Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
usurp the latter. The popularity of this area is largely due to its location close to Tuléar and
the decent dirt road that connects them. The beaches are really quite poor relative to other
options: rocky at times, very shallow for much of the day, and with seagrass beds rather
than sandy bottoms. The unkempt villages, saturated by go-go tourism, are not very attract-
ive, either. Nevertheless, the snorkelling is good, the whales come here, and there are a lot
of resorts to choose from, including some good ones.
Sights
If you visit Ifaty village around 1pm to 2pm you can enjoy watching the local fishermen
beach around 50 pirogues (dugout canoes) full of catch.
Reniala Nature Reserve
WILDLIFE RESERVE
( 94 417 56;
http://reniala.jimdo.com
)
This is a 60-hectare spiny forest full of baobab
trees and some birds. There are two circuits, one of 45 minutes to an hour and the other
of 1½ to two hours. If you have been to the Arboretum in Tuléar, which is better done,
you don't need to repeat that experience here, unless you have a strong interest. You
can also stay in the
accommodation
(d bungalow with shared bathroom Ar20,000, r
Ar30,000-40,000, breakfast Ar5000) here.
Village des Tortues
WILDLIFE RESERVE
( 032 02 072 75; Ar6000; 9am-7pm) Near Reniala, this 7-hectare park protects over
a thousand radiated and spider tortoises. A guided tour of the grounds in English tells you
the full story of these endangered animals and how they are being conserved. It's less than
an hour, so a worthy break from the beach.
Activities
Most hotels in this area provide activities for guests, directly or indirectly. In the latter case,
it may be in your financial best interest to go direct where possible. For fishing and kite-
surfing see Yannick at the
Hotel de la Plage
( 032 04 346 63, 032 04 362 76). For snor-
kelling, pirogue trips and forest/village tours see
Aubin and Florent
( 032 41 439 52,
034 40 925 78; per person Ar15,000-30,000). For diving there are several centres to choose
from, but the highest marks consistently go to two.
Le Grand Bleu
DIVING
( 034 64 781 76, 032 54 242 94;
http://mangilyplongee.wordpress.com
; 1 dive
Ar100,000, 2 tanks Ar160,000) This outfit provides many options, from snorkelling with
