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Andranomandroatra: Amparaky Geysers
Norali Says: Of all activities in the area that day, this was my favourite. In fact, it was a first-time thingy. Don't know, I just think I love it. I liked it at the Itasy lake but I prefer it here.The geyser site counts 4 geyser springs. They lie on a aragonite plaque (see last...
Ilôt de la Vierge - the belvedere islet
Norali Says: Itasy lake is big, way, way big. 3500 ha and the 3rd largest in my island.It is beautiful, as any big water surface can be. Blue. Still. Like spotless, the only spots being those pirogues fishermen use for fishing in the lake.It is even more beautiful with the dramatic...
Norali Says: Was there only one activity, besides lunching one fresh fish, to do in Ampefy, it will be this that guides will show to you: the Liliha waterfalls. For many, "Ampefy" means "Liliha watefalls".The Liliha is a riverstream that runs through villages & which, in Antafofo...
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Le Kavitaha owes its name to the lake which its terrasse looks onto.
It has been, for years, the best in town & on week-ends, urban dwellers (from Tana) just flock in to get away from it all.
Its main asset is the shaded terrasse where al fresco lunches use to take place on a dozen of tables, all looking onto the lake.
Then, the possibility to lunch under shade in a tree-lined alley with, again, a view onto the Kavitaha lake. Pic#4, next to where I stood was a table bust being occupied by clients so didn't take any picture of the alley.
Favorite Dish: Favourite dish: fried fish. I liked my grilled fish but my cousin had his fried and wow!
It was served with a yogourt sauce (yogourt + dill + parsley ?) although I liked it without sauce. The baraoa flesh was tasty enough.
Grilled, fried, with sauce mafilotra (tomato-pepper-onion sauce)... the baraoa fish (pic#2) is just yummy. Skip carp, skip tilapia, you'll find them elsewhere. Baraoa is the thing here!
As a starter, I had shrimp doughs... too stodgy ! Plus, they were burnt, not fried. The exterior was brown whilst the dough paste was raw from the interior. As a result, the shrimp was ideally cooked, crunchy. That didn't put me off to savour the following main course, of course!
Btw, Le Kavitaha can accomodate you with those bungalows of theirs too. Haven't experienced it but there, may you look at their website below.
Updated Apr 21, 2008
Address: Le Kavitaha, Ampefy
Website: hotelkavitaha.com/
Norali Says: This is the country of naturally grown stuffs. Especially in Itasy, fertile volcano lava soil enables cultivators to succeed in many cultivations. No fertilizers needed, no watering need (this one has to be explained to me, though). What is there to buy? In winter season,...
Norali Says: "Madagascar lava pumice"... Girls, could be your magic phrase while offering the present to your gal friends.No shop to buy pumice in Ampefy. At least, I didn't have to seek for one since I could buy mine at stalls and vendors at the entry of the Liliha waterfalls site. The...
Three warnings:
- On the main liaisons, like Tana-Analavory-Ampefy-Soavinandriana, the road is in good shape. So good it can kill. Not always but there are some cliffs & one must pay attention to not drive that fast... otherwise...
- In the contrary, to access all the sites of interest (Amparaky geysers; Itasy lake & islets; Liliha waterfalls), one has to drive on 4-5 km on once tarred roads that are now losing the tar surface. Bumpy rides if one is in a hurry.
- Esp. to access the geysers, avoid driving low cars (VW Golf, little Peugeots). We came across many of those having to turn back & skip the visit to the geysers. Good to notice that later on, I could spot those cars at the Liliha waterfalls, i.e they could ride the semi-tarred road to there, not the one to the geysers.
Just choose a pick-up, a 4wd, a station car... all of those would be fine.
Written Aug 19, 2007
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Well, I had to say it somewhere. Don't you just find this particular one so bizarrely shaped ? lol
This foam, the slot itself, the lips...
But you'll have to be patient... Come over here, go to Itasy area, then hit Amparaky village. Check Things to do tips for directions pictures of other geysers on that site.
Updated Aug 18, 2007
Good RN1 road & its old glory cities
Norali Says: RN1... the famed one. From Tana to Analavory through old-glory cities such as Fenoarivo, Arivonimamo, Miarinarivo. All of them have history. Miarinarivo has this singularity to have its own cathedral, a privilege only for ex-provinces' capitals (Tana, Mahajanga, Toamasina,...
Norali Says: Has been awhile since we’ve been craving for some roadtrip. We live in the countryside, off Tana. In the Northern Tana (Avaradrano, i.e “North Bank”), to be precise. We use to breathe pure air. We only go to the crazy, crowded, air-polluted city with the downtown hassle for...
Norali Says: The trip taking place in the high plateaux area, we got our share of plains alternating hills.Hills, glorious mountains, some with lavaka (crevasses)...Naked mountains, cultivated hillsEspecially while driving in the volcanic area (after Miarinarivo), we noticed the...
Liliha Upstream - Antafofo village
Norali Says: So surprised by the beauty of Liliha river running through Antafofo, I warned my Mum who walked in front of me I had to take this picture. Didn't even hear her reply. Never was I so quick to move around, adjust my lens and snap. I guess the local lady who witnessed the...
Farihy Itasy - Itasy Lake (Lac Itasy)
Norali Says: My initial plan was to visit the Andranotoroha crater lake. I knew it was not far from the restaurant, in the same direction as the big Itasy lake, both on the Ampefy-Soavinandriana main liaison. So we left for Andranotoroha crater lake. On our way, we stopped at the place...
Norali Says: Just look at those pictures ! Snapped while having a tiny digestive stroll at Le Kavitaha domain. Looking onto the water, under the shade, al fresco lunch tables....This blue of the water surface, soothing !Calm after the storm... Appreciated even more those fast rides on...
Norali Says: To experience the Farihy Itasy at fullest... many possibilities either indulge into some fishing activity, either stroll along the dirt paths looking onto the lake, the mountains, the islets.Many islets had "grown" on the big surface.You could hire services of a local...
Norali Says: Aaaah! the joys of rushed journey!At least I could take unusual pics, snapped at Fast & Furious speed!Wait! this used to be a tarred road. Uncontrary to the perfectly tarred Tana-Ampefy main liaison, the roads to Itasy sites of interest (the waterfalls, the geysers, the...
Norali Says: Aaaah! more than the Liliha watefalls, the Amparaky geysers were a long waited curiosity. I think one reason is my fascination about the ephemeral aspect of geyser. As I could understand, geysers exist thanks to a volcano activity underneath. Now, my all-time fascination was...
Norali Says: Everywhere, papaya! On cultivated soil, between rocks & in the wilds, on stalls, on menus...I've never seen papaya trees plantations. Pineapple, yes. Litchi, yes. Apple, Peach, Grape, Orange, Tangerine, Banana... Approaching Analavory, we saw papaya stalls along the road. We...
Norali Says: Sites of interest in Itasy area... It's so unbelieveble, funny that all of them were located 4-5 km off main arterias. There should have been great hikes, either to reach the geysers (through papaya fields!), either to reach & climb Ilôt de la Vierge (one of Itasy Lake...
Norali Says: --work under progress-- With the flocks the site could count, how comes I haven't seen anyone indulging i the joys of watersport ? Ok, one member of the staff who keeps the site clean advised us to return in February as then we'll surely see the water curtain. Maybe then...
The journey to the Itasy waters
That could sum up the pitch for this Malagasy destination in the Moyen-Ouest part (Middle-West) of Madagascar. Water in the form of geyser springs in Amparaky; Itasy lake (the third biggest in...
People told me, that there were still crocodiles living in this lake. I did not see any. This was the view from the small hotel, where I stayed.
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