Mozambique Lighthouses

Mozambique is located on the southeastern coast of Africa, bordering Tanzania to the north and South Africa to the south. The country was a Portuguese colony from the early sixteenth century until it achieved independence in 1975. Independence was followed by a long and bitter civil war, which ended in 1992. Since then, increasing stability has improved the country's economic situation and opened it to foreign visitors.

Mozambique actually has the longest coastline of any continental African country, more than 2500 km (1565 mi) in length, facing the island of Madagascar across the Mozambique Channel. The major ports are Pemba in the north, Quelimane and Beira in the center, and Maputo (the capital) in the far south.

The Portuguese word for a lighthouse is farol, plural faróis.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Lighthouse Development in Mozambique, 1908-1931
Special thanks to Michel Forand for contributing this outstanding resource. It includes a translation of a 1931 account of the development of coastal lights in Mozambique, with maps and photos of the lighthouses, plus additional images from Mr. Forand's collection.
Faróis de Moçambique
Excerpts from a book on lighthouses of Mozambique by António Sopa and Laura Chirindja.
Afrikanische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Postcards from the collection of Klaus Huelse.


Pinda Light, November 2007
Creative Commons photo by Erik Kristensen
Maputo Province and City Lighthouses
Note: Under Portuguese rule, Maputo was named Laurenço Marques after the early 16th century Portuguese captain who explored the Mozambique coast.
* Ponta do Ouro (2)
Date unknown (station established 1934). Active; focal plane 114 m (374 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) square concrete skeletal tower with double gallery atop to a 1-story keeper's house. Entire lighthouse is white. Paco Matos has a closeup photo, and a Google satellite view is available. This is unlikely to be the original lighthouse. Ponta do Ouro adjoins the South African border and is the site of popular beach and scuba diving resorts. The lighthouse is located atop a steep headland almost precisely on the border. Accessible by a hiking trail from the resorts. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-014; Admiralty D6488; NGA 31928.
* Cabo de Inhaca (Range Rear) (2)
1894. Active; focal plane 109 m (358 ft); three white flashes every 15 s, in a 2+1 pattern; a red light, 2 s on, 2 s off, is shown over extensive shoals to the northwest. The lighthouse also served as the rear light of the outbound Barra Sul Range, but it's not clear if the range is active. 31 m (102 ft) hexagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern dome is red. Tiago Pinhal's distant view is at right, a closeup photo is available, Confluence.org has a distant photo from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse was a 27.5 m (90 ft) cast iron tower. A 2007 photo shows the lighthouse recently painted and converted to solar power. Inhaca is an island at the southern entrance to the Bay of Maputo. Much of the island is set aside as a nature reserve, but there are also a number of resorts and the island is a popular tourist attraction, accessible from Maputo by air or by passenger ferry daily. The lighthouse is located on a ridge about 800 m (1/2 mi) southwest of the northern end of the island; it is accessible by 4WD, and some of the resorts advertise tours to the station. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-003; Admiralty D6492.1; NGA 31848.
* Barra Sul Range Front
Active(?); focal plane 22 m (72 ft); quick-flashing white light. 23 m (75 ft) triangular pyramidal concrete skeletal tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. NGA calls the light "unreliable" and notes that it no longer aligns properly with the channel. Located on the beach at the northern end of Inhaca, about 800 m (1/2 mi) northwest of the lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-033; Admiralty D6492; NGA 31844.

Cabo de Inhaca Light, February 2007
Creative Commons photo by Tiago Pinhal
Canal da Polana (Range Rear)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white light occulting once every 8 s. 14 m (46 ft) skeletal tower mounted on a square platform. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a yellow vertical stripe. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This is the approach range for Maputo. The rear light is mounted on a daymark panel on a hillside onshore. Located in Maputo Bay about 3 km (1.8 mi) east of the city. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D6503; NGA 31876.
Maputo Pierhead (Luz do Cais)
1980. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); two green flashes every 6 s. 7 m (23 ft) round building with gallery, painted white; light displayed from a mast. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the Molhe de Capitania in Maputo. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-009; Admiralty D6514; NGA 31896.
Baixo Ribeiro (Ribeiro Shoal) (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 14 m (46 ft); white or red light, depending on direction, 2.5 s on, 2.5 s off. Approx. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical tower with gallery, painted white, mounted on a round pier. A 2007 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. A 1916 coast pilot mentions a light on this shoal at least by that time. Located on a shoal at the northern entrance to Maputo Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D6500; NGA 31868.

