The West - Madagascar - page 632

The location is, perhaps, not as attractive as that of the other two lodges, and its forest
has suffered from slash-and-burn agriculture ( tavy ). However, the hotel itself is beautifully
thought-out and offers true luxury with a beautiful swimming pool and other amenities.
The owners are also involved with Ecole du Monde, a local NGO working to benefit loc-
al communities. Their work includes reforestation projects, and guests can contribute by
planting a tree. As with all these lodges, the rates are full board and include a motorboat
for exploring the area.
ANJAJAVY ( [phone] in France; e [e-mail] ; www.anjajavy.com ;
) Anjajavy is about as good as you can get in Madagascar. This is not just a luxury sea-
side hotel: in addition to its 24 villas it protects 450ha of Madagascar's dwindling dry de-
ciduous forest. In some places this grows right on the tsingy limestone.
Wildlife viewing here is effortless, including Coquerel's sifakas, brown lemurs, mouse
lemurs and sportive lemurs. Birds include flocks of bright green grey-headed love-birds,
sickle-billed vangas, crested ibises, crested couas and vasa parrots, to name just a few. You
may also see ground boas, hognose snakes and plenty of chameleons and beautiful but-
terflies. There's a couple of caves too, spectacular enough with stalactites and stalagmites
(and bats), and one with the skulls of an extinct lemur species embedded in the rocks. Per-
haps most startlingly for botanists, Anjajavy and Moramba Bay hold an undescribed spe-
cies of cycad trees. Then there are the coral reefs, tsingy , pristine beaches and extensive
mangroves... not to mention total comfort, brilliant service and superb food!
Three nights is the minimum stay, five allows you to appreciate all that this amazing
place has to offer. Note that arrivals/departures must be scheduled to coincide with flights
(Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday at the time of writing) unless your group is large enough to
warrant an additional flight of the 8-seater Cessna. Anjajavy offers a range of land- and
water-based activities. Some, such as guided forest walks, are included in the rates. Other
free activities include sailing, windsurfing, snorkelling, mountain biking and visits to the
surrounding villages. For an additional fee you can indulge in deep-sea fishing, waterski-
ing and massages. For a longer excursion there's the magnificent Moramba Bay (15km/
45minutesbyboat)-amustforanynatureenthusiast.Tofitasmuchintoadayaspossible,
Anjajavy operates in its own time zone bubble - an hour ahead of the rest of Madagascar!
It is an equally wonderful spot for relaxation, with a good beach, lovely swimming pool
and 'oasis' garden. There is free Wi-Fi in the restaurant/pool area and some villas. Anja-
javy works with a local school and NGO to benefit the local communities.