To give our guests the best experience of life on a beach and preserve the raw natural beauty of this pristine piece of paradise we have built as little as possible at Anvil Bay. Canvas tents provide shade on the beach and a thatched retreat in the forest shelter from occasional storms. The beach bar lounge and restaurant are centrally positioned on the bay with the accommodations either side so guests can book to be close to the action or enjoy even more isolation on the north and south ends.

The accommodations, called Casinhas (a little home in Mozambique) are nestled in the canopy of the coastal forest just a few steps away from the secluded white sand beach. They blend a small footprint, natural materials and local craftsmanship with simple functional furnishings and fine linen.

Designed to be your home from home you will find a well stocked minibar and beverage station, luxury indoor and outdoor showers and a private dining deck en-suite.

The thatch and canvas design takes advantage of the cooling ocean breezes and the canvas sides can be rolled up to truly get in touch with the natural surrounds. Outdoor lighting has been kept to a minimum in order to better see the majestic African night sky and so as not to disturb the turtles in nesting season.

Climate

Southern Mozambique has a tropical savannah climate. Winter months (June to August) are dry and mild, with average temperatures between 58°F (14°C) and 77°F (25°C). The summer months (December to March) are noticeably hotter and wetter with occasional thunderstorms in the afternoons. January is the hottest month with highs averaging around 86°F (30°C).

Maputo Special Reserve is home to Southern Africa’s last remaining coastal herd of elephant and was originally established to protect this elephant population in the 1930s. Its purpose in the 1960s was expanded to include the protection of other large mammal species and again in the 1990s, thanks to the growing recognition of its wider biodiversity importance.

The reserve is an important component in the protected areas system of Mozambique, as it conserves the exceptional biodiversity of a coastal zone that lies in the Maputaland Centre of Endemism. At 1040 km², it is a spectacular area that combines lakes, wetlands, sand forests, grasslands and mangrove forests with a pristine coastline. It supports an exceptionally high number of endemic species of fauna and flora and is part of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Biodiversity Hotspot, thus part

of one of earth’s 25 biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial Eco regions.

In 2010 the Mozambican government began a translocation program to Maputo Special Reserve in order to re-introduce species that were historically found in the area. Over a thousand animals have been reintroduced so far.

The translocations are backed up by aerial surveys and counts, which have been taking place annually since 2011. The 2014 census indicates that the introduced populations are steadily increasing. The species found to be the most abundant are hippo, reedbuck, elephant, crocodile, red duiker, blue wildebeest and zebra, while the giraffe, nyala, kudu, bushbuck and waterbuck populations are growing.

The great variety and richness of the habitats found in the Maputo Special Reserve support a remarkable diversity of bird life with a list of around 350 species recorded.

Vast expanses of beautiful and varied countryside, include grass covered rolling hills and tracts of tall sand forest, a diversity of woodland types, coastal dune forest, a number of large lakes and innumerable smaller lakes and wetlands.

Sand-forest specials include Neergaard’s Sunbird, Pink-throated Twinspot, African Broadbill, Rudd’s Apalis, Eastern Nicator and gorgeous Bush-shrike. Coastal dune forest and dune forest in remnant dunes some way inland offers Livingstone’s Turaco, Green Malkoa, Green Twinspot, Brown Scrub-Robin, Woodward’s

Batis and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird. Extensive rolling grasslands are home to specials such as Swamp Nightjar, Denham’s Bustard, Grey-rumped Swallow and various raptors. Damp grassland areas may offer Rosy-throated Longclaw and Pale-crowned Cisticola. Large lakes and associated seasonally flooded areas hold a variety of water birds including Herons, Storks, Pelicans, Flamingos, Cormorants and ducks – and a variety of waders – particularly in summer. The woodland/wetland mosaic offers a variety of other birds including Southern Banded Snake-Eagle, African Crowned Eagle and African Cuckoo-Hawk. In summer the Sooty Falcon occurs along the northern part of the reserve in association with mangrove swamps.