Taolagnaro

Taolagnaro, or Tolagnaro (also known by its French name Fort Dauphin) is a city in the Toliara Province of Madagascar. It was the first permanent French settlement in Madagascar.

Get in

While connected to other cities by road, the road conditions are so poor that most visitors will arrive on an Air Madagascar flight from either Toliara or Antananarivo.

• Tolagnaro Airport (FTU  ^IATA, also known as Marillac Airport). Madagascar Airlines has a daily flight from Antananarivo (TNR), and a weekly flight from Toliara (TLE). Air Austral operates flights from Reunion. (updated May 2023)

Sleep

• 1 La Croix du Sud. An upscale hotel with 32 rooms. This hotel is probably the nicest in town, although it does not have its own restaurant - the restaurant at the Dauphin Hotel is the suggested option and located less than a block away. There is a cafe available in the hotel for coffee and snacks. 
• 2 Le Dauphin. Hotel with 25 rooms/bungalows. It is owned by the same people as the Croix du Sud but is older and a bit more run down. Rooms have air conditioning, and the hotel offers free wi-fi. The restaurant serves good French colonial fare and has an attentive and friendly staff. 50€ per night for two people. 

Go next

• Berenty Reserve is a 1000 ha private reserve located 86 km west of Taolagnaro. It is one of the premier tourist destinations in Madagascar as it has been protected for over forty years and is home to six species of lemur, the south's largest colony of fruit bats, and 103 bird species. You must make arrangements to visit ahead of time, and the single lodge is often fully booked months in advance.