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.
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.
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 replace 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 camp sites, 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.
Unlike most beaches this pristine and beautiful, Tofo’s tourism appears to be on the decline. This is probably due to the difficulty of traveling there, the scarce information about the place, and the falling value of the South African Rand, and therefore dropping tourist numbers.
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.
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.
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.
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, had access to free schools, and lived in a place where child labor is illegal. You enjoy for 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.
Brianna says
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!
Kristin says
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!
Tracey says
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
Kristin says
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.
Scott says
Gorgeous photos of a place that’s not yet spoiled by hordes of tourists! Totally makes me want to go there!
Kaleena's Kaleidoscope says
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 🙂
Kristin says
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.
Anonymous says
“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.
Kristin says
Definitely something I have to strive to do as well.
Roxani says
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.
Kristin says
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/
Rebecca says
Gorgeous pics!!! What paradise.
dianshan ee says
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?
Kristin says
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 🙂
Diana says
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 ?
Kristin says
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.
Carlo says
Very brave girl! Beautiful but too remote.
Kristin says
No such thing as too remote
Vanessa says
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 🙂
Kristin says
And every reason why I’d love to go back!
Blair says
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
Kristin says
yeah definitely check out Tofo!