Getting
Around Antsiranana
In The Extreme North
Of Madagascar ~ by Rabenilaina Harinia Cyrille
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I mentioned, Madagascar is a wonderful, tumbledown Indian Ocean island
where people laugh at hardship. Diego Suarez, situated in the extreme north
of Madagascar, considered one of world’s most beautiful and widest bays,
is a country town, but also the third largest port of the continent island.
Diego Suarez harbor, named after the two Portuguese explorers who “discovered
Madagascar, is on the island’s northeastern end. Their names are : Diego
Diaz, who discovered Madagascar in 1500 and a sailor, Fernando Suarez who
visited Madagascar in 1506. The story and the legend say that:“Towards
the end of the 17th century, a strange community settled in the Bay area
and gave birth to the Libertalia Republic. Characters that were closely
related to buccaneering: a French pirate named Misson, and a Roman priest,
Angelo Caraccioli. They were both inspired by a utopian philosophy based
on the freedom of men, religion and races. Libertalia thrived for a few
years until the Malagasy, aroused by their chiefs that hardly understood
this threat to their authority, attacked Libertalia by surprise and destroyed
it”. |
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France has
always had a great hold over the life and development of Diego Suarez since
the days when Antakaranas called on the French to protect them during the
Antakarana Hova War. This area became an autonomous territory in 1886 and
was thereafter united with the rest of Madagascar when it became a French
protectorate.
The importance
of the port and relations with France explain the presence of one of the
most developed shipyards in the Indian Ocean: The Secren, situated in Antsiranana.
The economy in Antsiranana is based upon the following industries: fishing,
salt works, wood, but also agriculture. In fact, the lands to the northwest
are quite fertile and yield large quantities of vegetables, fruit, cotton
and sugar cane (there are two important sugar refineries in Nosy Be and
Ambilobe). Yet, fishing is the most important activity in the area, an
industry that is important to the entire economy of Madagascar. Because
of its geographic position (12° south latitude – 49°-20’ east longitude),
Diego Suarez is very exposed to winds and currents that blow and push across
the Indian Ocean. They make navigation quite difficult and hazardous. Sometimes,
the wind and heavy sea prevent ships, whatever their tonnage, from passing
the Cap d’Ambre. Vegetation is scarce because of the wind and the hot climate.
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The
city, built around the bay, has a modern and well-kept appearance, but
the impression one gets is that the population is not very numerous.
The area is famous for its fishing products and handicrafts made of zebu
horn and sea turtle shells. Its handicraft men continue a long tradition
and manage to create exquisite objects. The best handicraft shops are the
ones that belong to Moussa Feno - the slope that extends from the Hotel
de la Poste to the Customs office - and Patricia Bardu. A visit to the
great market where a great many handicraft men, fishermen and farmers sell
their products will give you a very animated picture of the economy of
the province of Antsiranana.
If you want
to make acquaintances with the inhabitants of Diego Suarez or with resident
strangers, it is better for you to go and have an aperitif or dinner in
the city’s most fashionable spots such as The Rosticceria, The Jonque,
The Nouvel Hotel or in the bar: Balafomanga and the Vanilla. A nice ride
along the bay will lead you to the lovely coconut tree lined Ramena Beach
- 20 km from Diego-Suarez. |
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Small bungalows
have been built on the white sands of Ramena Beach and this has made the
beach a favorite holiday resort for inhabitants of Diego Suarez and tourists.
The beach is almost on the outskirts of the bay. In the village that borders
it, you can rent a pirogue and go dragnet fishing; you'll have a good chance
of getting catching something.
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| Leaving
Antsiranana’s bay, you will see on your left the Emerald Sea and a series
of small white sand idyllic coves that reflect in an emerald green sea.
There are other coves on the other side of Diego Suarez’s bay that bear
fascinating names such as the Pigeons’ Bay, the Duns’Bay, the Sakalava
Bay. In the latter, there are three islets but also the Hotel Club baie
des Sakalava, a tourist resort with 1O bungalows in a bay open to the winds
and big waves of the Indian Ocean that make this place one of the best
surfing spots in Madagascar. You can get there by sea or by the road that
leads to Ramena. Another interesting trip you can make is the one leading
to the town of Joffre and to the Roussets Reservation on Amber Mountain
- 30kms to the southwest from Diego. In the surroundings of Joffre, where
the French used to spend their holidays to escape the scorching heat that
prevails in Diego Suarez in the summer, vegetation changes and becomes
quite lush and one will find a great many flowers. When the French left
the country, the village quickly declined and its hotels are now closed.
The Roussets Reservation spreads over a surface of 18.200 hectares. In
the Amber Mountain National Park, vegetation is exuberant thanks to favorable
climatic conditions: tropical climate with wet heat. |
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The Antakarana
people who live in communion with nature venerate flowers and plants. They
dedicate a traditional ceremony, the Tsakafara, to the cult of Nature.
Your visit to the Reservation will be made easier by well-marked paths
that have been laid out. You can choose different walks and see a great
many waterfalls (the most beautiful being the 80 meter high Roussets Waterfall).
The climate is quite pleasant and the temperature will always be cool.
A great many species of lemurs live in that forest and you might have the
opportunity of seeing the only feline that lives in Madagascar: the fosa.
Going deeper into the forest, treading on pleasant paths, you will pass
several volcanic lakes. Close to the Big Lake, a plot of land, not too
far from the summit of Amber Mountain and the summit of the Belle Etape,
is a camping area.
We recommend
you get in touch with a travel agency in Diego Suarez, such as Ecotourisme
Nord, the email is: etn@dts.mg - they can
help you organise a visit. The two villages of Andronato and Ambondromifehy,
about 100 kms south of Diego, have utterly changed since the discovery
of an important sapphire mine that triggered off a sapphire rush, attracting
sapphire diggers not only from Madagascar, but also from abroad.
The following
is a list of articles that Nia has written for the magazine:
 A
Look At Madagascar ~ The
Great Island
In
The South Of Madagascar ~ Among
The Harsh Beauty Of Isalo
Antananarivo
~ The
City Of A Thousand Warriors - Madagascar's Capital
An
Island With Sapphire Fever ~ Madagascar's
Hidden Wealth
The
Tsingy Of Belo Sur Tsiribihina And The Royal Bath
~ In
Madagascar
Nosy
Be - The
Little Great Island In The North Of Madagascar
Humpback
Whales Around Sainte Marie Island ~ In
Madagascar
To contact
Nia Click Here
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