Madagascar’s southernmost tip, Cap Sainte Marie is a thought-provoking climax to the ‘eighth continent’, a stark and windswept place that, like so many places down here, feels like the end of the Earth. There's an 18-hectare reserve here, partly created to protect radiated and spider tortoises, which ends at some cliffs.
A small MNP office lets you know that you have arrived. Here you’ll need to pick up a park guide (Ar20,000). A further drive takes you to the edge of the cliffs, where there is a lighthouse complex, a religious statue and, if you’re timing is right, a memorable sunset beneath a huge sky. Whales are also often visible offshore between July and November. A longer circuit takes you to a beach strewn with the eggshell fragments of the extinct elephant bird, Aepyornis .
There are no hotels, but camping (sites Ar15,000) can be arranged at the park office. Otherwise the nearest accommodation is in Lavanono, a two-hour journey by 4WD.
