Travel Tuesday for 3.17.15: Tofo, Mozambique
Traveled: January 2015 with Alex
The last installment of our African adventure trip photos! On this trip our plan had always been to safari and then hopefully to find a beachy destination to finish our travels with some relaxation. As we ended up in Zambia, our research led us to Mozambique as a possible location.
When we arrived in the capital of Maputo, we started to get a bit worried. Neither of us cared much for it, but onward we went. The journey to Tofo wasn’t an easy one, as opposite of getting to Luangwa, we took the longer (cheap) route of bussing over flying. I had read online that this was going to be a long, so I was prepared, but it was still LONG. On a very uncomfortable mini bus. About 12 hours in total on the way there, which started at 4 in the morning. Needless to say, we were VERY happy to arrive.
I originally picked this destination in hopes of grand scuba diving and swimming with whale sharks (it’s supposed to be one of the best places in the world to do so) but a cyclone off the coast made the waters much too choppy. I did get in one dive, but even that was a bit precarious as our little boat was knocked all over the place on the waves riding out to the reef. Alas, no diving, but what we did have was wonderful relaxation. Tofo is an incredibly low key place. There are no big hotels or resorts. We lounged and read books, we walked around the whole bay, we rented boogie boards to play in the waves. It was fabulous. I only took my camera out for one evening, but I’m pleased with what I got. If you’re ever on the east African coast, this little hamlet is well worth a visit.
As I mentioned last week, all the photos from this trip can be seen and prints can be ordered online here. Happy Travels!
Travel Logistics:
We flew into Maputo and took a chappa (aka minibus) to Tofo. The actual bussing takes about 6-8 hours, but on the way there you will be waiting in the bus station until the bus is full, which can be multiple hours. There is also a flight into Inhambane should you like that route.
Accommodations: I am a budget backpacker by nature. I travel widely but cheaply, so splashing out on fancy lodging is not something I tend to do. However, for whatever reason I got into my head that I wanted to do something special for this trip. And Alex is very good at convincing me to spend money. Thus, we splurged and it was so very worth it. We stayed at Baia Sonambula, and it was, by far, the nicest, most wonderful little place I have ever stayed in my life. The owners are the kindest people you could meet and make this spot something special. The first images in this post are from our private deck, complete with a wooden swing, which may have been my favorite thing ever. If you go, stay here.
