Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Sietsma.
Hi Christina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been passionate about Africa for a long time. The vibrant colors, breathtaking sunsets, warm-hearted people and untamed beauty of the land stole my heart back in 1995.
My story with Mozambique begins in 2008, when we travelled overland by local buses from Zambia all the way to the north of Mozambique. It was as if I had arrived in paradise. So beautiful, so calm, so peaceful. Where were all the tourists?
Life kept bringing us back to Mozambique and fast forward to 2021, when we decided to settle permanently in Vilanculos, the gateway to the idyllic Bazaruto Archipelago. We still found the same unspoiled paradise as back in the days.
Here, we established MindWise to offer wellness and meditation retreats which we call mindful holidays, as well as Unique Mozambique, which focuses on personalised and unique travel experiences in this unspoiled country.
While I am helping people with their travel plans, I see myself as a connector, more than a travel agent, connecting people to the beautiful people, places and projects in Mozambique with a focus on sustainability and local cooperation.
I am really passionate about this still untouched country with its pristine coastline, remarkable underwater world and remote interior full of giant trees and wildlife, that deserves to benefit more from sustainable tourism – while at the same time helping visitors and guests to find the inner stillness and peace in themselves, through the retreats and mindful holidays we offer with MindWise.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Sure. While Mozambique is beautiful, pure, off the beaten track – still undiscovered, a beautiful and relaxed place to live, it’s not an easy place to make things work.
– Mozambique is not a prime tourist destination (yet), there is little promotion and the government is poor in destination marketing, unlike many other destinations in Africa. To promote and market Mozambique single-handedly, is a huge – if not almost impossible- challenge.
– Though Mozambique has all the perfect ingredients for a wellness and well-being retreat, the same goes for retreats: Mozambique is not known as a retreat destination, it’s also expensive to get here and promotion and marketing are the biggest challenges. People do not realize the high costs of operating in Mozambique. The distances are long, the roads are bad and almost all supplies have to be imported.
– There is a false perception that Mozambique is not safe or even dangerous, whereas I feel it’s one of the safest places to visit and live in Africa. Yes, there are troubles in the far north of Mozambique but it’s thousands of kms away. There is no such thing here as violent crime, even petty theft is very rare and Mozambicans are very kind and helpful people. You won’t easily forget their big smiles!
– The government is not very business friendly and there is little stimulation to have a business here, in fact, more obstacles.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been working in sustainable tourism, hospitality and project management all my life, with a personal interest in healthy, organic and local food and living and with a focus on local cooperation and collaboration.
I am a generalist with a political science background, a connector and a people person, which enables me to bring people and projects together and see the bigger picture in things. I am most proud of (trying) to follow my own path, having moved out of the comfort zone of a good job and a very good income back in the Netherlands, leaving it all behind without any security, pension, payoff or some sort of safety net behind us, moving to the south of Europe and after 10 years moving again to a completely unknown and challenging country in Africa, independently.
What sets me/ us apart from others is that we offer holidays and retreats in Africa not just as a product but also as an example of living it ourselves, mindful living in practice, with all its insecurities, unknownness and challenges, sharing our experiences and connections. Africa is a teacher.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
See my previous answer. Life is full of risks and uncertainties.
Pricing:
- Price for a customized personalized holiday or safari depends on the itinerary
- Price for retreats between $1500 and $3000
- Price for individual meditation sessions from $60 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.uniquemozambique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unique_mozambique/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uniekmozambique/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-s-2935a7a/
- Other: https://www.mindwise.me
Image Credits
The photo with the turqoise blue lagoon is credit to Sussurro Boutique Hotel, all other photos are my own
