Ambohimanga dates from the 16th century and developed into the capital city in the 18th century. The walled city, with stone gates, three palaces, cemeteries and holy places, combines Malagasy and European architectural styles.
Madagascar: Manakara & the Canal des Pangalanes
Manakara is the end point of the Fianarantsoa railway which runs from the inland city to the sea. The city is located at the east coast near the mouth of the Manakara River and has a small port. We were there to visit and learn more about the region.
We were going to be spending the morning travelling along the Canal des Pangalanes, which consists of a series of natural rivers, waterways and human-made lakes that extends for over 654 kilometres (410 mi) and runs down the east coast of Madagascar from Toamasina to Farafangana. It is used primarily for transportation and fishing, and it has unspoiled natural beaches that are visited by tourists. We’d only be exploring a tiny stretch of it today.
We were dropped off at a dock where we met our guide for the day Benoit, a very pleasant local man. He escorted us down to our boat, which was about 7 metres long with a covered section in the middle to protect passengers from the sun. The boats here are mostly human-powered, so joining us on this trip were four strapping young local men, who would be our ‘motor’.
To start with we headed up a narrow section of natural waterway that took us past some of the residences of those who live here. People were going about their daily business on the water, but also people were in the river washing and doing their daily ablutions. The local children were also enjoying themselves in the river. Even the youngest ones were able to swim like fish.
Our crew turned the boat around and we headed back to the estuary, where the river meets the sea. Fishermen were returning from the early morning expeditions out on the sea with their boats laden with fish. They were in small boats, with outrigger floats, and had sails made from recycled plastic bags. These boats seemed hardly seaworthy, making this a hard and dangerous profession. The entry to the river from the sea is protected by a large concrete wall, so once they are beyond this barrier, they reached safe haven.
Just inside the river estuary, there is a beach where all the returning fishermen unload their catch. This is where our boat landed, and we disembarked. It was a hive of activity. Children and women were down on the beach helping receive the catch and packaging them in banana leaves to be taken to the local markets for sale. The plastic sails of the fishing boats made sharp cracking sounds as they fluttered in the stiff breeze.
Beyond the beach was a small coppice of trees, where others had taken shade. Some ladies from the town had set their craft work out on blankets to tempt the tourist who are brought here by the guides to see the fishermen. We had our usual few moments of shame as we walked by the blankets saying how lovely everything looked but we had no room for souvenirs, which was true but sounded hollow anyhow. The people here in rural Madagascar live on the scraps of life. Also, in the shade of the trees, a group of young men and boys had started an enthusiastic game of football. It was hard to tell who was on who’s side, but they seemed to work it out. We stopped for a while to watch.
We returned to the beach to watch more fishermen arriving. It was also a good chance for Karen to engage with the local people, especially the children.
Benoit appeared from seemingly nowhere and we boarded our boat. The crew started rowing hard as we were heading upstream and down into another arm of the canal system, which was much wider than the one we’d previously been down. We passed through more of the town and underneath Manakara’s new road bridge, the old one having partially collapsed in 2012. It was not long though before we were outside of the built-up area of Manakara and into the surrounding countryside. We were not the only tourist boat on the river and another boat pulled alongside us. Then the oarsmen in each boat started to paddle in synchrony and began to sing a rousing song at the top of their lungs lead by the guide in the other boat and Benoit. It was a wonderful experience that went on for a good ten minutes before the two boats went their separate ways.
We finally reached a small village called Ampasimandrorona, a few kilometres from the centre of Manakara. We climbed off the boat and Benoit led us to a small oceanside cemetery. This was of course for us fantastic as we love visiting cemeteries, but this one was unusual as there is not one Madagascan national buried here. Most of the cemetery’s inhabitants are Chinese, who came here to work on the construction of the canal and the railway. There are a handful of largely unmarked graves of Senegalese soldiers who fought with the French to suppress the Malagasy rebellion which lasted from March 1947 to February 1949.
Just down the way from the Chinese cemetery is an impressive memorial to the martyrs of the Malagasy rebellion. On the evening of March 29, 1947, hundreds of men, armed with lances and machetes, attacked the military camp of Moramanga and the coastal cities of Manakara and Vohipeno. The rebels fought against the Europeans, and anyone considered to be pro-French. The rebellion spread around the island in the following months. By May, additional French troops arrived, quashing this insurgency, and allowing the French to regain control of Madagascar. By 1960, the Malagasy people had gained their independence from the French, and President Philibert Tsiranana established Martyrs’ Day seven years later. Initially observed as a day of mourning for all the lives lost on March 29, this day has evolved to remember the sacrifice and celebrate the freedom the country now enjoys.
