Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MINING THE OLD FASHIONED WAY
The sapphire mining process begins with a bore-hole large enough to lower a
man 30m into the earth. If round stones are found, the signs of an ancient river
bed, sapphires might be found as well. This leads to the digging of a second
hole by the mining equivalent of a bucket brigade, one man shovelling to the
next, and so on, for a very, very long time. If it rains, walls collapse and the dig-
ging begins anew. Some mines are dug by individual owners, while others are
financed by groups of investors. Some yield valuable sapphires, others yield
nothing. There have been enough of the former to create a sapphire rush in
Ilakaka involving tens of thousands of people. In fact, Ilakaka sits on top of the
biggest sapphire deposit in the world, all 4000 hectares of it, even though you
will not see a single piece of mining machinery beyond a spade. Once you visit,
you will never be able to look at a jewellery store the same way again. Just be
careful what you are offered in the street. As the saying goes, 'the closer you get
to the mine, the more synthetic you find'.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
If you are in Isalo and want to take the tour, call Color Line and it will arrange transport.
Otherwise any taxi-brousse heading west on the RN7 will get you here. If you are driving
west on the RN7, you will pass through town as well.
From Ilakaka, taxis-brousses leave every morning and afternoon forTuléar and Ambalavao
(Ar20,000, six hours), and sometimes continue to Fianarantsoa.
