The Southeast coastline of Madagascar is extremely rich and varied. From beautiful deserted beaches to tropical forests, a colorful journey awaits you. Discover a warm and welcoming people and an ancestral culture for a total immersion in the region. The whole Southeast coastline is punctuated by small fishing towns where you can stop and visit the surroundings.
Southeast coastline
Located at the crossroads of the Pangalanes Canal and the Mananjary River, the city with the same name is the great producer of coffee, vanilla and pepper. At the entrance of the town, the river station is very animated. You’ll appreciate the small market installed on the banks by fishermen, market gardeners and charcoal burners. The town center offers some colonial-era houses and also many markets with local products. This quiet city of the Indian Ocean is also known for its customs, including the ceremony of circumcision celebrated every 7 years to mark the “Sambatra” : transition from young boys to adulthood.
With its small harbor, Manakara is a colonial town famous for its many beaches lined up with coconut palms (although swimming is not possible on some beaches, due to strong currents). If you want to bathe safely, canoe trips along the Pangalanes Canal to join the “Hole of the Commissioner” are available. Manakara is the perfect place for cycling. You will discover : markets, restaurants, the Alliance Française, the bus station, but also the Antemoro paper factory (craft paper used to make parchments, letters, postcards, etc). The city is also known for its Fianarantsoa-Manakara railway line. Considered to be the steepest train in the world, it rushes into the primitive forest, goes on the slopes of steep cliffs, descends along precipies, at a speed of 35 km. A long journey with guaranteed thrills !
Farafangana makes you dive into a picturesque setting where the many colorful markets will offer you all the region’s flagship products (coffee, cloves, pepper, rice, fruits). You will enjoy a peaceful, non-tourist and culturally rich city because three main ethnic groups live there : the Antefasy, the Zafizoro and the Rabakara. You’ll be able to go on excursion to explore the Manambo special reserve where numerous endemic lemurs live (the “Eulemur albocallaris” and the “Varicia Variegata”). But you will also see a multitude of birds, reptiles, and batrachians which live together in a rich endemic vegetation. Still unrecognized, Farafangana offers a total change of scenery in a grandiose setting.
75 km away from Farafangana, Vangaindrano is the terminus of the RN12. “Vangaindrano” means “where you buy water”, and the city is renowned for its rich natural resources. Indeed, the region is naturally very fertile, that’s why Malagasy people has been exploiting resources in cash crops for years: rice, cassava, sweet potatoes, tropical fruits, and also prestigious products such as vanilla, cloves, spices and coffee. You can go for a walk on Ampatsinakoho, a beautiful beach protected by the reefs and rich in seafood. You ca also go at the Mananara river source which rushes with a crash into a series of natural vats. And if you feel like it, go on excursion to Midongy Park to meet the many reptiles, birds and lemurs that live there.
