MOZAMBIQUE - TOFO PRAIA

TOFO BEACH
http://www.tofotravel.com/About%20Tofo.htm

Tofo is a stunning eight kilometer stretch of sandy beach located on the southern coast of Mozambique in the Indian Ocean. Tofo has beautiful grassy dunes, rolling surf, year-round sunshine and great places to stay, eat and play. There is plenty to do here. You can sit back and enjoy an easy day relaxing on the beach, or spend your time here scuba diving (some of the best diving in the world), surfing the waves in Tofinho, horse riding the trails through the dunes and villages or deep sea fishing.
There are great bars and restaurants where you can while away your day sipping a 2M (the local beer) or a cocktail, and sampling the local prawns and other delicious seafood. You could also take a trip into Inhambane, our historic local town and the second oldest town in Mozambique to enjoy the local market or a dhow ride in the harbour. Have a look at our Activities page for more details on what there is to do in Tofo.
There are two beaches in the area, Tofo Beach, which is the main beach, and Tofinho (or little Tofo) which is a bit quieter. Tofo Beach is a great swimming beach and also has the boat launch area for the diving and fishing charters. It has most of the bars and restaurants, the small market and shop are located there and you can buy fish and crafts at the beach front. Most of the accommodation in Tofo is situated right on the beach front. Tofinho Beach is great for surfing and fly fishing. The accommodation is situated on the top of the dune so everywhere has amazing views of the ocean - great for watching the whales, and the dolphins playing in the surf.
WHEN TO COME
Tofo is a great destination all year round. The summer months are from November to March. Temperatures in the day are usually around 30°C and humidity is around 80% during these months and there can be rain, usually in late December, January and February but these are mostly tropical showers that last only part of the day. Winter months are April to October. Temperatures in the day are usually around 20-25°C and humidity is low. There is sometimes also rainfall, usually in late June / early July. February and August are windy months so avoid them if you want to do a lot of diving or boat fishing.
For the divers, Whale Sharks are here all year round but the larger numbers are here in the summer, notably November and March. Humpback whales usually arrive around mid June and are here until mid October. Our famous Manta Rays are here all year round, along with other incredible marine life.
HOW TO ARRIVE
Driving
If you are intending to drive to Tofo, take the EN1 (the main road through Mozambique) and follow it until you get to the junction just south of Maxixe at Lindela. The road is mostly good condition tarmac although some areas are affected by potholes and in need of some maintenance. Once at the junction, follow the road all the way to Inhambane City.
Once through Inhambane, another tarmac road (the EN259) follows the coast all the way to Tofo. All roads are clearly sign-posted. If in difficulty, ask any of the friendly locals and they will direct you to the road to Tofo. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is NOT necessary as the tarmac road runs all the way down to the beach. However, particular caution is advised on the roads connecting the EN1 to Inhambane and Tofo, especially at night, due to a very uneven road surface.
Flying
The closest international airports are in Inhambane, 20km from Tofo Beach; Maputo, the capital of Mozambique; Beira, in the north of Mozambique; Harare in Zimbabwe; and Johannesburg in South Africa.
There are flights from Johannesburg International Airport, and Maputo international airport to Inhambane airport most days of the week. Flights are with LAM, Please check the airline website on www.lam.co.mz or with your local travel agent. Inhambane airport is just 20 minutes drive from Tofo Beach. The flight time is approximately 50 minutes. Tofo Travel can organise airport transfers to Tofo.
By Bus
Local buses run daily to Inhambane from Maputo (leaving at around 5.30am and at 11.00am) in the south and Beira in the north. The bus from Maputo to Inhambane takes around 7-8 hours. The bus from Beira takes around 12 hours. Local buses and taxis (chappas) run several times a day from Inhambane to Tofo. The journey takes around 30-45 minutes.
