From the end of February to the middle of March, I spent three weeks on St Helena escorting three groups of divers and snorkellers to one of the remotest permanently inhabited islands in the world. Although my third visit, and my longest, in three years, the island continues to enchant with its mix of history, stunning and varied landscapes, endemic and iconic fish life, and friendly village atmosphere. 

Dinners at the Mantis Hotel were as popular as ever, and I got the chef to concoct “Saintviche”, a local derivative of the South American fish dish, Ceviche. Getting coriander is almost impossible, there is little local agriculture, despite the island’s temperate climate with good rainfall, as the steep terrain makes mechanised farming impossible. Lime is also not commonly imported, so we used lemon, grapefruit, mint, parsley and some just-caught tuna. The result was universally popular, and hopefully it will be added to the menu on the next update. Fresh fish is abundant, yellowfin and skipjack tuna and wahoo are the most common, and we also sampled Soldierfish, Bullseyes, and Grouper at Annie’s. I also bought some fresh spiny and slipper lobsters from our excellent skipper, Duffy, and had them grilled at Annie’s. All in, the lobster dinner cost us £11 for two half lobsters, salads, and chips.
 
Next year’s trips are filling up already, so if you want to join, don’t dally. We have a budget week in self-catering accommodation five minutes from town, and a week in the Mantis Hotel in the heart of Jamestown, that can be found here. We also create bespoke itineraries tailored to your requirements any time of year. ​

We moved off the islands to the mainland, and had a night to check out the beautiful boutique retreat called Santorini, 12 kilometres from Vilanculos. With just five suites in the main villa and lots of lounges and salas to chill in, it is a great place for couples to relax and unwind after a safari. There are also 2 private 2-bedroom villas available, Villa da Praia and The Chapel.
​The villas sit on a hilltop, looking out over Kingfisher Bay, deserted beach as far as you can see, the island of Benguerra on the horizon, a few dhows sailing across the bay.
​Activities include SUP, kayak, sun downer cruises, snorkelling and visiting the islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago, catamaran cruises, and fishing. Scuba diving can be arranged, Fat tire bikes will be available soon. Or you can just relax with a book and let your butler bring you a glass of wine.

&Beyond Benguerra Island is a mix of classic chic in the spacious and beautifully appointed 'casinhas" and simple safari elegance with it's dhow bar on the beach, evening beach dining by paraffin lantern light, and star-gazing around the fire. 
The casinhas all have their own infinity pool, shaded outdoor lounge on a private deck, beach loungers, and a shaded outdoor double bed swing. The food was absolutely top-notch, Ines' vegetarian needs were deliciously catered for, and our butler Gilario was charming and on the ball. For our last meal they set up a private beach lunch on the wild side of the island, at the foot of the Red Dune, and we had as far as we could see of the 11k of coastline to ourselves. 

Some images from our stst at Azura Retreat Benguerra Island, our current location on a 7-week recce across southern Africa.
Azura prides itself on its cuisine, and rightly so, it is delicious. We have a butler called Jonas assigned to look after us when we are not checking out the marine life.
​This barefoot luxury resort has been built with local materials, by 450 subsitence fishermen islanders trained by rhe resort in building techniques, from making the bricks, raising the roofs, and crafting the furniture. The resort now employs 100 locals, has built a primary school for 400 kids, sponsors secondary school education for island kids on thr mainland, and has just built the island's first clinic all through the Azura Rainbow Fund.

Ever dreamt of diving dramatic walls or coral gardens without another dive operation around? If you are going to Africa, Pemba could be the place for you. 

Some shots from a couple of days diving from Kendwa, Zanzibar with a 60mm macro lens on a Panasonic GX-8. It was quite the scorpionfish family festival.