Gaza Province Lighthouses
* Monte Belo (Limpopo River Entrance)
1914. Active; focal plane 93 m (305 ft); white flash every 4.5 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery, rising through the center of a 1-story keeper's house. Buildings painted white; lantern is red. A good closeup photo is available, and several other good photos from the same source are available (about 1/3 the way down the slow-loading page). A nearby resort, the Zongoene Lodge, has a small photo on its web page, and a Google satellite view is available. Located atop a bluff on the west side of the entrance to the Limpopo River, one of southern Africa's greatest rivers, about 30 km (20 mi) southwest of Xai-Xai. The lighthouse is about 2 km (1.25 mi) northwest of the river's mouth. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-010; Admiralty D6522; NGA 31832.
** Boa Paz (Chidenguele)
1940. Active; focal plane 74 m (243 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern painted red. Keeper's house nearby. Eric Deconinck has posted a closeup photo, the Chidenguele Beach Lodge has posted a photo taken from the gallery (near the bottom of the page), and Google has a satellite view. Located on a bluff behind the beach about 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Chidenguele and 70 km (45 mi) northeast of Xai-Xai. Accessible by road or by hiking from the resort. Site open, tower reported to be open for climbing. ARLHS MOZ-001; Admiralty D6524; NGA 31828.

Inhambane Province Lighthouses
Ponta Zavora
1910. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); white flash every 10 s. 16 m (53 ft) round tower with gallery, painted white, adjoining a 1-story keeper's house. Lantern removed. Graham Jackson and friends have posted a photo and report from an October 2004 visit, Milton Lang has a 2007 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Ponta Zavora is not a prominent cape, but it marks a change in the trend of the coastline from northeast to north at the southern entrance to the Mozambique Channel. Located on a promontory just south of Zavora and about 30 km (19 mi) east of Inharrime; accessible from the nearby Zavora Lodge. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-018; Admiralty D6528; NGA 31820.
Ponta da Barra (Barra, Rio Inhambane) (2)
1904(?) (station established 1873). Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery; tower painted white, lantern red. 1-story keeper's house nearby. François Bester's photo appears at right, Anton Huyssteen has a good closeup photo, Nuno Teixeira has a 2008 closeup, and Google has a good satellite view. All photos show the lighthouse with a distinct lean. Ponta da Barra is at the end of the Barra Peninsula, which shelters the Bay of Inhambane. An adventure camp is located adjacent to the light station and has a small photo of the lighthouse on its web site. Located on the point of the cape about 25 km (15 mi) northeast of Inhambane; accessible by 4WD. Site open, and nothing prevents visitors from climbing the tower. ARLHS MOZ-013; Admiralty D6532; NGA 31812.
Pomene (Ponta da Barra Falsa)
1931. Active (?); focal plane 123 m (404 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 14 m (46 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern, painted white; lantern painted red. A photo is available, one of a dozen in a portfolio. The lighthouse does not appear active in these photos, and it seems quite dilapidated in a 2008 photo. Ponta da Barra Falsa is a promontory enclosing a small bay at Pomene, about 65 km (40 mi) northeast of Massinga. There are surf and dive camps in the area, which is under development as a resort. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-019; Admiralty D6536; NGA 31804.
Cape San Sebastian (Ponta São Sebastião)
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 38 m (125 ft); five white flashes every 15 s. 8 m (26 ft) round tower, painted red; keeper's house, painted white. No photo available. Cape San Sebastian shelters the harbor of Vilankulo (Vilanculos). However, the indicated position of the lighthouse would not be useful now for navigation, so the tower is quite unlikely to be active. The lighthouse is located near the base of a long, sandy spit on the east side of the peninsula, accessible only by a long (7 km, 4 mi) walk on the beach. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-017; Admiralty D6538; NGA 31800.

Ponta da Barra Light, December 2006
Creative Commons photo by François Bester
* Mucoque (Vilankulo, Ponta Chue)
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 17 m (56 ft); red flash every 2 s. NGA describes this light as a "lantern on quadrangular closed tower." No photo available, but a Google satellite view of the cape shows what might well be a lantern at the south end of a large building believed to be a former prison. Site open, tower status unknown. Admiralty D6544; NGA 31796.
* Bazaruto (2)
1913 (station established 1897, but apparently it was inactive 1900-1913). Inactive once again. 26 m (85 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a complex of 1- and 2-story keeper's houses. All buildings painted white; lantern dome painted red. An August 2007 photo shows how the lighthouse was severely damaged by Tropical Cyclone Favio in February of that year, and Jeremy Fawcett has posted a photo showing the damage to the light station. A Google satellite view is also available. A South African tourist site says the lighthouse has not been active in many years. The lighthouse formerly had a hyperradiant Fresnel lens, one of the largest lighthouse lenses ever built, and the damaged lens is still in the tower. Bazaruto is the largest of a group of islands strung out along the coast north of Vilankulo. The lighthouse was "rehabilitated" in 1996. The lighthouse is located on the central ridge about 2 km (1.2 mi) south of the north end of the island; accessible by 4WD or a hiking trail from the Pestana Bazaruto Lodge. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-013; Admiralty D6540; NGA 31788.

