Chilling at Ifaty Beach

Ifaty Beach

Ifaty is a laid back beach/fishing town on the coast in southwest Madagascar. Our hotel resort is directly on the beach. It is delightful with spacious rooms, a pretty pool area and wonderful outdoor reception and restaurant. We are booked for five nights here.

Day One

We are doing absolutely nothing today. We walk on the beach, lay by the pool, catch up on the blog and eat wonderful food, a mix of seafood and classic french cuisine.

Day Two- Snorkeling

It rains a lot during the early morning. The rain stops and we head to breakfast. It is windy. Through our local guide, Pedro,  we’ve booked a snorkelling tour in a traditional wooden pirogue (outrigger canoe, but ours has a motor) to the Toliara Great Barrier Reef.

It’s a windy day and I am rather concerned about the choppy water. The boat is a little challenging to get into. It is hand made with rope tying the outriggers together. We start putt- putting the 2-3 km to the reef. Yep it’s choppy. I’m glad I took 1/4 of a Gravol.

I jump in the water with some trepidation. I can see fish and coral but I’m not into the waves so I head back into the boat…which is easier said than done. It is not the graceful entrance of a mermaid, more like the flopping and dragging of a dead seal carcass. Meanwhile John is swimming around no problem. I decide to skip the second stop but John checks it out. Click here for a short video.

Back on shore we head off the resort to the highly recommended Chez Freddy’s for lunch. I have a delicious lobster ravioli and John has a seafood pasta.

The rest of the day is spent chilling by the pool, sunset drinks on the beach and another outstanding supper at the hotel restaurant.

Day Three- Riding the Zebu Cart

After breakfast we meet Pedro, the guide, for our tour of Reniala Spiny Forest Reserve. This reserve has a dry, arid ecosystem that is endemic to Madagascar.

Initially I am delighted when I find that we will be transported to the reserve in a Zebu cart. It is a bit of a challenge getting into the cart. I have to step onto the wheel (which the driver and Pedro keep from rolling), and then hoist myself over. I really need to work harder on my glutes.

I am not sure what one of those Zebus ate last night but he expunged a fairly regular stream of poop all the way to the reserve. I should have offered him an Imodium. Click here for a short video. (I did not realize what the Zebu was doing that when I shot the video).

Getting out of the Zebu cart was even less graceful than getting in. But I’m glad we did it. I can now check-off riding in a Zebu drawn cart from my bucket list.

Spiny Forest

The reserve really is different, almost other worldly…like being on Mars if it had trees.

The plants are thorny, the soil bright red and there are a lots of the ancient baobabs that look like they were created by Salvador Dali.

I am growing a real affection for the baobabs. They each seem to have their own unique personalities. Many of them are well over 500 years. They are like ancient spirits.

We see many plants whose bark, sap or leaves have traditional uses for curing various illness and one plant whose boiled bark is excellent for the male libido.

We spot all kinds of birds and animals. Let me correct that, Pedro and his spotter find all kinds of animals. You really need experienced guides if you are going to see anything. We pass one tourist walking the Reserve without a guide who had not seen anything because he didn’t know where or what to look for.

We see lemurs, big spiders, an owl, tortoise and an olive coua bird.

A big boa constrictor slithers across our path. Click here for a short video.

We also see a number of chameleons. I love how their eyes move. Click here for a short video.

It takes John, Pedro and the Zebu driver to hoist me back into the Zebu cart and then out again back at the hotel. Yep, definitely need to work out more.

Afternoon at the Beach

It is really windy again today.

We walk down the beach and have lunch at Chez Daniel. Grilled calamari and fresh vegetables and fresh coconut water. Yummy yum yum.

We notice that they have put out a skeleton at the reception in honour of Halloween.

The afternoon is spent by the pool, sunset drinks on the beach again and supper at the restaurant.