menu facebook twitter instagram pinterest youtube search chevron-down chevron-up
  • About
    • About Kristin
    • Press
    • Contact Me
    • Work With Me
  • Blog
    • Archives
    • Best of the Blog
  • YouTube
  • Solo Female Travel
  • Home
  • Tours
  • Destinations
  • Travel Resources
    • Outdoors 101
    • Itineraries
    • Spiritual Travel
  • SEARCH

Be My Travel Muse

Solo Female Travel

Tofo, Mozambique: Paradise You Never Knew Existed

02/01/2016 by Kristin 22 Comments

I know of a place that few others do.

It’s the kind of place where the silica-rich sand squeaks beneath your feet, you stop wearing shoes of any kind, don’t even think about brushing your hair, and since there aren’t any mirrors around, you stop thinking about how you look, too. It starts to become all about how you feel, which is relaxed and like your soul is getting a nice cleanse.

The water is perfect for Goldilocks types – not too warm and not too cold. It’s just right. The weather is also perfect in November- not too humid, not too hot, and there’s a nice breeze. It’s perfectly acceptable to lounge in a hammock all day while staring at the perfectly blue water, and truth be told, I often do.

The beach isn’t all that long. One can walk from one end to the other in less than an hour, skipping from the lighthouse on over to the sunset point.

Tofo Mozambique
The sunset point

On the way, you’ll pass by a couple of diving schools as Tofo in Mozambique is a popular diving spot. It’s famous for the big stuff like manta rays and such. I can vouch, I saw a whale shark there.

Tofo Mozambique
Hello, gorgeous

Of course it’s not all perfection. Sometimes the power goes off, and yes, there is a mosquito here and there. The journey to get to Tofo is a treacherous one full of 10-hour overcrowded bus journeys that outdoes every single other horrific bus journey I’ve taken times ten. The nearest ATM is a 30-minute walk away, and even flights tend to go days with cancellation after cancellation.

But when I can stay in my own bamboo bungalow for $15 per night and a plate of fresh barracuda only sets me back $5, these are small detractors, and I can get over the inconvenience.

There are a few backpackers accommodations which consist of beach huts and campsites, one fancy-ish hotel, a small market where they sell the world’s best mango for 5 mets (like, not even 10 cents), along with fresh lobster, barracuda, and prawns, and a couple of open-air restaurants where the food takes an hour or two to arrive. It’s just the way it goes in a place where life moves slowly.

Tofo Mozambique
The backpackers I stayed at – Fatima’s Nest

Unlike most beaches this pristine and beautiful, Tofo’s tourism appears to be on the decline. The dropping tourist numbers are probably due to the continued difficulty of traveling there, the scarce information about the place, and the falling value of the South African rand. 

While quad biking around the dunes and coconut tree forests behind the main beach, I can see that construction was started only to be abandoned on several resorts. One in particular only has one bungalow left after a fire, yet it’s still fully staffed. I took the chance to have a whole resort to myself and booked the villa for one night. It was creepy yet incredible at the same time to have the entire secluded mangrove for miles.

Tofo Mozambique
If nobody’s around, then I don’t need to wear clothes thank you very much
Tofo Mozambique
Flamingo Bay gone green (I’m not in the pool, I’m standing on the edge)
Tofo Mozambique
A bridge to who knows where?

Like the beaches in developing countries the world over, touts roam the sand with bracelets and sarongs. The most persistent of them approaches me daily to sell me a coconut we both know I’ll buy. We also both know I won’t pay more than 20 mets (39 cents) for it, but we still haggle for a good ten minutes anyways because it’s a sport and we have time to kill.

Tofo Mozambique
Periwinkle all the things

He repeats the same questions: “How much you pay for a coconut? When are you leaving? Where are you from? So you buy a coconut tomorrow? How much you pay for a coconut tomorrow?”, rolling his Rs heavily on the double R in tomorrow, in the way that a native speaker of Portuguese does.

