Colina Verde

Colina Verde is a grand ocean hideaway on the Machangulo peninsula in Southern Mozambique. Designed for friends and families to reconnect and relax, Colina Verde is the perfect place for guests to enjoy a tailored African beach holiday experience immersed in pristine natural surroundings. Nestled into the ancient sand dunes of the Indian Ocean coastline, this exceptionally crafted 7 bedroom property was uniquely designed and furnished for groups of up to 18 guests.

Built in the remote coastal forest of Machangulo, Colina Verde is truly a collaboration between the owners and the local community. Designed by restoration architects with careful consideration of the heritage forest setting, this extensive 2,118 meter squared property is unique in that it cleverly combines all the rooms under one swooping roof that wraps around the 16 meter heated oval swimming pool overlooking the ocean. Each bedroom is different and individually decorated with gentle textures and colour palettes woven together with a subtle African aesthetic. All bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms. There are also 4 small toilets with hand-basins for guests to use while they move around the house, with two w/c on the main floor and two small toilets on the lower ground floor where the spa and pool are located. Working closely with the local community, much of the craftsmanship found throughout is from local artisans and the team that still work at the property.

Complimenting the adventurous design, Colina Verde offers a full range of in-house experiences to showcase the environmentally protected location in harmony with local conservation and community development.

From slow strolls along the empty beaches to the adrenaline rush of catching your own fish for dinner, guests are personally hosted and guided throughout their stay with meticulous attention devoted to creating bespoke experiences for each and every group.

For those less adventurous, Colina Verde’s extensive indoor areas including a living room with a beautiful fireplace, dining room, study and games room, provides plenty of cosy nooks for guests to curl up with a book or look out at the ocean.

Fat-bike rides on the beach, afternoon sailing, whale watching, day trips to the neighbouring Maputo Special Reserve (one of the only places in the world where guests have potential to see elephant and whales in the same day) and Inhaca Island, snorkelling, deep sea fishing, tennis and kayaking are just some of the adventures on offer as well as deeply relaxing treatments in the spa or rejuvenating yoga overlooking the rolling waves and breaching humpback whales.

Deep sea fishing is a speciality of Colina Verde. The home has its own 27ft fishing boat and world class in-house fishing expert. Supplying all the fishing equipment, including fly-rods, spinning rods, the area has a wide variety of fish species to target year round including the highly prized Giant Trevally, both keen anglers and curious beginner can have an exhilarating experience within a short boat trip from the house.

The closest reefs to Colina Verde are less than a 10 minute boat ride away, making it ideal for kids and shorter fishing trips, and for those wanting to be bystanders of the fishing, a GT jacuzzi onboard will keep things interesting.

Colina Verde is actively involved in local marine conservation and guests can contribute by tagging fish they catch as part of an ORI migration study or taking part in the apex predator acoustic tagging program.

Colina Verde is an ideal place to celebrate milestone birthdays or family reunions. Indulgent lunches in scenic locations at the home or on the beach, and intimate lantern lit suppers are always wonderfully memorable. Colina Verde’s passionate chef uses local produce and seasonal vegetables grown in our organic garden. Using only us fish caught from their boat, the emphasis is on delicious healthy meals that nourish the body and soul, complimented by a curated wine list of from South Africa’s best vineyards. As a family friendly destination, children are cared for with dedicated menus and flexible mealtimes and are invited to assist the chefs with baking in the kitchen if they feel inspired by the endless, mouth-watering cake selections.

Bedroom & En-Suite Bathroom Layout:

• The Elephant room is the largest room and has dual aspect south and east views capturing sunrise and sunset on the adjoining deck. There is a custom made extra long super kingsize bed surrounded by billowing white curtains. Both the sunken stone bath and outdoor shower are spectacularly positioned to overlook the ocean. The Floor area of this bedroom is 40.21 square meters.

• The Dolphin room is for lovers of the sea. The ocean tones reflect the picture-perfect view of the pool and coastline beyond. There is a Queen size bed, indoor shower and wicker chairs on the veranda. The floor area is 23.92 square meters.

• The Monkey room is uniquely positioned to take in the south dune valley. This characterful bedroom has its bathroom with copper bath, double shower and a kids bunk on the mezzanine level. On the ground level a King size bed faces the french doors, which open on to a large deck and hot tub jacuzzi. The floor area is 38.23 square meters.

• The Hippo room doubles up as a fun dormitory style bedroom for children. There are four custom sized double beds across two levels. From the upper level a window lounger faces the ocean and makes an ideal reading nook. On the lower level there is a roll top bath and shower. The floor area is 62.71 square meters.

