Ifaty Beach, Madagascar

Ifaty - Mangily

What to see and do  |  Where to sleep   

The quiet coastal area of Ifaty, featuring the villages of Ifaty, Mangily and Mandio Rano is only some 25km north of Tulear, but the road is so bad that it takes about two hours to drive there! Compared to Anakao, which almost has the same characteristics, Ifaty has an easier access (and is more beautiful too). There are numerous hotels, mainly built out of  traditional materials.

For travellers, this place is synonymous for relaxation and beautiful beaches, mostly welcomed after a long trecking tour.  Indeed the beaches are beautiful and its closeness to Tulear, where most trips to the South end, make Ifaty a well worth trip to lay down on the beach and do some snorkelling. The reef does not look in great shape but beginners can still enjoy (you can observe wrasse, box/cowfish, parrotfish, angelfish and pipefish).

A further attraction for those missing Sainte Marie are the whales passing by in July and August, as well as an amazing spiny forest along the road just north of Mangilly is well worth a look. If fact, we still prefer the more untouched and pristine beaches of the northern coast (Sakala Bay until Belo su Mer), but Ifaty will also do for a couple of days of complete relaxation. Locals will offer you boat rides on the lagoon, but do not choose your guide  Do not choisisssez your guide to the light, trust your hotel who knows the good plans a priori. A half-day on the water is gone quickly!

What to see and do

·         Ambotsibotsike

This village on the road to Tulear deserves a visit, because of its superb mangrove. You can go on horseback, mountain bike on a quad. You can come here with a traditional vezo dugout.

·         Reniala Private Reserve

Located just 800 meters from the sea, Reniala is a small reserve managed by a local organisation which protects a baobab and spiny forest where visitors can observe rare birds and reptiles.
For further information see Reniala Reserve 

·         Ranobe Lake

A rallying point for local wildlife visited regularly by NGOs environmental protection.

·         Diving

The southwestern coast of Madagascar is, together with Nosy Be and Sainte Marie islands, the best place to practice diving and snorkeling in Madagascar. You find a detailed list of tour operators and diving centres based on this area on our section Diving and Snorkeling.

·         Horse riding

The Ranch Solaris (http://www.ranch-solaris.com, mail: ranch@atimoo.com) offers horse rides and treks  along the lagoon, to the Bay of Sainte Augutin and through a beautiful baobab forest.

Where to sleep (Hotels in alphabetical order, prices from 2013)

Budget  |  Middle-class  |  High-end

Budget accommodations
Chez Alex
Phone: 032 04 098 29
Different types of bungalows with sea views and a nice garden. Food is average. Some activities arranged. Price for two people between 20,000 Ar and 40,000 Ar, depending on facilities and location.

Chez Daniel
Small bungalows complex with hot water and shared toilet. Quiet atmosphere and basic meals.

Chez Micheline
Simple bungalows with no running water or electricity. Restaurant with basic meals. Very cheap!

Reniala Nature Reserve
Basic bungalows with cold water and shared toilet. Recommended for bird watching.

Mora Mora
11 simple but well maintained bungalows on a beautiful site with a nice garden  and a pool, with shared or private facilities. A double bungalow between 20,000 Ar and 50,000 Ar

Middle class hotels

Chez Cécile (Sur la Plage)
Phone: +261 20 94 907 00
Mail: surlaplagechezcecile@yahoo.fr
Web: http://www.surlaplagechezcecile.com
Formerly Chez Freddy, very nice set of welcoming basic bungalows with a popular beach bar and a great and cheap restaurant, ideal to meet travellers. Friendly atmospehre and fair prices. Many activities offered. They work together with a local organisation. Very good price-quality relationship. Recommended.
Double bungalows from 22,000 Ar to 38,000 Ar, triple from 47,000 Ar to 78,000 Ar with kitchen.

