Travel Guide Ilakaka

Less than twenty years ago, this village was barely visible from the road. But Ilakaka has become a veritable "mushroom town" in this Far West stricto sensu, due to the discovery of important sapphire veins that have provoked an influx of prospectors from all over Madagascar, and also from all over the world (United States, Asia, Africa, Middle East, etc.). Ilakaka obtained the official status of a commune in 2015; today, it has at least 40,000 inhabitants.The national road is lined with a series of wooden buildings: hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, clothing stores, sapphire buyers' stores, various businesses (butcher's shop, four-season merchants, grocery stores, garages). The second circle of the town, south of the national road, is formed by a multitude of small houses of prospectors and miners that extend to the horizon near the galleries dug in the ground. The visit of the galleries must be done with caution, even if tour operators and guides propose a guided tour: some of them are badly supported, and collapses occur regularly, causing the death of workers. It is possible to lodge there, when the hotels (recent wooden constructions built along the national road) have places. As for security, it is not really more problematic than in most cosmopolitan cities. The national gendarmerie is present. However, it is advisable to be cautious when travelling at night.