We checked-in quite late, even too late to watch the sunset over the river, so there was nothing to see or do by the time we arrived and the next morning we had to leave early on our way to Antsirabe. The medium hiking circuit offered different sights. If you are a bird lover you should visit Zombitse National Park as early as possible to have a fair chance of seeing Madagascar’s rarest endemic birds, like the ‘Appert’s Greenbul’. Lac Tritriva or Lac Andraikiba? At Lake Tritriva you’ll have to pay a guide- and entry fee of 5000 Ariary ($1,5) to enter the area. You will feel a strong colonial influence through the architecture of the city buildings. Traveling to Madagascar blew me away. The vendors were very friendly and didn’t mind me taking their photos. Unique universe is all about responsible, mindful and cultural travel. They offer a number of individual brick bungalows, facing a lovely and well-maintained garden. The tourist season falls between April and December, with the rainy season claiming the other months with risks of cyclones and many roads becoming un-passable. So when you travel to Madagascar please include this in your itinerary. Also don’t hesitate to reach out on my Instagram account. My name is Tom and my biggest passion is obviously traveling. This large rainforest is home to 12 lemur species. The high season coincides with the European summer holidays and cooler temperatures in July and August. Then explored the Avenue of the Baobabs and Kirindy Forest in West Madagascar and continued our journey to South Madagascar with a road trip along the scenic RN7. He has been the most famous photographer of Madagascar for over 40 years. Madagascar, a very well-known country occupying a large island of the same name, is located in the Indian Ocean, just right off the eastern coast of Africa. The road from Ambalavao to Ranohira is a spectacular part of the famous RN7 with a lot of great photo-stops along the way to capture this beautiful landscape. Based in Antananarivo, Détours Madagascar is a human-sized agency, driven by a passion for responsible, free and serene travel. Depending on the time you have, you can see the natural cave(s) and climb up the rocks to a viewpoint, with stunning views of the valleys, mountains and villages. This Madagascar travel guide is written by travel photographer Kim Paffen, one of Traveltomtom’s talented team members with a deep-seated passion for traveling to Africa. For Kirindy I would advise to either stay in Kirindy Lodge inside the reserve or at Relais du Kirindy. If you want to see more of Isalo National Park I highly recommend a minimal of a 2-day hiking package with Momo Trek. Online Info on Travel in Madagascar; While this article provides a comprehensive list, you can’t fit everything into a single post! After seeing this part, I truly wish I get to chance to travel to Madagascar again to visit Andringitra National Park, Tsaranoro Valley and the surrounding areas. I have now been to almost 110 countries and aiming to visit every country in the world. It’s a very quiet and peaceful place. The Tsena Sabotsy (Saturday market) is the central open-air market of Antsirabe, a good place to discover what the local Malagasy are buying from clothes and vegetables to pots and pans. This 3-star hotel has quite big air-conditioned rooms with a flat screen TV, coffee & tea facilities and a fridge. Warm… The second time I flew into Tananarive I stayed in the beautiful San Cristobal Boutique Hotel only 4 km from Ivato Airport in Antananarivo. Their restaurant serves good food for diner and in the morning you can enjoy a buffet breakfast with fresh eggs from Antsirabe’s market. I hope this travel blog and all the above Madagascar travel tips and things to do in Madagascar were helpful to plan your own Madagascar trip. When you travel through countries like Zambia or Madagascar, you realize how vast is the gap between developed world and third world. It’s one of Madagascar’s least known but most accessible National Park, located along the RN7. It’s definitely worth to stay in Residence Madalief on your Madagascar trip and it’s good to know that your money is spent well. Nosy Sakatia is located west of Nosy Be, five minutes by boat or … Please help me in return by sharing the link of this article on the Internet. We enjoyed our packed-lunch – arranged by Momo Trek – at the beautiful natural pools ‘Piscine Noire’ and ‘Piscine Blue’ with a small waterfall, we had a freshly prepared dinner under a sky full of stars at a remote campsite and we ended our Isalo trek with a breakfast at the plateau while watching sunrise over Isalo National Park. This is truly one of the exciting and unique things to do in Madagascarand you ought not to miss it. The products they use are organic, homemade and homegrown. It’s best to swim in the thermal bath on Wednesday, since they clean everything on Tuesday. Read more about my story and how I afford to travel in this link. The different viewpoints, for example the climb to Namaza, were amazing with views of the valley. Apr 17, 2019 - Oh Madagascar! We planned our hiking trip in Isalo with Momo Trek. It’s a tradition like a huge house warming where all family and other villagers are invited to celebrate this event together. A journey along Madagascar’s RN7 highway includes the most famous highlights of Madagascar. There’s a parking space near Lake Tritriva and from there it will only take you a few meters to look down on the blue-opaque green Crater Lake. Kaominina, the Malagasy name for Miandrivazo, is considered to be the warmest city of the island. We were invited to