The local buses from Antananarivo to Andisabe National Park leave from Ampasampito Bus Station (Gare Routiére Ampasampito). This is located in the northeastern suburbs of the city, 5 km from the city center, along the N2 main road connecting the capital to Toamasina. The station’s exact coordinates are 18.8938, 47.5488 and here it is on Google Maps. There surely must be … [Read more...]
Ampefy: A Scenic Mountain Village in the Highlands of Madagascar
Ampefy is a picturesque, peaceful village located at an altitude of 1200 meters in the highlands of central Madagascar. Due to its cool climate, scenic landscapes, and its vicinity to Antananarivo, it is a favorite holiday destination for locals and foreigners alike. Following a 16-day road trip in southern Madagascar, we too chose Ampefy as a calm place to settle in and rest … [Read more...]
Anakao, Nosy Ve – Madagascar Road Trip #6
After two days in Toilara and Ifaty, it was time for a break from our southern Madagascar road trip and a proper pre-Christmas beach holiday in Anakao. This is a detached, 7,000-people village located on the barren coast south of the mouth of Onilahy River. Its inhabitants traditionally have subsisted on little else than fishing, but since recently they’ve begun throwing … [Read more...]
Toliara, Ifaty Beach – Madagascar Road Trip #5
After Isalo National Park, the next destination of our Madagascar road trip was the city of Toliara, also commonly referred to by its French transcription of Tulear. With a population of 170,000, this is the largest city in southern Madagascar and the sixth-largest in the country as a whole. Located on the island’s southwest coast, it is noted for its exotic, sun-struck … [Read more...]
Isalo National Park – Madagascar Road Trip #4
The Isalo National Park, established in 1962, two years after the county’s independence, is the second-oldest national park in Madagascar. It covers 815 square kilometers (roughly half the area of greater London), ranging from 500 to 1300 meters of elevation, and is situated in the province of Fianarantsoa in the island’s south. It consists of a 250-million-year-old (five times … [Read more...]
Ranomafana National Park – Madagascar Road Trip #3
Ranomafana National Park is one of Madagascar’s oldest and most visited nature reserves. It covers 161 square miles of pristine tropical rainforest at an average elevation of 1000 meters in Madagascar’s central highlands. It is accessed from the homonymous village of Ranomafana which can be reached within a long day’s drive from Antananarivo. It was established in 1991 … [Read more...]
Morondava, Avenue of Baobabs, Betania – Madagascar Road Trip #2
After Antsirabe, the second chapter of our 2023 road trip in southern Madagascar was to take place in Morondava: the capital city of Menabe Region in the country’s central-western coast. Besides its scenic tropical beaches and cultural significance, the city is principally visited as the gateway to the world-famous, nearby natural wonder of the Avenue of Baobabs. The drive … [Read more...]
Antsirabe – Madagascar Road Trip #1
Antsirabe, with a population of roughly 400,000, is the third-largest city in Madagascar. Its name translates to the place of much salt. Owing to the numerous thermal springs and freshwater sources in its vicinity, it also goes by the nickname the City of Water. It is known for its cultural diversity (a melting pot of Malagasy tribes) and its immense fleet of human-powered … [Read more...]
Extending Madagascar Tourist Visa in Antananarivo
I landed in Antananarivo one afternoon in the late autumn of 2023, one day before my girlfriend, Sophie, arrived on a separate flight. Our plan was to spend in Madagascar the better part of the upcoming north winter. Of what little we had researched in advance, doing this would require a visa extension. All resources we had read, official or unofficial, outlined the same … [Read more...]
