I having been living and doing research (on contemporary urbanization and migration) in the city of Tamatave since 2008, and thought I would send along some updates and new options for this under-appreciated city!

What to see and do in town:

The regional tourism office has a new website: http://tamatave-tourisme.com/ They are still located in the Blvd Joffre location as listed in the guidebook. Be sure to check in with them as there are several local festivals to the north and south of Tamatave that are well-worth a visit!

In addition to the items listed in the 10th edition of the guidebook, I would like to suggest the following:
- Alliance Francaise: 13 Blvd Paul Doumer, Tel 53 334 94 or 033 15 325 86 Email aftamve@moov.mg
They frequently hold concerts, art exhibitions, and lectures, have classes (French, dance, yoga, etc), and a book and media library which short-term travelers can borrow from for a small fee. There is also a buvette (snack bar) in the back, which has been amazingly decorated by a Belgian artist who has been living and working in Madagascar for over 20 years and merits a visit in itself!
- Musée du Port: located in the Ampasimazava neighborhood at the ending points of Blvd Ratsimalaho and Blvd d’Ivondro (also known as Route des Hydrocarbures) just inside the main port entrance. The museum exhibit details the history of Toamasina (the city and its port) as well as a small section devoted to local culture. Recommended for history buffs, due to an impressive collection of old black and white photos of Toamasina from the 1800s and 1900s.
- Historical Tour of Old Tamatave: A local historical society was created by Mme Francoise of Eastern Tours, in an effort to raise awareness and encourage protection of the city’s old buildings, many dating from the colonial era in the early 1900s. A historical tour can be done in two ways. Contact Mme Francoise directly for a guided tour by foot or cyclo-pousse (Tel 0321156631 or 5331579, Email fortin.chan@moov.mg). Or, buy a small guidebook at the Fakra bookstore or the regional tourism office (both on Blvd Joffre) for a self-guided tour.

Excursions out of town:
- Ile aux Prunes and other island adventures: Maitsomanga is a locally-operated company that organizes excursions to the nearby islands off the coast of Tamatave. The easiest island to reach is Ile Aux Prunes, just a 30-minute boat ride from the port, where you can snorkel, climb the lighthouse (the tallest in Africa!), observe the large fruit-bag colony, swim and picnic. From the end of June to mid September, whale-watching can also be arranged, which can be observed from the boat and the lighthouse. (You’d be amazed how many whales one can see so close to Madagascar’s biggest port!) Other islands to the south of Tamatave can also be visited: Ile aux Sables (1 hour), Nosy Dombala (1.5 hours), where the main attraction is snorkeling and swimming, as well as observation of birds that have taken over a small sandbar and grounded ship hull. Contact: Tel: 034 66 328 69 / 033 12 035 49 Email maitsomanga@gmail.com Website: https://sites.google.com/site/maitsomanga
(Note: the html link about this company in a previous post is incorrect!)

Getting Around:
Taxis should cost 3000 Ariary around town or 4000 Ariary if you go on a dirt/sand road (lalampasika) during the day. Rates for the evening will cost an additional 1000. Expect to pay more if you go to one of the beachside hotels in the north, or to the airport (or if you are exiting a fancy hotel or restaurant!)
Almost all people now use cyclo-pousse instead of the traditional hand-pulled pousse-pousse. A one-way trip will cost between 1000 and 2000 depending on how far you go.

Hotel/Restaurant:
- Hotel Melville (1784 Route Melville, Mangarivotra Nord on the road that goes to Tana) Tel 53 331 80 or 032 07 331 80 or 033 07 331 80 or 034 07 331 80 Email hotelmelville@orange.mg
A recently expanded and renovated hotel with rooms to cater to all budgets: 20000 Ariary for a room with a fan, hot water and no windows, up to 50000 Ariary for a room with satellite tv, A/C, hot water, and window. All rooms have private toilets. Some larger family-sized rooms. Some parking in front of the hotel (though not fenced in). Located on the grounf floor is a good-value restaurant with a mixture of Malagasy, Chinese, and International dishes. (The zebu tail with peanuts (rambonkena sy voanjo) is amazing!) There is also a small but neat cybercafé on the ground floor.

Shopping:
- Wu Chao Ying (Corner of Blvd Augagneur and , just up the street from the Alliance Francaise): Tel 53 923 08 Shown on the map in the guidebook but with no text description.
They have a large selection of food and drink similar to what you will find at Score or Shoprite, as well as various household and camping goods that may be useful for expeditions (snorkeling equipment, stoves and grills, flashlights, rain boots and jackets, etc).
- Score: In addition to the location on the Avenue de l’Independence, there is also another Score located in Bazar Kely just across the street from the Hotel de Police.

MR RAZAFIARISON, Marcel Yvon. I met Yvon while he was working at Hotel Soanambo on Ile Sainte-Marie. He was friendly, efficient and helpful. Yvon is starting his own tour guide company in Mahajanga. You can contact him on:
Email: razmaryvon@yahoo.fr
Phone: +261 33 23 043 95 / +261 34 64 483 07

In some places the Jirama is not able any more to supply electricity and sometimes water constantly. Frequent cuts can be observed in the suburbs of Tana and often even inside Tana, Ranohira had recently only 6 hours of electricity in 24 hours, Tulear has frequent and long cuts as well.
In a lot of places electricity is supplied only by generators anyway.