Visa Requirements

You as the traveller and/or your travel agent are responsible for determining what documentation is required, as well as ensuring any such documentation including passport, visas, medical certificates and unabridged birth certificates are up to date and have been obtained before travel.

Please note that unabridged Birth Certificates are required for all minors travelling in Southern Africa.

Travel insurance is a requirement for all guests and must be purchased prior to travel. Travel insurance must be comprehensive and cover full air evacuation and repatriation, in the unlikely event of an emergency.

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Medical

Because our properties are situated in a malaria area, we advise that you take malaria prophylactics. Please consult your doctor before travelling for up to date medical advise.

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COVID19

 It has been approved for visitors to resume travel, provided the sanitisation guidelines below and social distancing practices are adhered to.

To accommodate both visitors and to respect the protection of all local community staff and members from the potential risks, the following are pre-requisite procedures suggested:

• Boat owner or operator will need to sanitise the boat they transfer on, before boarding the boats in Maputo;
• All visitors’ temperatures to be tested before getting onto the boat – temperature reading equipment to be supplied by boat transfer operator and sanitiser solutions;
• The boat owner must spray the boat immediately after arrival at the destination;
• A cleaning station will be provided for every boat arrival at Nhoxani for visitors to wash their hands;
• Staff support is recommended at reduced hours – please negotiate your requirements with the staff at the villa;
• Please avoid accessing the bedrooms while staff are servicing such and avoid contact. Please adhere to 2m distance at all times;
• A cleaning station will be available at the beach entrance and back of house;
• Staff to wear masks, gloves and glasses when at the house;
• Masks and gloves to be washed and replaced regularly.

Please do your utmost to respect and honour the requested practices so that all parties can enjoy Santa Maria with substantial disciplines there to protect everyone.

Please do not interact with locals or visit the community area.

Please also enjoy the house and the beach in front of the house, but kindly don’t go exploring and socialising with neighbours or gather in groups.

Further clarifications will emerge as all participants add perspective and best practices evolve.

Thanks for your understanding and support. It is much appreciated.

Gratuities

Gratuities are at your own discretion and payable at the end of your stay. The staff have indicated that they prefer a standard minimum amount guideline to avoid oversights or disappointments. You are welcome to go above if you are really happy. We recommend a gratuity of R200 / Mets 1100 per day for the team to share, please hand this to the staff before you depart and payable preferably in Mets.

WIFI

A modem is available which operates on the Mozambique Vodacom network. Whilst the modem is supplied, you should please supply a Mets 500 Vodacom airtime voucher, which you can buy at the border or airport. A staff member will convert this to data for you so you can use WhatsApp, email and surf. We suggest you tell your group to turn off auto-updates and avoid videos which chew data quickly.

Coffee

A coffee plunger is available for granular /filter coffee. Sorry no Nespresso machine!

Fire

Please familiarize yourselves with the position of fire extinguishers.

Please use candles or any other open flame devices responsibly.

Gas

Stove – There is a gas hob with an electric oven. Please ensure that the gas stove supply valve is turned off properly after use. Geysers are electric.

Lights

Please turn off lights and fans when not required.

Mosquito protection

Keep bedroom doors closed during the day to prevent mosquitoes & other insects from entering rooms. Mosquito nets are installed in each bedroom. We have found the bedroom fans work the best, if required.

Foot baths

Provided to prevent sand from going up onto the steps & deck, please use at all times before using the steps/deck.

Security at night

Don’t leave valuables out at night. Don’t leave anything on the beach or sand – it may walk – or float! Close & lock kitchen doors at night.

Outdoor Furniture

There are covers rolled up on the back of the sofas and outside dining area. Please throw over the waterproof sheets behind all the outside couches to cover the cushions at night.

Septic tanks

Please note we only use Septic Tanks, so no foreign objects must be flushed. Please discard them in the bins provided.

The Charcoal Braai

Please do not leave unattended whilst burning. The staff will make you a braai on request in the afternoon (a bucket of charcoal is provided but should it not be available, please organise with a staff member to purchase some in the village). Please provide your own fire-lighters. The Webber is available for your use, please use carefully and be vigilant at all times. Fire is always a worry, so please use only at its designated position.

Electricity

The house runs on 220v electricity with South African type plug points. Occasionally, usually if a storm is anticipated, there can be a temporary power outage. To make things a little more convenient should this occur, we have candles and solar jars in the house and on the deck. If it does not restore within a few hours, please report this to Riaan and he will investigate.

Drinking Water

Our borehole water is fine for all general applications, but not great for drinking since it is marginally saline. The staff will bring in bottled drinking water which will be placed in the kitchen, at the bar or dining area. Fresh water is also placed in all the rooms daily. We prefer to re-use plastic bottles to reduce waste disposal. We recommend taking along a pack of 12 500ml plastic bottles for refilling and using on your excursions.

Fridges and Freezers

There is a double door ‘coke’ fridge, single fridge and chest freezer in the kitchen. The chest freezer doubles up for ice making. A large number of ice trays are used to make ice. Should you need more, ice can be purchased from Bemugi’s restaurant. Please advise the manager accordingly.

 Refuse Disposal

We like to separate bio-degradables from bottles, plastics and tins. Separate baskets & containers are provided for this. We participate in a recycling programme. Nothing is discarded on site, but collected twice a week and taken to Maputo.

