoming that fear.

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I'd just say go with a hearty spirit and enjoy it. You can't really have an expectation... I don't know if you can really say an animal's behaviour is predictable. Maybe you'll have a wonderful experience; maybe you won't have an experience.

Would you say going out on the boat once is enough?

I think it's better to go two or three times, because it depends on the visibility and the behaviour of the dolphins as well. Maybe they don't want people to approach them and then you've gone there and not seen anything. Even if people book two sessions - just to give themselves a chance.

What was the most useful item in your luggage?

Mosquito spray and sun block.

Did you take malaria medicine?

They recommend that you do, but I didn't. I did drink a lot of gin & tonics though!

7 and a half.

I think it was one of the most natural experiences in an environment that I've ever seen - even for people who don't swim, like myself. Sometimes I was learning how to swim, but just I got scared - for me it was also being very close to the dolphins and seeing them upfront which made a big difference.

The experience was not what I had expected but when I left the dolphin resort I was challenged because I never thought it could be so close to home and that people actually do stuff like that, taking care of the environment like that. You know, everybody wants to get involved but nobody really does anything. And for Angie to start something like that is wonderful and the more people that know about their dolphin resort, the better.

I think people always think you can swim with dolphins in an aquarium … I don't know…in whatever other dolphin resort in an unnatural habitat you get. Doing this in the wild, completely natural, and so close to home was just amazing.

I think I'd go back and I tell a lot of my friends about it as well.