Mikea Lodge

a good base from which to explore this lovely coast

Mikea Lodge is located around 120 km north of the town of Tulear on the southwest coast of Madagascar.

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

It is centred on a rather chic large main building, with lounge, bar and dining areas, leading out to a very pleasant terrace above the ocean.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Mikea Lodge is in a total of ten comfortable tented rooms under thatched roofs, each with a private bathroom. There is no air-conditioning, but the rooms are elevated to take advantage of the prevailing winds. The rooms can be made up with one large bed or two smaller beds and can take an additional bed for a child.

Unfortunately there is also a campground for up to fifty people, which rather detracts from the exclusive feel of the place (although it’s rarely busy in our experience).

Activities

Mikea Lodge provides access to the following range of activities …

• Diving
• Snorkelling
• Whale-watching (Jul-Sep)
• Paddle-boarding
• Jet-skiing
• Tubing
• Wake-boarding
• Kayaking
• Kite-surfing
• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Quad-biking
• Traditional fishing with local people
• 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 either a drive of around 3-4 hrs (the last 80 km being along an unmade dirt track) or a speedboat transfer of around 3 hrs. It’s also possible to do a hybrid arrangement, driving as far as Ankasy, then completing the journey within an hour on the speedboat.

usually accessed by air from the capital