5 caves · down to 50 m
Cave diving in Southwest Madagascar
- Caves5
- Max depth50 m
- Dive centres1
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Why come here
On the dry limestone plateau of southwest Madagascar, among baobabs and spiny forest, lie flooded caves that have only been explored since 2013. Malazamanga has chambers over 200 m wide, Anjanamba is kilometres long with no real main passage, and Aven and Mitoho hold fossils of giant lemurs, elephant birds and an extinct fossa. It is remote expedition diving: long days, tight restrictions in sidemount, bring everything yourself, and in the Mikea Forest a ritual by the village chief first. Visiting divers go there with an organised expedition, with a full cave certification and cave deco.
Don't miss
- Malazamanga: Beyond a muddy pool and a tight restriction a series of huge chambers, one of them over 200 m wide.
- Anjanamba: A sacred cave in the Mikea Forest with the huge, crystal-clear Fahazoa Hall.
On a rest day
- Anakao and Nosy Ve: From Anakao you visit the islands off the coast, or go surfing, fishing or kitesurfing.
- Tsimanampetsotsa National Park: The park around the caves, with the ancient 'grandmother' baobab, ring-tailed lemurs and many birds.
All 5 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aven (Vintany)Permission neededEntry or dive feeNot known yet · Full cave | – | Not known yet | Full cave |
| AndakatomivolaPermission neededNot known yet · Full cave | 22 m | Not known yet | Full cave |
| AnjanambaPermission neededSidemount · Full cave | – | Sidemount | Full cave |
| MalazamangaPermission neededEntry or dive feeSidemount · Full cave | 50 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| MitohoPermission neededEntry or dive feeSidemount · Full cave | 45 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Dive centres and fill stations
1 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Dive centre
Axolot Diving Expeditions
Calle Alamo, Tulum, Mexico
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Toliara (Tuléar) and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Access and rules
- Access: the caves in Tsimanampetsotsa National Park fall under Madagascar National Parks, which charges park fees. The caves in the Mikea Forest are sacred places: you need permission from the mayor and from the village chief, who performs a purification ritual before the diving. The MCDA has a coordination agreement with the government on safety, access and conservation.
Gas and fills
- Gas and gear: no public fill station found. The expeditions brought compressors and fuel; guideline can't be bought in Madagascar, so bring enough.
Getting around
- Travel: fly to Antananarivo and on to Toliara (936 km). For the caves in Tsimanampetsotsa: ~1.5 hours by boat to Anakao, then ~1.5 hours' drive. For the Mikea Forest: back to Toliara and ~7 hours' drive to Andavadoaka.
Rest day
- Rest day: around Anakao you can visit the islands (Nosy Ve), surf or fish; in the park you see the ancient 'grandmother' baobab and ring-tailed lemurs.
Good to know
- Read this first: the flooded caves of the Mahafaly plateau have only been explored since 2013, by the team of the Mahafaly Karst Exploration Project. Visiting divers come only with an organised expedition: Axolot Diving Expeditions (Tulum) goes there with one of the founders of the Madagascar Cave Diving Association (MCDA) and asks for a full cave sidemount certification and cave deco.
News
No recent news found about the caves in this region.
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