Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
forest and to local villages. Massages, fishing or boat excursions are also avail-
able. The hotel leases 450 hectares of native dry deciduous forest and protects it
as a nature reserve. It is also actively involved in working with local communit-
ies, employing people from surrounding villages and supporting local enter-
prise. A three-day minimum stay is required; transfer is by private plane from
Antananarivo.
Lodge des Terres Blanches
LODGE €€€
( 032 05 151 55;
www.lodgeterresblanches.com
;
per person full-board €70, bungalows incl meals
€140) This is the most reasonably priced of the three resorts. There are six basic
but comfortable bungalows in a gorgeous location - a white beach backed by
lush forests that are home to lemurs and geckos. The hotel can arrange drop-offs
for picnic hikes, boat trips to hidden coves and baobab-rich islands, and quad
bike excursions. It's also popular with sports fishers. Transfer is by boat or
private plane from Majunga.
La Maison de Marovasa-Be
LODGE €€€
( 032 07 418 14;
www.marovasabe.com
;
d all-inclusive from €500; Mar-Jan; ) The exquis-
ite Marovasa villa offers beautiful suites and bedrooms, all with balconies. The
house has a 1930s retro feel about it. The surrounding environment is more arid
than in other Anjajavy resorts, but Marovasa is involved in local reforestation
projects; the hotel is also powered by wind and solar energy rather than generat-
or. Access is by private plane from Antananarivo, Majunga or Nosy Be.
West of Majunga
KATSEPY
Katsepy
(kah-tsep)
is a small, sleepy fishing village across the Bombetoka Bay from
Majunga with a couple of swimmable beaches. It used to be a favourite Sunday outing
thanks to the twice-daily ferry, but since the economic crisis, the ferry now only makes one
guaranteed trip a day, forcing visitors to either sleep in Katsepy or rely on the private (and
unreliable) boat shuttles instead.
Most visitors are likely to go
through
Katsepy on their way to Kinkony, but there are a
couple of low-key sights to visit, and an excellent hotel-restaurant.
Located about 8km southwest of Katsepy,
Katsepy's Lighthouse
(admission Ar5000)
has sweeping views of Bombetoka Bay and Mozambique Channel. The lighthouse is now
powered with solar energy, but before the panels were put in place, the keeper had to get
up three times a night to rewind the pulley that kept the light turning. It's a two-hour walk
through a very hot landscape to get here from Katsepy; otherwise you can charter a taxi-
brousse to take you there and back (Ar40,000, with a half hour at the site).
