Relais du Kirindy

a chance of seeing fossas in this area

Relais du Kirindy is located in the Kirindy area of western Madagascar.

Set close to a village along the RN7 dirt main road through the area (which is about 5 km east of Kirindy Forest), this is a very modest facility.

Let us be clear, when visiting the west of Madagascar, the accommodation options are somewhere between basic and workable. This means that, even in relatively high cost trips, you will need to be at least forgiving, at worst quite hardy. This is not an easy area through which to travel.

The lodge is centred on a spacious main building, containing bar and lounge areas, leading out to a swimming pool.

There is electricity for most of the day, although the generator is switched off roughly 2200-0700 hrs.

The lodge is under the same ownership as the following (similarly modest) properties : Cape Kimony, Laguna Beach and Kimony Resort (all in Morondava), Relais du Kirindy (Kirindy Forest) and L’Olympe de Bemaraha (Bekopaka).

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Relais du Kirindy is in 20 simple wooden bungalows, each with a private bathroom and verandah.

There are no fans or air-conditioning, but the windows do have gauze in order that you can leave them open on warm nights.

Activities

Relais du Kirindy provides access to the following activities …

• Nature walks
• Cultural visits

The Kirindy area only features very occasionally in trips, most commonly in relatively hardcore overland expeditions through these western areas.

The usual stay duration is just one night on the way through.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Kirindy is generally considered to be during the long Apr-Nov dry season.

However if you are planning to combine with the Bemaraha area then you should probably focus on the latter part of the dry season, Jun-Nov, when the roads have had plenty of time to dry out and become passable.

During the Dec-Mar rainy season Kirindy remains accessible and the precipitation is not usually too heavy, but temperatures and humidities can climb to uncomfortable levels and there can be very annoying swarms of sweat-bees.

Getting there

The coastal town of Morondava is usually accessed by scheduled flight services from the capital Antananarivo, but can also sometimes be reached by air from Tulear, further south on this same western coastline.

The road journey from Morondava to Kirindy only takes around 90 minutes and passes through the famous Avenue of the Baobabs, where people like to pause to take photos (and take in the many handicraft stalls which have now turned up to take advantage of the opportunity).

If you are combining with the Bemaraha area to the north, then chances are you will break the long drive on the way up and maybe also on the way back with a night in this area.

a stop on the arduous road journey to Bemaraha