Hôtel Vovo Telo
Phone: 94 439 69 / 032 02 62 148
16 traditional, comfortable bungalows on a nice beach with coconut trees. Good service and tasty meals in a charming restaurant with sea views. There is also a disco. Small bungalows for 30 € and big bungalows from 34 €.

Hôtel Le Tonga Soa
Phone: 032 02 788 98
Web: www.hotel-letongasoa.com
Mail: contact@hotel-letongasoa.com
15 comfortable, traditional and pleasant bungalows with hot water, private bathroom, safe and terrace on a beautiful location. There is a pool, a tee lounge bar and a small library. Delicious meals. Very good value. Recommended.
Price for two people between 28 and 37 €, suite bungalows from 49 €

La Voile Rouge
Phone: 032 04 31 142
Mail: lavoilerouge@moov.mg
Pleasant and comfortable bungalows in a quiet and wild location. Friendly atmosphere and excellent food. A lot of excursions arranged.
Price for two people from 41000 Ar to 60000 Ar, depending on the facilities

High end hotels

Bamboo Club
Phone: 94 902 13 / 032 04 004 27
Web: www.bamboo-club.com
Mail: bambooclubifaty@gmail.com
24 pleasant, comfortable and well equipped bungalows in a fantastic location right on the beach with a marvellous garden. Pool and dive centre. The restaurant serves really good food. Recommended!
Price for a double bungalow from 37 €, a familiar bungalow from 60 €

Ifaty Beach Club
Phone: + 261 20 94 914 27
Web: www.ifaty.com
Mail: ifatybeach@ifaty.com
Beautiful high standard bungalows complex on a nice setting. There is a great pool surrounded by palm trees, hammocks, a dive centre, quads to rent and other activities. The food is great. Good value
Double bungalow for 41 €, triple bungalow 46 €, familiar bungalow 64 €

Hotel de la Saline
Phone: 94 417 03 / 032 07 531 93
17 high standard and comfortable bungalows next to the beach, some with fan and some with AC. Stunning views and delicious meals.
Price for a double bungalow 84000 Ar
Price for a familiar bungalow 178 000 Ar

Hôtel Lakana Vezo
Phone: + 261 032 04 097 98 (book trough Hôtel Capricorne in Tulear)
Web: www.madagascar-resorts.com
Mail: lakanavezo@madagascar-resorts.com
7 bungalows, 10 rooms and two studios of different categories and prices, all of them large and pleasant with lots of comforts. The hotel is located on a beautiful beach with a tropical garden. Many excursions and sea activities organised ( great Club Nautique). Good food.
Bungalows from 30 € for one person to 55 € for four people, a studio from 33 € for one person to 69 € for five, rooms from 34 € for one person to 48 € for three. 

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Source: http://www.travelmadagascar.org/CITIES/Tulear-to-Morombe.html

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Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania

The Ngorongoro Crater is the best place in Tanzania to see the 'Big Five' and is an absolutely beautiful place to be on safari.  Unavoidably, the Ngorongoro Crater is busy, at times very busy, but given it is one of the worlds most amazing natural wonders, it is going to be busy.  However, due to the crowds we recommend a 2 night stay only, after that the safari time should be spent in the Serengeti.

  

A trip to Northern Tanzania has to include the Ngorongoro, it is an exceptional place to interact with the Masaai and is one of the most beautiful natural wildlife safari sites in the world.

The advantage of staying at a hotel on the Crater rim is the view, the advantage of staying away from the Crater at nearby Karatu is that there are less people around, the lodges are smaller and more personal offering a range of activities such as walking and mountain biking.
The Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding highlands are one of Africa's most beautiful regions.  Volcanic craters form stunning backdrops to some of the richest grazing grounds in Africa.  The most famous is without question the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera; home to the highest density of big game in Africa.  With 600 metre high walls and a rich volcanic floor that plays host to the big five, the Ngorongoro is one of the continent's most famous safari destinations.   