Sofala Province Lighthouses
Ponta Ingomaimo
1931. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); white flash every 6 s. 40 m (131 ft) hexagonal concrete tower, painted white with a black horizontal band. No photo available. We need information on this major lighthouse, which is apparently located about 16 km (10 mi) southeast of Chingune, at the southern entrance to the Bay of Sofala. This area suffered great devastation during the floods caused by a tropical cyclone in 2000. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-015; Admiralty D6546; NGA 31784.
* Rio Macuti (Beira)
1904. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 28 m (92 ft) round tower with lantern and double gallery, rising through the center of a 2-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands; lantern and galleries are red. Doug Pearson has posted an excellent photo (a reduced version appears at right), and Sam Seyffert has a good 2007 photo. In front of the lighthouse is the wreck of the freighter Macut. Located on the beach road at the eastern edge of Beira; Google has a satellite view in which the shipwreck is clearly visible. This is probably Mozambique's best known and most visited lighthouse. Older photos show that it was painted with black and white bands for most of its history; see for example the historic postcard view posted by Klaus Huelse and this 1989 postage stamp. Located on the oceanfront in Macuti, on the eastern edge of Beira. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-020; Admiralty D6553; NGA 31764.

Rio Macuti Light, Beira
photo copyright Doug Pearson; used by permission
Savane
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 52 m (171 ft); white light, 2 s on, 10 s off. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Located on the coast about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Beira. Site status unknown. Admiralty D6562; NGA 31760.
Machesse
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 47 m (154 ft); two white flashes every 10.1 s. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Located on the coast about 50 km (30 mi) northeast of Beira. Site status unknown. Admiralty D6563; NGA 31756.

Zambezia Province Lighthouse
Ilha Timbué (Bôcas de Zambeze) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1924). Active (?); focal plane 41 m (135 ft); white flash every 8 s. 39 m (128 ft) square skeletal tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view in which the light station buildings appear to be in ruins. Ilha Timbué is an island in the delta of the Zambezi River. The original lighthouse was a 40 m (131 ft) hexagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery; it appears to have been demolished. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-025; Admiralty D6564; NGA 31752.
Vilhena
1909. Active (?); focal plane 31 m (102 ft); two white flashes, separated by 4.5 s, every 12 s. 27 m (89 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available. We need information on the status of the historic light tower. Luechthuus.de lists it with the dates 1909-1987, suggesting that it may have been replaced, but it appears on a 1989 postage stamp. Google has a satellite view that appears to show the light station. Located at Mucupia, southeast of Quelimane, guiding vessels toward the southern entrance to the Quelimane estuary. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-032; Admiralty D6570; NGA 31740.
Macuse (Macuze)
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white flash every 3 s. 20 m (66 ft) square concrete skeletal tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located about 4 km (2.5 mi) southwest of the entrance to the Macuse River. Site status unknown. Admiralty D6575; NGA 31724.
Ponta Matirre
1913. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); three white flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 12 s. 13 m (43 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Keeper's house, described in NGA as a signal station. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Probably the original tower survives at this station, but we need confirmation of this. Located on a headland on the east side of the entrance to the bay of Pebane; accessible from the nearby beach. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-030; Admiralty D6576; NGA 31720.
Ilha do Fogo
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 35 m (115 ft); flash every 12 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 34 m (111 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available. Located on an island off the coast southwest of Moma. Accessible only by boat. Admiralty D6580; NGA 31716.
Ilha Epidendron
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 31 m (102 ft); two red flashes every 8 s. 24 m (79 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on an island off the coast south of Moma. Accessible only by boat. Admiralty D6582; NGA 31712.

