Tofo Surf & Travel Guide – Mozambique’s Surf Capital
People are now coming to Mozambique specifically because of Tofo. The town is a chilled beach escape on the Indian Ocean, offering a great right point, plus loads of beach breaks for beginners.
Tofo is the surf capital of Mozambique.
Basically: It’s perfectly located.
A rock reef curls like the horn of a springbok around the beach town. It acts a bit like the headlands of eastern Australia, hooking any southern swells into lines that you can trim and have fun on.
The point there is quite mellow and best for beginners, and there are also beach peaks and a little jetty peak up the main beach that carry on that same theme.
More advanced surfers can look one bay to the south, to Tofinho Beach. There’s a more punchy right point there that’s capable of giving mini barrel sections but is most often a rippable wall of pure tropical turquiose water that’s ideal for perfomance surfers in the peak south swell season (April-August)
The towns – we say towns because you can stay in either Tofo or Tofinho Beach as they are pretty much joined at the hip – are super relaxed.
Some nice coastal hotels have popped up in recent years, there’s good eating, and you’re always in with a chace of spotting whale sharks between May and July, which just so happens to be peak surf season in Tofo.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Mozambique
What’s in this guide to Tofo surf?
Surf spots in Tofo
Tofo has really cut its teeth on two spots: The point at Tofinho and the main beach in Tofo itself.
Each caters to different levels: Tofinho is more intermediate+ while Tofo is fantastic beginner territory.
Let’s take a look at both in detail, and then take a look at some of the other spots you can find in the surrounding region…
Tofo Beach
Tofo Beach is the main beach of Tofo. It’s the one that actually faces a little north, because it’s tucked behind that headland; the same head that sucks in the S-SE swells and tames them into mini wave that are plenty crumbly for the learner crowd.
So yea, this is the town’s beginner-friendly hub, home to soft, fun waves that are usually at least a few feet smaller than Tofinho Point (see below).
Favoring an E-SE swell direction, the beach break offers both left and rights, but also its fair share of closeouts.
The ideal conditions occur from May to September, with offshore winds blowing from the west.
With typical wave sizes of 2-4 feet, it is excellent for learning and improving skills, which is why most local surf schools will head here.
Tofinho Point
Tofinho Point is Tofo’s claim to the magazine covers. When it works, it’s a stunner of a break, with long-armed peelers curling around a reef and point.
If we didn’t know where we were, we’d think it was something out of eastern Australia on the best of days.
The spot works best with a S to SE swell and a NW to W offshore wind. When they combine, it will give those powerful, hollow waves which can start with short tubes and finsh with top-to-bottom walls on the final section.
The Austral winter months of May to September are optimal for surfing here but be warned: The spot isn’t hugely reliable.
It’s not always clean and is real suseptable to wind changes. Dawn patrols make for the best hunting.
Other spots you can surf near Tofo
Guinjata Bay
Guinjata Bay isn’t in Tofo itself. It’s further along the south coast of Mozambique, about 1h15 minutes’ drive from the beach town – it would be less if you had a 4X4 because the only metalled roads go via the airport in Inhambane.
The wide bay is a swell magnet, offering consistent surfing conditions through the winter. It flourishes with SE to E swells, and follows suit with the rest of Mozambique in that it’s all about nice right walls.
The spot can accommodate all levels of surfers with wave sizes averaging 3-5 feet throughout the season, yet capable of reaching 8 feet in powerful swells and hoding, when the sets in the middle of the beach will be real fat, heavy numbers.
Barra Beach
Barra Beach is the northern end of the Tofo peninsula. There’s no denying it’s a gorgeous customer – you’ve got mangroves to the back and yellow-tinged sands out front.
Sadly, the spot isn’t the best for surfing because it demands a lot of power from S swells to wrap around, though it will work on rare N pushes through the Indian Ocean (usually during freak storms in the summer months).
There are some days when the surf schools will come up here to practice on the mush.
When to surf in Tofo?
The prime surf season in Tofo extends from May to September, coinciding with the Southern Hemisphere’s winter.
During this period, the Mozambique Channel sees consistent swell generation, primarily from the E to SE direction. These swells, coupled with predominant offshore winds from the W to NW, create well-shaped, clean wave faces, enhancing the quality of the surf at various breaks.
The winter months are typified by larger wave sizes and a higher swell consistency, offering more robust and challenging conditions for experienced surfers at Tofinho Point and Guinjata Bay.
At the same time, the softer waves at Tofo Beach and Barra Beach provide ideal conditions for beginners or those seeking a more relaxed surf experience.
Where to stay when surfing in Tofo?
One area where Tofo can really shine is when it comes to hotels. Beach resorts here are among the best in the country. Some offer prime luxury and not that OTT price tags. These would be our picks:
- Kumba Lodge – Where do we begin? This is one of the best hotels we’ve seen in the whole of Mozambique. It’s got a simply eye-watering pool and is right on the edge of Tofo Beach. Rooms with sea views open to 180-degree vistas of the Indian Ocean. The only downside is that it’s quite far up the beach, so you’ll need to walk 25 mins down the sand to get to the beginner surf point, and more to Tofinho.
- Hakha Beach House – The best option for more advanced surfers looking to surf Tofinho Pont, this boutique lodge with very welcoming staff is on the point to the south.
- Liquid Dive Adventures – The vibes here are pretty great. Nice crew. Lovely pool. The beachfront bungalows are spacious and clean, and open literally steps off the sand (and surf)
- Kitesurf Tofo House – This kitesurf resort has staff that know plenty about the plain old surf in Tofo (you know, without the kite). The property is also cool, with a garden and bargain dorm options on offer.
Where is Tofo?
Tofo is in southeastern Mozambique, located in the Inhambane Province.
The town is about 16 kilometers east of Inhambane city, a historic port city. It’s basically one with next-door Tofinho, another little beach town with its own right-hand point break.
Inhambane Airport is the closest airport to Tofo. There are flights from Johannesburg to Inhambane.
Once at Inhambane Airport, you can take a taxi or a local “chapa” (minibus) to Tofo, which is approximately a 30-minute drive.If you’re driving, you can take the EN1 highway from Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique, to Inhambane, and then continue on to Tofo.
The total travel time is around 7-8 hours. It’s recommended to have a 4×4 for this trip as some roads can be rough.There are also long-distance buses from Maputo to Inhambane. Once in Inhambane, you can use a chapa or taxi to reach Tofo. One warning: These long-distance buses can be BRUTAL in Mozambique. Hey, it’s your lumbar!
Do I need to hire a car to surf in Tofo?
We’d reccomend it if you’re looking to venture out to other surf areas in Mozambique. The good news is that this is the region you’ll want to be in.
Bascically, Tofo town is the northern end of the surf zone in the country. Drive south from here and you’ll come to all manner of empty, unchartered beaches, plus Punta de Ouro, which is arguably even more famous than the points in Tofo.
It’s a good idea to get a heavy-duty 4X4 and always book with RentalCars.com – they’re our fav.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
