Inhassoro

Inhassoro is what Vilankulo was before the lodges: a fishing town on a long beach with a handful of places to stay, boats pulled up on the sand, and the northern islands of the Bazaruto group, Bangue and Santa Carolina, closer from here than from anywhere else. It is a base for fishing more than for diving, and the pace is slow. The tide range is large and the flats empty out for a long way.

Background

The town lies in Inhassoro District of Inhambane Province, on the Indian Ocean coast beside the EN1 highway, and the 2007 census counted 11,297 inhabitants. It looks out toward Bazaruto and Santa Carolina. Tourism is developing here and the population is growing steadily along with it, while several of the older hotels go back to colonial times. Scuba divers visit the reefs in the bay, and at different seasons the waters hold many species of dolphin and turtle, the rare and endangered dugong, whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales.

Source: Wikipedia, "Inhassoro"

What's there

• The fishing beach - boats and nets working from the sand.
• The northern islands - Bangue and Santa Carolina, closest from this point.
• The tidal flats - sand exposed a long way out at low tide.
• The quiet - a coast town with very little built on it.

When to go

May to October is the cooler dry season and the best for boats. Cyclone season from December to March can be disruptive. South African holidays bring what crowds there are.

Practical notes

There is very little to do beyond fish, walk and swim. Accommodation is limited and standards vary. The tide leaves the beach unswimmable for hours at a time.

Nearby

Vilankulo is south, and the Bazaruto islands are offshore.

Key facts