Madagascar Beaches – We have found a little bit of paradise in Madagascar – it’s called Manafiafy! Truly this is one of the best lodges I have ever been to and somewhere you can escape to for peace and quiet. Manafiafy has so many positives! It’s remote; it’s unspoilt; the setting is idyllic, the food – well every guest is given lobster from the bay! You have a private beach for only six persons but the beaches on either side – 20 miles and 30miles plus, are deserted bar some fishing villages spaced 10 miles apart; the staff are the most knowledgeable in the country; there’s wildlife – lemurs, chameleons etc; there’s adventure- whale watching / walking/swimming, fishing, surfing – bring your own boards; and this is for families and honeymooners alike.   Manafiafy lies 52 kilometres from Fort Dauphin and is set in a bay on the coast.  Behind and between a dominating mountain range and the sea, lies a belt of mangrove and littoral forests, waterways and lagoons, open savannahs, with pitcher plants, local farmers and fishermen. There is a large set of rocks complete with rock pools – both fresh and seawater to the right of the lodge, where the local fishermen harvest mussels for your table an hour later.

Manafiafy Madagascar with AfricanExplorations.com

The beach of white sand is literally littered with shells and there are banks of them 30 inches deep in places – this keeps all children amused ( and some adults too!) The wooden watch tower sits atop the mangroves and during the whale watching season June to October, you can spend a lazy morning counting them as they pass by close to the shore line. Perhaps take a boat to the sacred island for a picnic after asking permission for the locals.

Madagascar Beaches with AfricanExplorations.com

In the nearby forests, take a nocturnal walk with a knowledgeable guide to see eastern woolly lemurs, brown lemur, grey mouse lemur and greater dwarf lemurs and lastly small toothed sportive lemurs, as well as chameleons and insects. The mangroves are home to an array of birds- Madagascar malachite kingfisher, hawks, Kestrel, purple grey and black herons, whistling ducks, fulvous ducks, hottentot teal, green sunbird and sumanga sunbird, and fishermen catch crayfish and fresh water shrimp.

Madagascar Beaches with Nicola Shepherd's AfricanExplorations.com

Finish each day with a chilled glass of your tipple on the beach with the sound of the waves and under palm trees!