- Where to go to sunbathe?
- Weather features of a beach holiday in Madagascar
- In search of pirate treasures
- Charm of the White City
- Where the baobabs came to the slope
One of the largest islands on the planet is comfortably located in the neighborhood of the hottest continent, but, unlike Africa, it is not so popular with the average traveler. The flight here involves connections, is not cheap, and Russian travel agencies do not promote this direction too much. On closer inspection, it turns out that the island has natural exoticism, national parks, and beach holidays - in Madagascar, curious and active travelers will definitely not be bored.
Where to go to sunbathe?
Among the entire coast of Madagascar, washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean, there are several resort areas where nature itself has created beautiful beaches. The island's resorts do not shine with infrastructure, but they come here not at all for the comfort of hotels:
- In the southwest of Madagascar, the landscapes are deserted, the sea is blue, and the cities look white and dusty. Divers who want to get acquainted with the inhabitants of the 250-kilometer coral reef and lovers of whale watching in the open ocean come here.
- A convenient transfer from the capital and safe beaches even for inexperienced swimmers - this is Morondava on the west coast. The main local attraction is Baobab Avenue, which is formed by trees with at least a thousand-year history.
- The islet of St. Mary, seven kilometers from the east coast of Malagasy, has recently become a beach resort, and earlier it served as a haven for pirates. Here you can search for treasures or just wallow with a book on the white beaches framed by coconut palms.
When booking a tour to Madagascar and choosing a hotel, pay attention to the reviews of previous guests. Local hotels rarely correspond to the declared star category, and therefore "treshka" and "five" can, unfortunately, differ only in price.
Weather features of a beach holiday in Madagascar
The island is located in the Southern Hemisphere and its climate is shaped by the winds of the trade winds. The south of the island is a desert, in the west it is always drier than in the east, but the average air temperature in all resorts is about + 26 ° С. It is too hot in the far north of the island, and therefore the most comfortable vacation in Madagascar is in the southwestern and eastern resorts. There is no pronounced wet season on the island, but it may rain in the east from June to August, and in the west in January-February.
In search of pirate treasures
The small narrow island of St. Mary was a couple of centuries ago the main pirate base in the Indian Ocean. They say that untold riches are buried here, but tourists are attracted to its beaches only by the sun, sea and coral reefs.
Most of the hotels are built in the west of the Ile-Sainte-Marie island, where the beaches are the most comfortable and cozy. Diving is thriving all along the coast, and besides getting to know the underwater inhabitants of the ocean, divers can also dive into wrecks.
And the island of St. Mary is the starting point for excursions to the ocean, during which you can watch humpback whales. Between July and September, huge sea inhabitants come to the strait that separates the islet from Madagascar.
Hotels in the resorts of St. Mary are very different in prices. If on its western bank it is quite possible to find a hotel with inexpensive rooms, then on the island of Nosy Be, even at "three-star" hotels, the price tag looks exorbitant. The reason for this is the amazing paradise beaches of a small piece of land and tranquility and silence.
Charm of the White City
Wonderful paradise beach holidays in Madagascar are the resorts of the Bay of St. Augustine. Divers who dream of touching the wonders of an unspoiled coral reef and nature lovers who enjoy walks under ancient baobab trees and whale watching fly here. The bay is located south of Tulear, which is called the White City by the locals. To the north is the Ifati resort area.
Among the unique attractions of Madagascar, and in particular the coral reef near Tulear, are the ancient coelacanth fish, which were born millions of years ago and have practically not changed since then.
Where the baobabs came to the slope
One of the most visited places on the island is the Morondava resort. It is in its vicinity that the famous Alley of the Baobabs is located, each of which was born at least 800 years ago. You can diversify your beach vacation in Madagascar on the west coast with an excursion to Kirindy Forest, home to many lemurs and some other endemic animals.
The easiest way to get to Morondava is by a local airline flight from the capital of the country. Travel time is no more than an hour.
