Although a sleepy backwater today, Mozambique Island was once the capital of Portuguese East Africa and the most important port in the region. The whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it houses some of the oldest buildings in the southern hemisphere, most notable the old fort and three churches. Despite its rich heritage, Mozambique Island is remarkably untouristed and you don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the distinct feeling of going back in time here.

The fortified city of Mozambique is located on this island, a former Portuguese trading post on the route to India. Its remarkable architectural unity is due to the consistent use, since the 16th century, of the same building techniques, building materials (stone or macuti) and decorative principles.