Tofo is a beautiful, relaxed little town about 500km north of the border. This can be reached in a day’s drive from Maputo with an early start. It is not recommended to try to travel to Tofo from South Africa in one day (see blog on driving at night). For your safety it would be much better to stop overnight in Maputo or Macaneta before completing the journey. You can also fly to nearby Inhambane and get a taxi or hire a car from there.
Tofo has a headland protecting its beautiful bay. That makes for a choice of still water and areas with waves, according to your preference. It is a well known surfing destination. There is a wonderful and eclectic range of stores, accommodation, restaurants and activities.
Geography
Tofo is the central town of this area but there are several towns and beaches all close together. All have different outlooks, beaches and accommodation. Tofo is the central hub where there is a wide range of accommodation. A vast number of restaurants and tourist facilities are found here, but they can all be easily reached (by car) from the other places nearby. Tofinho is close to Tofo. Its beach is exposed to the open ocean and so has much rougher seas, larger waves and is usually less protected from the wind (depending on its direction). It is also a much quieter beach. The beach is more suited to hard core surfers and quiet strolls than families wanting to sit on the sand.
Tofo is on a peninsula. At the end of this peninsula is Barra beach. The peninsula protects this beach so again the water is usually calm. This is much more of a long string of accommodation along the beach than a real town with a centre, although there are a few basic shops available to you here. You will get much more space and peace on this beach than in central Tofo.
Accommodation
There is a huge range of accommodation available here from luxurious hotels to rustic resorts to budget backpackers rooms and camping. You can see some of the accommodation that Tofo has to offer here. The accommodation is organised around the three centres outlined above. Tofo has most of the hotels, while Tofinho is more self catering, while Barra has several stylish but rustic resorts as well as camping.
Activities
The centre of this resort is the beach and many of the activities are based around this. Tofo is a popular surfing beach and has surf schools and surf hire.
Scuba diving is popular here and there are several diving outfits that can take you out, or provide courses. There are a range of shallow and deep dives available and stunning coral reefs to be seen.
The dive outfits also offer sea safaris with the possibility of seeing dolphins, humpback whales, and at the right time of year, whale sharks and manta rays. These usually include the possibility of getting in the water and snorkelling with these wonderful creatures. Do remember finding these animals is a chance and sometimes you will see nothing. Also be aware that even on the warmest days it can feel cold being on a rib while wet in a breeze.
There is a wonderful yoga centre on the edge of Tofo which offers retreats or one off yoga classes.
Skippers and boats are available for hire for those that enjoy fishing at sea.
Going out
Tofo has the bulk of the tourist places to visit, although Barra has the Green Turtle, a French Restaurant on the beach that some consider to be the best restaurant in Mozambique. Tofo itself is centred around the central market. Over time many market stalls have morphed into tourist attractions including the famous …. Where you cook your food over hot stones. There are several other wonderful little food stalls here, but their size does mean getting a space can be a challenge. Slightly out from the central market are a few larger restaurants all with excellent food including Maracuja, Sumi (Japanese) and many more. You can see places to eat in Tofo here. You could be here a week and eat somewhere different for every meal.
Shops
There is a good sized supermarket a few kilometres out of town, at the junction in the road between Tofo and Barra. This is a good sized Spar where you can get most things you need. Within Tofo itself there are plenty of stalls selling drinks and snacks and a chemist. There is also a surf shop in Tofo. There is a central market with a really large range of stalls.
When to visit
If you are unfamiliar with the general weather in Mozambique take a look here. As this is so far from the South African border how busy it is is less affected by South African school holidays than resorts further south. But it will be at its busiest over Christmas. It may be a bit cool for those who live in warmer climates for the winter months. But it could still reach 30 degrees on good days.
Finally
Tofo is a well loved oasis that once people have been to, they go to again and again. The good food, relaxed beachside life, activities and accommodation make it a popular tourist spot.
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