Tofo, Mozambique: Final leg of Spring Break

The trip to get to Tofo was an experience I will never forget.  The first leg of the trip started out well.  We boarded a greyhound bus in Nelpruit, SA, to take us across the border to Maputo, Mozambique. The bus was a double decker, had a few TV’s and I had my own row of seat, so I was able to stretch out.  Once we crossed the border, the problems began.  The girls and I needed to purchase our Visas at the border because we had not done so before.  This entire process took a good hour waiting in a small room that had to be at least 100 degrees with no breeze.  We were freaking out that the bus was going to leave without us, but when we went outside it was thankfully still there.

Once all the passengers were at the bus, there was another hold up with leaving. Apparently the driver had brought on the bus at least 50 boxes of ‘long-lasting’ milk. Customs had a problem with this, for the fear that he had an agenda of selling this milk when he got to Mozambique.  They ended up arguing and finally allowed him to cross the border with the milk after we waited 2 hours in the hot Africa sun.  We ended up arriving in Maputo at 7; when we were suppose to be there at 4!  The funny thing when we got there was that a man in an Escalade came to pick up the boxes of milk.... sketchy!

The next morning we got picked up at 5am by a ‘mini-bus’ to take us to Tofo. We were stuffed in this van like automobile with the 5 of us girls, plus 15 other locals.  So uncomfortable! I tried sleeping, but the roads in Mozambique are so bad, that it was too rocky and there were so many bumps in the road that made it extremely hard to fall asleep.  After about 5 hours we began to see the Indian Ocean. At this point all I wanted to do was get out of the bus and jump in the warm water!

We finally made it to Tofo and entered paradise. For the week we stayed in a house with mosquito nets over our beds and fans next to us. We had a total of 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, living room, and dining room…definitely an upgrade from the hostels we previously stayed at.  Oh yeah, and the view; from our porch we looked out to see miles of beach and the clear, blue water of the Indian Ocean.

After changing into our bathing suits we raced down to the beach and jump in the ocean.  The ocean felt like bath water, which was a definite upgrade from the frigid Atlantic Ocean off of Cape Town.  The waves were perfect for body boarding and learning surfers.  It was so nice to be able to relax on the beach after the long week we had before we arrived in Tofo.

The highlights of my week were being able to relax on the beach while reading the new book I was addicted to called Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (This is part of a 9 book series and the first book was amazing. If you are looking for a enticing series, check out the Outlander series on Google!), going to the market and buying presents, bread, purple avocados the size of mangos, cooking crayfish with the girls, chatting with an Afrikaans family who gave me free drinks and a pretty bracelet, and enjoying the night sky, where for the first time in my life saw the stars in their fullest.

Tofo, Mozambique is truly a hidden treasure in this world.  It is the most beautiful and relaxing place I have ever been too.  Even though we struggled to get there, every hour of frustration was well worth it.  The next time anyone is planning a trip where you wish to relax by the beach, Tofo Mozambique is the place to go!