Ifaty and Tulear
Meikyo
Phil and Sarah Tadd
Sun 23 Aug 2026 14:22
We were met at Tulear airport by our driver and his assistant, who would be with us for the rest of the trip, and taken to Reniala Private Park where we were given breakfast under the Baobab Trees before a guided walk around the forest, learning about the native plants and trees and their uses, before continuing to our beach side hotel just outside Ifaty.  Breakfast under the Baobabs  On the sandy soil here Baobabs grow to about 9 meters tall, at which point they stop growing up, but continue growing out. Growth is at a rate of about 1.5cm per year. The oldest one in this reserve is 1300 years old The reef here is part of a major reef system that lies off the south western coast of Madagascar, and snorkelling, diving and whale watching were all on the list of options for the next day. However there was a gale blowing onshore so the only activity that could go ahead was snorkelling and most of us decided it was too cold for that. The next morning we went for a walk along the beach before joining the rest of the group for lunch at a restaurant under a mimosa tree and a visit to the local tortoise sanctuary. The sanctuary rescues tortoises that have been kept as pets or taken from the wild to export illegally, rehabilitates them and, where possible releases them to the wild when they reach 20 years old. Our guide here was the same as at Reniala, a very knowledgeable man.  From our hotel we could watch the pirogues from the local fishing village being paddled out to sea in the morning. They then came flying back in under sail on the strong afternoon wind.  Walking down the beach we saw pairs of fishermen carrying nets slung over a pole carried between their shoulders. The boats are light enough that two men can easily carry them to the water between them to rig the sail  Others were fishing in the shallows, towing their nets behind them  It is the school holidays and this is a popular place holiday spot, so there were people on the beach selling snacks and sugar cane stalks. A group of older boys (and a few girls) were playing football and the younger boys were sailing model canoes they had made themselves at the waters edge. We were regularly approached by kids asking for a ‘cadeau’.  This area of Madagascar has two endemic tortoise species. The Star tortoise, here soaking up the heat from the enclosure wall  And the smaller Spider tortoise which hibernates in winter, so all we could see was the top of the shell peeking out of the leaf litter After our brief beach break we started our inland tour. Returning to Tulear for a whistle stop visit to the city before heading out along National Route 7, which we would be following for most of the trip  We were interested to see this town as we may be checking out from here when we leave for South Africa. It was good to see that it has a thriving market  Taxis and buses are not allowed in the town. Instead public transport is by cycle rickshaw, known locally as ‘pousse -pousse’. We finished our visit with a ride in them. |