Praia de Tofo, Tofo, Mozambique
Every house and every shack is part of the tourist industry. Tofo offers all kinds of accommodation, although the backpackers all seem to huddle together at Fatima’s. You can get cheaper rooms with more comfort, but it is the social center of Tofo, not only for the backpackers. Continue Reading →
Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus), Praia de Tofo, Tofo, Mozambique
It was the Whale Sharks that made us do the horrid eight hours trip from Maputo, squashed in a small bus. At least in the shuttle of the Fatima Hostel, we were not tortured by blasting 100 decibel music usually played on public busses in Mozambique. Continue Reading →
Tofo legendary Bambozi guesthouse- Picture by Gerti Brindlmayer
Backpackers in Tofo gather at Fatima’s Nest and also I could not escape its draw. In July it was pleasantly quiet, but during South African holidays it is buzzing, I was told. The location is unbeatable, with a terrace overlooking a long, curved beach. The ambience is extremely social, THE place to run into anybody who previously crossed your path, be it south or north. In my case it was Jason and the group of Americans / Brits / Aussies that he had joined in Chimoio, but it was also the time and place for making new acquaintances.
There was never a shortage of people ready to roll. In Tofo, there was always a place to party, whereas in Vilankulo, locals would pick you up and take you to a cool bar somewhere. As much as I wanted, I could not come up with the energy to join in. Sometimes I caught myself rolling my eyes at the preparations for those long nights out, the pre-drinking rituals and what must have been excessive amounts of alcohol downed till the early hours. Then I quickly had to remind myself that not too long ago I would refuse to call it quit without some serious dancing and partying…
Snorkeling with whale sharks, the ultimate experience - Picture by Jason Risley
Snorkelling side by side with whale sharks was the most splendid and literally breath-taking experience I ever had. I had to move those fins really fast to keep up with “mine”. So close it got that I had to move out of the way.
It is impossible to describe how I felt swimming next to this speckled, slow moving giant. Around its gigantic mouth floated a school of transparent small fish. Desperately I tried to get in front of the whale to see if those fish were disappearing soon. No matter how hard I tried, the whale shark did not allow me to watch this.
Vilankulos, local girls posing for the camera, Picture by Jason Risley
Vasco da Gama called this peninsula the “Land of the good people”. So it’s just natural that Mozambique’s Declaration of Independence was signed here, in the tiny fishing village of Tofo, and that tourists came to love this place. Tofo is certainly not a fishing village anymore, but dominated by lodges, guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, dive centers and bars, call it tourism. The beaches are endless.
Tofo’s exotic flair was gradually announced when I travelled down south from Vilankulo. Palm trees were taking over, and the occasional sugar cane field lurked from the distance. Small villages with shops featuring colourful goods lined the road, selling everything from furniture, plastic buckets, clothes, food and whatever it needs to repair bikes and farming machinery.
What could top this but a pleasant ferry trip across the bay to Inhambane? The oldest settlement on the east coast of Mozambique has seen it all. Already in the 11th century, Muslim and Persian traders sailed their dhows around its waters. More recent and thus highly visible is the influence of the Portuguese ruling over Mozambique until 1975. The charming colonial buildings make Inhambane a pleasant place to stroll around and a nice excursion from Tofo, only 20 kilometers away. What should be a short trip in a chapa isn’t. The excessively crowded minibuses stop every other minute to squash more passengers inside or unload them and their heavy bags full of maize or coconuts.
After travelling for five weeks, this is where I stayed the longest and if I was to go there again, I would check out Barra and Tofinho, more quiet places up and down the never ending coastline of white, white sand.
Picture by Jason Risley.