ACTIVITIES
SCUBADIVING
Tofo Beach has some of the best scuba diving in the world. Its possible to dive all year round, no matter what the season! Dives are conducted from semi-rigid inflatable boats which launch through the surf (an exciting activity by itself) and take their divers to some of the top dive sites in the Indian Ocean. Its possible to see five meter wide giant Manta Rays on at least four of the main sites in Tofo and there are Whale Sharks and Dolphins all year round and Humpback Whales during June to October. You can also take your beginner PADI Open Water Diver course and continue your training right through to Instructor if you wish.We highly recommend Diversity Scuba which is a quality 5 Star PADI IDC Centre offering excellent diving and quality instruction.
WEBSITES:
www.diversityscuba.com
www.tofoscuba.com
HORSE RIDING
Spend the morning or afternoon exploring the more remote areas around Tofo and Tofinho on horse-back. Its a wonderful way to see the local countryside and to see a little more of the life and culture of the local villagers. Volker and Marcia own and manage Cavalheiros do Tofo and offer lessons in the paddock and rides for all experience levels, whether you'd like to stay at a gentle walking pace and wander through the dunes, or prefer a fast gallop through the surf along the beach, they can cater for every need. The horses are easy-going and well looked after. The stables are easy to reach, only 5 minutes drive from Tofo village. Please e-mail Tofo Travel for more information and bookings.
SURFING
Tofo/Tofinho has all the makings of a world class surfing destination. Tofo offers perfect conditions for beginners' and long-boarders' waves, with more small sand points down the beach that can be good rides given the correct swell and tide combination. Tofinho is an excellent point break with a quality right hander over a shallow reef ledge that works at low tide. Around the corner at Backdoor are shallow right and left tubes that break into an almost dry reef. The Waterworks Surf and Coffee Shop (also see Places to Eat and Drink) has surf and boogie boards for hire and also a great surf shop where you can buy surfing equipment and clothing plus bags, jewelry and much more. They also have all the tide and weather information you need. They are based next door to Diversity Scuba. Please e-mail Sarah or Gal for more information.
DEEP SEA FISHING
There is some great fishing to be done from Tofo Beach, both from shore and on a boat fishing charter with Alan at Sundust Fishing Charters, based at Albatroz Holiday Cottages. Alan has been in Tofo for many years and knows all the best locations to catch the big fish. He'll take you out, give you all the advice you need and make sure you have a great days fishing. You can also fish from the shore and the best locations are from the headland and along the beach in Tofinho. For more details, please contact Tofo Travel.
TRIP TO IMHABANE
Inhambane is 20km away from Tofo Beach. Its one of the oldest cities in Mozambique (although it is more a small town than a city) and has wide, tree-lined streets and elegant old buildings with an "art-deco" style of architecture. There is a cathedral (hence Inhambane city) a museum and a beautiful old mosque and the central market is full of colour. You can buy fresh vegetables and fish and all sorts of interesting crafts here. The harbour and jetty are particularly interesting and you can take a dhow (local sail boat) across the harbour to the town of Maxixe. Also in Inhambane is the post office, three banks all with ATM machines that accept a wide variety of international cash point cards, the telephone exchange and two internet cafes (one on the water front and one on the market road) that offer a full range of business services. To get to Inhambane, take a local chappa (minibus taxi) from the market in Tofo to the central market in Inhambane.
PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK
Dinos Bar
Fatima,s Nest
Tofo Scuba
Bamboozi Backpackers
Casa de Comer
Waterworks Cafe,next door Diversity Scuba
Tofo-On-Line,upstairs at Dino's Bar
Mundos Restaurant
Albatroz Restaurant and Bar
Casa Barry Restaurant and Bar
Mango Beach
Aquatico Lodge
Café No Mar Restaurant,Café No Mar guest house,Tofinho
Turtle Cove-Tofinho
Bar Babalaza, 5km out of Tofo at the junction of the roads to Inhambane and Barra Beach.
PLACES TO SLEEP
Fatima,s Nest
Bamboozi Backpackers