Isalo to Ifaty via Tulear.
We actually managed to depart ahead of schedule today – if only by a couple of minutes at 7:13.
Today is our last loooong day in the van. There is no activity stops along the way and we have a packed lunch from Isalo Ranch.
I was experiencing some Bali belly overnight and having a 10-11 hour car day could be fun.
Nico freed a leaf insect out the window as we left the lodge. The poor little bugger clung to the window beside Suzie for over an hour or more.
Here is the itinerary for today
Day 12: May 18th, 2025 – Transfer to Ifaty
06:30 AM: Breakfast at Isalo Ranch
07:15 AM: Drive to Ifaty via Tulear
01:00 PM: Picnic Lunch en route
04:00 PM: Arrive and settle into Princesse du Lagon hotel
07:00 PM: Dinner at Chez Freddy restaurant. Briefing for the following day by Benja
Accommodation – PRINCESSE DU LAGON, Ifaty
We are travelling on National Route 7 again today, which Benj says is good for a bit to Safia, then 150kms of bad road then onto Tulear and beyond to Ifaty
We started rhe day travelling through the Rocky Isalo Mountains and through the grassy plains dotted with Bismarck Palms. Nico pointed out that the area is very rich with precious stones under the ground. Entering the town of Ilakaka the town of sapphires. There is a mine established in the late 90’s and the town has grown since then. The mines are Indian owned with locals providing the labour.
Gem buyers line the streets with their lights checking quality of gems. Locals can find the gem and bring it to sell. Fuel was being sold in water bottles as there was no servo that reliably works.
Seems to me to be exploiting the locals but not quite sure
After Ilfakaka the road improved as we drove through grassy Savannah with Mesa flat top mountains left and right.
We then moved into Tulear province. Very basic straw, mud and thatched huts for the locals. No evidence of farming, just grasslands.
We hit 80kmph for a while with less potholes and even a white centre line for a few hundred metres.
There are people walking everywhere. Footwear is thongs, slides or bare feet predominately. It’s hard to know where they are walking too and from. Carrying goods, or tools
Then we came over a rise to see the first Baobabs dotting the landscape. Tall, dark trunks with a long oval fruit.
We have all commented about the lack of bird life. Very little birdsong around the lodges also I saw a tiny snake almost skip across in front of us today – silvery and slender only 30cm or so in length.
Then a crow flew across towards a tree that held a Black Kite as well. We stopped briefly for a poor shot that barely captured the shape.
Nico gave Phil a look under the bonnet yesterday to reveal a Mitsubishi motor – same as mine but older, Nico is very proud of his tourist bus and treats it well.
We came over a rise and Entered Zombitse NP and the Savannah grasslands were replaced by ‘dark green forest’ the sudden change was amazing.
The park is popular with twitchers. We saw a Cuckoo Roller on the treetops and stopped for a photo
When a truck came past and honked and he flew too quickly.
Mahafhty tribe tombs. One shaped like a boat and more
Standard square shape. They have the Zebu skull and horns decorating. Nico told me some of the tombs have pictures of American stars.
At about 9:30 we had 127kms to Tulear. We arrived at 2:20 We passed through the village of Mahaboboka at 10:23. It took 2 and a quarter hours to do 53kms. At 2pm we had 25 kms to Tulear (after about 35minute lunch stop) in summary a sh!teload of hours for not a lot of kilometres. Nico declared us ‘Welcome to Tulear’ at 2:25.
The road reverted to dirt at times then we’d be back on decaying bitumen zig zagging our way between the worst of it.
The scenery continued to morph and change and locals were scattered regularly along the route too. The sun beating in the windows was hot. Prob mid to high twenties at a guess.
Quote a few people carry solar powered radios with them – driving their sheep or Zebu or just walking around.
Often at the really slow sections, kids are by the roadside and then run along beside the windows waving and asking for things in French or Malagasy- money, water, gifts.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Andranovory where we ate our packed lunch and purchased drinks. It was nice to sit in the shade to eat (we are all a little over the car and road. Poor buggers in the back are hot and dusty as we don’t get enough speed to have air through. 12.05 to 12:45. According to Benj we have about 60kms to Tulear on this bad road.
The road wound on and on and up down, we came into sight of the sea around 2pm and travelled through some of the Spiny Forest. (Foy – fooey is the region of spines )Villages continued along the sides of the road. Quite poor looking and mostly. Constructed of stick, mud and thatch. Occasional very shiny corrugated sheet – aluminium I assume.
Then appeared the Table of Tulear, a table shaped flat top mountain.
Tulear has a population of 2.6 million people. Two tribes ? And ?
Tulear land of sun/soleil. Tulear doesn’t sleep, always moving, people out in the cool of the night.
From Tulear we have another 60kms to Ifaty.
We turned to National route 9.
Passed through Firenhaha and past a village of houses made from sticks and straw type materials. Through Belalandra – the name also of one of the rarer Chameleons of Madagascar.
Even in the big city there are still the Zebu carts and human powered carts, in among a large number of Tri-Shaw/cyclo-bus.
We arrived at accommodation Princess du Lagon at 3:22. A hot day in the car today but thankfully not as long as the previous travel days. Bali belly held together.
Our accommodation is on the beach we look out our ‘back’ door and verandah into the Mozambique Channel. Beautiful.
We had a quenching drink and sat and relaxed, before a walk along the beach as the sun set.
Dinner with Benj and Nico around the corner at Chez Freddy’s. A very French menu with a delightful waitress and staff who looked after us well. We all enjoyed our meals. Suzie had some seafood skewers, Phil shrimp and mushroom tagliatelle, Mary spag bol, Benj had whole grilled fish, Nico shrimp in a sauce and rice, me a Margarita pizza. Desert was good too. Nougat ice cream, lemon crepe, and vanilla and strawberry ice cream all went down a treat. So well we forgot to take any pictures.
Home for a shower and download pics (quick job tonight as only took a few with the camera today)
Into bed and asleep by 10.
Travel adventures with Nicola & co. 