Top things to do in Vilanculos
Besides lounging on the beach, which is definitely one of the top things to do in Vilanculos, you can keep active for a long weekend or more.
Activities are usually priced in USD to avoid local currency fluctuations.
Take boat rides to the Bazaruto Archipelago islands
What’s a visit to Vilanculos without visiting the famous islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago: Magarugue Island, Benguerra Island, Bazaruto Island & Two Mile Reef, and Santa Carolina (or Paradise Island). There are several boat tour operators that are all very similar in itinerary and pricing. The company you choose will likely depend on where your accommodation is. I suggest starting with your accommodation to ask them to organize a tour for you based on what you want to do.
If you want to reach out to companies on your own, start with Wild Africa Mozambique. Although we didn’t use them, it was recommended by a friend, and they were very helpful and responsive to our requests.
Read my review here:
A note on online reviews: Because companies wait to fill up their boats before organizing, you may be faced with cancellations of your tour if other people cancel. I saw a lot of mixed reviews for various places online so I’m hesitant to share a specific company and instead suggest you organize directly with your accommodation host.
Visit the seahorse sanctuary
Located 40 minutes outside of Vilanculos, you can visit a seahorse sanctuary with Indio Sawhorse Adventure. For 2500MT (cash only), you’ll have your car and boat ride, 30 minutes with the seahorses, and lunch included. Snorkeling gear is provided, though the water is only knee-deep. You may want to submerge yourself, so you have a better view!
This was such a special experience. Seahorses are so unique and very difficult to find without a guide. This is the only spot where seahorses are around Vilanculos.
The guides also spotted an octopus for us!
Get in touch with Baobab Beach Resort’s manager Rebecca at +258844133084 or call the resort to help organize. There are very few mentions of this online, but it exists!
If you haven’t seen a baobab tree before, you can ask to stop to see the grove on the way back.
Sunset dhow experience
Buy a couple of beers on shore and then take a sunset dhow ride. Dhows are traditional fishing boats. Tours usually leave at 3:30pm and end around 5:30pm (depending on sunset). We organized this directly with Baobab and it was USD 30 per person.
The sunset ride will take you past the red dunes, which is another sundowner spot you can visit by land.
Walk around town
My favorite kinds of towns are those you can’t get lost in even if you tried—because I’m bad at maps and navigating. Vilanculos is an odd town. Some sections look really well kept and nice; others look like they’ve been abandoned for years.
We found a broken-down construction vehicle in the middle of the road.
This swordfish water feature (with no water) was interesting, as is the cute church located here. There is corn growing on the sides of streets and plenty of fruit sellers.
Cute village scenes are to be found a couple of streets from the coast. A path leading from town down to the ocean is here (the pic with the ducks below).
Eat and drink local
Walk along the beach and stop at the Tropical Bar, mostly for the cool 2M building paint. Get breakfast at Kilimanjaro Cafe for all the classics. Organize dinner at Zita’s for crab curry, prawn curry, and fresh fish!
Check out the street shops
While wandering around town, we came across several nice souvenir shops. You’ll have to trust me with the GPS points because there is no Google Map location.
My favorite is run by Armando here. He has a “surprise” with every purchase. We bought a bag that I’d been eyeing around town. He also had the lowest prices. If you have luggage to check things in you can buy the amazing local honey that we tried.
This shop near the Old Market has beautiful baskets and hats. I bought a hat here—it even has an adjustable string to make it fit any head size!
Near Baobab Beach Resort are three shops. The first two are here and have classic souvenirs. The third is a shop with fun hats, fanny packs, and clothes.
The Afro art gallery has a ton of large sculptures that are worth walking around.
If you’re looking for African wax print or 5m fabric, check out this shop.
Visit the Old Market
The Old Market has fish, produce, and a ton of secondhand clothing. The market is much larger than it looks from the outside! If you’re self-catering, this is the perfect spot to do some local shopping.
I always ask vendors (if I’m in their face) if I can take a picture. The fish vendors at the Old Market here are probably tired of tourists taking pictures and not buying anything. When I asked to take a picture, the vendors refused and asked for money first. I respect the hustle; I didn’t take any pictures inside the market.
There is also a ”new” market here but it was pretty lame when we visited. There were just a few food stalls and the fish section was totally empty.
Take care around the market. I was wearing a bracelet and it was taken off my arm either inside or around the market.
Watch the fisherman come ashore
Before sunset, you can watch the fisherman come ashore with their catch of the day. This section of the beach had the largest gathering of fishermen that we noticed. You can spot these areas because women will be sitting around with buckets ready to wash the fish and sell them to you. If you have self-catering, you can buy fish directly from here and cook it to your liking!
Check out the shipwrecks around
Walk along the beach to this spot and see the ship graveyard. You’ll have a good view at this unnamed (on google maps) restaurant that also has great drinks and fantastic seafood.
Am I missing your favorite things to do in Vilanculos? Let me know in the comments!