Madagascar Travel Information Guide

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Morondava to Morombe

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Ankevo sur Mer | Belo sur Mer | Kirindy Mitea | Manja | Morombe

Ankevo sur Mer

Ankevo is a small hamlet of fishermen located half the way between Morondava and Belo sur Mer. The peaceful environment, the superb beach and the crystal clear ocean, along with the opportunity of contributing to a laudable local initiative to support community tourism make a stay worthwhile. You can stay overnight at one of the basic bungalows built by the local people and enjoy the hospitality of the villagers. The praise-worthy project has even an own internet site. Check under: www.ankevo.com. For reservations you can contact Mrs Vallen of Madaconnection (see address in Morondava) for further information. They also organize a boat transfer. You can visit our section about Community tourism to know more about this and other similar projects in Madagascar.

Vezo fishermen getting ready to go fishing © Madagascar Travel Guide

Belo sur Mer

Belo sur Mer is a pleasant Vezo fishermen village located some 80 km south of Morondava. Visitors that come here are greeted by a wonderful kilometer long beach of bright white sands and an amazing transparent sea of emerald waters. But as everywhere on the Western coast of Madagascarbathing can be certainly risky due to the strong tides... Anyhow, you will enjoy the laidback atmosphere, the great red sunsets and the adorable locals that have known to keep the authenticity of an ancestral way of life. It is also here that pirogues and large wooden boats are built. Canoes are propelled using paddles; some also deploy a rectangular sail when there are winds. Sakalava are avid fishers, who use outrigger canoes of the same design as those used by proto-Malagasy when they made their voyages across the Indian Ocean. You can get to the town either with a 4x4 vehicle or with a speed boat from Morondava (30 € one way, see madaconnection's tip in Morondava). It is cheaper to hire a local Vezo pirogue, but the trip can take even eight hours and the sea is sometimes dangerous.

The beloved activity in Belo sur Mer is diving. The diving centre at the Ecolodge du Menabe offers great diving excursions that will show you the abundant undersea life of this coast. Reef sharks, turtles, stingrays, barracudas, shellfishes, and even unexpected encounters with humpback whales on their way to their birthing grounds are some of the fascinating experiences of this paradisiacal spot of earth.

Where to sleep

Budget accommodations

Chez Lova
Phone: 032 40 192 49
Basic but welcoming and clean rooms, friendly atmosphere and very good and cheap food.
Price for two people 10000 Ar

Chez Dorothée
6 comfortable and nice bungalows next to the beach with shared toilets. Beautiful location and good service. Basic but tasty meals.
Price for a double bungalow 15,000 Ar, a familiar bungalow for foue people 20,000 Ar

Middle class hotels

Hôtel Le Dauphin
Phone: 032 40 310 97
Totally rebuilt after thecyclone in 2009, it has new large and comfortable bungalows with private en suite toilet and shower. There is a beautiful terrace with sea views and an excellent restaurant which serves fresh seafood and fish. The hotel management organises excursions. Very good value.
Price for two people between 23,000 and 30,000 Ar

Ecolodge Du Menabe
Phone: 871 763 963 816
Web: www.menabelo.com
Mail: info@menabelo.com
8 well furnished and pleasant bungalows on the beach. There is a diving centre that offers courses, excursions and transfers to Morondava. The restaurant serves very good meals
Price for two people between 28 € and 33 €

Kirindy Mitea national park

See under Kirindy Mitea National Park

Manja

Manja is located inside the country Sakalava of Menabe. The city was in the nineteenth century, the capital of a small kingdom.

To cross the Mangoky River to reach Morombe you might wait for hours until the "ferry" picks you up.

Morombe

Morombe, a small city enclave between Toliara and Morondava, is the capital of the Vezo people and its economical centre. It is located some 350 km north of Toliara and its relatively inaccessibility makes it to be a rarely visited town by foreigners. It is connected to the capital (via Toliara or Morondava) twice a week (check with Air Madagascar), though most travellers opt for the 4x4 option from Morondava or for a long pirogue ride from Belo sur Mer. If you land with an aircraft, you’ll need to walk the two kilometres that separate the landing strip from the town, as there is no taxi service known. You can stay at a few places:

Hotel baobab
Tel: + (0) 261 20 22 427 01
Twenty nice bungalows on the seaside

Pirogue d’Or
Tel: (+ 261) 32 02 147 24
e-mail: morombe98@yahoo.fr
Web: www.piroguedor.com
Basic facilities

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