Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cupation formed one of the foundations of the later claim to the island as a French colony.
During this period the first published work on Madagascar was written by Pronis's suc-
cessor, Etienne de Flacourt. His
Histoire de la Grande Île de Madagascar
brought the is-
land's amazing flora and fauna to the attention of European naturalists, and is still used as
a valuable historical source book.
TAOLAGNARO TODAY
This laid back coastal town is one of the most beautifully loc-
ated of all popular destinations in Madagascar. Built on a small peninsula, it is bordered on
three sides by beaches and breakers and backed by high green mountains which dwindle
into spiny forest to the west. One eye-catching feature of the bay is the shipwrecks. A ro-
mantic imagination associates these with pirates or wreckers of a bygone era. In fact they
are all unfortunate insurance scams. Pity!
People generally still use the French name, Fort Dauphin, but to be consistent with the
rest of the topic I shall stick to Taolagnaro in the text. The Malagasy name is also used on
maps and Air Mad schedules.
Taolagnaro has recently experienced an unprecedented influx of new residents, most es-
pecially as a result of the controversial ilmenite (titanium ore) mine. As a consequence, the
face of the town is changing and prices here have risen faster than in any other part of the
country.
ThesoutheastregiongivesthebestopportunityinallofMadagascarforwildlife-viewing
to suit all budgets and levels of energy. Whilst
Berenty
is rightly world-famous, adventur-
ous visitors should give equal consideration to
Andohahela National Park,
whilst those
onatightbudgetcanconsiderthe
MandenaConservationZone
orthecommunityproject
of
Ifotaka
.
WARNING!
There have been muggings and assaults on some Taolagnaro beaches.
Shipwreck Bay may be risky around dawn or dusk, but Libanona Beach and Baie des
Galions are safer. Attacks have also occurred on beaches to the north towards Evatraha.
GETTING THERE AND AWAY
Byroad
TheoverlandroutefromTana(90,000Ar)isreportedlybestdonewiththeoperator
Sonatra (
m
032 62 811 63
). These buses go via Ihosy, Betroka and Ambovombe. Book
your seat well in advance. For the journey overland from Toliara, see
Click Here
;
and from
Vangaindrano, see
Click Here
. A
camion-brousse
leaves for Vangaindrano each Wednes-
day.
Byair
There are flights (often heavily booked) to Taolagnaro from Tana and Toliara every
dayandtwiceweeklytoMorondava.CheckwithAirMadforthelatestschedules;theirof-
