Safari to Fort Dauphin

one of the very earliest European settlements

Set in the far southeast corner of Madagascar, Fort Dauphin is an historic but relatively little-visited port town.

The town is known locally as Tôlanaro or Tolagnaro, but most travellers still use the French colonial name.

The compact old town is set on a peninsula of land, with more modern suburbs further inland. It’s a reasonably pleasant and laid-back place, which can be easily explored in a day.

The bay in which Fort Dauphin is now sited was first recorded by a Portuguese Captain in 1500, but it was not until 1643 that the town itself was founded by the French East India Company on the site of an Antanosy village. However, after three decades of struggle, the hundred or so settlers were evacuated in 1674.

The port was re-established during the 1700s and found some success supporting the trade traffic that passed between Europe, around the Cape of Good Hope and on to the East Indies.

After World War II the town became quite prosperous, especially after road connections were established further inland, eventually connecting to Fianarantsoa and on to the capital.

However, since independence in 1975 the infrastructure in the area fell into serious decline and the road connections have, for some decades now, been virtually impassable, meaning that the only way to connect to Fort Dauphin is now by air from the capital.

The town managed to tick over, with exports including lobsters and sapphires, but in recent years mining operations have been the main source of income.

Since 2019 there has been huge upheaval in the area with the billion dollar development of a new ilmenite mine, including a new deepwater port just to the west of town. There’s a great deal of concern about how this investment will affect the area and its people.

Outside of town there are some pleasant traditional villages and some lovely remote beaches, whilst the impressive Andohahela National Park lies 40 km to the northwest.

The best time to visit the Fort Dauphin area is generally considered to be May-Oct.

Rainfall is pretty consistent year round, at a relatively low 100mm/4” per month, mostly consisting of short tropical showers between prevailing sunny conditions. There is slightly lesser rain Aug-Oct, but probably not sufficiently different to affect trip planning.

The main issue is temperatures. For most of the year the peak daytime temperatures are around 25C/77F, with nighttime lows around 16C/61F.

However during the Nov-Apr period these temperatures can climb to 30C/86F and 24C/75F respectively. It’s those higher night time temperatures, along with potentially high humidities, that can make the experience a little but less comfortable.

Getting there

The only practicable way to access Fort Dauphin is on the scheduled air services from the capital Antananarivo.

If you are planning to stay at either or both of Mandrare River Camp and Manafiafy Lodge, then you will probably use their private charter flights, in which case it’s unlikely that you would also stay in Fort Dauphin.

Where to stay

Despite the fact that relatively few international travellers choose to stay in Fort Dauphin, there is a handful of surprisingly good lodges, presumably thanks to the business generated by the local mining industry.

However the vast majority of international visitors to this part of Madagascar skip staying here in Fort Dauphin in favour of heading directly to the wildlife areas of Mandrare and the remote beaches of Sainte Luce.

access to the Mandrare area