The Southwest

The most exotic and famous part of Madagascar, offering a wide range of experiences on the RN7 highway.

Many visitors travel the entire length of National Route 7 (RN7) to Toliara, either by rental car or public transportation.

The first half is from the capital through the highlands and down to Ihosy. It is a pleasant journey, providing an excellent overview of the highlands and the Merina and Betsileo cultures, as well as spectacular scenery, particularly around Fianarantsoa.

The appeal of the RN7—aside from the fact that it is mostly in good condition—lies in the frequency and diversity of attractions and side trips scattered along its entire length.

By 4×4, the 926 km between Antananarivo and Toliara takes around 17 hours, but there is enough to see and do along the way to spend one, two, or even several weeks discovering it little by little.

The beaches near Toliara offer a relaxing end to the trip.

Once you arrive in Toliara, you have to be adventurous to take another route to Antananarivo. To avoid traveling back the way they came, most tourists with limited time take a flight.

This is the region of the thorny desert where strange cacti wave their prickly fingers at the sky, where fragments of elephant bird eggshells can still be found, and where the Mahafaly tribe erects its intriguing and often amusing aloalo steles above graves. It is also home to some of the country's most popular national parks and reserves, as well as its best beaches and coral reefs. It is no wonder that the south features on almost every tourist itinerary.

Traveling by road in the south can be difficult, but the RN7 to Toliara (Tuléar) is a good paved road. Only rough tracks connect Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin) to the rest of the country.

History

Europeans have been coming to this region since at least 1527, when a group of 600 Portuguese sailors were shipwrecked here. Later, when sailors deliberately landed in Madagascar during the spice trade era in the 16th and 17th centuries, Saint Augustine Bay, south of present-day Toliara, became a favorite destination. The Dutch and British came there to resupply, trading money and pearls for meat and fruit. An Englishman, Walter Hamond, was so captivated by the delights of Madagascar and the Malagasy people ("the happiest people in the world") that, spurred on by his enthusiasm, the British attempted to establish a colony in Saint Augustine Bay. The venture was not a success. The first 140 settlers were soon reduced to 60 by disease and murders perpetrated by local tribes, who became less happy when they discovered that their favorite pearls were no longer available for trade and that these vazaha showed no sign of disappearing. The settlers left in 1646. Fifty years later, the bay was a haven for pirates.

THE PEOPLE OF TODAY

Several ethnic groups live in the south: the Vezo (fishermen), the Mikea, and the Masikoro (pastoralists) are sub-clans of the Sakalava; the Mahafaly, the Antanosy, the Antandroy, and the Bara all have their homes in the interior of the country.

These southern Madagascans are robust people with dark skin and African features, accustomed to living in a region where it rarely rains and where finding water and pasture for their large herds of zebu cattle is a constant challenge.

The Bara, known for their association with cattle, are a warrior tribe who resisted Merina domination and were never truly subjugated until the French colonial era.

Cattle rustling is an ancient custom—traditionally, a Bara only becomes an adult once he has stolen a few cows from his neighbors.

Unlike the populations of the highlands, ancestors are often commemorated as individuals by many tribes in the south: a wealthy Mahafaly or Masikoro will see the highlights of his life perpetuated in the form of wooden sculptures (aloalo) and colorful paintings adorning his tomb.

Antandroy tombs can be just as colorful. They are large and rectangular and, like those of the Mahafaly, are topped with zebu skulls left over from the funeral feast; a very wealthy man may have more than a hundred of them. A very wealthy man may own more than a hundred. They usually feature standing stones (or, more recently, cement towers) for men and women on either side. Modern tombs may be painted in bright colors, but not necessarily with scenes from the life of the deceased.

In Antandroy country, burials sometimes take place months after the day of death, which is commemorated by the sacrifice of livestock and ritual mourning or lamentations. A few days later, the body is placed in the coffin and more zebu are sacrificed. Meanwhile, the final touches are made to the grave before the burial ceremony, which lasts two days or more. The grave is finally filled with stones and topped with the horns of the sacrificed zebus. The deceased's house is then burned to ashes. Once the burial ceremonies are over, the family will no longer approach the grave.

The Antanosy have standing stones, cement obelisks, or beautifully carved wooden memorials. However, these are not found on the graves themselves, but in a sacred and secret place located elsewhere.