The Vanilla Coast

Introducing The Vanilla Coast

Once north of Soanierana-Ivongo, you’re into the remote northeast corner of Madagascar, centre of the vanilla industry.

The recent vanilla boom has led to a new prosperity in the northeast, with many peasant farmers abandoning other crops such as coffee to grow more vanilla. More money, however, has not led to more development, and the infrastructure in the northeast remains very limited, with no roads to speak of and not much in the way of telephone services. People in this area are much more interested in vanilla than tourism, so guides, porters and competent hotel staff are hard to find in some places.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009