| Masoala National Park | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Madagascar |
|---|---|
| Region | Diego-Suarez province Tamatave province |
| IUCN Category | II (National Park) |
| Administration | Madagascar National Parks |
| Sea | Antongil bay |
| Watercourse | Ambanizana, Anaovandrano, Fampotabe, Onive |
| Area | 2 355,8 km² |
| Location | |
 15 ° 34 ′ 42 ″ S 50 ° 9 ′ 19 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
the masoala national park located, mainly in the Diego-Suarez province, and, in small part, in the Tamatave province is the largest national park and the last major primary forest in Madagascar.
Understand
| The national park is made up of several parts:
|
To go
It is an understatement to say that Maroantsetra and Masoala National Park are landlocked. Coming there is a real expedition because:
- The national road 5 (RN5) has a national road ... only the name. This route is a test, for the 4x4 and for the passengers! Very few choose this solution, unless using an ATV (and being brave) or traveling by taxi-motorbike but with the risk of falls.
- The boat: Two small boats without any security provide a "cheap" service to Maroantsetra from Soanirana-Ivongo and Toamasina.
- By plane: Tsaradia erratically serves Maroantsetra aerodrome either by direct flight Tana - Maroantsetra, or from Sambava or from Toamasina. Warning ! sometimes flights are canceled, changed and passengers are left unceremoniously.
Circulate
the cape masoala is a very landlocked eastern Malagasy peninsula. Exclusively covered with ancestral forests and surrounded by a turquoise sea, it is the preferred playground for trekkers in search of authenticity! The primary forest is here a "palpable" reality, which is why teams of scientists from all over the world come to stay there to enrich their knowledge from the "Raft of the Peaks" mission. Masoala really deserves its reputation as: "forest that falls into the sea". The route is a progression that starts from the forest degraded by man and then enters unspoiled areas. Several trekking options are possible:
- the crossing from Maroantsetra to Antalaha by the bay of Navana and the pass (900 m) which leads to the village of Ampokafo and Marofinaritra. Allow 4 to 5 days for approximately 126 km. The route crosses beautiful villages and rice paddy landscapes but remains on the edge of the large forest that it avoids;
- make loops in the large forest in the heart of the national park: You then have to cross the bay of Antongil by boat to reach the area of Tampolo, near the village of Ambodiforaha. This is the easiest part to reach and visit. From the 5 lodges that follow each other along the beach, walking loops of 2 - 4 - 8 hours. Do not forget the Tampolo Marine Park and its remarkable “marine tsingy”;
- the small hike for which you have to cross the bay of Antongil by boat in its entire length to reach Cape Masoala and its village. From there, the track leads in 3 big stages of 6 to 8 hours of walk to the village of Ambodiforaha already mentioned from which you can make the loops of circuit n ° 2 and return to Maroantsetra by boat;
- the great hike for which you need ten days. The North - South direction is preferable. We start from Antalaha in the north to reach the village of cap-est by bush taxi or motorbike taxi. Then, 4 big walking steps lead you to the village of Cap Masoala. All you have to do is take circuit no 3 already cited.
To see
Do
To buy
Eat
Have a drink / Go out
Housing
- 1 At Arol Ambodiforaha
- 2 Seahorse Lodge Ambodiforaha – Part lodge of the'Hippocampe hotel of Maroantsetra.
- 3 Masaola Forest Lodge Ambodiforaha,
261 32 0541587 - 4 Tampo Lodge Ambodiforaha (Tampolo Beach)
- 5 Masoala ecolodge (Babin Luc) Cape Masoala village (at the tip of Antongil Bay), 291 32 7726642, e-mail : [email protected]
140 000 MGA the night. – The lodge is located at the tip of Antongil Bay, far from everything, a 7 day walk from the first road from Maroantsetra or Antalaha. The boat connection is essential, it allows you to appreciate the coastal landscapes, because Masoala is the "forest that falls into the sea". The return on foot or by sea kayak is very popular with our visitors. The vocation of this ecolodge is to serve as a comfortable base for lovers of Malagasy authenticity, biodiversity and adventure, who come to discover our exceptional environment: the two marine parks and the land park, but also and above all the friendly population and easy access. The expression "Village and community immersion" takes on its full meaning here, without exaggerating.
