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About Tofo Beach

Tofo is a stunning eight kilometer stretch of sandy beach located on the southern coast of Mozambique in the Indian Ocean. Tofo has beautiful grassy dunes, rolling surf, year-round sunshine and great places to stay, eat and play. There is plenty to do here.  You can sit back and enjoy an easy day relaxing on the beach, or spend your time here scuba diving (some of the best diving in the world), surfing the waves in Tofinho, horse riding the trails through the dunes and villages or deep sea fishing.

There are great bars and restaurants where you can while away your day sipping a 2M (the local beer) or a cocktail, and sampling the local prawns and other delicious seafood.  You could also take a trip into Inhambane, our historic local town and the second oldest town in Mozambique to enjoy the local market or a dhow ride in the harbour.   Have a look at our Activities page for more details on what there is to do in Tofo.

There are two beaches in the area, Tofo Beach, which is the main beach, and Tofinho (or little Tofo) which is a bit quieter.  Tofo Beach is a great swimming beach and also has the boat launch area for the diving and fishing charters.   It has most of the bars and restaurants, the small market and shop are located there and you can buy fish and crafts at the beach front.  Most of the accommodation in Tofo is situated right on the beach front.  Tofinho Beach is great for surfing and fly fishing.  The accommodation is situated on the top of the dune so everywhere has amazing views of the ocean - great for watching the whales, and the dolphins playing in the surf.

When to come

Tofo is a great destination all year round.  The summer months are from November to March.  Temperatures in the day are usually around 30°C and humidity is around 80% during these months and there can be rain, usually in late December, January and February but these are mostly tropical showers that last only part of the day.  Winter months are April to October.  Temperatures in the day are usually around 20-25°C and humidity is low.  There is sometimes also rainfall, usually in late June / early July.   February and August are windy months so avoid them if you want to do a lot of diving or boat fishing.  

For the divers, Whale Sharks are here all year round but the larger numbers are here in the summer, notably November and March.  Humpback whales usually arrive around mid June and are here until mid October.  Our famous Manta Rays are here all year round, along with other incredible marine life.

How to Get Here

To give a rough idea of distance, Tofo is a 6 hour drive, or a 50 minute flight from Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, in the south.

Click on Map to see larger view

Driving
If you are intending to drive to Tofo, take the EN1 (the main road through Mozambique) and follow it until you get to the junction just south of Maxixe at Lindela. The road is mostly good condition tarmac although some areas are affected by potholes and in need of some maintenance. Once at the junction, follow the road all the way to Inhambane City.

Once through Inhambane, another tarmac road (the EN259) follows the coast all the way to Tofo. All roads are clearly sign-posted. If in difficulty, ask any of the friendly locals and they will direct you to the road to Tofo. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is NOT necessary as the tarmac road runs all the way down to the beach. However, particular caution is advised on the roads connecting the EN1 to Inhambane and Tofo, especially at night, due to a very uneven road surface. 

Flying
The closest international airports are in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique; Beira, in the north of Mozambique; Harare in Zimbabwe; and Johannesburg in South Africa.

There are flights from Johannesburg International Airport, Johannesburg's Lanseria airport and Maputo international airport to Inhambane airport most days of the week.  Flights are with LAM, Air Travelmax and Pelican Air.  Please check the airline websites for details.  These are LAM www.lam.co.mz, Air Travelmax www.travelnetafrica.com and Pelican Air www.pelicanair.co.za, or with your local travel agent.  Inhambane airport is just 20 minutes drive from Tofo Beach. The flight time is approximately 50 minutes. Tofo Travel can organise airport transfers to Tofo.

By Bus
Local buses run daily to Inhambane from Maputo (leaving at around 5.30am and at 11.00am) in the south and Beira in the north. The bus from Maputo to Inhambane takes around 7-8 hours. The bus from Beira takes around 12 hours. Local buses and taxis (chappas) run several times a day from Inhambane to Tofo. The journey takes around 30-45 minutes. 

Visas

All passport holders other than South African passports must have a 30 day tourist visa and your passport must be valid for 6 months after leaving Mozambique.  SA passport holders do not require a visa but must have their passports stamped at the border.

Visas can be arranged at the border post at Komatipoort (South Africa) if traveling over-land, and at Maputo and Inhambane airports. However we recommend that you obtain a visa at your nearest embassy in advance.