Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rareendemicbirdsincludingtheMadagascarplover,buttheemblemoftheparkisthevery
rare Grandidier's mongoose.
Lying about 50km south of Anakao, down a very bad road, a visit is only just manage-
able as a day trip. To see the park properly you need to be pretty fit to cope with the heat,
and carry enough water (bring water-purifying tablets so you can top up from the well).
The lake, with its greater and lesser flamingoes, is starkly beautiful, but the dry forest is
interesting at every step. You can visit Mitoho Cave (a sacred site) where a rare endemic
species of blind fish,
Typhleotris madagascariensis
, is easily seen.
The usual park fee must be paid (see
Click Here
) at the office at Efoetse, a couple of
kilometres from the park entrance. You pick up your guide here as well. The park has four
circuits of one to three hours in length. Guide fees are 10,000-15,000Ar per circuit.
If you are here between August and October, you stand a good chance of witnessing a
passing funeral ceremony, for in this region burials may officially take place only during
this period.
GETTINGTHEREANDAWAY
Tsimanampetsotsa isnotaccessible bypublic transport.
Youneedyourownvehicleortosignupforatourwithahotel/operatorinAnakao,Ambola
or Toliara.
WHERE TO STAY
There are two campsites in the reserve (with water but no
other facilities) which are ideal for birders and other naturalists who want to see this ex-
traordinary place in the early morning. Camping costs 10,000Ar per person. If you don't
want to camp, stay in nearby Ambola, Beheloka (an hour's drive away), or - at a stretch -
Itampolo.
CONTINUING SOUTH
The far south is gradually being developed and you can drive on a barely motorable, sandy
road until you join RN10, which links Toliara with Taolagnaro. The beaches in this region
are littered with fragments of
Aepyornis
eggshell. Intrepid drivers with a 4x4 can continue
to the very tip of Madagascar, Cap Sainte Marie (see
Click Here
).
ITAMPOLO
This village about 180km south of Toliara is said by some to have the most
beautiful beach in Madagascar, with pinkish-coloured sand. Valerie Middleton writes: 'An
interesting excursion can be made to a cenote (a vertical-sided collapsed doline - or sink-
hole - floored by a lake whose surface is level with the local water table). This is situ-
