Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ANKASY
If you want to get away
even further,
you can come to this one-hotel outpost, 100km
north of Tuléar. With four massive (100 sq metre) high-end bungalows, on a broad and
beautiful 1.3km of private beach, the family-friendly
Ankasy Lodge
( 032 05 400 42;
www.ankasy-lodge-spa.com
;
per adult per day all-inclusive €90) lodge operates on an all-
inclusive model, in which all accommodation, food and local activities - and there are a lot
of options, including a small spa - are € 90 per day per adult, € 30 per child under 12. Food
is straight off the pirogue. Transfers from Tuléar are Ar300,000 per car. Look for the hotel
sign.
SALARY
The
Salary Bay
( 75 514 86, 032 49 120 16;
www.salarybay.com
; d bungalow €80) re-
sort sits up high on a sandy peninsula, affording a spectacular 270-degree view from the
restaurant, including the sight of a broad lagoon, and the resort's own enormous 7km of
beach!
It's a long trip here, 129km from Tuléar, unless you come in by private plane (it has its
own airfield) but once you have arrived it is heavenly. A popular choice for honeymooners
and divers (the local dive centre is here). Transfers available from north or south.
ANDAVADOAKA
Yes, it's a long 78km from Salary, but this remote and laid-back outpost of some 1500
people is the most interesting spot north of Tuléar. After passing through the local village,
which is the tidiest of them all, one ends at the tip of a sandy peninsula spotted with beach
bungalows and a most welcome sight, a pizza restaurant that serves cold beer. At night this
is surprisingly populated by people from all over the world, who are not tourists. They are
the staff and volunteers of Blue Ventures, an NGO whose marine-conservation programs
are spreading throughout the length of the reef, helping staunch its decline.
Not surprisingly,what this means fortourists is some ofthe best diving in the south, with
an abundance of turtles, sharks, rays, and large fish. BV has managed to protect a large sec-
tion of reef, known as Velondriake (see the boxed text,
Click here
)
which contains fringing,
path, and barrier reefs. The white powder beaches are pristine, and there are some offshore
islands to explore. Tourist infrastructure is limited, but sufficient. There are two excellent
hotels, and a local dive shop to match. Local ecotourism includes pirogue trips for fishing,
sailing, or whatever. If you are someone who wishes to engage and understand, as well as
enjoy the outdoors, this is a place full of rewards.
