Wow! Tofo! This destination was a big surprise!
Tofo is a small village on the coast of Mozambique, mainly attracting tourists for the beautiful underwater world. In Tofo you can go snorkeling with whale sharks, go scuba diving with manta rays and turtles and the humpback whales and dolphins jump out of the water from time to time. There’s a little market in the village and furthermore Tofo has a lot of nice accommodations and restaurants to offer. Tofo is located about 500 kilometre north of Maputo, approximately 7 hours by car (or 11 by bus). Nowadays there are also direct flights from Johannesburg (South Africa) to Inhambane (about 22 kms from Tofo).
Read all about my trip to Tofo (in September 2009) or navigate directly to one of the following experiences:
Our very crowded minivan 
Buying snacks from the van 
Waiting for the schoolbus 
The empty road ahead 
Local markets 
First sight on Tofo 
Along the way from Fatima’s to Bamboozi
Bamboozi Beach Lodge
After an 11-hour bus ride in an enlarged “chapa” (minivan) we were very relieved that we finally arrived in Tofo, although the bus ride was definitely entertaining (chickens on our lap, very loud music and stopping everywhere to load and unload stuff). The last stop for the bus was at Fatima’s Backpackers, so we had to drag our suitcases through the sand for half an hour to get to Bamboozi Beach Lodge. Luckily we got a hitch halfway.
Bamboozi Beach Lodge is situated at Tofo’s beach. The restaurant, with a breezy terrace, is built on top of the dune giving you a phenomenal view of the ocean. You can choose between a dorm, a cabana on wooden poles and self catering chalets, but you could also pitch your own tent at the campsite. We dropped our bags at our wooden cabin and after a well-deserved beer, we booked the Ocean Safari at Liquid Dive Adventures to go snorkeling with the whale sharks the next day.
Our cabana 
A mosquito net is necessary 
View from our cabana terrace 
2M with a view 
Beachview from the restaurant’s terrace
Location:
Bamboozi Beach Lodge
Rua da Praia (north of the village, along the beach), Tofo, Mozambique
Website: http://www.barraresorts.com/bamboozi-home-of-bamboozi-lodge/
Snorkeling with whale sharks
The next morning we stepped into a rubber boat; off to see the whale sharks. And we did see them. We swam with 3 whale sharks. With one of them for about one hour! Such an amazing experience. Whale sharks are beautiful, majestic creatures!
On the way back we saw a group of dolphins jumping out of the water. But not everybody enjoyed the high waves and dolphin show like I did, so if you are sensitive to sea sickness, don’t forget to take your medicine for seasickness.
Face-to-face with a whale shark
About 6 meters long 
Whale sharks only eat plankton 
When everybody was still smiling…
Scuba diving with manta rays
The other reason I wanted to go to Tofo are the manta rays. To refresh my diving skills, I first did a Refresher Dive with Liquid Dive Adventures. This dive was great and it was good to get familiar with scuba diving again.
The second dive was the one to the “cleaning stations” for the manta rays. It was hard work (fast swimming and descending) to get to this diving spot, but once we arrived at the spot it was spectacular! One after the other manta ray appeared. It looked a lot like a scene from the animation Shark Tale. So cool! During our boat trip to and from the diving spot we were also treated with some humpback whales swimming by.
NB. The cleaning station and other beautiful are below 20 meters, so you’ll need an Advanced PADI certificate to dive at those spots.
Heading to the dive spot 
Into the water
Kayak- and dhowtrip
I really enjoyed the kayak- and dhow trip in the lagoon of Inhambane. We crossed the beautiful lagoon with a kayak to a small island (they called it “Inhambane Island”). The people on the island were very inviting and gave us a tour passing the school, the “hospital” and the houses of the islanders.
Inhambane Island 
We had to walk the last mile 
Warm welcome 
The laguna at low tide 
Mini-islanders 
Tour around the island 
Alfresco class 
Chaos in the schoolclass 
The hospital; don’t get sick here… 
Showing the huge pigs
One of the islanders climbed up a palm tree and gave us the freshest coconuts. After the tour a delicious lunch was waiting for us: a huge amount of crab “matapa” and other very tasty local specialties.
The boat trip with the dhow – a traditional sailing boat – back to Tofo was very relaxing.
Dhows and flamingos
Jeep safari, surfing and live music
Furthermore we did a “jeep safari” to the nearby villages, but that wasn’t very special compared to all our other activities in Tofo. During our endless bus trip to Tofo we’d already seen a lot of the area.
Surfing on the other hand was a lot of fun! The waves are not very high, so the circumstances are perfect for beginners. You can rent a surfboard at a couple of places at the beach and entertain yourself in the waves.
Fortunately, we weren’t too tired after all this surfing to enjoy the performance of the live band at Dino’s Beach Bar. Tofo has a lot of restaurants and bars to entertain you at night.
Tip: Ask around where the party will be that night; there’s something going on every night. Tofo is also known for its legendary “Full Moon” parties.
Live band at Dino’s Beach Bar
It was a long way back to Maputo, but Tofo was definitely worth the trip. A great place to spend my last days in Mozambique!
Locations:
Liquid Dive Adventures
Rua da Praia, Praia do Tofo, Mozambique
Tel: + 258 84 82 76 026 (also WhatsApp)
Email: info@liquiddiveadventures.com
Website: https://www.liquiddiveadventures.com/Costs: Ocean Safari 45 euro; Fun dive (full gear) 50 euro.
Dino’s Beach Bar
Rua da Praia (next to Fatima’s Nest), Tofo, Inhambane, Mozambique
Tel: +258 84 719 0699
Website: https://www.tofoinfo.com/dino-s-bar
Tofo beach 
Tofo beach
NB: You can book the other tours everywhere in Tofo. We’ve booked the tour to Inhambane island and the jeep safari at Bamboozi Beach Lodge.
Packing list:
- Mosquito repellent;
- Anti-seasickness medication;
- PADI certificate and logbook;
- (Head)torch;
- Cash money (in case the ATM doesn’t work and you’ll have to drive 22 km for the next ATM);
- Sunscreen;
- UV-shirt for snorkeling and surfing;
- Water-resistant camera/action cam;
- Snacks and water for the bus ride.
Looking for more travel inspiration for Mozambique? Read about my experience in Bilene and Macaneta. Click here if you’d like to read my highlights for Maputo.
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