After a glorious and extended stay in Chongoene it was finally time to pack up our gear and head north. Of course as luck would have it the weather chose that night for the mother of all thunderstorms that threatened to literally blow us and our tent away. The end result was a battered and grumpy 20 minutes sleep for the pair of us.

The rain was still coming down the next morning (although with somewhat less ferocity) and so by the time we had managed to pack up the roof top tent we were thoroughly drenched – just what is the point of a pancho type raincoat whose sleeves only cover ones upper arm and whose bottom only reaches mid thigh?

After a quick shower and a bite to eat in the restaurant (and lots and lots of coffee) we finally bade Chongoene Beach Resort goodbye and leaving Xai-Xai behind us and headed up towards Tofo (which is in the Inhambane region). Although not very far in terms of actual kilometres, the road was dreadful in places and the drive took us the better part of a day.

On the advice of the owner at Chongoene (Peter) as well as the Getaway Guide to Mozambique, we took the turning at Tofo towards Bamboozi. In all of the guidebooks, Tofo was described as one of the ultimate stops in Mozambique and we were really excited about staying in this vibey little town, reportedly boasting some of the best beaches in the world.

The drive to Bamboozi itself was a little disappointing with Gauteng number plates lining the road and an alarming number of shabby and rundown looking lodges along the way.

In all fairness, Bamboozi itself was not bad, with charming A-frame three sleeper, self-catering chalets that catered primarily for the backpacker market. Camping was also apparently provided for, although we couldn’t discern any designated campsites. Rather it would seem that one could camp anywhere there was a free space in-between the chalets and casitas, but this did mean that to some degree you were camping in the parking lot.

Along with the fairly horrible camping, there were reed huts and two, twenty sleeper backpacker dorms. From what we’d seen of Tofo so far, we weren’t particularly impressed and were beginning to reconsider the five days we’d planned to stay here. As a compromise we opted for a night in the backpacker’s dorm with the intention of leaving early in the morning to try and find something a bit more in line with our idea of beach paradise.

That evening we headed up the pleasant reed lined pathway to the restaurant overlooking the famed Tofo Beach. And wow… it really was quite something… miles and miles of clean, white sands stretching as far as the eye could see. The bar was well appointed and filled with backpackers of all shapes, sizes and nationalities watching the ocean, reading, playing boardgames and of course drinking.

If you ever find yourself in Tofo, make sure you stop in at Bamboozi’s for a couple of drinks. But no matter how hungry you are, do not be tempted to try the food. In addition to the limited menu and fairly awful taste, it will also leave you feeling quite ill for hours to come.

After dinner we headed back down to our room where en route we were able to witness a young guy with his friends try to drive up to the steps of the lodge. Needless to say the sand here was incredible soft and in no time at all had managed to get himself completely and utterly stuck (clearly he wasn’t driving a Toyota). It took about another 40 minutes or so for another vehicle to pull him out – by which stage he had managed to damage the side and rear of his car and he no longer thought his stunt was so clever.