Tana, as the capital is universally known, is all about eating, shopping, history and day trips. The town centre itself, with its pollution and dreadful traffic, puts off many travellers from staying, but bypassing the capital altogether would be a mistake: Tana has been the home of Malagasy power for three centuries and there is …
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Madagascar’s second-largest city, Fianarant- soa (Fi-a-nar-ant-soo, or Fianar for short) is like a mild version of Tana. Surrounded by hills, it is both a regional commercial, administrative and religious center, and a major transit point. Tourists typically come here to spend the night on their way to Ranomafana or Isalo. The Haute-Ville is the most …
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Morondava is a terminally laid-back seaside town with sandy streets and gently decaying clapboard houses. There is not much to do or see in the town itself, and most people come here on their way to/from Parc National des Tsingy de Bemaraha or Réserve Forestière de Kirindy. It’s also the starting point for the gruelling …
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Isalo is about 14 hours non-stop drive from the capital Antananarivo. But on our itinerary, we had spent a few nights along the way in Antsirabe, Ramonafana and Fianarantsoa before arriving at Isalo National Park. Isalo is like a museum dedicated to the art of the desert canyon: canyons full of yellow savannah grass, bone-dry …
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Ranomafana appears after a fantastic entrance through a dry rocky valley spotted with two-storey highlands houses. After a long day’s travel, it feels like you have reached a mysterious island. The air is fresh and cool, and the nearby presence of the forest, with all of its strange sounds, is alluring. ‘Ranomafana’ which translates to …
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