 Ngorongoro Crater: What game will you see

The Ngorongoro is the best place in Tanzania to see the big five.  A healthy population of black rhino and some of the largest tusker elephants left in Africa today are the prize spots, but the Crater is home to strong populations of lion, leopard and hyena along with good herds of wildebeest, buffalo and zebra.  Other game in the Ngorongoro includes serval cat, cheetah, jackal, Grant's and Thompson's gazelle, flamingo and bat eared foxes along with approximately 400 species of bird.Ngorongoro Crater: What activities are on offer
Activities in the Ngorongoro Crater itself are limited to game driving only.  There are also picnic spots in the park.  When you include the surrounding Ngorongoro Conservation area, a full range of activities are on offer including walking, trekking, visiting the Masai and other tribes and Olduvai gorge.Ngorongoro Crater: When to go
Since the game stays in the crater all year, there really is no good or bad time to be in the park.  However, given that the crater floor can be busy with vehicles the low season months can be beneficial.  There is also something to be said for the fact that more water in Lake Magadi (in the center of the Crater) results in higher flamingo concentrations, but travelling to Ngorongoro at any time of year will guarantee great game.Ngorongoro Crater: An overview of where to stay
The question here is whether you stay on the Crater rim or off the crater rim, in the Ngorongoro highlands.  The Ngorongoro Crater lodge is world class and is by far the best hotel on the Crater rim, but at approximately $3,000 a night it probably should be!  The Serena and the Sopa are much more affordable options and have equally stunning views of the Crater floor, their negatives being the fact they are large and fairly old hotels.

Source: http://www.tanzaniaodyssey.com/tanzania/ngorongoro-crater

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Coffee Bay, Wild Coast, South Africa

Coffee Bay and the Hole in the Wall are virtually synonymous - mention the one and you picture the other - and one cannot describe the full extent of the beauty of this area of the Wild Coastwithout including the incredible natural phenomenon.

The hole is quite literally a geographical marvel. It is an offshore stack of rock through which the elements have eroded a hole. The hole is directly in the path of the Mpako River and it is this, rather than wind or the surf, that has eroded the hole. However, Xhosa mythology tells a far more romantic tale of the sea people, semi deities who look like humans but have supple wrists and ankles and flipperlike hands and feet. A beautiful girl living on the Wild Coast, in a village near a lagoon, cut off from the sea by a mighty cliff, was seen by one of the sea people who became overwhelmed by her beauty and tried to woo her. To cut a long story short: in dealing with the wrath of her father, the sea people enlisted the help of a huge fish who battered its way headfirst through the wall of rock. Through this hole spilled the sea people who swept the young Xhosa maiden away.

The village of Coffee Bay, just 8 km down the road from the Hole, is real beachcomber country with rustic lodges and bars, gorgeous swimming beaches, excellent fishing and breathtaking hikes. Coffee Bay is the only coastal resort, other than Port St Johns, to sport a tarred road to its door from the N2. The surrounding countryside is rugged with high cliffs and peppered with distinctive round, thatched, traditional huts made largely from car tyres and coloured bottles.

Coffee Bay was named after a ship that lost its cargo of coffee beans in a wreck off the Wild Coast and the beans were supposedly washed up on the beach to germinate there. These trees, if there were any to start with, are no longer visible but the name stuck. Not only is the kilometer-long beach safe for swimming, but the area off the bay’s southern point offers one of the few consistent surfing waves on the Wild Coast. This beach also has some of the rarest cowries washed up by the current.

Nearby activities include the Hluleka Nature Reserve, between Coffee Bay and Port St Johns, spearfishing, horse riding and golf.

Additional Reading: 
For more info about Coffee Bay see our articles on the SA Travel News Blog: 
• Coastal hike in Coffee Bay 
• Discovering Coffee Bay 
• Falling in love in (with) Coffee Bay

Source: http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsec/coffee-bay.php

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