Mankara & the Pangalanes Canal Safari Trips & Tours

Mankara & the Pangalanes Canal Safari Trips & Tours

Drift along the world’s longest canal, get your thrills on the steepest railway, and discover the secrets of Mankara.

If Madagascar’s wild, rugged and incomparably diverse south-eastern coastline is in your sights, add the Pangalanes Canal to your list. A series of man-made channels that run parallel to the Indian Ocean all the way from Tamatave to Farafangana, the whole thing is a staggering 600 kilometres making it factually the longest canal in the world. But simple tourist attraction it is not: the waterways dominate daily life in this part of Madagascar and as you cruise, it will be alongside fishermen touting their wares, laden pirogues, and the Betsimisaraka villages that line the banks. Explore from Manakara, a pretty colonial town, or one of the surrounding hotels, and combine canal-floating with palm-lined beaches, a spot of cycling, or even a trip on the mystery-shrouded Fianarantsoa-Manakara railway line.