Travel Guide Sainte-Luce – Manafiafy

"Sainte-Luce - Manafiafy is located 50 kilometers northeast of Taolagnaro, on the road to Manantenina (40 kilometers on the RN12, then 10 kilometers east). It's a two-hour drive by 4x4. As a monument reminds us, it was in this beautiful bay that the ship of Messire de Pronis ran aground. Today, Manafiafy is a fishing village. When you arrive, you'll be struck by the impressive silence that reigns during the day: the women, children and elders are there, but all the men are out at sea, practicing traditional fishing aboard their pirogues. The silence lasts until, suddenly, exclamations burst forth: the men are back! They're bringing in a 4 m-long shark, which they've harpooned in the middle of a round of pirogues. The fishermen, on their fragile boats, harassed the killer of the seas from all sides. Here, too, are fine sandy beaches lined with filaos and palm trees, set against a backdrop of forest. Great photos from the village's main beach (islets, rocks, pirogues, etc.). On the road to Manafiafy, 9 kilometers before arriving on site, you'll find the 200-hectare Mandena reserve, home to beautiful varieties of orchids and nepenthe trees that grow in abundance. A 7.5-kilogram brown rat or rattus norvegicus was discovered here in 2009.