Tofo Beach Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Tofo Beach is in Inhambane Province, Mozambique. It has been described as "the next Goa", and while this may be pushing it a bit, Tofo has definitely become a traveller's mecca on the Eastern coast of Africa. The reasons are not hard to discern: beautiful stretches of beach, a friendly laid-back vibe, a small but pumping nightlife, great diving and snorkeling and a few good restaurants too.
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Get in
By car, follow the paved road from Inhambane through some 30km of pretty scenery to get to Tofo Beach. By public transport, get a chapa (black taxi)from the busstation in Imhambane (about Mts. 10000) or a private taxi (about Mts. 150000-200000).
You can also take an bus from the Maputo bus station, leaving at 6:30am, straight to Inhambane which last between 7-9 hours if it doesn't break down. As of 2006, the cost is 270,000 each plus 50,000 per bag. Don't get scammed by the "porters" trying to help you with your bag and saying the luggage is 250,000 each. Buy your baggage ticket directly from the guy with the receipt.
Get around
Most of the places described here are within walking distance of each other....
See
Do
- Visit Dino's Bar, the beach party spot par excellence, a roofed-off open-air bar midway between Fatima's Nest and Bamboozi Backpackers.
- Go diving with Diversity Scuba. Tofo and surrounds have some of the best reef diving around. Don't miss Manta Reef, a manta cleaning station where the critters really throng (requires deep diving qualification, which can be acquired through Diversity Scuba).
Also dived with Tofo scuba, very professional outfit with the best boats and equipment in Tofo, seems like Diversity scuba has dropped a bit in their standards. Tofo scuba is based at Casa Barry Lodge in the bay and next to the launching site. contact them at www.tofoscuba.com
- Snorkeling is a MUST (Diversity scuba amoungst others)...swimming with whalesharks, the largest fish in the world is incredible especially since although thier mouths are over a 1m wide and thier body 8m long they are harmless. if your're lucky you may also get to swim with wild dolphins, manta rays (and see whales...although swimming with the whales is prohibited)
- Surfing is also a nice possibility in the warm indian ocean and boards can be hired next door to Diversity in the little cafe amoungst other places
Buy
- Mozambican art, right in front of the beach
- Visit the local market in Inhambane for local crafts such as woodwork, straw weaving and momentos.
Eat
- The Restaurante Ferroviara offers a fairly good range of seafood dishes.
- Casa Barry has an in-house restaurant with a great wooden terrace overlooking the sea. Service is abominable, but the food when it arrives is good.
- If you have a car, there is an excellent restaurant called Babalaza. If you are coming from Tofo, follow the road back to Inhambane until you reach the T-junction - The restaurant is on your left.
- In Casa de Comer you can eat excellent seafood dishes as well as good international cuisine. Cosy, romantic and with an excellent service.
- If you are catering for yourself buying fresh prawns and crayfish is simple as local fishermen will pass by most cottages every morning. A fair price is Mts 150 000/Kg prawns and Mts 200 000/Kg crayfish. Beware of broken scales over-reading, it is a good idea to test them with a known weight like a 1Kg bottle of water.
- Bamboozi has quality food and a great all-you-can-eat seafood buffet.
Drink
- Brining your own water from a safe source is a must if possible because you often find yourself drinking 3litres a day. This really adds up if buying botled mineral water.
- Buying beer from local taverns along the road to Inhambane will save you money.
- When buying beer try to get cans rather then bottles, most bars and taverns will ask you not to take bottels away or you can pay a deposit on it. These deposits are hard to get back as vendors seldom have money to pay you or just aren't willing and will coax you into accepting a trade.
- Going to taverns on the outskirts of town are worthwhile on sunday afternoons to get away from the beaten path. Here you will find friendly locals willing to share a drink and a few laughs.
- Trying a few local rums and gins is inexpensive but can be quite hair raising, Tipo Tinto is a good local rum!
Sleep
- Fatima's Nest. The inimitable Fatima, building upon the success of Fatima's Place in Maputo, has opened a backpackers' in Tofo. There are bungalows, permanent tents, and a campsite. Shower facilities are availible but i suspected they used sea-water and relyed on the sun for heating. Pool table, friendly staff, beachfront location. Fatima's definitely won the prize for party spot number two (after Dino's Bar), with the staff often laying on local music, dance and even beach theatre, and the bar pumping well into the night on many an occasion. Fatima's is also conveniently located between Dino's Bar) and the market area.
- Bamboozi Backpackers is a quieter, much nicer spot further up the beach with better food, run by South Africans. Bring a sleeping bag cause many of the sites are exposed to the wind. This place is charming and if you are ready to splurge a little, the chalets are worth the extra money.
- Casa Barry
- Mango's
Stay safe
Tofo is a paradisaical locale, but the recent influx of tourists has brought problems that the local police are ill-equipped to deal with. Bag-nabbing is rife, so be sure that there is always someone to watch over your valuables on the beach. The beach walk between Fatima's, Dino's and Bamboozi is entirely unlit, and women should not walk it alone or in the company of strangers at night. There have been incidents. To improve security, the police have been given permission to patrol Fatima's Nest, but this does imply that it is rather a bad idea to smoke it up anywhere on the premises.
Get out
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