Bedrooms and Bathrooms

It is best to keep bedroom doors closed to keep mosquitoes and other insects out. Please refrain from smoking in the bedrooms. Every room has bath towels with basic soaps. We have beach towels in the beach containers. Please use but don’t remove. We only have one set.

Locking up at night

For peace of mind and for security of valuables, please close & lock kitchen doors and shutters before retiring to bed. When opening the kitchen in the morning be sure to hook the small locks onto the latches for safety. Please place fishing rods and equipment in the locked kitchen or a bedroom overnight. Please don’t leave them out on the deck. Should something go missing, we and the staff are not liable.

Games

On those windy, rainy days bring out the cards, monopoly or 30 seconds and have some good laughs. They are in the side board cupboard.

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The Staff

There are at least two staff members that look after the house permanently. They are responsible for ensuring it is clean and ready for your arrival. They make up the rooms, wash the dishes, set up the tables for breakfast and lunch and keep the house tidy. Sometimes a third person will assist with the housekeeping and ‘Chapa Chem’ boat skippering.

They will work from 07h00 to 16h30-17h00 daily, with a 1 hour lunch break at 13h00.

If you have any laundry needing attention, the staff can also assist with hand washing, please supply the washing detergents & instructions.

If there are more than 8 people staying at The Deck House, an extra helper may need to come in for the duration of the stay, to assist with duties. There will be an additional daily charge of 300MT for her services. This is for your account. This person is optional but for the sake of making your stay more pleasant, it is advised.  Should you choose to exercise this option please advise Riaan who will meet you on your arrival.

The agreed gratuity for each of the staff is as advised in Mike’s initial communication and reminder. Please hand this to the staff before your departure. It is equivalent to Mets 1,100 or R200/day for the team to share, preferably paid in Mets at the current exchange rate.

If you would like the local bread delivered daily, please ask the staff to organise. The bread costs 15MT per loaf. It is advised to pay them upfront for the duration of your stay for the same to ensure daily delivery.

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Recreational Boat (Chapa Chem)

A recreational boat is available for your use. A skipper is provided and will take you around our bay (line of sight) for snorkeling, bird watching or fishing (using your own equipment). The same boat can take you to and from the village, should the tide allow.  A tank of fuel, 25 liters for a 7 night stay or 10-15 liters for a 2 night stay, will be made available for this purpose. Any extra fuel required should be provided by the visitor or bought from Riaan.

You may also use the two stand up boards, which are available for your enjoyment.

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Boat launch site, no driving on the beaches, sea worthies and fishing licenses

Driving on beaches throughout Mozambique is prohibited and carries a hefty fine. Santa Maria peninsula is part of a Marine Reserve. This has resulted in the prohibition of boat launching in front of the houses but there is an approved launch site close by in front of Nhonguane Lodge. Please launch and retrieve from there or at the Marine Center near the Santa Maria village. Once your boat is in the water, you may moor or anchor it safely in front of the houses. There is a specified no wake zone in front of the houses from Camp Carlos to the mangroves. Please travel slowly in this area. Water skiing should be performed at least 750m away from the land so as not to disturb others. Snorkeling off Santa Maria peninsula is free, but if you snorkel off Inhaca there is a daily fee. The local officials are based next to the snorkel site on Inhaca. This area is fabulous at one hour before high tide.

A sea worthy is required for own boat use and fishing licenses. These may be obtained from the Maritime officers in Maputo or on Inhaca. Please contact the Port Captain, Mualide Nuro on +258 82 605 1611 or Jose Elias for arrangements +258 82 897 5140. Fishing licenses can be obtained from the local maritime officers, now also based at Santa Maria.

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Fishing and seafood

The marine reserve regulations specify that no reef fishing is allowed and any such incidental catches and any billfish should be released. Cuta, Dorado, tuna and other pelagics are permitted. The staff are competent at filleting fish and will be happy to prepare your fish fillets. Fresh crab, clams and sometimes prawns can be ordered from the locals with a few days’ notice. Please notify the staff so they can pre-order.

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Right of Admission Reserved and enter at own risk

The home owners, directors, shareholders and employees are NOT responsible for any loss, damage, death or injury to any person or their property on these premises. All persons entering onto these premises do so entirely at their own risk. Please appreciate that the cost of repairing any damage to property caused by a visitor will be recoverable from them. Please notify us of any breakages.

We hope you will enjoy your time in this special paradise

Emergency contact details:

Mike Braby +27834199874 (marketing)

Pedro Coutinho (Mozambique part shareholder) +258 84 334 2815

Machangulo Beach Lodge neighbor +258 84 895 4517

Riaan and Rikus – house managers +258 84 420 7742 / +258 84 283 9098

Bemugi –Community entrepreneur + friend +258 84 248 0047

Maputo Private Hospital +258 21483905, Rua do Rio Inhamiava Sommerschield II Maputo

Police/Chef De Post +258 84 505 3428

Backup Services & numbers for emergencies:

MEDICAL EMERGENCY – Helicopter AEROMED, contact Anka +258 84 555 5911

HELICOPTER CHARTERS – CAPITAL AIR +258 82  000 2525 or +258 21 466100

FLIGHTS BETWEEN MAPUTO & INHACA ISLAND

CR AVIATION Marta +258 82 777 3350 or Bernardo +258 82 842 6530

MACHANGULO BEACH LODGE (Boat Transfer to Maputo Marina)

Christiaan or Henry +258 84 895 4517 / 84 722 7699

BEMUGIʼS RESTAURANT +258 84 248 0047