Inhambane, Tofo & Barra

The historic city of Inhambane is located in the Inhambane Province in Southern Mozambique. It's a gateway to the glorious beaches and coastal resorts in the region: Barra & Tofo Beach. A busy port city, it boasts attractive 11th century architecture dating back to the Muslim and Persian traders.

Inhambane is a typical Mozambican sun destination, with a colourful past and a laid-back beach holiday vibe. Explored by da Gama from 1498 and colonised by the Portuguese thereafter, its heritage includes Arab slavers, a productive trade in gold, ivory and commodities, and a devastating civil war's prior to it becoming a democracy and a member of the commonwealth.

The museum, mosque, market and cathedral are interesting places to visit or mingle with the friendly locals. Cafés and bars offer a taste of fresh seafood, washed down with signature local beer. Regarded as a superb fishing and diving location, this Indian Ocean paradise is one of the best places to view the giant whale shark and manta ray. Additional fun activities include snorkelling, turtle and whale-watching.

Barra and Tofo are famous for their pristine beaches and warm nutrient rich waters that are frequented by big sea creatures - whales, dolphins, whale sharks and manta rays. Both essentially still villages, Barra is smaller and quieter than vibey Tofo which has a colourful craft and fabric market, several bars and restaurants and four dive centres.

Despite being only about 10kms apart Tofo is closer to some of the best reefs in the area with The Manta Ray and Whale Shark Research Centre being based at Tofo Beach. Tofo also has one of the largest juvenile whale shark populations in the world! Present year-round but their numbers peak in the summer months of Nov to Mar – a fantastic experience for anyone in this area is to visit these amazing animals.