15 PLACES TO VISIT IN MADAGASCAR

15 PLACES TO VISIT IN MADAGASCAR

Amazing Places to Visit in Madagascar

It is not in the top 10 most visited countries in Africa but Madagascar is close to be in the list. The country has gone quite popular to the tourists thanks to a cartoon hit of the same name and it features mostly African animals. But, if only people can be more open to African destinations, this country is well worth visiting. The national parks are well-maintained and almost all the attractions in this Madagascar travel guide are natural and scenic. Give it a go and you will not regret your decision.

1. Ambohimanga

Ambohimanga is a tourist destination and one of the places to visit in Madagascar. The place is a royal hill which is also known as a “rova” or a royal fortification structure. Its location is 24 kilometers away from the city center, the capital of Madagascar which is Antananarivo. The Ambohimanga Royal Hill is a very important cultural symbol for the Merina people of the Merina Kingdom and UNESCO has designated it as a World Heritage Site – Royal Hill of Ambohimanga.

2. Peyrieras Reptile Reserve

The Peyrieras Reptile Reserve is also called the Madagascar Exotic or the Peyrieras Nature Farm. This place is a privately owned zoo and was created by French entomologist Andre Peyrieras. From Antananarivo, you have to 75 kilometers east and travel time can be anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours depending upon the National Road N2 condition. It is a very popular tourist spot with lots of reptiles to display like the different kinds of chameleons, frogs, geckos, insects, snakes, and more.

3. Zahamena National Park

The country has many national parks and one of which that stands out among the rest is the Zahamena National Park. This park was launched back in 1997 with a total area of 423 square kilometers. The nearest city center to the Zahamena is Antanandava city. UNESCO took an interest on this park in 2007 and recognized the national park as a World Heritage Site. It has criteria of ix and x which by the way are the highest criteria when it comes to natural places

4. Rova of Antananarivo

If Ambohimanga has a rova, then, Antananarivo has one too and it was once the home of the royal family in Madagascar. It was in the 1600’s and 1700’s when the Rova of Antananarivo was significantly in use and to make it more appealing, the rova was built on top of a hill, the Analamanga hill. It is one of the places to visit in Madagascar. The rova was a complex with a lot of additions over the years like chapel, tombs, houses, villas, wooden dwellings and more but the fire of 1995 destroyed most everything within it. What are left are some structures in the chapel.

5. Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza

The Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza, also called the Tsimbazaza Zoo, is a botanical garden that also functions as a zoological center. It is located at the town of Tsimbazaza in Antananarivo of Madagascar. They launched the botanical and zoological garden in 1990 and people are just fond of visiting the place. It has unique plants and animals within like the ancient elephant bird skeleton and remnants of pygmy hippos. The plants contained in this garden have reached up to 80,000 which is the largest of such by far in all of Madagascar.

6. Marojejy National Park

The Marojejy National Park is another national park and tourist destination in the country that people love to go to. It has a total area of 55,500 hectares or 214 square miles while resting on a mountain range, the Marojejy Massif. Back in the fifties, the attraction was a strict nature reserve and only scientists were able to get in. As of the nineties, they opened the place up and established it as a national park. UNESCO included the Marojejy National Park as a World Heritage Site under the inscription of Rainforests of the Atsinanana.

7. Nosy Mangabe Reserve

Madagascar has small islands all over the country and one of those islands that tourists frequent is the Nosy Mangabe. The Nosy Mangabe Reserve is about two kilometers away from the nearest town which is Maroantsetra and it lies within the boundaries of the Antongil Bay. It is one of the places to visit in Madagascar. This tiny island with an area of 5.2 square kilometers is part of the Masoala National Park. It was launched back in 1965 and IUCN categorized it as IV (habitat and species management area).

8. Andohahela National Park

The Andohahela National Park in an IUCN Category II national park and it was launched in 1998. The Madagascar National Parks Association handles the affairs of the Andohahela National Park and all in all, it has an area of 760 square kilometers. The nearest city to the park is Fort Dauphin and it is one of the last humid rain forests in the country. Like the Marojejy National Park, it is also part of UNESCO’s Rainforests of the Atsinanana inscription.

9. Amber Mountain National Park

When in Diana Region of Madagascar, you have to go to the Amber Mountain National Park. This IUCN Category II national park spans at 182 square kilometers and was opened as a national park in 1958. There are waterfalls and crater lakes within the park. Also, a rich diversity of plants and animals live within and thrive in the park. It has orchids, ferns and different kinds of trees. As for the animal residents, the Amber Mountain rock thrush and the Amber Mountain leaf chameleon live there, among many others.

10. Parc Ivoloina

Parc Ivoloina is a zoological park in Madagascar which is located near Toamasina City. You can visit the place with or without a tour guide; it really is up to you. But, management does suggest that it is better to have a guide since they can explain the history of the park and everything within it in a very fun way. Day tours and night tours are open all days of the year without break and they offer sleeping accommodations should you wish to explore the park at night. It is one of the places to visit in Madagascar.

11. Lemurs’ Park

Lemurs’ Park is a lemur reserve and botanical garden rolled into one. It is situated a few minutes away from Antananarivo or 22 kilometers, to be exact. Laurent Amouric and Maxime Allorge launched the park back in 2000 with at least nine species of lemur moving about freely within the sanctuary. They also take care of reptiles in the park like chameleons, tortoises and iguanas. From Antananarivo, there is a shuttle bus going to the park and tourists can book that ride.

12. Ankarafantsika National Park

The Ankarafantsika National Park is part of the Boeny Region in the country with a total area of 135,000 hectares or 520 square miles. IUCN recognized this as a Category II national park which is being managed by Madagascar National Parks Association and was instituted in 1927. The park is a woodland tropical forest and there are native/ethnic people living in the vicinity. These people are the Sakalava and they have been in the area for decades.

13. Avenue of the Baobabs

Baobabs are magnanimous trees which are found in Madagascar, Oman, Yemen and Malaysia. Not all countries in the world have this unique tree and since the giant baobab is common in Menabe, people come here and visit the attraction. The government is exhausting all efforts in making the Avenue of the Baobabs the first natural monument of the country and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests since 2007 have been doing all sorts of work to achieve that status. Let’s wait and see.

14. Isalo National Park

When in Isalo National Park, your visit in restricted with a tour guide per group otherwise, you won’t be allowed to explore the area. It is 815 square kilometers all in all and belongs in the Ihorombe Region of the country. These tourist guides have to be paid and you can book them in Ranohira, the nearest town with Isalo National Park. The fee is minimal and worth it as you will see 82 species of birds, 33 reptile beings, 15 different types of frogs, and 14 mammalian animals. It is one of the places to visit in Madagascar.

15. Ranomafana National Park

The most famous tourist attraction and national park in Madagascar is the Ranomafana National Park. It is 161 square miles of rainforest – a World Heritage Site, according to UNESCO and is part of the inscription, Rainforests of the Atsinanana. Rare animals live in the park like the Golden bamboo lemur, black and white ruffed lemur, blue vangas and brown mesites. Are you fond of frogs? Well, there are at least 130 species of frogs here and you can sleep in one of the rooms provided by the management for tourists who want to stay overnight.