celebrate with them, but unfortunately we had to continue our journey because of our planned visit to Anja Reserve or Parc D’Anja, about 13 km south of Ambalavao. In some shops, it’s possible to see the artist working on its crafts. Ranomafana is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and became a protected area in 1991 after the discovery of the golden bamboo lemur in the rainforest in 1985. Check out the best things to do in Morondava in this link. The Ultimate Madagascar Travel Blog + 2 week Itinerary When you think of Madagascar you will probably picture idyllic beaches, massive baobabs and funny dancing lemurs, but on top of that you will cross … Don’t miss out on this stunning park, add this to your Madagascar itinerary. The staff is very helpful and friendly and the 3-course dinner as well as the breakfast was good. Lac Hotel is a wonderful and charming hotel at Lake Sahambavy and next to the Sahambavy tea plantation. The team of Momo Trek is specialized in organizing hiking and camping tours in Isalo National Park. Even inside the rainforest (where trees and plants provide some shelter) it was almost impossible to take pictures. Couleur Café Antsirabe is perfectly located near the city centre of Antsirabe, close to the RN7 road. The entrance of Ranomafana National Park is located on the national road RN25. In my North Madagascar Travel Blog I wrote about my short stay in Antananarivo and the Tsarasaotra Bird Park I’ve visited that is very close to Ivato Airport. If I knew this before, I would have left Morondava quite early instead of after lunchtime. Ranomafana National Park is known for its tropical rainforests, humid climate, waterfalls, hot mountain streams and different species of Madagascar wildlife. The hot springs of Ranomafana are located across the Namorona River and are very popular among locals. We only stopped there from a distance on our way to the prettier Tritriva Lake. San Cristobal Hotel offers a nice garden, a terrace and a cosy bar with a nice seating area including a flat screen TV. The fourth-largest island in the world offers … We were not able to add this place to our Madagascar itinerary, which is a pity because it seems to be a hikers paradise with spectacular views and a must-visit if you travel to Madagascar. If you love Yosemite National Park then you should definitely visit Andringitra National Park. Unfortunately for us, he was at an exhibition in Paris at the time we visited the laboratory. Because of the low tourist numbers in Madagascar, you will only see a few other tourists, especially when you’re planning to do a longer hike. You cannot miss the high mountain peaks with Pic Boby (Pic Imarivolanitra) as second highest mountain of Madagascar. It’s a unique souvenir to bring home when you travel to Madagascar. Don’t waste time, live now! You can choose between two different circuits, but a local guide must accompany you. This 2-week Madagascar itinerary includes our route from West Madagascar along the national highway 7 to Tulear. In this area there are very few places to stay. This definitely is one of my best Madagascar travel tips for you. Miandrivazo is a village that lies on the main RN34 road between Morondava and Antsirabe. If you have a chance I recommend visiting the nearby Sahambava tea plantation on your Madagascar trip, which covers nearly 400 ha. Madagascar Travel Blog Listing - Madagascar, Africa. The rooms here were good and comfortable and there’s Wifi in the main building, where you can also watch TV and have a beer at the bar. A hike to the Piscine Naturelle and the Namaza circuit are definitely a must-see in Isalo National Park. The foundation helps single mothers with a donation for daily needs, school fees and medical costs. Because we first explored Northern Madagascar, we decided to fly to Morondava to start the RN7 road trip from there. I got in touch by mail and we had quick and reliable communications until our arrival. They were all well dressed: men wear a traditional cover over the shoulder and women braid their hair. Did I already convince you to go on a camping adventure on your Madagascar trip? If you are more into lemurs instead of the landscape I highly recommend visiting the Namaza campsite. The Bara is the only tribe that is allowed to bury the dead inside the park, up to the rocks. Because of the constantly changing landscapes and presence of several national parks and reserves along the way, the RN7 or Route Nationale 7 is the most popular tour in Madagascar and not to be missed if you travel to Madagascar. We also enjoyed some beautiful polyphonic live sung Malagasy songs by the talented staff members. For that reason, it offers stunning views from your private terrace. If you’re lucky, you can meet Pierrot in the studio. Because of its geographical location, Antsirabe has a cool climate throughout the year; so don’t forget to pack a sweater and a pair of trousers when you visit Madagascar. Based in Antananarivo, Détours Madagascar is a human-sized agency, driven by a passion for responsible, free and serene travel. The most prominent buildings in town are the Cathedral Church and the charming Hotel de Thermes, in front of the baths. Ankarafantsika National Park – Travel Blog. Madagascar 2020 Travel Blog. We explored this beautiful island in 23 days. Unfortunately we got the impression they wanted to take advantage of the ‘rich’ tourists by charging more money. On this part of your Madagascar road trip, you will enjoy Madagascar’s vineyards with steep-terraced slopes and typical Betsileo mud brick houses with local people working on the