Ifaty
(in malagasy : the corpse) is a fishermen village about 22km north of Toliara. In most guide books, and in the usual glossary of tourist in Madagascar, Ifaty means The Seaside Resort of Toliara. But actually, most hotels and restaurants are located in Mangily (in malagasy : itching), 4km norther.
Both villages are on the Ranobe lagoon shore.
Atimoo plongée is located in Mangily.
Mangily was first just a stop in the Ranobe bay for vezo fishermen on their way north or south, then came the hotels, first of them the Mora-Mora. Mangily grew up and is still growing up so fast that it surpasses now Ifaty, both in population and hotels.But the whole bay of Ranobe is still called 'Ifaty'.
Still a small village yet - Even if there is a good asphalt road and electricity pretty soon, still no sewer and no water but from well - and not typical at all, with many 'hotels-restaurants' ( about 15, from the luxury to the straw-made one, all well melt in the landscape, you can't see them from the sea) and its blended population - vezo, masikoro, tanalana, antandroy, vazahas... - in between lagoon and spiny forest, it is the perfect base camp for a few days around.
You can of course, and we recommend it, practice scuba diving or whalewatch with us, but also :
Protected area which puts together on 60 ha of spiny forest a botanical path, an ornithologic reserve, a research and preservation center for lemurs and offers qualified guides - walking or by oax-kart.
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Very small hotel, cosy and pleasant, in the very heart of the village, in front of Freddy's.
Very friendly place, not expensive at all, quite cool in the evening : great for backpackers, but not only!
Fascinating in winter - they're all sleeping!
Historical restaurant in the very heart of the village,ran by an historical Mangily figure.
His staff and himself keep the restaurant at high-level standarts. Buffet and traditionnal cabaert on saturday evenings. Plus a a few bedrooms...
- boatmen will offer a whole day excursion, with snorkelling in the morning and picnic with crayfish at Ambolimailaka, where you'll watch the fishermen coming back to shore, dizains of 'pirogues' competing in shouts and joy - Tea mitabataba vezo reo !- to be the first and get the best price for the fish.
This road that links Toliata to Morondava comes alive in the morning and at sunset : one comes there to stroll, eat manioc, sweet potatoes and fried fish, gamble when there is money, drink rhum while listening to some tsapiky, gossip, meet people, dance later in one of the two night-clubs...
Coffee, pancakes, bokoboko, mokary and news, fresh from the night. Mangily is still a small village, where gossip is quite an art.
Musical bar on national road, downtown Mangily, with very good malagasy music on weekends...
Mangily gives way to controversy, Mangily an'abo, mangily ambany... Itches up and down. Believe me, Mangily deserves a longer stay to go beyond this bad fame poorly updated guidebooks are still giving it.
If you have evidences - pictures or texts - about this strange village where you never get bored, please send them to us ! Here would be enough material for a ton of novels, if it wasn't more thrilly and interesting to live them.
MANGILY LIVES ! PLEASE COME AND SEE AND LIVE WITH IT!
More pictures of Mangily