We originally planned to leave Maputo on Saturday morning at the ungodly hour of 5:00 am (the pick-up for which we were instructed to arrive at the even more ungodly hour of 4:30 am) and head north for the beaches of Tofo, but we were convinced to stick around through the weekend. While our decision was admittedly somewhat based on how unappealing a 4:00 am wake-up call sounded after a late night playing Cards Against Humanity, it was largely based on the promise of beaches that weekend.¹

On Saturday morning, we left Maputo at the much more reasonable hour of 10:30 am and headed for Macaneta Beach. The trip to Macaneta was an adventure, taking us over a dusty road with literal hills and valleys for around 45 minutes until we reached the ferry across the Incomati River at Marracuene. After the ferry was loaded with passengers and what seemed to be an inadvisable number of cars (six!), we were ferried across the river, where a safari-style vehicle was waiting to shuttle us another 30 minutes down the road (and a stretch of sand that was only a “road” in the loosest sense of the word) to our destination.

It felt amazing to get in the Indian Ocean (the jellyfish that stung me within 5 minutes of me entering the water notwithstanding), and I could have splashed in the (surprisingly strong) waves all day. The beach itself was a long, flat stretch of sand, shaded in the late afternoon by sand dunes. The sand dunes also separated the beach from the restaurant, which dampened the noise from other patrons and made the beach feel secluded. On Saturday, we had the beach almost to ourselves (save the inexplicably loud couple nearby us and a few random dogs), and, while more people arrived on Sunday, the beach was still hardly overcrowded. We had plenty of space to stretch out our towels.

We left on the 5:00 pm shuttle, and the sun was setting as we made our way back to the ferry to Marracuene. We found the ferry in a different position than we left it: the banks were flooded, and cars were lined up tens deep, waiting for their chance to get on the ferry. Since our vehicle was carrying pedestrians, it skipped the line and fearlessly plowed through the water to drop us off. We quite literally scrambled aboard, using a greasy cable to help propel us up the sharp incline, and then watched in a combination of astonishment and horror as cars tried and failed, time after time, to climb the ramp. When six cars had finally managed (how, I’m still not sure) to climb aboard the ferry, the ferry finally took us back to where we had parked the car, and we drove back to Maputo. After we washed the sand off ourselves, we grudgingly set about packing for our 5:00 am bus to Tofo.

Where We Stayed: Jay’s Beach Lodge
How We Got There: Combination of friend’s vehicle, ferry, and accommodation shuttle
What We Ate: Lots of prawns & rice at the restaurant at Jay’s Beach Lodge

¹ And it goes without saying that the fantastic company was a selling point for a longer stay in Maputo, right? If it doesn’t, consider it said.  Thanks again for hosting us and showing us such a great time!