Eco-tourism lodge in Mozambique wins award for benefitting local community.

Guludo Beach Lodge in the Quirimbas National Park in Mozambique, was this week given the Tourism for Tomorrow award for Community Benefit at the annual World Travel & Tourism Council in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The lodge, located on the pristine white sands of the Indian Ocean in one of the southern African country’s poorest areas, was established with the support and involvement of local villagers in 2002 with the intention of not only providing travellers with a unique and environmentally-friendly experience but also to help the community.

“Our idea was to create an innovative and sustainable model to relieve poverty and protect the environment” explained Amy and Neal Carter-Jones, the creators of the lodge and project. “The result was Guludo Beach Lodge and its associated charity, Nema Foundation.”

Nema Foundation currently works with 12 communities in the Guludo area, including feeding 800 children one nutritious school meal every day, providing clean water for 12,000 people, mosquito nets for 7,000 mothers of young children and funding 89 secondary school scholars.

In an area where the average life expectancy is just 38 years and 30% of children do not reach their fifth birthday, the Guludo Beach Lodge and Nema Foundation – to which Amy and Neal donate 5% of the lodge’s income – are making a huge impact.

Described as ‘barefoot luxury’ and making a minimal environmental impact, the lodge is situated on a stretch of northern Mozambique coast described as one of the “world’s top 20 deserted beaches” and touted to be the next travel hotspot. But for now, it’s rustic luxury with high ceilings rather than air conditioning, hammocks instead of WiFi and sea views in place of satellite TV.

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