Toamasina Province

Toamasina is the eastern province of Madagascar (its area is a bit smaller than The Netherlands). It has a population of 3 million. Toamasina means “like salt” or “salty”. The Atsinanana region is part of the province.

Situated along the East coast, the province has a long coastline with a rich variation of views and landscapes. Swimming and diving is possible in some areas, mainly where coral reefs offer protection. This is the province is that provides the country with many different kinds of fruits, spices and palms. Endless stretches of majestic lychee trees to admire, the scent of cloves drying, drinking coconut milk from a freshly chopped coconut, or learning about the fabrication of soap from palm oil, are all experiences waiting for the interested visitor.

The nature reserves with their unique fauna and flora, many species still unidentified, constitute first class traveller destinations. A very special kind of wildlife adventure is the whale watching in the Antongil bay and at the Sainte Marie Island. There are several seaside resorts, like Foulpointe, Mahambo, Manompana, and Vatomandry. Historically interesting sites are the Manda Fortress and the graves of Prince Ramiango and Couillandeau de la Touche, all located in the vicinity of Foulpointe. In Fénérive-Est you can visit the Lampy museum and another fortress, Vohimasina. The pirates’ cemetery on the island of St. Marie and the so-called Dutch beach on Nosy Mangabe, where shipwrecked Dutch sailors have carved their names in the rocks, are relics of the early European visits to Madagascar

See our Ste Marie and our Mahambo Tour

The 600 kilometres Pangalanes canal is a system of streams and several beautiful lakes connected through man-dug canals. It is the longest man-made waterway in the world. The Canal was constructed for transportation and is still being used for this purpose today. On both banks of the Canal several places of interest can be visited, be it one of the last patches of littoral rainforest or a distillery of ethereal oils. The strip of land between the ocean and the canal, only a few dozen metres wide, is in itself worth a visit.

See our Pangalanes Trip