If you are preparing food yourself you should make sure you cook meat, fish and vegetables properly, and if you are eating out, double check that your food is also well cooked; fruit should be washed and peeled, as normal. Other than that you should taste some of the local dishes such as Piri Piri (spicy chilli pepper sauce), Matapa (ground peanuts and cassava leaves served with rice), Caril (kind of gravy) and Chamusas (samosas) Wusa (stiff maize porridge) plus good seafood along the coast including camaroes (prawns) lagosta (crayfish) and peixe grelhada (catch of the day).

For all practical purposes, malaria should be considered to be present throughout Mozambique and throughout the year, with a much higher chance of contracting it during the wet/hot season (November to April). This does not mean that coming to Mozambique will result in getting Malaria. Thanks to the different types of prophylactic drugs (ask your doctor which one is better for you) now available on the market, visiting areas where Malaria is out and about is much more safer. Just as important as taking malaria pills, is making every reasonable effort not to be bitten by mosquitos between dusk and dawn, when mosquitos are active.

The combination of both, prophylactic and good prevention, will most likely get you a Malaria Free vacation. Some people can be extremely paranoid about Malaria to a point where they might decide not to come and visit Mozambique at all. Please remember that there is plenty of people that live in the Tofo area that go on for years without getting Malaria and of course without taking prophylactic treatment. Be smart, protect yourself, and don’t let the fear of Malaria spoil your holiday.

THERE ARE NO ATMs or BANKS in TOFO. The nearest one is 4km outside Tofo on your way to/from Inhambane. If you need local currency, stop there on your way to Tofo. The maximum amount you can withdraw is 5000 MZN (Mozambique Currency) each time, depending on your bank card limits.

There are several dive centers in Tofo. All of them are easily reachable by foot. They include Peri-Peri Divers (info@peri-peridivers.com), 5 minutes walk away is Diversity Scuba (info@diversityscuba.com) and Liquid Adventures (info@liquiddiveadventures.com).

All three of them are good dive centers and it’s really up to you which one you prefer.

The climate in most of Mozambique is tropical and warm with a dry cooler season from April until September and a wet hot season with temperatures of around 29 degrees celcius at the coast from November until April. In winter the weather at the coast is sunny and pleasantly warm (average temperature in Inhambane in June and July is 21 degrees Celcius). This is the perfect time to enjoy Tofo. The sun is never too strong and even around mid-day you will be able to lay in the sun without having to worry about getting sunburnt! The days are short and the evenings are cool making it comfortable for sleeping.

During the hottest months (November – April) the temperatures can climb up to 30 degrees Celcius or even higher; days are much longer and the sun much stronger forcing people to hide in the shade during the hottest part of the day. This is also the rainy season, where chances of rain are much higher.