Lights out for the stars

There is no town within a hundred kilometres of Maravi, and so there is no glow on the horizon. At 22:30 the path lights go off and the island goes properly dark.

The best place to lie down is the sandbar at the southern tip. Give your eyes fifteen minutes. The Milky Way runs from one side of the sea to the other, and on moonless nights the water at your feet sparks blue with plankton.

Reception keeps a telescope and a star map, and Faisal from the boat crew knows the old navigation stars by their island names.