It was bang on midnight, and the airport corridors weren’t that busy. Still, given the insufficient number of clerks, a long queue had formed before the foreign-passports immigration control booths. Peeping around at people and their documents to while away the wait, I noticed the queue principally consisted of whom I call party Gulfers: affluent Gulf Arabs in Western garments … [Read more...]
Baskinta to Faraya: Trekking the Lebanon Mountain Trail
An owl’s persistent, mellow and melodious hooting preceded the alarm and aroused us before the crack of dawn. We snoozed on while the twilight infiltrated the tent and replaced the absolute darkness. When we could see enough, we got up and began preparing for the first day of our trekking adventure.The aptly named Lebanon Mountain Trail is a 470 km long-distance hiking trail … [Read more...]
From Beirut to Baskinta
Our immediate destination was a village called Baskinta, at an elevation of 1200 meters on the western slope of Mount Lebanon, a 45 km drive northeast of Beirut. With Tarek’s help, we found a direct bus that was scheduled to depart at 10:50 from a roundabout in the city’s eastern suburbs. Two hours ahead, we had our heavy backpacks strapped-on and were striding along the … [Read more...]
Ambohidratrimo: A Cute Town Near the Airport of Antananarivo
Our three-month trip around Madagascar coming to an end, we left Foulpointe for the capital three days before our flight. To avoid the bustle of central Antananarivo, we chose to stay in the town of Ambohidratrimo.Ambohidratrimo is situated 15 km northwest of the city center, just south of the airport, and by the scenic lakes of Andranotapahana and Mamamba. It is an important … [Read more...]
Visiting Foulpointe (Mahavelona), Madagascar
After leaving the paradise of Sainte Marie, and on our way back to Antananarivo, we were looking for some nice waypoint along the coast to break down the long journey. We ended up in Foulpointe (officially Mahavelona), a lovely beach town halfway between Sainte Marie and Toamasina, and settled there for four days near the end of our three-month trip around Madagascar.We were … [Read more...]
Three Weeks on Sainte Marie Island (Nosy Boraha), Madagascar
Sainte Marie, officially called Nosy Boraha, is a paradisal tropical island off Madagascar’s northeastern coast. We visited it in January-February 2024 and had such an awesome time that we ended up extending our one planned week to three. In this trip report/mini travel guide, I’m sharing my impressions from this trip and some general tips and suggestions.When to … [Read more...]
From Mahambo to Sainte Marie Island by Ferry
Having spent two weeks in the village of Mahambo, the time came to move on to Sainte Marie Island. Our original plan was to get the ferry directly from Mahambo. But this changed because it turned out that, during low season (January in our case), there was only one boat per week, plus that it was almost twice as expensive as the boat from Sonierana Ivongo (150,000 to 80,000).We … [Read more...]
Mahambo: a Calm Beach Village in Madagascar’s Northeast
Mahamo is a little beach village on Madagascar’s northeastern coast. It’s a good destination for travelers wanting to experience some quiet, relaxing time by the sea and, owing to its consistent swells, surfers in particular. We visited Mahambo in January 2024. Originally, we intended to stay for a few days before moving onward to Sainte-Marie Island. But since we really liked … [Read more...]
From Toamasina to Mahambo by Public Transport
After a few days in Toamasina, it was time we ventured north along Madagascar’s paradisal western coast. Before heading to Sainte Marie Island, we decided to first spend some time in the village of Mahambo.The taxi brousse to Mahambo departed from a point by the eastern end of the bus companies along Boulevard d’Andevorando. We could have shown up at any time and boarded the … [Read more...]
Two Days in Toamasina (Tamatave), Madagascar
Also known by its colonial French name of Tamatave, Toamasina is the principal port city and second-largest city of Madagascar. We visited it in January 2024 and stayed for three nights before continuing to the country's remote and pristine northeastern coast.Following a 7-hour bus trip from Andasibe, we arrived in Toamasina in the late afternoon. We settled in Hotel Beryl near … [Read more...]
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