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Private transfer car for the Maputo to Tofo drive, Mozambique

Maputo and Tofo · ~7 hours

Maputo to Tofo transfers

A Maputo to Tofo transfer is a private, door-to-door car journey between Maputo and Praia do Tofo — about seven hours up the coast in your own vehicle with a driver, instead of the pre-dawn shuttle bus or a string of chapas. It runs both ways for the same price, on your schedule rather than a timetable, so you arrive on the beach (or back in the capital) without the long-haul hassle.

$285 ≈ 18,000 MZN

Per private vehicle · one way · same price in either direction. We confirm the fare before you book.

Request your transfer on WhatsApp
  • A private car with driver — just your group, no shared seats, no 4 a.m. departure
  • Door to door — your Maputo hotel or the airport, to your Tofo accommodation
  • Both directions, same $285 — Maputo to Tofo or Tofo to Maputo
  • Fuel and tolls included — the $285 is the whole fare, nothing added on the road

Staying somewhere that needs a 4x4? You must tell us when you book. Our standard transfer cars aren’t 4x4s — we have 4x4s and will gladly arrange one, but we don’t run the lodges, so we can’t know which access roads need one. Check with your accommodation and let us know.

No changes, no timetable

How the Maputo–Tofo
transfer works.

One WhatsApp message books the whole journey — no terminal, no connections, no dawn start. Here’s how it goes.

  1. 1

    You tell us the date and direction

    Your travel date, which way you’re going, and where to collect you. A sentence is enough to start.

  2. 2

    We confirm and quote it

    We check availability and send a fixed $285 fare — no per-seat maths, no surprises along the way.

  3. 3

    We collect you and drive

    Your driver picks you up at the door and takes the EN1 straight through — Maputo to Tofo, or Tofo to Maputo — at your pace, with breaks.

The route

How to get from Maputo to Tofo.

The drive from Maputo to Tofo is about 7 to 7.5 hours — roughly 470 km north on the EN1, Mozambique’s paved coastal highway. With your own car and driver it’s one straight run with breaks where you want them, and you’re dropped at your door in Tofo rather than a roadside stop.

One vehicle covers the whole route, which is the difference that matters on this drive. The public alternatives all break the journey into legs — a pre-dawn coach to Maxixe, the ferry across the bay to Inhambane, then a chapa to the beach — and land you at Tofo market with your bags around eleven hours after you started. Our getting to Tofo guide walks that chain if you want to do it that way.

What $285 covers is the whole car, whatever the group size — fuel, the EN1 tolls, a driver who knows the road, and a departure time you choose instead of a 04:00 start. Four of you travelling together works out around $71 each, with room for dive gear and boards, and a drop at the gate of your lodge on Praia do Tofo, Tofinho or Barra rather than at the market.

It all works in reverse, too — Tofo to Maputo is the same private, door-to-door transfer for the same $285, in your own time. And if you’re flying into Tofo’s nearest airport, Inhambane (INH), we’ll meet you there for the 30-minute hop to the beach instead.

Planning the wider trip? See our Tofo travel guide and getting to Tofo — then let us handle the road.

No surprises

What's sorted before you set off.

One car, no changes
Your group in one private vehicle the whole way — no pre-dawn shuttle, no Junta chapas, no swapping vehicles in Inhambane.
Door to door
Collected at your Maputo hotel or the airport and dropped at your Tofo accommodation — or the other way around, whichever you need.
Local driver
Someone who drives the EN1 regularly, in a vehicle we pick for the day's conditions, and who'll stop for a break or a bite along the way.
Fixed $285 fare, fuel and tolls in
Agreed on WhatsApp before you travel — fuel and the EN1 toll gates are covered, the price is the same in either direction, and there are no per-seat charges or surprises at the end.

Before you ask

The questions we get most.

How much is a transfer from Maputo to Tofo?
A private Maputo–Tofo transfer is $285 (≈ 18,000 MZN) per vehicle, one way — and the same $285 from Tofo back to Maputo. Fuel and the EN1 tolls are included, so that figure is the whole fare rather than a starting point. Message us with your date and direction and we'll confirm it; no online payment, no obligation.
How long is the drive from Maputo to Tofo?
About 7 to 7.5 hours — roughly 470 km, mostly up the EN1, the paved coastal highway. We can break the drive for a stretch or a meal, and we leave when it suits you rather than at a fixed hour.
Do you run Tofo to Maputo as well?
Yes — the same private, door-to-door service in the other direction, at the same $285. Tell us which way you're going and your pickup point and we'll handle it.
Is there a bus from Maputo to Tofo?
There's no single direct bus — the budget routes all involve a pre-dawn start and at least one change, usually a coach from the Junta terminal to Maxixe, the ferry across the bay to Inhambane, then a chapa on to Tofo. It runs to roughly 11 hours door to door. Our getting to Tofo guide walks that chain stop by stop. Our transfer is the one-vehicle version: about 7 hours, your own departure time, dropped at your door.
Can you drop us at Tofo Beach itself?
Yes — we drop at the door, wherever you're staying on Praia do Tofo, and the fare is the same for Tofinho just south or Barra up the coast. Tell us the name of your lodge, camp or guesthouse when you message and we'll take you to the gate rather than to the market.
I'm flying into Inhambane — can you pick me up?
Yes. Tofo's nearest airport is Inhambane (INH), about a 30-minute drive from the beach. If you land there, we'll meet you and run the last leg to your accommodation — just send us your flight details.
How many people and how much luggage can you take?
The price on this page is for a standard car — not a 4x4 — carrying up to four passengers and their luggage. If you're a bigger group, or bringing dive gear, boards or a lot of bags, just say so when you message: we'll put you in a larger vehicle or send a second car, and confirm the fare before you book. We'd rather size the car to you than squeeze you in.
Who drives, and is the road safe?
A local driver who knows the EN1, in a vehicle we choose for the day's conditions. It's a long but paved road — we drive it at a sensible pace, with breaks, so you arrive rested.
Do you do other routes besides Maputo and Tofo?
Yes — private transfers all along the coast: Vilanculos to Tofo, Maputo to Vilanculos, the Vilanculos airport run, and custom routes on request. Tell us where you're headed and we'll quote it.
Can we break the drive and sleep a night on the way?
Yes — the drive doesn't have to be done in one day. If you'd rather stop a night, or a few, somewhere along the way and carry on in the morning, we'll drive it that way. Tell us where you want to stop and how many nights when you message, and we'll build the route around it and confirm the fare.
Is the transfer car a 4x4? My lodge says I need one.
Our standard transfer cars aren't 4x4s — so if your lodge sits at the end of a sand or rough access track, you must tell us when you book. We do have 4x4s and will happily arrange one, but we don't run the lodges, so we can't know what each access road requires. Check with your accommodation, tell us on WhatsApp, and we'll send the right vehicle.

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Tell us your date
and which way you're going.

One message and we'll confirm your driver, your pickup, and a fixed $285 fare — Maputo to Tofo or Tofo to Maputo. No deposit to ask.

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