Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bicycle
Virtually every hotel and all kinds of other places have bikes of varying quality for hire.
The going rate is around Ar10,000 per day. Once off the paved road you need a mountain
bike, and even then going will be difficult in stretches.
Car & Motorcycle
The whole food chain of motorised vehicles - including cars, buggies, quads, motorcycles
and scooters - is available for hire. If you wish to travel in a group, you can hire a car and
driver through any high-end hotel; negotiations start at a too-high Ar300,000 per day.
At the Total station,
Flash Tour
( 032 04 760 20) rents a minibus. A much better option
is a buggy or quad, which also comes with a driver/guide. The well-run
Quad Sainte Mar-
ie
( 032 40 745 39,
www.quadsaintemarie.com
)
starts negotiations at a high Ar400,000/
300,000 per day for a buggy/quad, but the experience of open-air driving around the island
is priceless. That same experience, and perhaps even better, can be had
much
more cheaply
by renting a dirt bike for a mere Ar50,000 per day plus petrol from the rental agent near
the Bank of Africa in Ambodifotatra. If you know how to ride a motor-cycle, and have the
right insurance, you can handle this upgrade, but you must be careful of sudden sand traps
in the road.
Finally, for those who wish to putt-putt along sealed surfaces, you can pick up a scooter for
around Ar15,000 per day, which is a lot of fun too. If your hotel doesn't have any, you'll
see them for rent along the main road in Ambodifotatra, or call
Nicole et Véronique
(
034 74 362 67).
Taxi & Taxi-Brousse
There are a few taxis-brousses on Ile Sainte Marie. Most run along the route between the
airport and Ambodifotatra (Ar5000); a few travel north along the road from Ambodifotatra
upasfarasLoukintsy(Ar2500).Privatetaxisaremorecommon,thoughdisproportionately
expensive. They usually hang out by the harbour in Ambodifotatra. You have a reasonable
chance of flagging one down along the airport road during the day, or call
Faustin
( 032
44 867 46) at night. Tariffs are fixed and posted at the tourist office and hotel receptions:
it's Ar20,000 to the airport, Ar35,000 to Loukintsy, and Ar120,000 for a full day's hire.
Ambodifotatra
Ambodifotatra (am-bodi-
foot
-atr) is Ile Sainte Marie's only real town and has all the is-
land's practical facilities. You'll find everything you need to organise your stay, plus some
interesting restaurants.
