Praia da Barra, Coastal beach in Inhambane Province, Mozambique

Praia da Barra is a beach on the Ponta da Barra peninsula in Inhambane Province, about 25 km by road from Inhambane city. The settlement behind the sand holds beach resorts, private holiday homes, restaurants and dive charters. At low tide a natural tidal pool forms below the Barra lighthouse, used for snorkelling, and the wreck of the SS Inharrime, an Italian-built cargo ship grounded in 1949, lies exposed nearby.

The area served as a key trading post for Arab merchants beginning in the 10th century before Portuguese traders arrived in the 1500s and established new commercial networks. This shift brought lasting changes to the region's economic and social structures.

Inhambane's dhows, the lateen-rigged sailing boats that were the region's trademark for hundreds of years, were largely destroyed when Cyclone Dineo struck on 15 February 2017, wrecking most of the local fishing fleet. Susan Woest Strydom described the fishermen as a forgotten community that lost everything, and noted that the boats' logos, wood carvings, paintings and drawings survive only as memories.

The beach is accessible year-round, with the most comfortable conditions for swimming from April through October when water temperatures are warmest. Bring sun protection and check local conditions before entering the water.

The wreck of the SS Inharrime, an Italian-built cargo ship that ran aground in 1949, lies exposed near the beach and is easy to spot at low tide. Divers and snorkellers also come to the Barra and Tofo area for whale sharks, sea turtles and manta rays.