Salary Bay

Salary is a long crescent of white sand on the Vezo coast, sheltered by the barrier reef that runs the length of southwestern Madagascar, and the water in the lagoon is shallow, warm and clear. There is a fishing village and a small number of lodges spread widely apart, and essentially nothing else: no road worth the name, no shops, no power grid. The reef offshore is reachable by pirogue and the diving and snorkelling are the main organised activity, along with kitesurfing when the wind sets in. Spiny forest and baobabs come down almost to the beach behind. Getting here means three to five hours on a sand track from Tulear in a four-wheel drive, or a boat transfer, which is why the beach stays empty.

What you actually see

• The lagoon beach - a long crescent of white sand and shallow water.
• Barrier reef - snorkelling and diving reached by pirogue.
• Spiny forest behind - baobabs and thorn scrub at the beach edge.
• Vezo fishing village - the working community along the shore.

When to go

April to November. Wind builds in the afternoons through the dry season, which suits kitesurfing and cools the beach. Cyclone season from December to March closes the track and the lodges.

Honest expectations

The journey is long and hard: hours of deep sand needing a proper vehicle and driver. Lodges run on generators and solar with limited hours. There is no shop, no ATM and no medical facility. Choice of food is whatever the lodge has. That isolation is the point, but it has to be planned for.

Nearby

Andavadoaka lies north; Toliara is south.