Eventually I come to really enjoy the daily interactions with this kid who swears he’s 18 but looks 16, and I respect the hustle. In another part of the world he’d be an insurance salesman, and he’d be damn good at it.

Tofo Mozambique
The sunrise over the characteristic pools that form on the flat sand

It’s like any paradise for pennies on the dollar.It’s a beautiful place for a nominal fee that you get to enjoy immensely while simultaneously asking yourself why it is that you were put on this earth with the passport that lets you travel, provides access to free schools, and associates with a place where child labor is illegal. You enjoy it for so little while knowing that it isn’t fair that you get to do this. But when you wander out to the beach for the sunrise and find you’re the only one there, save for the fishermen who pass by on their way to the point from time to time, the feeling that replaces all others is awe.

It’s awe for the present moment, and the recognition that no matter who you are and what your means may be, that if you get to stare at this beach, you are truly lucky.

Tofo, Mozambique, is paradise. Thanks to limited information in general on Mozambique, it's still a peaceful place. Here's the best of Tofo.
146 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Get the guidebook for solo female travelers!
« Why Going Alone to Mozambique Was the Best Decision Ever
The People You Meet in Vilanculos, Mozambique »

Hello There!

headshot

Welcome to Be My Travel Muse, one of the top female travel blogs in the world, welcoming over 5 million readers annually.

I'm Kristin, and my vision of a better world is one where more women are empowered and living out their dreams. Solo traveling is the best method I've found to become the best, bravest version of me. This site is all about how YOU can have the adventure of a lifetime in an easy, fun, approachable way, so that you can feel empowered, too. Want to learn more about me?

Click here!

Get the Solo Female Travel Guidebook

Popular Posts

I am currently in:

The USA!

Check it out on Instagram Stories!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Brianna says

    02/01/2016 at 7:40 am

    Dang. I felt all relaxed and beachy just reading this! Thanks for telling us about this place. I’m enjoying getting a little break from the usual travel destinations I read about. Also, I’m SO jealous that you saw a whale shark!! Snorkeling with them is on my bucket list 🙂
    Amazing photos, as always. Thanks for a glimpse of warm, sandy joy during this cold and yucky midwest day!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/01/2016 at 10:35 am

      It was a little nerve wracking to go somewhere with almost no coverage but also pretty cool to be the first solo female traveler to blog about going to Mozambique 🙂 Glad you like reading about it!

      Reply
      • Tracey says

        01/31/2017 at 8:58 pm

        Hi Kristin,
        Thanks for your blog. I am heading to SA in June/July then up to Mozambique. It’s been on my bucket list for the last 15 years. I am trying to figure out the best way to get there from CPT. We will have a car so I thought we could drive up there, if we do, do you think we would be OK driving to Tofo? OR do you think it be better flying to Maputo? Then getting our way to Tofo. I am a keen diver and want to see the big stuff, do you know if the dive shops rent all the equipment and do you have a shop you can recommend?
        Can’t wait to finally see Moz.
        Thank you in advance
        Tracey

        Reply
        • Kristin says

          02/01/2017 at 1:24 am

          You can drive in, but the police will pull you over at some point and solicit a bribe. Make sure you don’t have any contraband that they could possibly find in the car, or they’ll want more $$. I’d bring along a nice-looking wallet with a small amount of cash in it and stash the rest in a crappy wallet elsewhere, so that they see that you don’t have much cash and it looks like you’re handing over everything you have when they solicit the bribe. I would choose driving over the chapas, which is your other option other than flying. Not sure about equipment rental but there’s only two dive shops and they’re both good.

          Reply
  2. Scott says

    02/01/2016 at 12:20 pm

    Gorgeous photos of a place that’s not yet spoiled by hordes of tourists! Totally makes me want to go there!

