Vohibola Reserve: an Oasis in the East of the Big Island

 
The Vohibola Reserve is an area of more than 2,000 ha, located along the Pangalanes Canal on the east coast of Madagascar, between the towns of Tamatave and Brickaville.
 
Following deforestation on the east coast, which has drastically reduced the extent of tropical rainforest, the Vohibola forest is one of the last remaining fragments of coastal forest on the East coast. It therefore constitutes a wet and rare forest ecosystem that must be preserved for the maintenance of biodiversity. In this exceptional forest, there are 7 species of lemurs (endemic to Madagascar), more than 50 species of birds (50% of which are endemic and one species is considered "vulnerable"), amphibians, and several species of reptiles. There are also 443 varieties of plants endemic to Madagascar including 4 species of trees specific to Vohibola in "critical danger" of extinction.
 
 
 
This reserve is one of the last refuge for many species. Its great biodiversity was noticed by the first President of the Madagascan Republic who made it his second home and an area of botanical conservation, with interventions strictly forbidden. The forest of Vohibola thus became a pilot project, that is to say a protected natural reserve where conservation actions and development projects have to be coordinated.
 
This forest, exploited in the past, is today in a good state of natural conservation. For the inhabitants of this village it is sacred and "fady", i.e. “taboo”. They call it "the forest of which one does not return".
 
This article was featured in Prime Magazine May 2018

Useful Information

When to go

To visit the East Coast, it is advisable to go between April and November. Conditions are the most favourable by then.

How to get there

To get to Toamasina from the capital, one can drive 350 km along the RN2. Air Madagascar offers direct flights. Once in Toamasina, you can use tour operators to go to the Vohibola reserve.

Where to stay

In Toamasina, you have the choice between several hotels. The "H1", the "Sharon Hotel", or the hotel "Calypso Hotel & SPA".

Where to eat

The region is known for its oriental cuisine. Enjoy it at the restaurant "Darafify";, at the restaurant "Le 501", at the "Dzama cocktail Tamatave coffee" or at the "Station Mangoes". Gourmets might not want to miss the restaurant "La Véranda Tamatave".

What to see

Between the Pangalanes Canal and the Indian Ocean, there are fishing villages, coconut groves and beautiful stretches of beaches. The ballet of canoes dancing and surfing on the raging waves of the ocean is impressive.