I know of a place in Mozambique that not many others do. It’s a place where powdery white sand screeches beneath your feet and bright sun bleaches your hair while you’re swinging in a hammock. The water is perfect here, not too cold but not too warm either. With days getting too hot and humid, it’s just perfect to cool you down.
If you’re already tempted to know what I’m blabbering about, here it is: a little village on the coast of Mozambique called Tofo. It’s perfectly acceptable to lounge in a hammock all day and don’t own a watch. It’s just the way life moves here- slowly.
I spent just over a month in Tofo, after I started surfing and fell in love with it, hence staying longer.
Village is small and seems that not much is going around. But if you’re up to getting out of that hammock, here are some awesome things you can do in and around Tofo.
Learn to surf
If you’re interested in learning to surf, this is your chance. I’ve previously written an article about my experience in this field. But take my word; you have to try surfing while in Tofo.
1.5h beginner’s lesson 1700metical ($24/£20)
1h lesson 1400 ($20/£16)
Take a trip to pig island
If you’re thinking there’s only one pig island in Bahamas, think again. Mozambique has one as well! Not so glamorous tho, but it is an island with pigs in it, as simple as that. This trip isn’t popular but you can ask around or call directly who can take you there (yes I do have a magic phone number). Half-day trip will cost around $20 and will include lunch with a few snorkelling stops along the way.
Have the best pizza in town (or country)
When I think Africa, I think game meat, and when I think pizza, I think Italy. Hello, you’ll be seriously surprised on this one. After having pizza in Philippines made with sweet base, it’s a no from me in places that has real struggle with cheese.
However in Tofo, there are few great pizza places. My favourite would be Blancos. It looks like a shack and it only makes pizza and hot stone but their food is mouth watering.
Price 290-340met ($4-$5)
Quad bike through the sand dunes
Quad biking through the coconut plantations and sand dunes opens new vistas and allows experiencing Mozambique even greater. Rent it for a day and find many little hidden beaches that aren’t accessible from the Tofo beach or give yourself a ride to the ATM (which otherwise is 5km away).
Go scuba diving
Tofo is a popular diving spot in Mozambique, so you’ll find a couple of diving schools here. It’s famous for big stuff like Manta Rays, dolphins and whale sharks. Make sure you give it a go, as I heard people seeing mantas the size of Aladdin’s flying carpet! And best of all, you won’t have to battle with other divers, meaning if you spot a whale shark, there won’t be crowd of other tourists jumping in.
Getting here
There’s a shared minibus from Maputo to Tofo leaving 5am from Fatima’s backpackers (900mt/$13/£10), which is most convenient way getting here.
There are many other things to do in Tofo, such as listening to live music on Fridays or exploring the beach. But the best one above all of them would be doing nothing, as it’s about how you fell, which is relaxed and soul cleansing.
Just because it isn’t well known doesn’t mean it can’t be wonderful.
Mozambique isn’t a country on the typical backpackers trail. It’s believed to be hard and dangerous to travel but much like the rest of Africa, it’s misjudged and prone to myth.
Discard all the negative information you get and take a chance to visit Mozambique.
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