    Reply
  3. Kaleena's Kaleidoscope says

    02/01/2016 at 8:02 pm

    Ooohh this looks so amazing! I’m planning my Africa trip and definitely want to add it to the list! We’ll be there in May, do you reckon the weather might still be decent for beach lounging at that time? Thanks for the inspiration, I’m def stalking all your Africa posts right now 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/02/2016 at 5:37 am

      Tough to say but I’m sure it’s beautiful any time of year. It was unseasonably dry and cool when I was there, which was nice for me but not so much for the local farmers.

      Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    02/03/2016 at 7:44 pm

    “Eventually I come to really enjoy the daily interactions with this kid who swears he’s 18 but looks 16, and I respect the hustle. In another part of the world he’d be an insurance salesman and he’d be damn good at it.”

    This bit caught me off guard in a good way. Thank you for this it – has reminded me to constantly challenge how I look at the world.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/05/2016 at 6:32 am

      Definitely something I have to strive to do as well.

      Reply
  5. Roxani says

    02/09/2016 at 12:40 am

    Oooh, I am so glad I found your posts. I will be in South Africa middle May and head over Mozambique right away. We will rent a car, stop to Tofo, Vilankulos and Maputo on our way back to Johannesburg.
    I read so many negative stuff about this country that I almost felt disappointed with my decision to visit it. But now, reading your posts I almost feel excited to go and can’t wait for the time to pass by.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      02/10/2016 at 12:36 pm

      Awesome! Definitely check this one out about traveling there by car. There will be some police stops but it’s just part of it! https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/mozambique-travel-blog/

      Reply
  6. Rebecca says

    02/15/2016 at 1:59 pm

    Gorgeous pics!!! What paradise.

    Reply
  7. dianshan ee says

    08/09/2016 at 10:02 am

    Awesome! I will go in December – could you also recommend on beach bungalows or accommodation in Tofo?
    By the way, I know you obtained your visa way ahead but did you see people getting visa at the border on your way to Maputo?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      08/10/2016 at 1:11 am

      You can only get the visa at the border if your country does not have an embassy. The US does so I couldn’t get one there. It also just depends on who you get at the border. I’d suggest getting it ahead of time to avoid any issues. I stayed at Fatima’s and the location is great, bungalows are just OK 🙂

      Reply
  8. Diana says

    08/26/2016 at 7:46 pm

    I was so excited reading about places like Tofo, especially after reading about how affordable it seemed. I quickly did a flight search since I’m in the middle of planning my next vacation and the flights are in the thousands!!! Why go on and on about how “cheap” it is to vacation there when it costs so much just to fly in?? And to state that tourism has gone down??? No wonder! Only rich people Can get there ?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      09/07/2016 at 3:26 pm

      I took a bus, Diana. It cost me less than $10 to get there. Nobody I met there was “rich” and most of them got in the same way. When I flew out, it was only $175. I’m not sure what kind of flight search you’re using but it’s not THAT expensive to get there.

      Reply
  9. Carlo says

    03/29/2017 at 6:24 am

    Very brave girl! Beautiful but too remote.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      03/29/2017 at 10:13 am

      No such thing as too remote

      Reply
  10. Vanessa says

    06/11/2017 at 2:42 pm

    I’m here at the moment and I gonna leave tomorrow..
    your blog post made me pretty sad cz you’re describing this paradise perfectly! Reminds me of every reason why I gonna miss this place 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      06/11/2017 at 10:51 pm

      And every reason why I’d love to go back!

      Reply
  11. Blair says

    10/02/2017 at 8:30 pm

    Thanks for this! I’m going to SA in January, then heading to Tanzania for Kili in February. I’m an avid diver and love the big stuff, aka whale sharks ?. They’re definitely on my bucket list. Any suggestions?? I’m definitely on a budget and will be solo most of the time. Thanks so much! I love your blog and all of your photos

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      10/03/2017 at 12:23 am

      yeah definitely check out Tofo!

      Reply

Stay Connected

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • Archives
  • Privacy Policy and Disclaimer

© 2023 · Be My Travel Muse. All Rights Reserved

footer-icon

146 shares