Travel to Ifaty-Mangily

Off the southwest coast of Madagascar lies the Great Reef of Toliara—the world’s fifth-largest coral reef system. Stretching 450 kilometers from Morombe to Itampolo, this barrier reef creates a protected lagoon of crystalline turquoise waters where over 6,000 reef-associated species thrive. Divers and snorkelers encounter 340 coral species, 752 fish species including 13 sharks, four species of sea turtles, and even the prehistoric coelacanth—a 400-million-year-old ‘living fossil’ once thought extinct.

The reef shapes every aspect of coastal life. It breaks the swells of the Mozambique Channel, creating calm lagoons perfect for swimming and pirogue sailing. From June through September, humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to breed in these warm, protected waters, their songs echoing across the reef. Marine biologists consider this one of the Western Indian Ocean’s most important marine ecosystems, with ongoing research documenting its remarkable recovery from past bleaching events.

Inland from the coast lies one of Earth’s most bizarre ecosystems—the Malagasy spiny forest. Listed among the Global 200 most essential ecosystems, this habitat exists nowhere else on the planet. An astounding 95% of its species are endemic, having evolved in isolation for millions of years. The landscape resembles something from another world: octopus trees (Didierea) wave thorny tentacles skyward, elephant’s foot plants (Pachypodium) store water in swollen trunks, and towering baobabs—locally called ‘reniala’ or ‘mother of the forest’—have witnessed over a thousand years of human history.

The 60-hectare Reniala Reserve protects a pristine fragment of this unique habitat. Here, the largest baobab measures over 12 meters in circumference and is estimated to be 1,200 years old. Night walks reveal grey mouse lemurs—among the world’s smallest primates—while dawn brings the spectacular long-tailed ground-roller, found only in this spiny forest habitat. The reserve also houses critically endangered radiated tortoises and spider tortoises, species hunted nearly to extinction elsewhere but protected here through community conservation efforts.

For 2,000 years, the Vezo people have defined their identity by their relationship with the sea. The name ‘Vezo’ itself means ‘to paddle’ or ‘to struggle with the sea,’ and unlike other ethnic groups, Vezo identity is earned through practice rather than birth—anyone who masters the traditional fishing life can become Vezo. Their hand-carved pirogues, hollowed from single tree trunks and fitted with distinctive square sails, are perhaps the most recognizable sight along the southwest coast, unchanged in design since their Indonesian ancestors first arrived.

Traditional Vezo life follows the rhythms of tide and season. Men fish by line, net, and spear from their pirogues, while women and children harvest octopus, sea cucumbers, and shellfish from the reef flats at low tide. Despite modern pressures from climate change and commercial fishing, many Vezo maintain their semi-nomadic traditions, following fish migrations up and down the coast. Visitors to Ifaty-Mangily can sail with Vezo fishermen, learning techniques passed through countless generations and gaining insight into a maritime culture that has sustained itself against the odds.