A small seaside town on the west coast, Morondava is the base camp for the Menabe's greatest natural wonders: the Avenue of the Baobabs, Kirindy and the Bemaraha tsingy.
Set between the Mozambique Channel and river deltas, Morondava lives quietly off fishing and passing travellers. Its Nosy Kely seafront, its sunsets and its easy pace make it a pleasant stop — but above all it is the starting point for the Avenue of the Baobabs and for expeditions into the wild north of the Menabe.
West coast, Menabe region.
April to November (dry season); many tracks are impassable in the rainy season.
Domestic flight from Antananarivo, or an 8–10 hour drive on the RN34/RN35.
2 to 4 days, longer if you include the Bemaraha tsingy.
The ritual never changes: head out in the late afternoon to the Avenue of the Baobabs, some twenty kilometres away, for sunset among the Adansonia grandidieri giants — then linger by the baobab amoureux, two intertwined trunks that have become the region's emblem. In town, enjoy the seafront, the markets and dugout-canoe trips through the delta's mangroves.
Sixty kilometres north, Kirindy forest is the country's best place to spot the fossa, Madagascar's largest carnivore, and nocturnal lemurs on night walks. Sailors can push on to Belo-sur-Mer and its traditional dhow shipyards. Finally, the flagship expedition: a two-day track up to Bekopaka for the Bemaraha tsingy, limestone cathedrals listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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