Nampula Province Lighthouses
Ponta Caldeira
1926. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 26 m (86 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with lantern and gallery. No photo available, but the lighthouse appears on a 1989 postage stamp, and Google has a satellite view. Located near Namorre, 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Angoche. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-012; Admiralty D6586; NGA 31708.
Ilha de Mafamede (2)
Date unknown (station established 1924). Active; focal plane 24 m (78 ft); two red flashes every 10 s. 25 m (82 ft) hexagonal concrete tower with gallery, painted white. A.W. Smith has a good photo. Located on an island off the entrance to the estuary leading to Angoche, about 20 km (13 mi) southeast of the town. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-006; Admiralty D6590; NGA 31704.
Sangage
1925. Active (?); focal plane 93 (305 ft); white flash every 5 s. 26 m (85 ft) hexagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted red with white horizontal bands. A.W. Smith has a good closeup photo, and Google has a good satellite view. Nate Johnson visited this site in late 2006 and found the lighthouse was not operating. Located on a headland about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Angoche. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-021; Admiralty D6592; NGA 31688.
Ponta Namalungo
1937. Active; focal plane 84 m (276 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 19 m (62 ft) square white concrete tower. No photo available. This lighthouse replaced the 1926 Infusse Light. Located on a headland about 75 km (46 mi) south southwest of Moçambique. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-031; Admiralty D6596; NGA 31684.
Ilha de Goa (Range Rear)
1876. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); four white flashes every 10 s. 31 m (102 ft) square brick tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the center of a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. Tim Cowley has contributed excellent photos, the lighthouse appeared on a 1989 postage stamp, and Google has a good satellite view. Perhaps Mozambique's oldest lighthouse, depending on whether the Ilha do Ibo tower is original. The 12 m (40 ft) top section was added in 1923, and the tower was rehabilitated in 1994. The ancient fortress town of Moçambique was the seat of Portuguese colonial power in East Africa and an important stop on the trade route to India. Moçambique is on an island connected to the mainland by a 3 km (2 mi) long bridge. The lighthouse stands on a small island about 5 km (3 mi) east southeast of Moçambique. Accessible only by boat; there should be a distant view from the Moçambique waterfront. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-005; Admiralty D6598.1; NGA 31661.
* Pinda (Memba Bay)
1923. Active; focal plane 64 m (210 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 31 m (102 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising through the center of a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands; lantern painted red. Erik Kristensen's 2007 photo appears at the top of this page, and the lighthouse appears on a 1989 postage stamp. Located on a headland at the southern entrance to Memba Bay, about 25 km (15 mi) east southeast of Memba; said to be an easy walk from the Wimbe beach (Praia do Wimbe). Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-011; Admiralty D6618; NGA 31604.
Goa lighthouse
Goa Light
photo copyright Tim Cowley; used by permission

Cabo Delgado Province Lighthouses
Ponta Maunhane (Pemba Bay, Mecúfi) (2)
1932 (station established 1912). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round masonry tower, painted black with a white horizontal band. Keeper's house nearby. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland marking the south side of the entrance to Pemba Bay, about 10 km (6 mi) east of Pemba. Scuba expeditions from the Pemba Beach Resort dive off the point. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-016; Admiralty D6624; NGA 31592.
Ponta Said Ali
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) short round cylindrical tower centered on a massive square masonry base. Round tower painted red with one white horizontal band; base painted white. A good photo is available. A Google satellite view shows a likely keeper's house in ruins behind the lighthouse. Located on the point marking the north side of the entrance to Pemba Bay. Accessible only by boat (no roads seen in the area). Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D6628; NGA 31580.
Ilha do Ibo (Mujaca, Ibo Island)
Date unknown (station established 1873). Active (?); focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 12 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower, mounted on a square stone base. 1-story keeper's house. Carlos Lopes Bento has posted a 1971 aerial photo; at that time there was a white round tower on top of the square base. A recent photo shows the present tower, which appears dilapidated and abandoned. Google has only an indistinct satellite view. Ibo Island is in the Quirimba Archipelago, a string of islands along the northern coast of Mozambique. The island was a fortified Portuguese settlement during the 16th and 17th centuries. Much of the island is now included in Quirimba National Park. Located on the northern point of the island. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-007; Admiralty D6636; NGA 31568.
* Ilha Medjumbe (Mdjumbe) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1934). Inactive. 26 m (85 ft) white round concrete tower. Lantern removed. Google has a satellite view. Although this lighthouse is listed as active by NGA, the May 2007 photo at right shows it abandoned, with no lamp or other evidence of a light. Medjumbe is a small island in the Quirimba Archipelago about 60 km (37.5 mi) north of Ilha do Ibo. Located on the eastern point of the island, an easy walk from the Medjumbe Island Resort. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-024; Admiralty D6640; NGA 31564.
Ilha Tambuzi
Date unknown (station established 1934). Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 26 m (85 ft) round concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Keeper's house in ruins. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located on a small island in the Indian Ocean about 37 km (23 mi) due east of Mocimbao da Praia. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS MOZ-008; Admiralty D6642; NGA 31556.
Cabo Delgado (2)
1931 (station established 1889). Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); two white flashes every 12 s. 36 m (118 ft) hexagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Several 1-story keeper's houses. A photo of unknown date is available (halfway down the page), I. Costa has posted what seems to be a historic photo, the lighthouse was pictured on a 1989 postage stamp, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the cape, which is at the end of a long peninsula about 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Palma. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOZ-004; Admiralty D6648; NGA 31536.

Medjumbe Light, May 2007
Creative Commons photo by Chris Chilton

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted June 21, 2005. Checked and revised June 29, 2009. Lighthouses: 36. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.