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Belo-sur-Mer
Wooden hull in the boatyard, among the coconut palms on the beachBeach, calm water and a mangrove islet in the Belo-sur-Mer lagoonTwo fishing boats on calm water at dawn
Madagascar · West coast

Belo-sur-Mer

Discover. Respect. Preserve.

Discover BeloGetting there

Photos: Terpsichores (CC BY-SA 3.0), Terpsichores (CC BY-SA 3.0), Cactus0625 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Tonga soa

Welcome to Belo-sur-Mer

On the west coast of Madagascar, a Vezo fishing village between lagoon, mangroves and the Mozambique Channel. Schooners are still built by hand here, at the heart of a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

  • 2016year the Belo-sur-Mer – Kirindy-Mite UNESCO biosphere reserve was designatedSource: UNESCO
  • 90–100 kmapproximately, by track from Morondava. Or by sea.Source: Local hosts and operators
  • 19,140young mangrove trees planted in November 2024 to restore the mangrovesSource: WWF Madagascar
Follow your interests

Where to start?

Blue-hulled dhow, a traditional sailing boat, at anchor at Belo-sur-Mer
Maritime heritage

Schooners, built by hand on the beach

Frame after frame, wooden hulls take shape on the sand. For more than a century, Vezo families in Belo have built schooners, a craft inherited from Breton shipwrights who came from Réunion.

Read their story

Photo: krishna naudin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Getting to Belo

The journey is part of the adventure

Belo-sur-Mer is reached from Morondava, by track or by sea. Routes, seasons and advice: everything we have been able to verify.

  • By trackBy 4x4, in the dry season.
  • By seaBy motorboat, motorised pirogue or sail, weather permitting.
Plan the journey
Journal

Stories and news

All Journal stories
Our approach

Three words, one promise

  1. Discover

    Give travellers useful, verified and up-to-date information to plan their visit with confidence.

  2. Respect

    Tell Belo’s story with its people, not for them, respecting traditions and everyone’s privacy.

  3. Preserve

    Encourage low-impact tourism that protects the sea, the mangroves and wildlife.

Do you live in Belo, or have you visited?

Residents, guides, hosts, associations, travellers: your photos, stories and knowledge will make this website.

Coming soon · How to contribute
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  • Nothing is published without review
  • Withdraw your content at any time