Ocean
Beach
2,700 kilometres of Indian Ocean coastline, from lagoon shallows to open-ocean dunes.
Mozambique's coast runs for roughly 2,700 kilometres, and almost every stretch of it is different. In the south, Bilene's lagoon is warm, calm and barely tidal. Around Tofo and Barra the beaches are wide and open, backed by dunes and coconut palms. Further north the Bazaruto and Quirimbas archipelagos add sandbanks that appear and disappear with the tide. Most beaches are undeveloped: expect fishermen pulling nets at dawn rather than rows of loungers.
Destinations — Beach
Cabo Delgado
Quirimbas Archipelago
Around thirty coral islands, mangrove channels and reefs, protected within a national park and a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
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Cabo Delgado
Pemba
Set on one of the world's largest natural bays, with a reef that starts metres from the beach.
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Nampula
Nacala
A deep natural harbour with clear water and reefs that divers rate among the best in the country.
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Nampula
Island of Mozambique
A UNESCO World Heritage island: coral-stone Stone Town, Africa's oldest European building, and Makuti Town's daily life.
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Inhambane
Inhassoro
A quiet fishing town north of Vilankulo, the closest launch point for Santa Carolina.
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Inhambane
Bazaruto Archipelago
Five dune islands in a protected national park — turquoise channels, towering sand ridges and dugongs.
DiscoverInhambane
Vilankulo
The gateway to Bazaruto: a wide tidal bay, dhow sails on the horizon and an easy, sociable town.
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Inhambane
Tofo
Manta rays, whale sharks and a beach village that has kept its character.
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Gaza
Xai-Xai
A long protected beach with a natural tidal pool, and the gateway to the Limpopo valley.
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Gaza
Bilene
A vast, warm, almost tideless lagoon separated from the ocean by a dune — the calmest water in the south.
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Maputo Province
Ponta do Ouro
A sand-track village on the South African border, known for resident dolphins and some of the country's best diving.
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