Between July and September, humpback whales pass close to the shore at Anakao on their annual migration from the cold southern waters to warmer breeding grounds. The concentration of whales in this part of the Mozambique Channel is substantial, and sightings from a pirogue or even from the beach are common during these months.
Local fishermen offer pirogue excursions specifically for whale watching, which gets you on the water close to the animals without the crowds or boat noise of larger commercial operations. The experience — a hand-paddled dugout canoe, a whale surfacing twenty metres away — is genuinely extraordinary. There is no guarantee of sightings outside July to September, though dolphins are present year-round and can often be spotted from shore.