Beza Mahafaly and Tsimanampetsotsa NP: transport & accommodation?

Hi all,

During our trip to Madagascar coming October/November, we are considering a visit to Beza Mahafaly Reserve (35 km from Betioky) and to Tsimanampetsotsa NP. I hope you can help me with some information regarding transport and lodging:

1. Is there accommodation in/near Beza Mahafaly? If so, is this in Bezaha, in Betioky, or in another place? We don't bring a tent ourselves, but camping would be fine if we could rent a tent + sleeping bag upon arrival in the village.
2. Is it easy to arrange transport and a guide to/from the Reserve? If so, where is the place to arrange this (Bezaha or Betioky, or somewhere else)?
3. After Beza Mahafaly we want to go to Tsimanampetsotsa NP. I can't figure out what would be the best way/transport to get there. Would it be possible to arrange transport from the park via Betioky to Beheloka or Ambola? If so, how long would that take (and what type of transport would it be)? Or should we first go to Toliara, and from there go by pirogue to Anakao/Ambola and arrange the visit to Tsimanampetsotsa from there?
4. If we visit both places, would it also still be worth it to also go to Reniala near Ifaty for the spiny forest or would this offer similar flora and fauna?

I really hope somebody can help me out with these questions. Thanks a lot in advance!

Edited by: lambje

I posted some information here and then thought better of it because I am still waiting to hear from the owner of the bungalows, but there are some new bungalows built just 2 km from Beza Mahafaly. As soon as I hear from the owner to confirm if they are actually open, I will contact you with the details.

Best wishes for a wonderful trip to Madagascar.

Brett

Hi Brett, thanks! If you receive any additional information, it would be more than welcome!

Hi Brett,

Sorry for my late response. Thanks for the info! We're currently finalising our plans. Do you know how long it would take to visite Behaza-Mahafaly, if we come by 4WD via the RN7 (from Tana to Toliara)? So: how many hours driving after leaving the RN7, would 1 day be enough to get a good impression of the area, and how long would we need to get from there to Toliara by 4WD? And...is the spiny forest good around there (or would Reniala near Ifaty be better)?

I am not sure if I'll be able to fit B-M in, but I would really like to... Thanks again and I'll surely send you an e-mail afterwards, if we managed to go there :-)

In June 2011 we went to Beza Mahafaly and I can highly recommend the spiny forest over there. Beza Mahafaly, including the zebu cart ride to it, was one of the highlights of Madagascar for us! On the way from Betioky to Beza Mahafaly you will already see a lot of spiny forest. In Beza Mahafaly we had a good guide that provided us with a lot of info on the medicinal uses of the spiny forest as well. I'm currently working on a travelblog of my previous journeys including Madagascar, on which I'll go into the details of the trip to Beza Mahafaly as well. I'll post a link when I'm finished, but here is some info already that might help you.

We went by taxi brousse from Toliara to Betioky (took 6 hours going up there, 8hrs back because of a flat tire). In Betioky we rented a zebu cart to Beza Mahafaly (took 8,5 hours going up there, but a lot less on the way back due to a different road and trouble with the zebu). So I'm not sure how long it would take by 4x4. We thoroughly enjoyed the zebu cart trip though! Madagascar National Parks says by 4x4 it takes 7,5 hrs from Toliara to Beza Mahafaly, but I think it should be less, because they say by taxi brousse it is 6hrs (correct if the bus doesn't get a flat tire) from Toliara to Betioky and 1,5 hrs from Betioky to Beza Mahafaly by motorcycle. I think the stretch from Toliara should be faster when going by 4x4 than by taxi brousse (a 4x4 Mercedes-bus).

When staying at Beza Mahafaly we had our own hammocks and we were the only visitors (besides the researchers), so I didn't see if there were tents for rent or not. The Bradt guide says it is possible to rent a tent, though. I think that should be arranged in Beza Mahafaly, as I can't imagine anywhere in Betioky it would be possible (most people just rush by Betioky in 4x4's). A guide can be arranged at Beza Mahafaly.

We spent 3 nights at Beza Mahafaly. We enjoyed both parts of the park: the spiny forest is really really special and in the other part you're going to see lots and lots and lots of Verreaux Sifaka's and ringtailed lemurs. When visiting the spiny forest you have to start early because it gets pretty hot up there, so I would advice visiting that part the day after you arrive at Beza Mahafaly.

In the spiny forest make sure you wear long sleeves, because there are no clear cut trails, so thorns will get stuck in your clothes. If you want to take a night walk (not in the spiny forest, but in the other part of Beza Mahafaly which is great as well both day and night), then the guide has to get permission. In that case make sure to bring your own light, because the guide doesn't have any. On one point the Bradt guide is incorrect, because there is filtered water at the campsite at Beza Mahafaly, so no need to bring your own filter.

We enjoyed a lot of places in Madagascar, but Beza-Mahafaly really is one of a kind and really stood out, so shouldn't be missed! I actually spent quite some time trying to figure out a way to fit it into our schedule including the zebu cart ride and in the end we decided to go there first, so when arriving in Antananarivo by Air Mad we took a connecting flight to Toliara (with 50% discount). Back from Beza Mahafaly in Toliara we took a flight to Mahajanga to continue the rest of our trip in Madagascar from there.

Thank you for this valuable information; I'll check out your travelblog :-)!