Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Some 35km from Ambovombe is
Amboasary,
the town that marks the turnoff to Ber-
enty. Unfortunately you cannot visit Berenty under your own steam as the expensive trans-
fer from Taolagnaro is part of the package and you may be refused entry on your own.
ThethrivingtownofAmboasarywithitsbusymarketplacemakesaworthwhilestopifyou
are visiting Lake Anony or Amboasary Sud. From here you are three to four hours (75km)
away from Taolagnaro on a paved but very potholed road. Amboasary's best accommod-
ation is
Discovery,
with its bungalows quietly tucked away from the town centre to the
south.
About 12km south of Amboasary is a brackish lagoon,
Lake Anony
. There are flamin-
goes here and a large number of other wading birds in a lunar landscape - a paradise both
for birdwatchers and botanists.
THE FAR SOUTH
Adventuroustravellersareincreasinglyseekingouttheextremesouthwest.Thecoastalvil-
lage ofLavanono hasbeen recommended byseveral toughtravellers, andthe whole area is
worth investigating.
This is a good area to see humpback whales; between September and November they
can be observed quite close to shore with their calves.
LAVANONO
The 'road' to this lovely place runs from Beloha via Tranovaho, a total of
39km. Access is difficult without your own 4x4, but worth the effort. For accommodation,
Rupert Parker recommends eco-lodge
Chez Gigi
(
m
033 07 971 64;
www.lavanono.com
;
€€): 'Gigi is from Réunion but all profits are ploughed back into the village. It's a very
beautiful spot: nicely constructed, right by the sea with good surfing close by. The bunga-
lows are simple but cosy, food is good and prices reasonable'.
CAP SAINTE MARIE
Cap Sainte Marie is the southernmost tip of Madagascar and is
as spectacular as its neighbours, with high sandstone cliffs and dwarf plants resembling a
rockgarden.Notethatsincetheareaisaprotectedreserve,apermitmustbepurchased(see
Click Here
)
, and this is best arranged in Tana.
Bill Love notes that the heaviest occurrence of radiated tortoises is between Lavanono
andCapSainte Marie: 'Wecounted110justonthecoastal roadinabouttwohoursofdriv-
ing. On the drive out to the lighthouse at Cap Sainte Marie, we literally had to move them
off the track many times. The “road” was so narrow in places where the prickly pear cac-
tus had grown up that we frequently had to back up hundreds of feet to find places wide
