Toamasina

Toamasina is a port city of approximately 145,000 on the east coast of Madagascar. It is still commonly called Tamatave, which was its official name until 1977.

Get in

By plane

• Air Austral from Saint-Denis de la Reunion.

(You can use Air Austral to go via Reunion and Mauritius to Nosy Be.)

• Air Madagascar & Tsaradia airlines Avenue De Independence. from Antananarivo and Sainte-Marie.
• Madagasikara Airways from Antananarivo and Sainte-Marie.

By car

• From Antananarivo to Toamasina is 355 km, which takes six hours by car.

By bus

• Cotisse Transport to and from Antananarivo, (9 hours) 7 trips a day. from 20,000Ar. Clean buses with free wifi.

By boat

Get around

See

Do

Canal des Pangalanes. There are overnight trips on this amazing man-made and natural canal that effectively extends half way down the east coast of Madagascar. Ask at the Hotel Joffre or the travel agents nearby. The boat service is run by a French man who only runs services when there is sufficient clientele.

Buy

Banks & ATMs

• BFV-SG. Avenue De L'Independance. 24 hour ATMs take most international cards.
• MCB. Boulevard Joffre. 24 hour ATM takes most international cards.
• BOMI.Boulevard Joffre. ATMs take only Visa card.
• BOA. Boulevard Augagneur. ATMs take only Visa card.
• BNI. Boulevard Joffre. 24 hour ATMs take Mastercard and Visa card.

Supermarkets

• Shoprite supermarket, Fokontany 23/41. 08:00-20:00. Large supermarket chain part of Shoprite South Africa. lowest prices of the big supermarket chains in Madagascar. (updated Mar 2018)
• Score supermarkets, Boulevard Augagneur. 08:00-20:00. There are two score supermarkets in Toamasina. (updated Mar 2018)
• Leader Price Supermarket, Rue Flacourt. 09:00-21:00. many imported goods from France. Higher prices. good quality. (updated Apr 2018)
• Supermaki has two stores in toamasina. Ankirihiry and Morafeno.

Eat

Budget

• LA Terrasse Bar and restaurant. Good priced food and drinks.

Mid-range

Splurge

Drink

• Sarkis Bar, Boulevard De La Liberation. (updated Dec 2018)
• Queens Disco & bar, Boulevard De La Liberation. Sells pizza. Free wifi. (updated Dec 2018)

Sleep

Budget

• Hotel Plage, Boulevard De La Liberation, ☎ [phone]. Large double room with own bathroom 35,000Ar. near many bars and a 5 minute walk to the beach. 
• Melville Hotel. A 60 room hotel on the Melville Boulevard. Air conditioning and hot water available. from (25,000-65,000) Ar per night). cable TV. Free Wifi. Only thing is it is far from downtown. 
• Centre Lambahoany, Boulevard da la Liberte 12-47. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 12:00. Single/double room with own bathroom. from 45,000 Ar. (updated Mar 2018)
• Hotel Les Flamboyants, Rue de La Liberation., ☎ [phone], [phone]. Nice size clean air con double room with own hot water bathroom. Balcony over looking the city. Cable TV. Free Wifi 60.000Ar also has fan double rooms for 45,000Ar. (updated Dec 2018)
• JRJ Hotel, En Face De L'eglise Fjkm Betela Bazarikely, ☎ [phone]. Air con double room with hot water bathroom. Cable TV. Wifi. From 41,000Ar. Fan double with own bathroom 31,000Ar. (updated Dec 2018)
• Hotel Mahatoky, Immeuble Mahatoky, Boulevard De La Liberte 12/13. Clean double rooms with or without own bathroom 20,000/25,000. Has nets in all rooms. (updated Dec 2018)

Mid-range

• Hotel Joffre, 18 Bd Joffre,, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Hotel Joffre is an excellent mid-range hotel. Classic old-style fully renovated hotel in downtown with excellent French restaurant. Try to get the 1st floor rooms - the top floor rooms get very hot through sun on the roof. Old wing: double 122 500 Ar, twin 137 500 Ar, family room 167 500 Ar, large family room 200 000 Ar; new wing: double 202 500 Ar, twin 217 500 Ar. (updated Nov 2017)

Splurge

Connect

• Telma (next to the post office) Avenue De Independent. has good 4G internet. 12Gb of data cost 75,000Ar good for 30days.most hotels now have free wifi.

Stay safe

Cope

Go next

• Antananarivo
• Reunion