The most beautiful natural sites to discover Sainte-Marie

Near Ambatoroa and its coconut grove, near the lighthouse of Albrand, take the track of Ambodiatafana and its sacred basins: it is a white sand beach flanked by many basins, one of which evokes a bit a wave pool! A relaxing moment to enjoy after having broken your back on the broken tracks. In this wild part of Sainte-Marie, we cross villages surrounded by vanilla plantations, banana trees, clove forests and rice fields. A real paradise!

This zoo and botanical park of 5,000 m ² on the south road, in the heart of the village of Vohilava, allows to discover local fauna (turtles, chameleons, lemurians, snakes, frogs…) and its flora (orchids and euphorbes in particular). Arnaud has done a very good job. Visitors feel that this is very good and refreshing.

In Ambotifotatra, you can climb up to the old fort which still bears the company of the Compagnie des Indes (it is a little higher than the central post), then go to the church of St Mary, known to be the oldest Christian church in Madagascar (1859): This is where Bishop Dalmond (1800-1847), the first apostolic prefect of Madagascar, was buried. Note: one of the altars is a gift of the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, and the cast iron that forms it have been sunk into the arsenals of the French navy. Finally, the old Bâtiment building (built in 1922) also deserves a stop.

On Madame Madame, the history buffs will take a look at the former residence of Governors and Administrators, dating back to 1871, as well as the old solar dial of sailors.

The mangrove forest of Ampanihy on the east coast is a natural site of the most admirable nature.