VISIT: MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique may not stand out as a bucket-list place to visit, but if you're looking for a beach holiday with a bit of a difference, Mozambique may just be for you. I visited two places in Mozambique: Tofu Beach, which was my main residence for my month over there and Vilankulos, which was the nearest town to the coral reefs of the Bazaruto Archipegalo. Tofu was an absolute paradise for me, the beach was quiet, the waves were great for surfers and you could go walking for miles along the coastline past the sand dunes. However, the most appealing thing for me (and the reason why I initially visited) is the rich variety of marine life available for scuba divers and snorkellers. You can pretty much see anything on the ocean floor from turtles to moray eels, 'corpse bride' jellyfish and of course hundreds of brightly coloured nemo's and dory's. On the ocean surface it's even better; whale sharks, giant manta rays and dolphins. I would say that snorkellers would prefer Vilankulos as the reefs are much shallower than those in Tofu, which can be up to 20m deep.





Unfortunately, after the civil war ended in Mozambique, all of the great land mammals were wiped out and so those looking for an 'African-experience' Safari may be a little disappointed. On a positive note if you travel further inland, the famous Kruger national park straddles the border of Mozambique and South Africa, which is an option some of my friends took when visiting. There were only a few downsides to living in Tofu, but it's always important to be aware if any of this caught your fancy! Bluebottle jellyfish are rife in these waters and getting one slapped across your face is not a pleasant experience. Also seasonal variations occur meaning that if your planning on seeing a whale shark, don't get your hopes up as sometimes they can disappear for months and lastly, getting a taxi into town is a sardine-can experience including the fishy smell. Seriously the fishermen and the fish share the taxi with you. Overall, my stay in Mozambique was very pleasant  the locals were very friendly and there is more than enough to do there, as well as a few good bars to visit.





Places to stay: Fatima's Nest (hammocks woo), Tofu Beach Backpackers and Bamboozi Backpackers. There was also a great little shared house that had kittens I can't remember the name of.
Places to Eat: Casa Barry, Tofo Tofo and Black and White. (Also the local samosa's are amazing)
Places to Drink: Dino's and Fatima's
Dive and Surf: Peri Peri Divers and The Waterworks