Vezo Reefs

Visas

15 day ($10) or 30 day ($37) Visa on arrival. You can get a visa before arrival which will save a bit of time going to multiple different windows for stamps at the airport - handy if trying to make connecting flights. For updates and latest news check

Getting There

Madagascar Airlines only have 2-3 planes so when 1 breaks, they are incredibly unreliable and liable to change flight times with very little warning so avoid tight transfer itineraries and plan to stay overnight in Tana and or Toliara. Keep to weight limits (boardbag 20kg/carry on 5kg) unless you want a nasty surprise ($38/kg) at check in! Flights to Toliara start at $350r/t and get full, so book early. It’s a 1h early morning ride on the super-reliable Anakao Express boat between Toliara and Anakao ($15 e/w). It takes 5h overland by 4x4 and costs a lot. If you are in a group, the option to pay for a motor pirogue and 4x4 pickup from the beach near Sarodrano is an option. It's a 50min drive between Toliara and St Augustine and costs about $5. New sealed road to Ifaty means 20-25mins transfer time from the airport ($6-10).

Antananarivo

This sprawling colonial city will probably be a brief necessity for most surf trips, thanks to the vagaries of the national carrier’s flight schedule creating the need to stay one or two nights between regional flights. Usually referred to as Tana, it is a bustling melting pot of ancient French cars, overloaded trucks, gleaming NGO or mining company 4x4s, motorbikes, bikes, carts plus throngs of crazily bold pedestrians and street dogs! Noisy, dusty and choking on its own diesel fumes, this is not a town for the faint-hearted. There are markets to wander if you don’t mind being hawked at every turn and the crumbling infrastructure of the colonial cobbles are ready to slip or trip the unwary. The airport transfer to and from Tana will set you back 60-80,000 ariary ($15-20) each way and take up to 60mins in daytime traffic.

Getting Around

Land transport (rickshaws, zebu cart, Taxi Brousse) is extra slow. A 4WD with driver is the way to speed up but is expensive ($100+/d). Anything to do with engines is expensive because of high import prices. It’s hard to rent motorised dugouts, most are beam pirogues, highly dependant on wind & tide. If renting a pirogue, make sure they have a motor that works and its big enough to get you back against the wind. Prices are high to get one in Tulear to take you to Googles (from 200k Ariary/$40+). If you take a cheaper sailing pirogue anywhere you will lose hours on the water. Best bet is to stay with or use a reputable surf operation like Mada Surf Tours who operate decent boats and can also access some breaks by 4X4.

Accommodation

Anakao

Mada Surf Tours provide the best mobile surf tour packages (Gash Pack), relying on the decades old wisdom of Kiwi surf raconteur, Blair Rogers, hitting all the main spots and some secrets (fr $70p/n) including meals & staying in a basic beachfront bungalow at Mada Surf Lodge. There are more upmarket establishments lining the main beach offering more luxury for a price ($120/n+). There are also AirBnB options.

Local food costs are ridiculously low and seafood is good and fresh. Zebu beef can be very Madagascan, meaning tough if not cooked properly! Menus are limited, but some of the restaurants have their few dishes dialled in.

Ifaty

The main surf tour action is staying with ex Rip Curl Europe boss Francois Payot in luxurious accommodation at the Vovo Telo Lodge, with good boats to access the way offshore passes north of town. There are a number of beachfront accommodation options, but getting good surf guides with safe boats is the difficulty.

Tulear

There are numerous hotels in town but if you want anything approaching western standards then look at the higher price bracket. Francis Payot also has a higher standard central hotel called Le Nouvelle Eden ($50) otherwise if you don't mind awfully poor standards then risk a night in the Le Recife ($15/n) which is perfectly situated 100m from the ferry terminal.

Antananarivo

There are plenty of cheap hotels and pensions to choose from but keep comfort expectations low, unless you are willing to pay around $30-50 per night. Try Le Pave at $20 and La Ribaudiere ($35) which was a much higher level of comfort and has good food in the restaurant with both French and Malagasy dishes.

Activities

Wild ringtail lemurs live near St Augustin Bay, where a tour to the rock pools and Sarodrano Cave at high tide is a good flat day plan. In Toliara check the ‘Zaza Club’ and dance the Minotsobe. There's a couple of good diving operators in Anakao and a trip out to Nosy Ve (where Flameballs breaks) is a must. Nosy Ve is the only breeding ground in Madagascar for the red-tailed tropic bird. An area of the coral reef around Nosy Ve, named the Aquarium, has been declared a protected area by the local communities and is hence off-limits for fishing. Try a forest hike around Ifaty. For the full wildlife experience, Tsimanampesotse National Park is 1-2hrs drive south through the spiny desert with lemurs and flamingoes on colour changing lagoons, plus the oldest living baobab tree on the island at 1600 years old.

Hazards & hassles

Shark threat is low since the local Vezo fisherman have been catching everything that moves and the sharks have long ago relocated to further out in the channel. The sunburn factor is high. Getting stuck in transit happens, take plenty of water and an emergency kit. Regular swarms of jellyfish (but Jelly Babies was named after the sweets!).

Handy Hints

Bring a couple of everyday boards that includes something that will handle the bigger days. Flame Balls is 30-40mins by local motor pirogue, but can take an hour coming back into the windchop. Sailing pirogues are way slower and can’t sail into the wind. Expect small crowds at Jelly Babies and Flame Balls.

Due to global pandemic, Visas, Getting There, Getting Around or Accommodation information and pricing may have changed. Always check Government Travel Advice before travelling.