Photo Trip Report: Madagascar!
May 29, 2008, 10:45 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Lake Oswego, Oregon or Costa Alegre take your pick
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Posts: 1,066
From Isalo to Ifaty
After our stay at the beautiful Isalo park and the Relais de la Reine we packed off in the Nissan for our last driving leg of the trip. We have made a real friend in Willy and will miss him. So we enjoy the last of our driving trip south. Enroute are the sapphire mining towns. They have a real wild west ambiance. It doesn't look very safe and I am glad we didn't stop. Besides someone could sell me blue glass and say it was sapphire. Some of these mining boom towns aren't even on the map.
About lunch time we arrive in Tulear. It is not a very picturesque town but we are not staying. My husband buys his favorite purchase in the market. A pair of rubber flip flops that say Tarzan Fashion Sport.
They call flip flops "Scooby Dos" in Madagascar. Willy helped him get the locals price...$1.50.
From Tulear to Ifaty pronounced e-faat takes about 90 minutes on a sand track north. There is no real town of Ifaty rather it is a series of papyrus woven shacks along the road that house the local fishermen and their families. There is more genuine poverty here based on the number of children with reddish tint in their hair. It indicates chronic malnutrition. Interspersed between the villages are hotels for tourists. We had an emotional goodbye to our friend Willy. He will drive the car back to Tana without us. We will be flying to our final destination and then back to Tana. The trip that took us 10 days Willy will drive in 2 day North. I don't envy that ride. We will never forget Willy. We are sending photos back to Willy with our friend's daughter who is returning to Madagascar (home) in June.
The hotel we stayed at Ifaty was the newest and nicest. It is Les Dunes and it is owned by folks from Mauritius. The original hotel has been just been completely raised and remodelled down to the studs.
The result is a "Bali style" hotel that is gorgeous.
It is right on the beach with a perfect pool.
The restaurant is good.
It is a place I could have spent more than a couple of days.
This place is much less popular or well known than Le Paradisier Hotel. According to the expats we met Les Dunes much much nicer. Les Dunes took our Visa card! The hotel has an airport shuttle service we took for our flight from Tulear to Fort Dauphine. There is a separate trip report for that special flight.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=824717
I might add that due to the extreme poverty, child exploitation and prostitution are very real issues. They are being fought hard against in Madagascar. Every hotel has warning signs against it. If anyone thinks that this is a good place for such a holiday beware. It is against the law and they are serious. It is such evil to take advantage of people's poverty especially the children.
We did see digging for the new fiberoptic cable being laid from the south of the country to the north. It is coming in from South Africa. That is going to change things for the good here. So far the cable laying has not gotten as far North as Isalo. There are cell towers blooming all over the country and cell coverage is good. Everyone uses cellphones and there are sim cards sold in the smallest of venues. We used the company Orange. We even got cell phone coverage in Ifaty which the Brandt guides assures that you won't. So things are rapidly changing. Once the cable network comes in maybe you will be able use your VISA card. Then Madagascar tourism watch out. Oh and don't bother with Mastercard or Amex. There is no where in the country to use either of them.
Also remember when looking at maps of Madagascar that for all the towns I mentioned everything has at least two or even three names. There is a local Malagasy name, the French name and an English name. Oh and don't forget the nickname like Tana for Antananarivo. It gets a little confusing. You get used to it after awhile. Malagash is easy for English speakers to pronounce. It is spoken very much like it is written. I found it way easier than the French
Last stop Fort Dauphine
About lunch time we arrive in Tulear. It is not a very picturesque town but we are not staying. My husband buys his favorite purchase in the market. A pair of rubber flip flops that say Tarzan Fashion Sport.
They call flip flops "Scooby Dos" in Madagascar. Willy helped him get the locals price...$1.50. From Tulear to Ifaty pronounced e-faat takes about 90 minutes on a sand track north. There is no real town of Ifaty rather it is a series of papyrus woven shacks along the road that house the local fishermen and their families. There is more genuine poverty here based on the number of children with reddish tint in their hair. It indicates chronic malnutrition. Interspersed between the villages are hotels for tourists. We had an emotional goodbye to our friend Willy. He will drive the car back to Tana without us. We will be flying to our final destination and then back to Tana. The trip that took us 10 days Willy will drive in 2 day North. I don't envy that ride. We will never forget Willy. We are sending photos back to Willy with our friend's daughter who is returning to Madagascar (home) in June.
The hotel we stayed at Ifaty was the newest and nicest. It is Les Dunes and it is owned by folks from Mauritius. The original hotel has been just been completely raised and remodelled down to the studs.
The result is a "Bali style" hotel that is gorgeous.
It is right on the beach with a perfect pool.
The restaurant is good.
It is a place I could have spent more than a couple of days.
This place is much less popular or well known than Le Paradisier Hotel. According to the expats we met Les Dunes much much nicer. Les Dunes took our Visa card! The hotel has an airport shuttle service we took for our flight from Tulear to Fort Dauphine. There is a separate trip report for that special flight.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=824717
I might add that due to the extreme poverty, child exploitation and prostitution are very real issues. They are being fought hard against in Madagascar. Every hotel has warning signs against it. If anyone thinks that this is a good place for such a holiday beware. It is against the law and they are serious. It is such evil to take advantage of people's poverty especially the children.
