Ihosy

Ihosy is a town of 283,000 people (2015) on the Ihosy River in Toliara Province of Madagascar.

Understand

There's not much reason to stop in Ihosy, except that it's last place to find a bank if traveling south to Isalo National Park. The Bank of Africa branch only accepts Visa.

Get in

It is crossed by the Route nationale 7 from the capital Antananarivo (600 km), Fianarantsoa (191 km) to Toliara (325 km) and startpoint of the Route nationale 13 to Tolagnaro and Route nationale 27 to Farafangana (271 km).

It has a regional airport: Ihosy Airport.

Do

• 1 The Isalo National Park (near Ihosy and Ranohira), ☏ +261 320940236. It is a sandstone landscape that has been dissected by wind and water erosion into rocky outcrops, plateaus, extensive plains and up to 200 m deep canyons. A local guide is required for visitors entering the park, and guides and porters can be hired in Ranohira. Treks in the park can last from several hours to a week or longer. The park includes several natural swimming pools which are popular among tourists, and are excellent sites to see the Benson's Rock Thrush. The main threat to this park comes from illegal wildfires set in the park. The wildfires limit the extent of forest and maximize grasslands used by cattle. Adult 60,000 AR, child 25,000 Ar. (updated Jul 2021)
• The caves of Andranomilitry (10 km from the city in direction of Toliara).