Travel Plans October 2011
East of Tana along the RN2 direction Tamatave
- located 48km from Tana
- Manja Hotel with basic rooms
- bank, hospital
- road splits to Mantasoa and Lake Mantasoa
- located 65km from Tana (about 3 hours, 1,5 hours from the road to Tana)
- on the shore of the artificial Lake Mantasoa (suitable for swimming, water sports, fishing)
- Jean Laborde
- very nice walking area
- various hotels
- www.mantasoa.com in French
- located 61km from Tana
- Malagasy-run wooden bungalows
- popular amongst locals from Tana
- hiking
- 22 431 27 mandrakapark@moov.mg
- also called Mandraka Reptile Farm
- located 72km from Tana
- small zoo with reptiles, crocodiles, butterflies, mammals
- pets live in not so good conditions
- restaurant, mid-range en-suite rooms
- opening times: 7am - 5pm, entrance fee 10,000 Ariary, guide 2,000 Ariary for zoo, guide 6,000 Airary zoo and lemurs
- 22 321 01 or 032 04 108 87
- means "cheap mangoes"
- taxi-brousse from Tana (5,000 Ariary) takes about 3 hours
- train leaves on Monday and Thursday direction Tamatave and returns on Wednesday and Saturday
- several hotels and restaurants, bank, post-office, internet-cafes
- attractions include a mausoleum and police museum (police history, guns, cannons, murder weapons)
- roads split to the north direction Lake Alaotra (RN44)
- about 3,5 hours from Tana and 2km from RN2
- recommended to take the taxi-brousse from Tana to Moramanga (5,000 Ariary) and from there to Andasibe
- train from Moramanga takes 45 minutes (1,800 Ariary)
- small village, except a post office is nothing there (no bank, no internet)
- several hotels from low to hight end
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
- Analamazaotra Forest and Mantadia form the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
- believed to be Madagascar's most popular reserve
- open from 6am to 4pm
- entrance fee 10,000 Ariary, guides start at 15,000 Ariary (hours)
- Association Mitsinjo (NGO) takes care of some of the Analamazaotra Forest - visits at a lower price than national park
- open from 7am to 5pm and 6.30pm to 9pm
- entrance fee including guide starting at 30,000 Ariary (2 hours)
- 56 832 33 or 033 14 474 89 and mitsinjo@hotmail.com
- Mitsinjo office on the left, thereafter park entrance to the right
- 20km north of Andasibe
- mainly untouched primary forest
- rough trails, more altitude than in Andasibe park
- problem: transport to park starts at 60,000 Ariary
- open from 6am to 4pm
- located 11km west of Andasibe
- 12,000ha reserve: marsh with forest and wetland
- golden mantella frogs, greater bamboo lemurs
- ideal for trekking
- 5 bungalows
- visits organised by Mitsinjo
- once deforested, now protected area
- wildlife as in Mantadia, cave
- visits organised at Andasibe park office
- 033 02 568 18 and gerp@moov.mg
- located 148km from Tana
- about 10km from Andasibe, walk to reserve takes about 45 minutes
- best place to observe reptiles and frogs (over 80 species)
- nice trekking (circuits from 2 to 12km)
- esential oil distillery www.huiles-essentielles-madagascar.com
- tree nursery
- simple accommodation (it is advised to prebook)
- 22 674 90 and vohimana@mate.mg
- ww.madagascar-environnement.com
- agro-ecology project to fight erosion
- 1-hour tour (terraces of fish ponds, rice fields with bamboo water pipe
- overnight visits possible, it is advised to reserve in advance with Mparany
- HBP@chemonics.mg or nyrapa@yahoo.fr
- means "hot water" in Malagasy
- located 214km from Tana
- natural hot springs, sacred by the locals
- located 227km from Tana
- 1,5 hours from Andasibe
- taxi-brousse station for buses going south
- basic accommodation
- also called Ampasimanolotra
- located 257km from Tana, 104km from Tamatave
- centre of sugarcane and citrus production
- a few hotels, although not the best
- located 11km from Brickaville, 7km of which are very bad condition
- no public transport, best to walk from Ambila along the coast to Manambato
- very beautiful lakeside resort
- Lake Rasoabe (part of the Pangalanes)
- few hotels facing the lake (Luigi)
- white sand beach