Toamasina

Toamasina, still widely called Tamatave, handles most of Madagascar's sea freight and is the country's second city, laid out on a flat spit with broad avenues under flamboyant trees, colonial buildings in various states, and cycle rickshaws everywhere. The Bazary Be is the market to see, stacked with vanilla, cloves, pepper, coffee and the produce of the east coast, and the smell of it is the city's signature. A seafront boulevard runs along the ocean, though the beach in town is not for swimming because of sharks and pollution. The city has been hit repeatedly by cyclones, which is visible in the buildings. It is a working port rather than a tourist town, and most travellers pass through on the way to Sainte-Marie or the Pangalanes.

What you actually see

• Bazary Be market - vanilla, cloves and pepper in bulk.
• The seafront boulevard - the ocean promenade under flamboyant trees.
• Pousse-pousse - rickshaws as everyday transport.
• Port activity - the country's main freight harbour at work.

When to go

April to November avoids the worst rain and the cyclone season. The city is hot and humid year round. Market mornings are the best time for the Bazary Be.

Honest expectations

Do not swim off the city beaches: sharks and water quality both make it unwise. The city is run-down in parts and there is little in the way of conventional sights. Street crime is a concern after dark. Cyclone damage is visible and repairs are slow.

Nearby

Foulpointe lies north; the Pangalanes canal runs south.