What activities in Itampolo?

What to do in Itampolo, in the southern region of Madagascar?
Discover the guide to activities in Itampolo and the essentials of its
attractiveness.

Discover the activities in the Itampolo region
(south of Madagascar)

How to brush the life of Itampolo and its thousand facets without exposing its great natural potential? To take full advantage of Itampolo is to experience emotions as close as possible to this generous nature through the possibilities of activities. Head for the Atsimo Andrefana, by sail or all-terrain vehicle!
This region has a double face, mangrove swamps on the one hand, thorns on the other. In the middle, men and their families, with several hundred heads of zebus. A preserved heritage of the Mahafaly hinterland. The peaceful atmosphere of the sea is sometimes exchanged for the music of the only discotheque in the village in the evening!

Before leaving…

Itampolo is a rural commune on the southern coast of Madagascar. It is a resort for some 5,000 fishermen living off the sea resources of the Tanala forest people as well as Mahafaly herders. Far from mass tourism, here responsible and ecological tourism expresses itself perfectly. Its white sand and emerald sea of astonishing clarity allow you to glimpse marine life through its transparent waters.

Itampolo lagoon and activities around

Swimming and boating in Itampolo

The lucky surfers who have been able to take advantage of the assets of Itampolo will remember its idyllic surf spots, its turquoise lagoon, its winds
averages 9 knots (17 km/h) year-round and waves of 1 meter every 8.8 seconds.
Water sports and sailing enthusiasts will find what they are looking for here:

swimming in the warm waters of the Tropic of Capricorn (25°C), in a setting
peaceful south-west coast
practice of surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing (the southernmost part of the west coast)
hiking along the wild coasts, discovering virgin creeks.

The whale safari in Itampolo Tulear

From June to September, humpback cetaceans offer the amazing ritual of parades: songs, rearing up out of the water, jumping and striking their fins await privileged spectators in Itampolo.

Indeed, the whale safari is a real odyssey starting from Antarctica thousands of kilometers away towards the warm and tropical waters of
Madagascar. You will be able to observe moments of complicity between the calf and its
mother who teaches him his first life lessons. Approach and rub shoulders with these
giants from distant lands is a unique and fantastic experience.

Fishing and diving

Itampolo is illustrated in small welcoming nooks, its dunes as far as the eye can see, its beaches
deserts of fine sand and its small fishing villages. Like seaside resorts
of Anakao and Ifaty, the Itampolo site also offers the opportunity to practice
diving, travelers can practice snorkelling in complete safety. Water
of Itampolo are full of exceptional marine biodiversity:

various small fish
multicolored corals
Sea turtles…

Immerse yourself for a day in the life of a Vezo fisherman. Embark on a traditional outrigger canoe and face the open sea to try your luck at artisanal fishing! Unique sensations that will make you appreciate the unprecedented experience of a sailing cruise on the Mozambique Channel.

What to do on the beach in Itampolo?

What to see in the Tsimanampetsotsa National Park?

Lake Tsimanampetsotsa became the first Ramsar site in Madagascar in September 1998: it is an international wetland for the habitat of water birds (aquatic avifauna).

Lesser flamingos and pink flamingos can be seen on the shores of the lake, alongside Archbold's Newtonia, Madagascar Plover, Verreaux's Coua and Lafresnaye's Vanga. A vegetation of halophile plants colonizes the banks, edible and consumed in Europe.
The natural pool changes color 3 times during a day, from white to turquoise blue or green topaz. A phenomenon due to concentrations of lime sulphate and white clay. It has a depth of 2 m, a length of 15 km and a width of 2.5 km (5th largest lake in Madagascar). Tsimanampetsotsa means “water without dolphins”.
The terrestrial national park created in 2002 (site founded in 1887 and classified as a protected integral nature reserve since 1927) owes its name to the only natural salt lake on the island: with its surface area covering more than 200,000 hectares, this park has a rate of endemism of its exceptional fauna and flora of 90%.

This park is populated by baobabs and pachypodiums. The flora of the Tsimanampesotse National Park includes a species of baobab Adansonia rubrostipa present in an important way, but also another species of the bottle tree Pachypodium geayi on the
limestone plateau.
To visit the park, you can contact the office in Marofijery Toliara directly at
+261 32 09 402 94or send a mail totsp@parcs-madagascar.com.

What to see in the caves in Itampolo?

There are 3 caves recorded in Itampolo and you should know that these are the habitats of the radiated tortoise species endemic to the south and southwest and 4 species of bats.
We also find here a small endemic mammal, the Grandidier mongoose or
Galidictis grandidieri. Blind fish or Typhleotris madagascariensis can be found in groundwater.
3 species of lemurs have found refuge there and take advantage of the salutary shade of a banyan whose roots go down into the cave. One of the three caves is home to sea turtles and parrots.
These caves are the result of limestone collapses over millennia and the formation of an underground water network thereafter.
The largest fossil deposit ever discovered is found here, resulting from scientific research by a team of paleontologists in 2014.

Virgin coves in Itampolo

Discover the small bays scattered in the postcard landscape of Itampolo: discreet shelters inclined to romanticism or contemplation sessions facing the spectacle of nature and its immensity. A treat for travel photography in Madagascar.

Presentation of the Itampolo Forest
and its activities

A dense xerophilous dry forest opens up to travelers eager for curiosities: indeed,

it shelters there endemic and medicinal plants as well as a diversified local fauna.

What to observe in the forest

from Itampolo?

In Itampolo, the thorny dry thicket forest dominates with the coastal bush formation.

These forests are home to special ecosystems. 70 species of birds out of the hundred listed, thousand-year-old baobabs, banyan trees 12 meters high and abundant lianas.
This baobab forest invites you to see the many medicinal uses of trees, shrubs or medicinal plants known worldwide. Plant care remains a traditional custom in Madagascar, it is well reflected in these places (Aloe Vera, Madagascar periwinkle, Ravintsara and Katrafay from which the essential oil is extracted).

Road Trip south of Fort Dauphin

or Tulear

Go on an adventure on twenty unusual and tourist circuits: 4×4 trips,
on two wheels or on a quad.
These are mostly easy trails. The spectacle of these wild and surprising places is worth the detour 1000 times, in search of the promised land of Itampolo.
Between land and sea, the prime location of the Hotel Sud-Sud Itampolo allows you to learn about the practice of different activities in Itampolo:

forest (trek, guided excursion by quad, bicycle, motorbike, etc.)
lagoon side (whale watching, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, sea trips, initiation fishing on foot, diving and snorkeling)
beach side, tanning, wooden cart rides, construction games.