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Private speedboat transfer to the Bazaruto islands, Mozambique

Vilanculos · Bazaruto Archipelago

Transfers to the Bazaruto islands

A Bazaruto island transfer is private boat transport from Vilanculos out to your island lodge in the Bazaruto Archipelago — whether you’re booked into Pestana Bazaruto Lodge or Anantara on Bazaruto Island, or andBeyond, Azura or Kisawa Sanctuary on Benguerra. You’ve flown into Vilanculos and your bed for the week is across the water: we meet you at the airport, run the crossing for you and your luggage, and bring you back for your flight — airport pick-up and drop-off included. It’s a transfer, not a day tour, and if your lodge sends its own boat we’ll simply get you to the Vilanculos jetty in good time.

From $500

Every transfer includes your Vilankulo Airport pick-up and drop-off. The boat fare itself varies by island, group size, and whether you need the full crossing or just the jetty drop — we confirm the exact figure before you book.

Request your island transfer on WhatsApp
  • A private speedboat to your lodge — Pestana or Anantara on Bazaruto, andBeyond, Azura or Kisawa on Benguerra
  • Airport pick-up and drop-off included — we meet your flight at Vilankulo Airport (VNX) and connect you to the boat
  • Both ways — out to your lodge and back to Vilanculos for your flight

No queue at the harbour

How an island transfer
works.

One WhatsApp message books the crossing — to the island and back. Here’s how it goes.

  1. 1

    You tell us your island and lodge

    Which island you’re staying on, your lodge, your dates, and how many of you. A sentence is enough to start.

  2. 2

    We confirm the boat and quote it

    We line up the right boat for the crossing and the sea, and send your fare — out and back, no surprises.

  3. 3

    We run you across

    We meet you in Vilanculos, load your bags, and take you over to the island — and collect you again when you leave.

The crossing

How to get to the Bazaruto islands.

Getting to the Bazaruto islands means a boat from Vilanculos — there’s no other way across to the Bazaruto Archipelago, a national marine park co-managed by African Parks since 2017. The lodges sit on two islands: Bazaruto Island, home to Pestana Bazaruto Lodge and Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort, and Benguerra Island, home to andBeyond Benguerra, Azura and Kisawa Sanctuary. Benguerra is the closest — about 25 minutes by speedboat to Azura and andBeyond, and 30–45 minutes to Kisawa at the southern tip; the Bazaruto Island lodges are farther out, about an hour to Anantara and about an hour and a half to Pestana at the northern tip. (Magaruque’s island lodge is currently closed, so it’s a day-trip stop for now rather than a place to stay.)

We run that crossing as a private transfer for you and your luggage — by speedboat, not by dhow. The traditional sailing dhow is lovely for a slow day on the water, but a speedboat is faster and drier for you and your bags, and easy to time around a flight: Benguerra is a quick 25 minutes, and even the far northern tip of Bazaruto is about an hour and a half. Your airport pick-up and drop-off are included in the fare — we meet your flight at Vilankulo Airport (VNX), connect you to the boat, and bring you back for your flight home. If your lodge prefers to send its own boat, we’ll simply get you to the jetty in good time instead.

This is transport to an island stay, not a sightseeing trip. If you’re after the islands for the day — the snorkelling, the sandbanks, the dune at Bazaruto — that’s our island day tours instead.

New to the archipelago? See our Bazaruto Archipelago guide, our guide to getting to Vilanculos, and the wider Vilanculos guide — then let us handle the crossing.

Your lodge

The lodges we transfer to.

Five lodges take guests in the Bazaruto Archipelago, spread across the only two islands with places to stay. Bazaruto Island has Pestana Bazaruto Lodge and Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort; Benguerra Island has andBeyond Benguerra Island, Azura Benguerra and Kisawa Sanctuary. We run the private boat crossing from Vilanculos to any of them, both ways, with your Vilankulo Airport pick-up and drop-off included in the fare — so whichever name is on your booking confirmation, tell us and we’ll plan the arrival around your flight.

Bazaruto Island

Staying on Bazaruto.

Pestana Bazaruto Lodge
At the northern end of Bazaruto Island — the farthest of the island lodges from Vilanculos, roughly 65 km up the coast and about an hour and a half by speedboat, so we time the crossing carefully around your flights. The longest run we do, and the one worth telling us your flight numbers for.
Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort
The flagship resort on Bazaruto Island, closer in than Pestana — about an hour across, and the one most guests are booked into. We meet your flight, run you straight across, and collect you again when you leave.

Benguerra Island

Staying on Benguerra.

andBeyond Benguerra Island
Thatched casinhas in the dune forest on Benguerra — the closest island to Vilanculos, about 14 km offshore and roughly 25 minutes by speedboat, which makes it the shortest crossing we run.
Azura Benguerra
An eco-boutique retreat on the same island, a little further along the coast. The same 25-minute crossing from Vilanculos, with your bags and your airport pick-up handled either way.
Kisawa Sanctuary
The newest lodge on Benguerra, on the island's southern tip and about 30–45 minutes from Vilanculos, with its own research station on the island. We run the private boat out and back, and drop you at Vilankulo Airport for your flight home.

Distances as published by the lodges themselves: Pestana Bazaruto Lodge (65 km north of Vilanculos) and Azura Benguerra (Benguerra Island, 14 km from Vilanculos) and Kisawa Sanctuary (the southern tip of Benguerra). Crossing times depend on your lodge, your group and the sea on the day — we confirm yours before you book.

