For the last few years it has been getting harder and harder to find decent reasonably priced accommodation in Anakao so in 2018 we decided to take the leap and set up our own new basecamp hotel that could provide us with the services we need to cater for our surfing clientel. Mada Surf Ranch is ideally located around 200m to the north of the main Anakao fishing village and right in front of the legendary Nosy Vé Island home to the world class wave of Flameballs. The hotel hosts a chill out lounge and bar right on the beach and a large restaurant and dining area with breathtaking views over the Anakao lagoon and mindblowing sunsets over Nosy Vé. The restaurant proposes fresh seafood straight off the boat daily and for the affamished surfer we also have a selection of Hamburgers, Paninis and Pizzas to quench even the hungriest of appetites!
The hotel has three large family bungalows right on the beachfront and another five double bungalows in the garden area with a backpackers dormitory out the back for budget travellers. All rooms are equipped with private bathroom and toilet and each evening the hotel staff delivers a bucket of hot Katrafay water to our guests so that they may enjoy a soothing therapeutic shower. The hotel is also equipped with two independant solar power systems the first to assure lighting 24/24 and the main system for the bar, kitchen, restaurant, and power banks for recharging telephones, cameras and computers etc. We also have unlimited WiFi in the chill out lounge and bar to ensure our clients get their daily fix ! For travelling surfers we also have a large range of surfboards and wetsuits available for rent and sell a range of waxes and other miscellaneous merchandise to get you through the day. Although the hotel was primarily set up to cater for our surfing guests it has also become very popular with a wide range of travellers and is fast becoming the place to be in Anakao!
Surfing With The Green Team …
In April 2020 at the very beginning of the Covid Crisis Madagascar had just firmly closed it’s borders to all foreigners and the hotel in Anakao was completely empty so me and Ed decided to make the most of it and teach my little sister in law Bella and Josh’s Nanny Andrea to surf on the little beachie in front of the hotel. On arrival there was a bunch of little grommie chicks surfing on old pieces of broken pirogue and the girls quickly became friendly with them so after the surf we invited them back to the lodge and told them that we had plenty of spare boards they could borrow so they all ended up becoming best of friends and basically surfing together every other day. After several months of intensive training at the SuperBank we ended up taking them all out to Jelly Babies for their first outer reef session and not long after we started introducing them to competition with little Mary (pictured on day one) taking out the first ever Anakao Ampela Pro then backing it up a few months later with a win in the regional titles then 18 months later she went on to win the first ever Madagascar National Surfing Championships! Since then the girls have all progressed enormously and we’ve even taken them surfing at more notorious waves such as Flameballs, Pousse Pousse, Outers, Inners and Secrets to hone in their skills and as of recently the best up and coming Juniors in Anakao have also joined « The Green Team » and they’re currently surfing harder than ever before in preparation for the next National Surfing Titles and am pretty sure that we have a couple of future champions in our midst! So if you’re keen to mix it up with the local Groms book yourself a seat on The Gash Pack Tour or grab a room at the lodge and get ready to share a few hoots and howls out in the water with the all inspiring Green Team!
Although the Gash Pack Tour is without a doubt the best way of optomising your potential surfing time it does remain more suited to the hardcore surf adventurer in search of scoring the best available waves each and every day. For more casual surfers or even moreso for families just wanting to chill out and relax the lodge is probably a better fit as getting up for the dawny each morning and moving from village to village every few days isn’t everybodies cup of tea! For those wanting to just take it easy we also offer a range of surfing packages including board rental, surf transfers, lessons and B&B, half and full board options. For non surfing guests we can also organise snorkelling, whalewatching, and island excursion tours and for the more nature orientated traveller day trips to Lake Tsimanampetsotsa to visit the underwater caves. In any case if you are interested in one of our surfing packages don’t hesitate to send us an email!
MADA SURF RANCH SURF EAT SLEEP REPEAT PACKAGE
- 07 nights accommodation in twin, triple or family bungalow with ensuite bathroom
- Continental breakfast daily and a choice of main course for either lunch or dinner
- Surfboard rental for duration of stay
- Daily surf transfer to either Jelly Babies or Flameballs in fibreglass pirogue with outboard motor
- Travel assistance with transfers and hotels in Antananarivo and Toliara to Anakao
NOT INCLUDED IN PACKAGE
- Transfers to or from Anakao
- Unlimited surfing transfers
- Surf lessons or coaching
- Lobster, entrées, desserts or drinks
245€00 per person per week. Extra days 35€
Client Feedback
Mada Surf Ranch and The Green Team Grommets absolutely rule! We stayed for two weeks and surfed every other day with the local village kids who Blair and Ed coach it was a real fun experience surfing with them and sharing their stoke every time we hit the water! The hotel is set right on the beach with the best sunsets you will ever see and the food is excellent with a lot of choice. The bungalows are basic Robinson Crusoe style but clean and comfortable and I reckon value for money it’s definitely the best hotel in Anakao and has a really good vibe about the place super friendly and laid back! Big thanks to Blair, the staff and all the groms for making our stay so enjoyable we’ll definitely be back!
Jack and Emily, California, USA – August 2o22
