In the village of Soatanana, just 38km from Ambositra, you can discover a village specialised in the spinning and weaving of wild silk, using the traditional methods, with a beautiful result.
Home to the only remaining natural forest of the Highlands, this region has the greatest surface area of Tapia forest in Madagascar and it is this that is the staple diet of the wild silkworm. Both of these are endemic to Madagascar, so this is your only opportunity to see all the stages of production, from cocoon to weaving, with Feedback Madagascar’s project to reintroduce the wild silkworm, which had disappeared from these Tapia forests and our support for the weaver’s union ‘Tambatra’.
A tour of this area takes a day, to visit the villages of Antapia and Soatanana, but there are plenty of options for homestays for those who truly want to immerse themselves and discover what it is like to live in a rural Malagasy village.
Please contact us for more information at nytk.tnr@gmail.com or call us in Antananarivo on (00 261) 20 22 638 11.
If you need more persuading, here is more information on our silk project, as filmed by the BBC:
Home to the only remaining natural forest of the Highlands, this region has the greatest surface area of Tapia forest in Madagascar and it is this that is the staple diet of the wild silkworm. Both of these are endemic to Madagascar, so this is your only opportunity to see all the stages of production, from cocoon to weaving, with Feedback Madagascar’s project to reintroduce the wild silkworm, which had disappeared from these Tapia forests and our support for the weaver’s union ‘Tambatra’.
A tour of this area takes a day, to visit the villages of Antapia and Soatanana, but there are plenty of options for homestays for those who truly want to immerse themselves and discover what it is like to live in a rural Malagasy village.
Please contact us for more information at nytk.tnr@gmail.com or call us in Antananarivo on (00 261) 20 22 638 11.
If you need more persuading, here is more information on our silk project, as filmed by the BBC: