Anjajavy Le Lodge stands beside the beach at the end of a peninsula that extends into a wide bay in the Mozambique Channel. It is a remote and exceptionally beautiful coast, with sandy coves and turquoise waters, and at Anjajavy it borders a superb dry forest reserve protecting a host of unique wildlife.
The 24 air-conditioned, two-storey villas are built of local rosewood and roofed with satrana leaves. Each is equipped with a large bed, sitting area, breakfast corner, bathroom with oversize bath and shower and separate w.c. Upstairs is another room with two single beds whuich are perfect for children, plenty more storage space and a work surface. Amenities include tea/coffee facilities, a fridge, a safe and a variety of lighting.
French windows open onto a large sea-facing verandah, furnished with armchairs and a hammock from which you can watch the lemurs in the trees or the fishing pirogues on the ocean. Notwithstanding the isolated location, this is probably the most comfortable accommodation in Madagascar.
The main lodge houses a comfortable lounge, the bar and billiards table, the television room and the main restaurant, though many meals are taken outside, on the decked area that runs the length of the main building. (Please note that a supplement has been introduced for gluten-free meals: €15 per person per day; 2017 update). The main building looks out across the lawn, usually littered with endemic birds, to the 200 m2 pool and the Indian Ocean beyond. When we last visited, the boutique stocked a range of essentials, both traditional and contemporary Malagasy crafts, and a line of resort wear.
The pool has a large sun-deck, with sun-beds and parasols. The long, sandy beach in front of the villas is for swimming and relaxation; deck-chairs and shades are provided at discrete intervals.
A second beach is geared towards watersports, which preserves the tranquillity of the villas and the beach in front of them. The marina is a short walk from the lodge – or you can get a lift.
Anjajavy Reserve is a spectacular example of privately protected dry deciduous forest and contains Coquerel's sifaka, various mouse lemurs, the critically endangered Madagascar fish eagle and chameleons, to name but a few. Wildlife, birding and night walks are a highlight of a stay at Anjajavy, as is its 'Valley of Baobabs'.
Complimentary watersports include catamarans, windsurfing, canoes and snorkelling. Land-based sports include: volleyball, table tennis, badminton, billiards and boules. Mountain bikes are available.
The lodge caters for big game and fly fishing (payable locally). You can walk through the mangrove at low tide; through the forest, populated by Coquerel's sifakas and a variety of bird species; to the Sakalava fishing villages of Ambondro Ampassy or Anjajavy; to the enormous baobab; or explore the numerous small coves. You can feel secure - there are no dangerous or venomous creatures to worry you.
You can observe the wildlife virtually without effort. Each day, a troupe of Coquerel's sifaka comes to a tree just metres from the beach. Brown lemurs often join in. At night, you can spot more than one species of mouse lemur in the beam of your torch. There are flocks of Grey-headed love-birds, Crested couas, Sickle-billed vangas, Vasa parrots, and so on. We can provide a species list of birds and mammals at Anjajavy.
There is a low-key programme of activities, including aquagym, village visits, guided walks in the reserve, boat excursions to the Bay of Moromba (payable locally; €65 per person; the boat may be shared with other guests). and the 'Garçonnière des Dieux', or a sunset cruise in the mangroves.
The hotel welcomes children of all ages although parents should be aware that the pool is not fenced off. A children’s programme is offered over the Christmas holidays and in August, and the chef is happy to arrange specific menus for children year-round.
The private airline, Madagascar Trans Air, provides air transfers from Antananarivo three times each week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays both ways). Special air transfers can usually be arranged on other days at a higher price.
Please note that checked baggage is restricted to maximum 15kg per passenger with 5kg hand luggage. Bags must have soft/pliable tops.
Anjajavy Le Lodge has long supported and continues to work closely with, the NGO Ecole du Monde. The aim of the hotel's community project is to promote sustainable development at four remote villages in the area. This is achieved by means of development of micro-businesses of which residents of two villages i.e. Anjajavy and Ambondro-Ampasy are the primary stakeholders. Community projects focus on diverse areas: fishing (purchasing of canoes, nets and fish-drying equipment), agriculture (purchasing of grain and fertilizer, livestock and assistance with beekeeping), handicrafts, shops and marine transportation (purchasing of dhows enabling villagers to trade with Mahajanga, the provincial capital and country's second port).
These projects are funded by donations from guests and by the hotel. Anjajavy Le Lodge actively contributes to ongoing action aimed at slowing deforestation and controlling of forest fires.
In 2010 and 2011 the hotel assisted significantly with extinguishing two extensive forest fires - 12 000 indigenous saplings from its tree nursery were planted as part of a reforestation scheme which is being carried out in collaboration with the NGO "Man and Environment" (MATE). It was then expanded again substantially in early 2018.