A dream called Madagascar - Part Two

PART 2 - We return to the hotel (Le Domaine), which leaves us open-mouthed at the beauty and luxury of the bungalows. The hotel has a main building housing the restaurant, the bar and the owners' quarters. The hotel has its own private forest and right in the midst of the vegetation are the bungalows, old renovated stables. They are very large and tastefully furnished. Finally there is a stereo from which we can listen to Malagasy music and relax after the tiring day. Hot water is provided for 2 hours at set times and electricity for charging phones and video cameras likewise. For lighting the rooms a generator will always provide power. The owners are extraordinary and the lady treated and pampered me like a daughter. The next morning we set off for the "Riserva Spèciale de l'Ankàrana" and the first thing we want to see are the "Tsingy Rouge".

We arrive from above with the jeeps and walk down into this canyon where very strange limestone formations rise up, pinnacles of red colour of incredible beauty. In the middle is the river bed (now dry) and all around these bizarre shapes, the red earth and, incredibly, white sand, because once upon a time the sea was here, then retreated and gave life to this particular landscape. There are no words to describe what we saw and it was the thing that stayed with me most from this trip to Madagascar. We return to the jeeps and go looking for a tree for the picnic lunch, organised by the guides, the usual menu: rice, 2 fish, 2 chicken wings, 2 fried vegetable patties and bread! Our leftovers were finished off by them, without much ceremony! A night in a hut awaits us... what will that mean, we wonder? We soon find out.

A sort of campsite where wooden huts have been built (just like the local ones) where we were supposed to sleep. When I saw it I felt faint; it's not that I want to be bourgeois, but it was truly unworthy. They are wooden planks nailed together not even very well, with gaps of 2-3 cm between each plank... my first thought was: how many insects will get in here tonight? The bed is wooden, sloping at 90° towards the centre, with a 5 cm thick foam mattress. There's a mosquito net to wrap yourself in. Shall we talk about the sheets? Indecent. Unbelievably smelly and stained. A tip? It's an experience to have but BRING A SHEET OR A SLEEPING BAG! There is no electricity, there are oil lamps. There is a shower and a single bathroom for everyone where the water is not flushed but drawn with buckets. These are the negative things... but there's always something positive too...

When will you ever get to sleep again in an African hut with the sound of Malagasy voices and children crying in the neighbouring hut in the background; to raise your eyes to the sky and see a firmament of incredible beauty, to walk along the road and through the village by moonlight and spot the chameleons sleeping on the trees! All in all I must say there were more positive things than negative ones... after all, what does luxury matter? And dirty sheets? We aired our clothes and slept dressed, listening to the breathing of Madagascar. Dinner was laid out under a wooden "gazebo" by the light of an oil lamp and the guides did their best to prepare us dinner: zebu meat skewers, rice, fish, various sauces, spaghetti, eggs and to finish banana flambé! They did their best and we really appreciated their efforts. The next morning a wake-up at dawn.

We head for the Ankarana forest where we will see the underground river, the caves and the Tsingy Tsingy, other limestone formations of grey colour. To reach the cave you have to descend many metres and the air runs short. To go in you need a torch and still a bit of breath, but the sight is very beautiful. We climb back up with great effort and go to see the Tsingy... another gruelling climb and here we are at the viewpoint: an entire mountain made up of these very strange formations, this time grey! How strange nature is! In the afternoon we set off for Ankify, a coastal town in the north where we stayed for 2 nights at the "Hotel La Mer", owned by a German lady.

I have a very fond memory of this hotel, not so much for its beauty because it is quite spartan, but for the stunning position, raised sheer above the white beach from whose terrace (which is the restaurant) you can admire an incredible sight! What a sea! It reminds me a lot of the landscape of the Seychelles, with this vegetation and these rocks that look as if they exploded onto the beach! The lady welcomes us and introduces us to the lemurs, which she feeds twice a day. They are beautiful: the black male and the yellow female with little white tufts on her head sticking up, crazy orange eyes! They are the most beautiful I have seen in Madagascar. The food is excellent. The following day we spend on the beach below, which is a paradise, and we watch the constant changing of the water due to the tide. End of our tour and the start of our week of relaxation.

The next morning a transfer to Nosy Be (30 minutes by speedboat) and 2 hours by boat to reach the earthly paradise of the island of Tsarabanjina! The boat stops right on the beach and on our arrival the whole island staff comes out to welcome us warmly! We are taken straight to our bungalows where a welcome cocktail awaits and Pascal (the manager) explains everything there is to know. We are enchanted by our bungalow. It is wooden with a pointed roof, a large veranda with a hammock for moments of relaxation, and the interior is tastefully furnished! A large canopy bed finished in orange picks up the warm tones of the walls, the bathroom is quite large and also well cared for. It is all very natural, the liquid soap is inside the shells collected on the beaches of Tsarabanjina. The bar faces the sea and its floor is sand. It offers various cocktails and in the afternoon snacks and tea.

From here you can admire some stupendous sunsets. The restaurant sits above the bar and is very unusual. It is a small terrace with a sea view, with tables painted in strong shades that contrast with the raffia placemats, also colourful and all mixed at random, with which they set the tables. Everything creates an atmosphere which, believe me, is in tune with the surroundings. There are 7 beaches, each different from the other and all wonderful. By choice there are no sun loungers on the island, so as not to spoil the environment. There are white umbrellas like the sand, wood-coloured mats like the bungalows and a light-blue pareo like the sea... all very natural.

In total there are only 21 bungalows and at most the island can hold 45 guests who distribute themselves across the various beaches, so it happened that we were alone and it felt as if we had been shipwrecked on a desert island! The sea is exceptional, it has incredible colours! The climate in August is excellent, always slightly breezy thanks to the trade winds that blow in this period and keep the sky incredibly clear. The island offers various activities included in the price: snorkelling, water skiing and various excursions around the archipelago. On the last day we went snorkelling and on the way back we saw whales and dolphins! There are no words to describe what you feel in these moments. In Madagascar there is a special atmosphere that only those who have been there can know. I recommend this trip to anyone with a spirit of adaptation and to true travellers.