Posted on Leave a comment

My last day in Africa: by Lucy Small

My last day in Africa: by Lucy Small

We had the privilege to meet and hang out with travelling surfers and adventurers Lucy Small and Anna Macauly from Australia a few months back, here in Praia do tofo. They were here for just a few weeks. But the Quantas jet that was supposed to take them home, had two empty seats, upon takeoff!

Yip, Lucy and Anna just stayed and stayed, soon to be joined by Hannah Cottrell, who also just stayed and stayed. Teaching surf lessons and playing live music (Hannah) – living the dream.

tales-of-a-treehouse
TALES OF A TREEHOUSE PIC:HANNAH COTTRELL

Lucy writes for Saltwater Pilgrim and her blog can be found here…

http://saltwaterpilgrim.wordpress.com/2015/01/10/last-day-6-lessons-from-africa/

And this from her latest post…

It’s my Last day in Africa today.

Pent up in a fancy hotel in Johannesburg – one of those places with excellent service from friendly men in waste coats and those fancy trolleys they wheel everything for you on. Awkward music in the elevators and an overpriced 24-hour room service menu.

Quite the contrast the the entirety of the last six-and-a-half months.

Looking through photos from my life in the motherland, that sickly happy-sad feeling of nostalgia creeps up. Oh, so happy it happened, oh, so sad it’s over.

Continue reading My last day in Africa: by Lucy Small

Share
Posted on Leave a comment

Emergency numbers for Mozambique

Emergency numbers for Mozambique

Fresh in from Captain Carlos Carvalho in Maputo…

Anti-corruption Hot Line+258 82 965 7804+258 21 31 06 93
Tourism GREEN LINE for HELP or ADVICE+258 800 460 460
G.C.C.C – PATRULHA+258 800 460 460

South African High Commission,
Maputo+258 21 24 3000 – office hours
+258 84 304 4600 – After hours emergencies

Police:Maputo: +258 21 32 5031, +258 21 400 159
Nelspruit: +27 13 759 1000
Ambulance:Maputo: +258 21 32 5000 or +258 21 32 5009
ER 24 Maputo: 84 124
Nelspruit: +27 82 911
Hospitals:Maputo: +258 21 32 5000 or +258 21 32 5009+258 84 389 0486
Mediclinic (Nelspruit) +27 13 759 0500

You can see more from Carlos at facebook.com/mozinfo/

Share
Posted on Leave a comment

More houses nearing completion at Earth Lodge Tofo

More houses nearing completion at Earth Lodge Tofo

The literally private beach out front of Tofo Earth Lodge offers seclusion and safe bathing...and fish to catch!
The literally private beach out front of Tofo Earth Lodge offers seclusion and safe bathing…and fish to catch!
DSCN8049
Looking up the staircase to the main bedroom and reading area, which doubles as a sleeping area.

Tofo Earth Lodge tucked away down the beach from Tofo, has many houses complete, ready and booked, with a few more nearing completion. Tofo Earth Lodge is built behind the primary dune at Praia Da Congiana – accessible only by 4wd!

The houses are each surrounded by indigenous gardens and with it’s own secluded and protected beach and swimming area, this is about as far away from the maddening crowd that you can get. (Even Mango Beach is closed so there will be NO loud music or week long parties down the beach this year).

Contact us on umzimkulu@gmail.com for a chance at booking one of these new houses, for the December season, or the future.

Continue reading More houses nearing completion at Earth Lodge Tofo

Share
Posted on Leave a comment

Surf trips to Tofinho

Surf trips to Tofinho

oie_K16UqIYvTsOW
Ozzie ripper Lucy Small, captured here in a ray of glory, surfing at Tofinho Point with our crew (c) Xonalanga

Since 1991, we have been surfing up and down the East African Seaboard, hauling surfers old and young, beginners and jaded…through some of the finest surfing conditions that the world has to offer. Surf trips to Tofinho and beyond are an email away…

In winter time, our beat is to wait for a solid cold frontal system, and chase it from Cape Town to Pemba, Cabo Delgado, Mocambique – thousands of kilometres of travelling and chasing swell. There are so many spots along this route, that many spots have no name – and like Africa – it’s gonna stay that way!

In summer, it’s all about cyclones – and if the stars line up, and the right swell sneaks in just skirting the southern reaches of Madagascar, it lights up all the usually dormant superbanks littered all over the Mozambican coastline. There are just sooo many!

These two situations do occur seasonally as described, but also at odd times, so once you book, we will plan your trip with the most chance of catching it all – ON! Continue reading Surf trips to Tofinho

Share
Posted on Leave a comment

Bazaruto in November: Mayhem

Bazaruto in November: Mayhem

The last 4 days fishing we have raised a total of 15 Black Marlin, releasing a total of 6. There is a lot of fish around but bites are a bit lazy so not the best hook-up ratio.

However this is incredible fishing by any standards and today we started with Rod, Carmen and Gordon Janz from Canada and had another blasting day in flat calm seas. Twenty minutes into it Carmen hooked into a very big fish that stripped 300 meters of line before coming undone. We then had another fish miss the lure and then one about 300 pounds that come off immediately after the strike. Finally at noon we hooked up solid and Carmen managed to release her first ever Black marlin at about 200 pounds on #50 pound tackle. The afternoon was slower and we only raised a fish about 400 that never struck the lure.

1-IMG_7844
Bazaruto in November: Black Marlin action off the charts…(c) Duarte Rato
1-IMG_7929
If you want to see this in real life…Get yourself to Bazaruto Island and go fishing with Captain Duarte Rato!
2-IMG_7933
Carmen Janz about to say goodbye to her first Black Marlin (c) Duarte Rato
Share