Ankasy Lodge

a good base from which to explore this lovely coast

Ankasy Lodge is located around 60 km north of the town of Tulear on the southwest coast of Madagascar.

The lodge is set in the lea of a small promontory overlooking the stunning coral lagoon of Ambatomilo, a reasonably comfortable base from which to explore this lovely part of the world.

It is centred on an open-sided main building under thatch, leading directly out onto the beach.

There is also a small spa area.

The property has been designed to be environmentally friendly, solar power, low voltage lighting, solar hot water and proper waste management systems. Fresh water is actually brought to the lodge by pirogue canoes from the local village.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Ankasy Lodge is in a total of nine substantial Bungalows, constructed of the local honey-coloured stone, under thatched roofs.

Each bungalow is 100 square metres and comprises a rear bedroom, opening onto a separate lounge area with sliding glass doors onto a private verandah with views of the lagoon.

The main bedroom can be made up with one large bed or two small beds. The lounge can be fitted with up to three small beds for children.

The rooms are designed to take advantage of the natural sea breezes and do not have air-conditioning.

Activities

Ankasy Lodge provides access to the following range of activities …

• Diving
• Snorkelling
• Hobie Cat sailing
• Kite-surfing
• Banana boating
• Water-skiing
• Whale-watching (Jul-Sep)
• Fishing with local people
• Hiking
• Quad-biking
• Village visits

The southwest coast of Madagascar, centred on the city of Tulear, is a stark and beautiful place, arguably our favourite part of the coastline of this vast island, which is really saying something. However, it remains relatively little-visited, mainly because it does not offer the same level of wildlife interactions of other areas.

The usual stay duration is 4-7 nights.

Seasonality

Tulear is nicknamed The City of the Sun because its climate is so relentlessly sunny and dry. However there is a strong prevailing wind from the south, known locally as the tsio katimo.

The best time to visit is generally considered to be the Apr-Nov dry season, when there is likely to be virtually no rain. The average daytime temperatures reach 21C/70F, with the average nighttime temperatures being around 14C/57F.

Contrary to popular opinion, the converse Dec-Mar season does usually bring some significant rainfall, averaging around 65mm/3″ per month. The average daytime temperatures are slightly higher at 27C/81F, with the average nighttime temperatures only dropping to 22C/72F, which could be a little uncomfortable.

Getting there

This remote southwest coast has traditionally been reached via the very long drive down the RN7 highway from the capital, a journey which normally takes about a week once you’ve stopped off at a few interesting places along the way.

Most people then send their guide home, spend 3-6 nights on the beach and then fly back to the capital.

However, now that there are (at long last) some genuinely decent and interesting places to stay down here, the concept of flying down and back may be worth considering, especially if you don’t fancy that long drive.

As well as flights from the capital Antananarivo, there are sometimes connections from Fort Dauphin (in the southeast corner) and Morondava (further up this west coast).

To get to the lodge from Tulear it is a drive of around 2-3 hrs, the last 30 km being along an unmade dirt track.

usually accessed by air from the capital