No surprises

What's sorted before you cast off.

A private boat to your lodge
Just your group across to your lodge — Pestana or Anantara on Bazaruto, andBeyond, Azura or Kisawa on Benguerra — with room for your luggage, no shared crossings, no waiting for a full boat.
Airport pick-up included
We meet your flight at Vilankulo Airport (VNX) and connect you straight to the boat — pick-up and drop-off are part of the fare, not an add-on.
Out and back
We run the crossing both ways — over to your lodge and back to Vilanculos for your flight home, timed around your dates.
A transfer, not a tour
This is transport to your island stay, with your bags. For a day on the water — snorkelling and sandbanks — see our island day tours instead.

Before you ask

The questions we get most.

How do I get to the Bazaruto islands?
You reach the Bazaruto islands by boat from Vilanculos — there's no bridge and no scheduled ferry, so every lodge is a private speedboat crossing over the archipelago. Benguerra Island is the closest — about 25 minutes by speedboat to Azura and andBeyond, and 30–45 minutes to Kisawa at the island's southern tip; the Bazaruto Island lodges are farther out, about an hour to Anantara and about an hour and a half to Pestana at the northern tip. First you fly into Vilankulo Airport (VNX) — we meet your flight, connect you straight to the boat, run you across, and bring you back, with the airport pick-up and drop-off included in the fare.
How much is a boat transfer to the Bazaruto islands?
Boat transfers to the islands start at $500, and every fare includes your Vilankulo Airport pick-up and drop-off. The exact figure depends on the island, your group size, and whether you need the full crossing or just a drop at the Vilanculos jetty — message us with the details and we'll confirm it; no online payment, no obligation.
How long is the boat across to the islands?
It depends which lodge you're headed to. Benguerra Island is the closest — about 25 minutes by speedboat to Azura Benguerra and andBeyond Benguerra, with Kisawa Sanctuary, on the island's southern tip, about 30–45 minutes. The Bazaruto Island lodges are farther out: about an hour to Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort, and about an hour and a half to Pestana Bazaruto Lodge at the northern tip. We'll confirm the exact timing for your lodge when you book.
Which islands and lodges do you transfer to?
Bazaruto Island and Benguerra Island — the two islands with lodges to stay at. On Bazaruto that's Pestana Bazaruto Lodge and Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort; on Benguerra, andBeyond Benguerra, Azura and Kisawa Sanctuary. Santa Carolina has no accommodation and Magaruque's lodge is currently closed, so both are day-trip spots rather than transfer destinations.
Can you take me to Pestana Bazaruto Lodge?
Yes. We run private boat transfers to Pestana Bazaruto Lodge, at the northern end of Bazaruto Island — it's the longest of the island crossings, about an hour and a half from Vilanculos, so we time it carefully around your flights. Tell us your dates and we'll line up the boat both ways, with your Vilankulo Airport pick-up and drop-off included.
Can you take me to Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort?
Yes. Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort is on Bazaruto Island, about an hour by speedboat from Vilanculos, and we run the private transfer both ways with your Vilankulo Airport pick-up and drop-off included in the fare — we meet your flight, connect you straight to the boat, and bring you back for your flight home. Tell us your dates, your group size and your flight details, and we'll plan the whole arrival around them.
Can you take me to Kisawa Sanctuary?
Yes. Kisawa Sanctuary sits on the southern tip of Benguerra Island, about 30–45 minutes by speedboat from Vilanculos, and we run private boat transfers out to it both ways, with your Vilankulo Airport pick-up and drop-off included. Send us your dates, your group size and your flight details, and we'll confirm the boat and the fare — no deposit, no online payment.
Can you take me to Azura or andBeyond on Benguerra?
Yes — Azura Benguerra and andBeyond Benguerra Island are both on Benguerra Island, and we run the private boat crossing to either one from Vilanculos. Your Vilankulo Airport pick-up and drop-off are included in the fare, and we run the boat both ways, timed around your flights. Tell us which lodge and your dates, and we'll confirm the boat and the fare.
Is this a day tour to the islands?
No — this is private transport to and from an island stay, not a sightseeing trip. If you want the islands for the day — snorkelling, the sandbanks, the dunes — that's our island day tours instead. The transfer is just the crossing, with your luggage.
Do you bring me back as well?
Yes. We run the boat both ways — out to your lodge and back to Vilanculos when you leave, timed for your flight home from Vilankulo Airport (VNX), where we drop you off. Tell us your dates and we'll line it up.
What if my lodge sends its own boat?
Then we'll simply get you to the Vilanculos jetty in good time — a short road transfer to the harbour, with your luggage — and your lodge takes it from there. Tell us which lodge and we'll sort it.
Can you carry luggage and gear across?
Yes — the speedboat has room for your bags, and for dive gear or boards if you're bringing them. Tell us roughly how much you're carrying and how many of you there are, and we'll send the right boat.
Can you collect me from Vilanculos airport and take me to the island?
Yes — and it's included in the fare, not an extra. We'll meet your flight at Vilankulo Airport (VNX) and connect you straight to the boat, then drop you back for your flight home. Just send us your flight details and your lodge, and we'll plan the whole arrival.

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Tell us your lodge
and your dates.

One message and we'll confirm the boat, the timing, your airport pick-up and drop-off, and a fare out to Pestana, Anantara, andBeyond, Azura or Kisawa — and back for your flight home. No deposit to ask.

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