Five Senses Lodge

one of the best beach lodges in Madagascar

Five Senses Lodge is located around 80 km north of the town of Tulear on the southwest coast of Madagascar.

This is a relatively stylish and upmarket property (by contrast with the unusually low standards along this coast), a really pleasant and comfortable base from which to explore this remarkable and remote part of the world.

The lodge is centred on a low main building under thatch, with lounge, bar and dining areas, leading out to a very pleasant terrace above the ocean.

There is also a small spa.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Five Senses Lodge is in a total of eight substantial bungalows, each with a private terrace with broad views of the lagoon. They come in four specifications …

The Standard Villas (Baie-Rose, Coriandre, Girofle and Gingembre) are 56 square metres and contain a large king bed.

The Family Villas (Combava and Cannelle) are 96 square metres and contain a large king bed and two small beds.

The Executive Villas (Vanille, Cardamone and Poivre) are 90 square metres and contain a large king bed and an outside bathtub.

The Executive Villa (Ylang-Ylang) is also 90 square metres, but does not have an outside bathtub.

The Deluxe Villa (Tamarin) is a much larger 160 square kilometres, with two separate bedrooms, containing a large king bed and two small beds.

Activities

Five Senses Lodge provides access to the following range of activities …

• Diving
• Snorkelling
• Dhow sailing
• Hobie Cat sailing
• Kite-surfing
• Fishing with local people
• Bat caves
• Quad-biking
• Cultural 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 3-4 hrs, the last 50 km being along an unmade dirt track.

usually accessed by air from the capital