Andohahela National Park
The Andohahela National Park is located 40km north east of Fort Dauphin (Tolagnaro) on the national road RN13 direction Amboasary. The park covers an area of 76.020ha. The terrain is mostly mountainous with dense forest. In the east of the park the climate is hot and humid with an average temperature of 20-24°C and an annual rainfall of 1.000-2.000mm. In the west of the park the climate is hot and dry with an average temperature of 22-26°C and a rainfall of 600-800mm.
The Andohahela National Park was ranked Natural World Heritage of Atsinanana in 2007.
Location:
The Andohahela National Park is located in the extreme south east of Madagascar, in the Anosy region. It overlaps the two districts of Fort Dauphin and Amboasary South.
It spans from S 24°30' to S 25?02' and from E 46°32' to E 46?54'.
Area: 76.020ha
Altitude: 120 to 1.972m
How to get there:
By Road:
- From Antananarivo
- national road RN7 (direction Tulear)
- turn at Ihosy for the national road RN13
- turn at Amboasary for Ankazofotsy
- Ranomainty for Mangatsiaka
- Ankariera for Tsimelahy
- Manambaro for Malio
- and the provincial road RIP118 for Manangotry
Condition of road: secondary, accessible in all seasons. Approximate duration of the journey from Antananarivo: 3 days
From Tulear - turn at Andranovory for Amboasary
By Taxi Brousse:
- First stretch: to Fort Dauphin
- Antananarivo - Fort Dauphin: Monday, Thursday and Saturday
- Tulear - Fort Dauphin: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
Second stretch: from Fort Dauphin - to Ambatoabo or Ankariera (every Tuesday), then walking from Ankariera to Tsimelahy (8km)
- to Amboasary, then walking from Ranomainty to Mangatsiaka (4km)
- to Manambaro, down to the bridge in Manambaro and then walking to Malio (13km)
By Plane:
Air Madagascar to Fort Dauphin from Antananarivo or Tulear.
Climate:
There are 3 important climate zones in the park.
The eastern slopes of the Anosy mountain range are part of the climate of the eastern region of Madagascar, which is hot and humid with an annual rainfall of 1.500-2.000mm.
The driest climate is on the western slopes, here the dry season lasts 7 to 8 months. The rainfall does not exceed 600mm, most falling in January to February.
The climate of the forest area is a mixture of the first 2 extreme climates with an annual rainfall of 700-800mm.
Relief:
The park is divided into 3 sections.
Section I is characterised by the highest mountains. 5 peaks are more than 1.500m high, the highest reaches 1.972m. Section II covers the limestone plateau, which lies south of the river Mananara. The altitude is between 120 and 1006m, the highest peak overlooks a series of mountain ranges. Section III is the smallest and lies at an intermediate level.
Hydrography:
Most of the waters which rise in Section I are constant, particularly those in the west. The Mandrare River and the Mananara River are the two main rivers in this section.