Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping & Eating
Valahantsaka
GUEST HOUSE €€€
( 034 14 002 58;
www.valahantsaka.com
;
full-board bungalows per person €100-145)
The many Italians in Madagascar do wonders for the hospitality industry, and this small
lodge is a prime example. There are three spacious high-end bungalows here, right on the
sea, run by a classy older couple who have relocated for good and thrown everything into
making this place sing, including the construction of a new restaurant with dreamy views.
The homemade pasta is fabulous, and with 5km of private beach, you will have plenty of
space for that after-dinner walk under the stars.
Manga Lodge
LODGE €€€
( 032 58 266 26;
www.mangalodge.com
; s/d/tr/q Ar60,000/90,000/110,000/130,000)
Three cheers for the best entrance to a lodge on this coast: you arrive by pirogue on the
resort's little white powder beach and sink your toes in the sand. The beachfront bunga-
lows are suites that sleep four, while the kitchen offers fresh crabs and lobster (set menus
Ar20,000). The prices here are a bargain, and will rapidly make up for any transfer cost. If
you do stay somewhere else, take a pirogue here for dinner.
Coco Beach
PIZZA €
( 034 14 001 58; mains Ar5000, pizza Ar10,000) Unfortunately this set of very basic
bungalows
(d 70,000), which supports many Blue Ventures personnel, is charging twice
what it is worth. The adjacent pizza restaurant is another story, however, and is a most
pleasant place to spend an evening of conversation with interesting people from around the
globe.
Getting There & Away
A taxi-brousse leaves from the central market in Morombé almost daily. It is also possible
to take a pirogue from Morombé or Salary (Ar60,000, five to eight hours depending on
wind) as long as you depart early in the morning.
MOROMBÉ
The northern end of the Great Reef peters out at Morombé, 280km north of Tuléar. Once
cut off by the rough roads leading to it, Morombé has now cut itself off by air, too, as Air
Madagascar has halted regular service (and you had to walk 2km into town from the strip
anyway). There are few rewards for travellers who make it to Morombé, but it is a conveni-
ent stop if you're driving from Morondava to Tuléar. The
Pirogue d'Or
( 032 02 147