Benoit led a short way from the memorial to the gardens of a local family who produce vanilla on the property. We had the chance to look around their property to see the vanilla growing. Of course, this was meant to be a chance for them to sell to the tourists, meaning us. As we were the only ones there it did put some additional pressure on us to buy something, so we ended up getting a small amount as gifts
Our next stop was on the far side of the river. The boat that had brought us here had gone, which meant taking a smaller canoe across the river. Benoit took up the paddles, but we decided to help with the paddling, which was harder work than it looked. When reached the riverbank we all climbed out of the boat and Benoit led us through into another farm, which looked wild and overgrown. As well as regular crops the family who run this farm also produce spices, such as cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cloves, and turmeric. We couldn’t see anyone around, so Benoit took it upon himself to show us the various spice plants on the farm. Eventually, a man turned up with a box of small vials containing liquid concentrates of the spices. We ended up buying a couple of bottles which we thought might be useful medicines to have with us on our travels.
It was now time for lunch. We were collected by the van and taken to a perfect sandy beach on the Indian Ocean. The men who had been our oarsmen were there preparing a feast of food for us. A table and chairs had been set up for us in the shade of a coconut palm facing the ocean. It was heaven. As we sat there, plate after plate of tasty food was served to us.
After we’d finished it was finally time to say goodbye to our boat friends and head back to Mankara. We were driven together with Benoit back to town, where he dropped us off for a walking tour.
During our time with Benoit, we learned a lot about him. When he was not guiding, he had a part-time job teaching English at a local school. He was self-taught when it came to English, and I think in all fairness we could say that he was a little rough around the edges in the language skills department. But he more than made up for this in passion. Karen was excited to hear more about his work and he wanted to take us to see his school and meet the children.
When we arrived at the school, we were introduced to the headmistress, whose father had set up the school. She gave us some more background into the school’s programmes and local education in general. After this, she took us around three different classrooms. Each of these classes was for a different year grade. We were greeted by the children and the staff and then Benoit would get them to demonstrate their English language skills, after which Karen would follow on with getting them to say a few more words in English. As we moved up the year grades their skills were greater.
We loved visiting the school and meeting the children. Before leaving we gave the headmistress a small donation of money – we are sure funding is a big issue in Madagascar.
From the school, Benoit led around the streets and finally into the main local market. It was a hot, noisy, and smelly place and here you could buy anything. The ceilings were low and there were only narrow passageways between the rows of stalls. There were some sellers with piles of meat and fish that were swarming with flies. If we hadn’t been vegans already this would have made us change to a plant-based diet. Horrible!
We came across an older lady who was dancing to some music being played by an even older man. Initially, we thought they were an eccentric couple, but they turned out to be doing this for money. Of course, as we were the only tourists on hand, we got roped into dancing, well at least Karen did – I just did the financial contribution.
It was quite a relief to escape the maze of the market and get back out onto the street.
Now it was time to return to the hotel and prepare for a long travel day.
Planning your visit to Manakara
Best time to visit Madagascar
Current Weather Forecasts
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Antananarivo
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Toliara
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Morondava
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The best time to visit Madagascar depends on what you want to do and see. The country is green and fresh after the rain that falls between January and March, with lemurs and reptiles active and easy to spot. While there are some heavy downpours from April to June, these are interspersed with sunshine, while July and August are cool and dry, making this an ideal time for exploring.
The whales arrive on Île Sainte-Marie in July and remain until the end of September. Between September and November the weather is particularly lovely, remaining fine and warm. This is also when jacarandas are in flower and many lemurs have young. While December is hot, lemurs, reptiles and tenrecs are active, which makes for good wildlife viewing.y-Month
Visiting Maadagascar in January to March
January to March is cyclone season, so we would advise against travelling to Madagascar during this time.
Visiting Madagascar in April to June
Heavy downpours can still be expected in April, May and June, but between these showers the sun will usually shine. Following the rainy season the landscape is lush and green, with wildlife such as lemurs and reptiles often making an appearance.
Visiting Madagascar in July & August
This is a good time to try spotting humpback whales as they begin to arrive in Île Sainte-Marie. The weather is cool and dry, making this a comfortable time to explore.
Events & Festivals- Spot humpback whales (July to September): Humpback whales migrate from the Antarctic at this time of year to calve, making for unforgettable sightings from the shore or on a boat expedition around the island of Île Sainte-Marie.
- Spot humpback whales (July to September): Humpback whales migrate from the Antarctic at this time of year to calve, making for unforgettable sightings from the shore or on a boat expedition around the island of Île Sainte-Marie.
- See fossa in western Madagascar: Endemic to Madagascar, fossa are cat-like, carnivorous mammals. October and November are a great time to spot them in the deciduous forests of western Madagascar such as Anjajavy Private Nature Reserve.
- See fossa in western Madagascar: Endemic to Madagascar, fossa are cat-like, carnivorous mammals. October and November are a great time to spot them in the deciduous forests of western Madagascar such as Anjajavy Private Nature Reserve.
Visiting Madagascar in September
The weather is fine and warm. Humpback whales can still be seen in Île Sainte-Marie until the end of the month, while lemurs begin to give birth to young.
Events & Festivals
Visiting Madagascar in October
Temperatures begin to increase around the country and jacarandas are in bloom, displaying their vibrant purple flowers.
Events & Festivals
Visiting Madagascar in November & December
Temperatures continue to increase around the country, although there is a little bit more in the way of rain. Lemurs, reptiles and tenrecs can often be spotted at this time..
Events & FestivalsMore to Explore
