Toamasina and the Northeast - Madagascar - page 506

Trekking and nature
Masoala trekking A Swiss-run organisation, Projet d'Analalava ( www.projet-anala-
lava.com ) , organises various treks in Masoala as well as Marojejy. They are in partnership
with the tour operator PRIORI in Tana. Once in Antalaha you can contact the manager
Mme Olga ( m 032 04 340 27 ) or the guide Ilderic ( m 032 07 713 64 ).
La Colline de Vinany Thisprivatereservejustoffthemainroadafterthebridgeontheway
into town is a botanical wonderland with gorgeous views of the river and Indian Ocean.
The owner has established several villages in the area for recovered lepers and employs
themintreenurserieswheretheypropagateseedlingsforreforestationprojectsinMasoala.
CONTINUING NORTH The road from Antalaha to Sambava is in excellent condition.
The journey takes 1½ hours.
SAMBAVA
The centre of the vanilla- and coconut-growing region, and an important area for cloves
and coffee production, Sambava merits a stay of a couple of days.
Thetownessentiallycomprisestwoverylong,parallelstreets.Thereisagoodbeachand
a dramatic sea with, at times, huge - and dangerous - waves.
GETTING THERE AND AWAY Sambava has air connections with Tana, Toamasina
and Maroantsetra (for current schedule see www.airmadagascar.com ). The airport is not
far from town: you can even walk it. The Air Mad office ( Mon-Fri 08.00-11.00 &
14.00-19.00 ) is at the tourist end of town.
The town is accessible by good road from Iharana (Vohemar), taking approximately two
hours. The taxi-brousse station is on the northwest outskirts, 30 minutes' walk from the
market.
where to stay and eat
Mimi Hotel (11 rooms) m 032 07 610 28/032 40 288 55;
e [e-mail] ; http://mimi-hotel.marojejy.com . Smartnewen-suiterooms
with balconies. Great restaurant. Experts in organising tours to Marojejy & Anjanaharibe-
Sud. €€€