Macuti Lighthouse and Shipwreck – Mozambique

We are in Beira, Mozambique. Macuti Beach is along the main coast road between Beira city and the airport.
If you find yourself there, a visit to the beach it’s well worth, to witness this unusual scene: the remains of an old shipwreck lying on the sand directly in front of a mysterious but quaint abandoned lighthouse.

At high tide, only a few rusted bulkheads are visible above the breakers, but at low tide, you can walk or wade right through the wreckage.
The red-and-white-striped Macuti Lighthouse (the beach is named after it) has stood here since 1904, but has been derelict for almost the last 20 years.
Interestingly, it is the only Mozambique lighthouse located conveniently close to a major town. The lighthouse has been painted with black and white horizontal bands, while it was painted all white for a time in the late 1930s. Quite recently the 28 meter tower’s color has been changed to red and white bands.
In 1985, a seagoing tug, also christened “Macuti,” was intentionally run aground directly in front of the old lighthouse to serve as a breakwater. Surely an ironic and inglorious end for a vessel that was once important enough to be featured on a Mozambican postage stamp.

Do you like lighthouses? Visit the dedicated section on our site!