Ibo Island

About this place

Ibo Island is one of the Quirimbas Islands in the Indian Ocean off northern Mozambique. It is a quiet place today, with wide streets, crumbling old houses and shady trees, and it is known for its silversmiths. It was once a Muslim trading port and later the region's second most important port after the Island of Mozambique, and it feels as if time stopped here. It grew up as a Muslim trading port, and Vasco da Gama is said to have rested here in 1502. The Portuguese fortified it in 1609 and in the late 18th century built the Fort of São João, which still stands. The town was also a slave port in that period, before its role faded with time, leaving its old buildings largely unchanged. The main sight is the star-shaped Fort of São João, and a smaller stone fort nearby has paths edged with white shells. Streets run between single-storey houses with verandas and flaking walls, and on the edge of town are a small chapel and an old cemetery. Worn wooden boats lie on the sand, and at sunset the shallow water turns orange. It is about 71 km from Pemba in a straight line. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Cabo Delgado Province, except Palma and around Pemba and Afungi, where it advises against all but essential travel, so read the current advice before planning. The island is small and easy on foot, and you should ask before photographing residents.