We did see digging for the new fiberoptic cable being laid from the south of the country to the north. It is coming in from South Africa. That is going to change things for the good here. So far the cable laying has not gotten as far North as Isalo. There are cell towers blooming all over the country and cell coverage is good. Everyone uses cellphones and there are sim cards sold in the smallest of venues. We used the company Orange. We even got cell phone coverage in Ifaty which the Brandt guides assures that you won't. So things are rapidly changing. Once the cable network comes in maybe you will be able use your VISA card. Then Madagascar tourism watch out. Oh and don't bother with Mastercard or Amex. There is no where in the country to use either of them.
Also remember when looking at maps of Madagascar that for all the towns I mentioned everything has at least two or even three names. There is a local Malagasy name, the French name and an English name. Oh and don't forget the nickname like Tana for Antananarivo. It gets a little confusing. You get used to it after awhile. Malagash is easy for English speakers to pronounce. It is spoken very much like it is written. I found it way easier than the French
Last stop Fort Dauphine
Last edited by ijkh; May 29, 2008 at 10:53 am
May 31, 2008, 12:03 am
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Lake Oswego, Oregon or Costa Alegre take your pick
Programs: AS MVPG,
Posts: 1,066
Fort Dauphin Finale
Our final stop is Fort Dauphin. We arrive after a quick 45 minute plan ride from Tulear. 
Fort Dauphin is the site of much development in Madagascar due to mining activity. The largest road we saw on the entire island was in Fort Dauphin. We were met at the airport by a friend of our friend who had joined us in Ifaty. This woman who lives in Fort Dauphin and had generously put together a lovely lunch picnic for us. She even included some locally ground fresh peanut butter. It was delicious. A driver, Petite John, was waiting along with the picnic to take us to our final national park Andohohela National Park.
We were wisked off to this complex ecological area that covers both dry spiney forest and rainforest.
The plant life in Andohahela is very unique.
The road there is not very paved. It takes quite a while swerving to avoid the pot holes in the road. By the time we arrive at the park we only have about an hour to do the nature loop and head back.
My husband does a fast walk of the loop to explore the sacred pools.
I laze on the flat rocks by the river and take a snooze.
It is a sublime experience for each of us.
We head back to Fort Dauphine because we have made plans to meet the ladies. After their business meeting at 5pm we will join together some sundowners (cocktail hour) on our room’s porch. We have many excellent bottles of South African wine, cheese, cashew nuts, crackers and other nibbles. It is so lovely and we are all so comfortable we agree to make this dinner. After much laughter and many stories the locals leave and we head off to bed. We are staying at a place called Lava Soa.
This is a very simple set of bungalows over looking an idealic bay.
The view is million dollar stuff. The room is comes with a continental breakfast. The next day we walk down to the beach below our lodgings. We meet up as planned with our friends who attend yet another meeting this morning. How can people get work done in such lovely surroundings? They do it all the time but none of the expats we meet are blaise about the scenery. Everyone seems to appreciate the splendor of Madagascar. This day we drove back to the airport for our flight north.
The reader board lets us know the flight is coming in from Johannesbourg (sic).
This flight is then heading north carrying us back to Tana. Less than 2 hours takes us the equivalent of a 6 day drive from Ft Dauphin to Antananarivo.
We spent the remaining time in Antananarivo preparing for our final 12 days journey onward to South Africa, Zambia and Botswana. All those places are beautiful but they could not touch our experience in Madagascar. It simply is the best place we have ever been. The people, the nature and beautiful culture make it a real winner. We never felt unsafe or unwelcome. We managed to see as much as is comfortably possible with our time.
I hope we will go back. Our next trip will have to include the Avenue of the Baobabs Isle St Marie and the Tsingy. There is so much more to explore on this beautiful island.
Tiako I Madagasikara = I love Madagascar!
Fort Dauphin is the site of much development in Madagascar due to mining activity. The largest road we saw on the entire island was in Fort Dauphin. We were met at the airport by a friend of our friend who had joined us in Ifaty. This woman who lives in Fort Dauphin and had generously put together a lovely lunch picnic for us. She even included some locally ground fresh peanut butter. It was delicious. A driver, Petite John, was waiting along with the picnic to take us to our final national park Andohohela National Park.
We were wisked off to this complex ecological area that covers both dry spiney forest and rainforest.
The plant life in Andohahela is very unique.
The road there is not very paved. It takes quite a while swerving to avoid the pot holes in the road. By the time we arrive at the park we only have about an hour to do the nature loop and head back.
My husband does a fast walk of the loop to explore the sacred pools.
I laze on the flat rocks by the river and take a snooze.
It is a sublime experience for each of us.
We head back to Fort Dauphine because we have made plans to meet the ladies. After their business meeting at 5pm we will join together some sundowners (cocktail hour) on our room’s porch. We have many excellent bottles of South African wine, cheese, cashew nuts, crackers and other nibbles. It is so lovely and we are all so comfortable we agree to make this dinner. After much laughter and many stories the locals leave and we head off to bed. We are staying at a place called Lava Soa.
