A shared vision of ecological sustainability brings two hospitality visionaries from South Africa and SE Asia together in building the brand-new Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira in Mozambique

27 September 2021 – A shared vision for an ecologically sustainable, solar-powered private island has seen South African-born entrepreneur and businessman Jack Truter realize his lifelong dream of building a resort on an idyllic island off the coast of Mozambique in partnership with one of the most luxurious hotel brands in the world.
The announcement that the latest Banyan Tree project – Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira – is set for launch in July 2022 represents a spectacular milestone for both the Banyan Tree Group, Truter, Mozambique and African tourism. This ultra-luxury private island destination lies just 11km off the coast of Nampula Province, in the heart of the little known Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago – one of the largest marine reserves in Africa.

The development began in Truter’s imagination when he had a vision of building something remarkable. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Singaporean entrepreneur Ho Kwon Ping was making his own dream a reality, launching the Banyan Tree brand with the opening of its first resort in 1994 in Phuket, Thailand. He did so in the belief that success in the hotel business lay in the ability to give guests a true sense of place, wherever they are in the world.
It’s an ethos that has underpinned the Banyan Tree Group’s phenomenal growth that effortlessly combines the best of Asian hospitality and service standards with the essence of local culture – that immersion into a country’s unique identity that enhances and complements what has now become a globally recognised and lauded luxury hotel brand. It’s also what ultimately brought Banyan Tree together with Truter to create Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira.
Engaging in a project of this size in Africa is a huge leap of faith at a time when the world is in the grip of a global pandemic that has all but brought the tourism industry to its knees. It’s also an indication of the belief Banyan Tree has in the future of Mozambique and Southern Africa as custodians of its impressive and much-loved brand, which can only be seen as a positive step forward in global tourism recovery.
Only the second Banyan Tree property on the African continent – the first being Tamouda Bay in Morocco – the development of Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira has provided foreign capital into Mozambique’s economy, thereby contributing towards a world-class tourism destination. It is also anticipated that it will create in the region of +/- 300 jobs, the vast majority of which will be for Mozambican nationals, which will have an immediate positive effect on the lives of 1500 people directly related to those employed.
Renowned the world over for its sustainable tourism credentials, Banyan Tree’s brand has been built on three pillars – environment, community and responsibility. Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira will be taking these pillars to heart – it will be 100% solar-run, use desalinated water and will recruit directly from local communities, with ongoing training and a careers-for-life approach to staffing.
As with all of its sister resorts across the world, Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira will also be contributing directly to conservation of the fragile marine eco-systems by protecting the fauna and flora on the island itself, as well as across the archipelago. This is an important breeding ground for green and hawksbill turtles as well as the critically endangered dugong.
“This is a completely unique environment,” says Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira General Manager Eduardo Johnston da Silva. “Formed from underlying sandstone (as opposed to being a coral atoll) Ilha Caldeira has a wonderful outer circumference of pristine white sand beach, enclosing a rich tropical forest interior. It’s a vitally important eco-system that we are committed to preserving and that tourism here will help to protect.

“This is the first 5-star ultra-luxury private island development by a globally recognised hotel brand in Mozambique and we are incredibly proud to be showcasing this incredibly vibrant and stunningly beautiful country to a more discerning guest which will also raise the benchmark of the quality of service expected,” da Silva says. “There is nothing like it anywhere in Southern Africa. All of our villas will be ocean-facing with private pools and indescribable views of the Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago,” he concludes.
Most importantly, Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira will be distilling the essence of Mozambique into its guest experience, celebrating the vibrant Mozambican culture and blending its Far Eastern roots with the raw majesty of Africa in a celebratory fusion of authentic Asian and African influences. It’s this ability to effortlessly combine its Asian origins with the prevailing culture of wherever it is in the world that has made the Banyan Tree brand so popular with travellers the world over and keep it true to its mission to give guests that all-important true sense of place.

“Soul-searching luxury”