Ifaty Madagascar’s City

At the time of your visit in Madagascar, if you want to devote the major part of your time in the south of the island, you do not have anything to envy all the tourists who prefer to cross it from north to south or west to east.

Ifaty is the final bouquet which the spectacle of the road of the center offers to the South. At the end of this long tour and well satisfied with the various visit between the Malagasy culture to the landscape and the various forest walk all along the road, Ifaty is ideal to rest. Located at the north of the capital city of Tuléar, this station is very appreciated by all the tourists who already seized their chance to visit Madagascar. Known under the current name of Ifaty, several Vezo villages form this magic place. These villages are disseminated on the northern part of this lagoon which extends on this south-western coast, to twenty kilometer in the north of Tuléar. Tourists from all different countries already came by this region to offer the luxury to stroll this zone of coral barrier reef dominated by a zone of sand dune where fisherman villages follow one another with houses made purely with rudimentary material (branches, foliages, straw…). This coral reef extends on nearly 100 kilometer length. This ecological wonder made up of coral forms an uninterrupted barrier which limits the large waves and offers an ideal place perfect for all different nautical activities. What you can do in Ifaty has of limit only your imagination.

This coral reef has an appearance almost entirely wild but very captivating. It is easily accessible to enjoy its translucent and turquoise water which lands on long white and fine sand beaches. The lagoon constitutes a very well attended place by all Vezo which has like principal activity artisanal fishing. The most outstanding stereotype of this coral is the procession of myriads of fascinating, colorful, dugout canoe with the veils hoisted and carried by the wind. It remains the only way which makes it possible to the villager to move and to communicate with the closer zones. In addition to being a place of predilection for the vezo, the lagoon also plays a great part in the trading and the provisioning of the products.

At Ifaty, you have the choice between ballades in dugout canoes, snorkeling or diving in the reef, or relax. For the ballads you can chose between many different colorful dugout canoes, but for the diving in this relatively interminable lagoon, many sites are to be discovered offering an immense pleasure of underwater meetings. Taste the dive in the silky sea of lagoon in order to appreciate an abundant rich and colorful coral … however one should not forget to carry a mask and a tuba. This abundance makes that this lagoon constitutes a privileged diving destination of the south of Madagascar, even of the entire island. In addition to diving in the coral reef, one can also carry out a diving in the lagoon of Ranobe, which is also an exceptional site for fishing and another underwater discovery. Ifaty also is well adapted to the tourists who come in family to benefit from the beaches.

Compared to Anakao, with almost has the same characteristics, Ifaty has an easier access. A lot of way is available to go to these groups of villages. There are those who prefer join the Malagasy capital and Ifaty by car or in taxi-bush to contemplate the landscapes of the central highlands to the limits with the southern area. If you prefer the adventure in taxi-bush to the facility, you can come in Tuléar by plane before joining Ifaty by taxi, motor bike or in VTT… To have a first impression of the splendor of these vezo villages, one advises you to experience the boat ride. Thus you can see at which point the coral barrier from Tuléar to Ifaty is immense and splendid. Some hotels even offer shuttles. The journey lasts approximately about one to two hour… While going along the coast of dune and thorn-bush on the Mozambique Channel towards north starting from Ifaty, one continues to feel the presence of the coral barrier which is dissipated only on the level of Morombe, to more than 150 km.

After having crossed the highway n°9, the barrier leaves the place to the plain exploited by the Masikoro people, who are farmers. But before reaching the Masikoro area, other sites in the north of Ifaty like Andavadoaka and Salary propose splendid overhung bay of site in extreme cases of reality with a decoration of vezo fisherman villages. These sites are as well perfect places for diving, bivouac, or camp-site… Not far from Ifaty beside Mangily village, you can also visit the reserve of Doumergue. Seeing the various species which are present there makes it possible to familiarize with the exceptional flora and the endemic fauna of Madagascar, in particular the flora of south-west characterized by the bush dominated by the typical thicket of thorn-bush. The most outstanding plant species of this reserve are the “trees bottles” or the baobab trees, the cacti, the thorn-bushes, because of semi-arid climate, frequently swept by the strong winds of “Tsiokatimo”, a trade wind reinforced by the polar discharge. Mangily is also a fisherman village beside Ifaty which offers very pretty beach and hotels. In the area, one can also make a small incursion in the forest of Mikea, from the name of the wild people of the south of Madagascar.

Numerous hotels, providing bungalows and restaurants, present at Ifaty testify to the beauty of this site located at the south-west of Madagascar. It is an irreproachable beach vacation resort! These hotels are mainly built out of more traditional materials associated the stones or out of wood to accommodate you in a more authentic and convivial environment.

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