Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Thelessmythologicalwildlifemorelikelytobeencounteredbytouristsincludesmostof
the species of lemur that can be found in Kirindy or Andromena, as well as ring-tails (this
is the northern limit of their territory). 'The park is a veritable kingdom of baobabs with
three species and a density of these trees unparalleled elsewhere,' notes the WWF's Mark
Fenn.'ThelakesneartoManahyhaveover30speciesofbirds(manyrare)andendangered
waterfowl.'
Theentrancetotheparkisat
Manahy
.TherearetwoguideswhospeakEnglishandcost
5,000Ar per two-hour circuit. See
Click Here
for permit prices. Organise your visit at the
park office in Belo or Morondava.
MOROMBE
This small, isolated town has reinvented itself for the 21st century. In the
1996 edition of this topic Chris Balance wrote: 'Morombe clearly died when the French
left, but 9,000 souls remain and they spend their time walking up and down the only street
very slowly, shaking hands with each other and discussing the possibility that someone
might build a proper road to them someday.' After the total eclipse of 2001, I wrote: 'The
citizens now walk briskly up and down the street, shaking hands, and lamenting that the
tourists have gone and there is still no decent road to their town.' In 2004, Alexander El-
phinstone of Blue Ventures wrote: 'Contrary to Chris Balance, I feel that Morombe is a
town that rocks every night of the week. It's the only Malagasy town I visited where the
locals are partying Monday through Sunday. Friendly people, for whom tourism is still a
novelty. Beware the over-friendly local girls in bars; unfortunately I think Morombe is a
place visited by old French men looking for such girls.'
There is still no decent road to Morombe, but it deserves a short visit. It's an unpreten-
tious seaside town with a pleasant beach, active fishing village and mangroves. There are a
few hotels, of which the mid-range
Baobab
(
22 427 01
), with beachfront bungalows, is
probably the best.
If you continue south along the beach beyond the hotel, you will come to some nice
mangroveswhereyoucanwatchmudskippers.Butpleaserespectthelocal
fady
andrefrain
from approaching the tombs near here.
Getting there and away
Morombe is usually accessible by road from Ifaty, either via the
poor sandy road that hugs the coast (179km/10 hours) or the inland route through spiny
forest (263km/12-24 hours). The former has breathtaking scenery but
taxi-brousses
only
go as far as Salary; via the latter you can get to Morombe, Monja and beyond, but it can
become impassable in the rainy season.
By sea,
boutres
or pirogues can be found in most villages.
Air Mad Twin Otter services land at the airstrip irregularly, coming either from Moron-
dava or Toliara. There are no taxis at the airport and it's about a 20-minute walk into town.
