Southern Madagascar
Les Dunes d’Ifaty
One of the best hotels in Ifaty, this comfortable and well positioned accommodation is both near the spiny forest and good beaches. The hotel overlooks the Mozambique Channel and is ideally located for watching sunsets over the sea. Accommodation is 19 villas or the 22 standard rooms, all built using local materials with traditional Malagasy interior designs they all offer comfortable beds with mosquito nets, TVs and private bathrooms with 24 hour electricity. The rooms and villas are scattered throughout the gardens which feature many beautiful flowering plants.
There is a large swimming pool with deck chairs for relaxing when the tide is out and it is not suitable for swimming from the beach. The main building has a nice restaurant serving plenty of fresh seafood and tropical fruit and a variety of international dishes. Meals can be enjoyed in both the restaurant and outside on the patio area for al fresco dining with a sea breeze. There is also a friendly bar, small library and free Wi-Fi throughout the main building.
Ifaty has a number of diving operations where both diving and snorkelling trips can be arranged. For example there is an excellent shark dive at 31 metres on the Grand Recife and excursions to the Rose Garden and south pass are excellent for snorkelers.
Facilities
Rooms are all ensuite with TV and air-conditioning. Other facilities include a restaurant, bar and Wi-Fi and swimming pool on site too.
Local Wildlife
The local spiny forest supports many endemic bird species such as sub-desert mesite, Lafresnaye’s, red-shouldered and sickle-billed vangas, Archbold’s newtonia, Madagascar nightjar, banded kestrel and the spectacular long-tailed ground roller are all possible to see. While mammals include the localised black-shouldered sportive lemur, gray and gray-brown mouse lemurs and lesser hedgehog tenrecs. While reptiles include the impressive Dumeril's ground boa, three-eyed lizard and warty chameleon. ,
Optional Activities
Excursions on offer include visits to the local spiny forest both during the mornings for birdlife and in the evening for nocturnal wildlife. There are also many dive operators that can arrange snorkelling and scuba diving and also whale watching between July and September when humpback whales are present. Watersports can also be arranged.
Claire Pote
Area Specialist
The beach may not always be suitable for swimming except at high tide. At low tide it is good for observing rock pool life however.
If you have any questions regarding our Madagascar tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
It was lovely to meet Helen face-to-face and to devise the ideal trip with her – her enthusiasm for Madagascar certainly confirmed us in our choice of destination. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides, seemed genuinely interested in their work and in interacting with tourists. Invaluable in spotting wildlife and discussing uses of local medicinal plants. [Our escort guide] was a delightful companion on our journey in Madagascar and very solicitous of our welfare. We were thrilled by the wildlife. Without the keen insight and knowledge of our guides we would certainly have failed to spot the giraffe-necked weevil and stick insects. The night walks were very productive – several mouse lemurs. The first sight of indris was an especial thrill as was the sight of a sleeping mouse lemur in broad daylight. Perhaps the most rewarding experience occurred when the lemurs came to us – six ring-tailed lemurs in Isalo, sifakas on the balcony in Anjajavy, flocks of grey-headed lovebirds on the lawn at breakfast. An excellent tour which gave us a good insight into the wildlife and potential conservation issues in Madagascar. We had opportunities to visit local communities. We were most impressed by the efficiency in ensuring a trouble-free and very enjoyable time in Madagascar. Our tour leader and driver were delightful and very hard working. We shall certainly look forward to booking a further tour with you.
