The Canal des Pangalanes is a channel of the East of Madagascar that connects Farafangana to Tamatave, a port city constituting its outlet.
The East Coast Madagascar is full of surprises. This part of the island being a wet region, it is full of rivers, lakes and marshland plains surrounded by a thousand and a rare plant, not found anywhere else. To discover these wonderful sights, just borrow the Canal des Pangalanes , a long channel of about 450 km that allows to pass from one coastal city to another.
A long canal
Originally, the Canal des Pangalanes has been developed to connect many villages in the middle of the forest and to allow the evacuation of export products such as vanilla, clover and coffee to coastal cities. Thanks to this river shaped by the hands of Man, rivers, lakes and marshland plains have become easily navigable. To discover picturesque hamlets buried in the middle of ravinala forest, paletuviers, pandanus and raphias is within reach of all.
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Hardscarf
A discovery circuit
Today, the Canal des Pangalanes connects the city of Mananjary located southeast of Madagascar to Toamasina, the first port of the great island. Over the water, the distance between these two towns is 450 km. With a speed of 10 km per hour, the journey on board a light boat (e.g., electric boat or motor boat) takes an average of 1 week. This river infrastructure allows passengers to admire the endemic fauna and flora of the region.
During a journey all along Canal des Pangalanes , it is common to see a sifaka (Lemurians) squid band and to discover some amazing orchid groves that make Madagascar famous. Accoster in the villages along the canal takes you to another world. Indigenous people are welcoming. They will not fail to sell you vanneries, necklaces or bracelets made with raphia beads or seafood for a bite of bread.
Main photo credit: Wikimedia – Hardscarf
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