The North - Madagascar - page 568

At the south, the Crocodile Cave, so named because it is home to the world's only
known cave-dwelling crocs, is little-visited but is well worth the effort - the situation is
spectacular and the passageways are huge. It is easily walkable in about 30 minutes from
the entrance to the eastern end, from where it is a steep, rocky climb out into the sunken
forest.
Don't miss the wonderful bat caves, many of which also feature incredible sparkling
stalagmites and stalactites.
Shrimp and sugar factories There is an aquaculture centre, Gambas of Akarana, 12km
from Campement d'Andrafiabe. You can visit to learn the ins and outs of shrimp-breeding,
and witness the manufacture and packaging of shrimp products.
Not far away, it is also possible to visit the Sirama sugar factory and stroll through the
fields of sugar cane.
FROM ANTSIRANANA TO IHARANA (VOHEMAR) BY
ROAD
From Antsiranana to Ambilobe RN6 is a good road; by taxi-brousse it takes about three
hourstocoverthe138km.Thenext163kmtoIharanaonRN5a,however,isinratherworse
condition and may take ten hours or more.
If you can possibly afford it, hire a private car. This is not just because it cuts the trip
down to a manageable seven hours or so but it gives you the chance to visit the highly re-
warding reserve of Daraina.
AMBILOBE This is a very gritty transit town, busy at all hours with traffic. It lies at an
important junction linking Antsiranana in the north with Iharana on the east coast, so you
may need to stop here. There are some basic hotels and a superb pizzeria which almost
makes the stop worthwhile in itself.
Ifyou'repassingthroughinlateJulyorearlyAugust,youmaycatchtheannualregional
cultural festival which combines traditional oratory, music and dance.
Getting there and away There are frequent taxi-brousses to Ambanja (6,000Ar; 2 hours)
and Antsiranana (9,000Ar; 3 hours). They cruise around town from early in the morning
collecting customers, so pick an almost-full one if you want a reasonably quick getaway.
There are also bachés for the very rough journey to Vohemar via Daraina.