The third and most ruined of Ibo's Portuguese forts, Sao Jose sits on the western shore facing the channel. Less restored than Sao Joao or Santo Antonio, it is a square stone enclosure with the outline of its bastions still readable in the grass and a couple of rusting cannons toppled in the dust.
Visit at low tide when the sandbars in front of the fort are exposed and you can walk out to look back at the structure across the flats. The sunsets here, with dhows drifting in front of the silhouette of the walls, are among the best on the island.