• The Turtle room looks west over vibrant green dune forest while the window seat is positioned to view the ocean to the south. The bright Morrocan style bath has a shower overhead or there is an alfresco shower for those wanting to be closer to nature. The turtle room has a pretty king size bed handmade from local mangrove timber and the room is a total of 30.62 square meters.

• The Inhaca room offers a unique perspective over the tip of the peninsula up to Inhaca Island. This is our bush suite, where guests are nestled in dune forest with the sounds of crickets and birds. There is a bespoke extra long super king size, four poster bed, dressing room, a safari style copper bath and both indoor and outdoor showers. For cosier evenings, there is also an open fireplace. The floor area is 62.49 square meters.

• The Whale room has an oceanic view, framed by trees. There is a King size bed, bath with a view and an outdoor shower. The floor area is 62.71 square meters.

The Location:

Machangulo Peninsula is in the South of Mozambique, directly across the bay from the Mozambique capital of Maputo. Out the door Colina Verde, and guests have 22km of empty beaches to explore and enjoy. The beaches of Machangulo are a significant breeding ground for turtles and the area has a monitoring program that carries out research to help protect the nests of up to 200 leatherback and loggerhead turtles each year.

Moreover, the peninsula provides a rich variety of wildlife habitats; coastal dune forest, wetland, small areas of savanna grassland as well mangrove forests which are a vital part of the marine ecosystem. From July to November Humpback Whales pass Machangulo on their annual migration and can regularly be seen from the decks of Colina Verde.

Machangulo is bordered in the South by Reserva Especial de Maputo and Inhaca island lies to the North. The area which is rich in flora and fauna is protected by a Marine Reserve while an Environmental Protection Agreement that limits development of the land. Reserva Especial de Maputo is 250000 acres and home to 350-400 endemic Mozambican elephants. Peace Parks have been successfully reintroducing many species to this wild and vast habitat including recently cheetah, buffalo and plains game.

Giving Back:

A huge part of the purpose at Colina Verde is to create employment opportunities in this remote community of Machangulo. Most of the team are from the villages of Santa Maria and Mapanga only a few km from the house. Many of the small, tight knit team were involved in building Colina Verde and have been here ever since.

Colina Verde is committed to supporting the needs of the community by contributing to improving health and education facilities in this remote rural area.

Since 2018, Colina Verde has been subsidizing the transport for a monthly visit from a government health team including a doctor and dentist. This has been vital in improving the access our community has to life saving medications and services.

Together with guests, Colina Verde next project is to add a classroom to the local school who have recently taken on 40 high school pupils.

Minimum Stay Requirements:

• Please note that there is a 3 night minimum stay for the period between the 27th March - 03rd April, 20th December - 05th January.

• There is a minimum of a 5 nights stay for other periods.

Additional Information:

• Please note that the boat transfer takes between 60 and 90 minutes or a helicopter transfer from the airport will take 20 minutes.

• From July to November Humpback Whales pass Machangulo on their annual migration and can regularly be seen from the decks of Colina Verde.

• All interior areas and bedrooms are non-smoking.

• There are two (calm and friendly) dogs resident at the property. Anyone with allergy or aversion to dogs should consult management prior to booking

• All activities and transfers are weather and tide dependent. Colina Verde reserves the right to cancel or withdraw activities should the conditions pose a threat to the safety of staff or guests..

• Colina Verde is situated in a remote area. All clients must ensure that they have adequate medical evacuation insurance before travelling.

• Late check out is available on a request basis.

• Beach picnic on Inhaca Island

• Snorkelling at Inhaca island including conservation fee and snorkelling equipment

• Afternoon dhow sail in the Bay of Maputo

• Lantern lit bush dinners

• Use of beach bikes

• Hiking our forest to beach trail

• Tennis court and equipment

• Kayaking in the mangroves

• Dune Lunches overlooking the ocean

• Gym and yoga equipment

• All meals

• Soft drinks, house wines, local beers and spirits

• Daily laundry

• Deep Sea Fishing. Half day including fuel, tackle and professional guide

• Day trips to Inhaca Island lighthouse with lunch at a traditional local restaurant

• Whale watching by boat in season (Jul – Nov) max 6 guests , 4 hour trip

• Adventure free-diving course - min 4 guests

• Apex Predator Acoustic tagging program, 5 tags and 3 days fishing.

• Spa treatments

• Yoga instructor