Travel Guide Mantasoa

68 km east of Tana, on the road to Toamasina, Mantasoa ("Who is not ripe for good") is a popular holiday and weekend destination for the capital's inhabitants, on the shores of a man-made lake. It can be reached from the capital in 2 hours, by taking a 9 km fork in the road from the large town of Ambatoloana. Before that, sausage-lovers are advised to stop off at Ambanitsena, a crossroads about twenty kilometers from the capital. A beautiful landscape of eucalyptus and rice paddies, plenty to do, and excellent local sausages! Mantasoa's vegetation is a little surprising with its eucalyptus and pine trees. On site, you'll find beaches, a base for water sports and hiking and horse-riding. The surrounding area is ideal for mountain biking. The 2,000-hectare artificial lake was created in 1936 to regulate the Ikopa stream and irrigate the rice fields of the Betsimitatatra plain, the country's rice granary. The dam also provides part of the capital's electricity needs. The site also has a history. In 1837, Queen Ranavalona 1re asked her advisor Jean Laborde to launch the industrialization of the country. A blast furnace was installed, followed by a foundry, a glassworks, a paper mill... The factory also manufactured cannons, swords, pistols and ammunition. No fewer than 1,500 workers were employed on site. Remnants of these facilities remain.