This is a very simple set of bungalows over looking an idealic bay.
The view is million dollar stuff. The room is comes with a continental breakfast. The next day we walk down to the beach below our lodgings. We meet up as planned with our friends who attend yet another meeting this morning. How can people get work done in such lovely surroundings? They do it all the time but none of the expats we meet are blaise about the scenery. Everyone seems to appreciate the splendor of Madagascar. This day we drove back to the airport for our flight north.
The reader board lets us know the flight is coming in from Johannesbourg (sic).
This flight is then heading north carrying us back to Tana. Less than 2 hours takes us the equivalent of a 6 day drive from Ft Dauphin to Antananarivo.
We spent the remaining time in Antananarivo preparing for our final 12 days journey onward to South Africa, Zambia and Botswana. All those places are beautiful but they could not touch our experience in Madagascar. It simply is the best place we have ever been. The people, the nature and beautiful culture make it a real winner. We never felt unsafe or unwelcome. We managed to see as much as is comfortably possible with our time.
I hope we will go back. Our next trip will have to include the Avenue of the Baobabs Isle St Marie and the Tsingy. There is so much more to explore on this beautiful island.
Tiako I Madagasikara = I love Madagascar!
Last edited by ijkh; May 31, 2008 at 12:11 am
May 31, 2008, 1:00 pm
#22
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Portland, OR
Programs: NW Plat (now they call it DL Diamond) 1MM, soon to be DL Plat, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Dusit Gold
Posts: 2,706
well done
Yesterday at lunch, LarryU mentioned your trip report. I am truly glad that he did. It even deserved a bookmark in my travel folder.
Glad that you have regained your health.^
Glad that you have regained your health.^
May 31, 2008, 4:14 pm
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Lake Oswego, Oregon or Costa Alegre take your pick
Programs: AS MVPG,
Posts: 1,066
The best trip reports...
...do seem to come out of Lake Oswego, Oregon. 
It just isn't that big a place but we do seem to get around. Go ahead and PM me sometime when you guys do lunch one day. I will be there to swap lies...er legends...travel secrets with you good FTers.
It just isn't that big a place but we do seem to get around. Go ahead and PM me sometime when you guys do lunch one day. I will be there to swap lies...er legends...travel secrets with you good FTers.
Jun 15, 2008, 2:52 pm
#24
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: MOW
Programs: KLM Flying Dutchman forever, bmi Diamond Club (is there a theme here?), LH, BA, EK, DL nobody
Posts: 1,877
Thanks for the great report ^
I'm off to Madagascar in 3 weeks and plan on taking Rte 7, too - just the other way round
I'm off to Madagascar in 3 weeks and plan on taking Rte 7, too - just the other way round
May 3, 2012, 12:02 pm
#25
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Portland, OR
Programs: NW Plat (now they call it DL Diamond) 1MM, soon to be DL Plat, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Dusit Gold
Posts: 2,706
Just an update
Last Thursday we had dinner with ijkh and her husband. Baxter & Bessies Mama was in town so she came along and a friend of hers from the Coast joined in.
During a spirited discussion we learned that ijkh and husband are planning on returning to Madagascar, so I thought it was appropriate to resurrect this thread.
During a spirited discussion we learned that ijkh and husband are planning on returning to Madagascar, so I thought it was appropriate to resurrect this thread.
May 4, 2012, 9:01 pm
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
Thanks for re-booting this report, OH. Man, who would want to go vacation in Paris or Hong Kong when you could have a really good time in Madagascar?
ME!
ME!
May 5, 2012, 12:16 pm
#29
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC silver, CX gold, FB ivory
Posts: 91
Madagascar!
I went there in 2004 and it was one of my best ever trips...
We went east of Antananarivo (the capital) to a reserve with the largest lemurs (the indri) then flew up to the north and had a fantastic few days in the ankarana national park which has stunning caves, limestone and basalt rock formations (including sharp projections called tsingy). It was topped off with a visit to an amazing island called Tsarabanjina which has the best beach I have ever been to (even better in my opinion than the ones I saw in the Maldives).
The lemurs were also fab, I am a great hater of monkeys and baboons but lemurs were brilliant and the animals and plants generally are totally different to those found anywhere else. A superb destination.
Here are a few of my photos.
Zanskar
I went there in 2004 and it was one of my best ever trips...
We went east of Antananarivo (the capital) to a reserve with the largest lemurs (the indri) then flew up to the north and had a fantastic few days in the ankarana national park which has stunning caves, limestone and basalt rock formations (including sharp projections called tsingy). It was topped off with a visit to an amazing island called Tsarabanjina which has the best beach I have ever been to (even better in my opinion than the ones I saw in the Maldives).
The lemurs were also fab, I am a great hater of monkeys and baboons but lemurs were brilliant and the animals and plants generally are totally different to those found anywhere else. A superb destination.
Here are a few of my photos.
Zanskar