land. When you travel to Madagascar you will see it is an island of passion with surprisingly diverse landscapes, cultures and traditions and very rich and endemic flora and fauna, a Treasure Island waiting for you to be discovered! With us, you get to know more than the sightseeing spots. What are “must see” places for Madagascar? Our initial plan was to visit Window rock in Isalo on our arrival day in Ranohira, but didn’t make it for sunset because we spent too much time in Anja Reserve including several photo stops along the way. Every circuit will show you parts of the amazing landscape of Isalo National Park. Traveling makes me a better person with ever day I am on the road. Swim with turtles on Nosy Sakatia. We chose a medium level hiking circuit, a combination of two circuits including one night of camping inside Isalo National Park. For the budget travellers: It is possible to get a taxi-brousse (shared taxi bus) directly from Antananarivo or Fianarantsoa, but there is no transportation between the park and the village of Ranomafana. To go to Madagascar, you have to organize yourself to prepare for your trip. The indri (also known locally as … Check out her Instagram account: ourplanetinmylens. We were given the so-called honeymoon bungalow, the biggest bungalow at the lake with a private terrace overlooking the lake and its surroundings. Make sure to bring enough water during the hike(s), because it can get really hot in the fierce sun. The popular Ranomafana Park is part of the eastern rainforest, which used to take up nearly the complete island. I’m still a bit disappointed we didn’t make it there on time. Forget everything the film series taught you. The RN7 in Madagascar is the 980 km long main road in Madagascar, connecting Tananarive (Antananarivo) to the western-coast town Tulear. Be sure to wear covered footwear and bring enough water. Other wildlife includes chameleons, frogs and the Malagasy striped civet. Get the best travel tips for unique locations and follow my adventure! It’s an amazing place on earth, with an intense kaleidoscope of nature, that I highly recommend putting on top of your travel bucket list. The best time to visit Madagascar is from May to October (fall to spring) as this period is generally cool and dry which makes it a great time to travel. To see the real Malagasy life, I would advise you to go to the local market. Be prepared for train failures and bring enough water and food. If you are lover of history, then this is one of the best places to visit in Madagascar. I got back to the Netherlands and saved as much money as I could and in December 2012 I quit my job again and ever since I am continuously traveling the world. The journey along highway 7 included some of the best places to visit in Madagascar like: Lake Tritriva in Antsirabe, the rainy Ranomafana NP, the serene and peaceful Lake Sahambavy near Fianarantsoa, Anja Reserve with its ring-tailed lemurs, the beautiful peaks of Andringitra National Park, Isalo National Park and Zombitse National Park. In 2008 I decided to go on a trip around the world and in 1 year I traveled through 24 countries from North America to South America, New Zealand, Australia and finally South East Asia. We understand that our money is very valuable for the local community, but situations like this are not pleasant. This city is located in the central highlands of Madagascar. Pic Boby is also the main attraction of Andringitra National Park and another place to visit in Madagascar on a road trip south. Check out my 155K Instagram account @traveltomtom. Image Source If you consider yourself a daredevil, then diving with the whale sharks in the deep blue waters of Nosy Be will pique your interest. I loved their continental breakfast with fresh eggs as well as their coffee. Isalo National Park is the most visited national park in Madagascar and one of the natural wonders of the country. This non-profit organization with the purpose of giving underprivileged children in Madagascar a better future, was the result of a Dutch travel guide - Remi Doomernik - working in Madagascar and settling in Ambositra. They follow a different route, so you have to pack a daypack with stuff you really need during the hike (like water, mosquito-repellent, sun cream, camera-equipment and lunch). The prime months to visit Madagascar are from July to … https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/how-to-travel-around-madagascar When you’re heading to Ranohira, you will pass the huge impressive rocky hill called ‘Bisshops Hats’ and cross the Ihorombe plateau. Can't wait to travel to Madagascar! In the forest you have the chance to spot lemurs. Ambositra is famous for the quality of its marquetry, weaving and especially woodcarvings. Madagascar has several vineyards in the district around Fianarantsoa and Ambalavao. The 163km route takes you through the rainforest, offering very scenic views. It’s all about the experience and getting in touch with the Malagasy villagers who use this train to cover long distances to get from one village to another. The domestic flights are operated by Madagascar’s local airliner Tsaradia, a subsidiary of Air Madagascar. We even had some time left to explore Tsarasaotra Bird Park, close to Antananarivo airport. SETAM Lodge Madagascar is located on a slope of the rainforest, conveniently close to the park entrance of Ranomafana National Park. Travelling around Madagascar takes time and is very slow even by African standards. Near Ranomafana NP, there is a research station called Centre ValBio that is open to visitors. In this Madagascar travel blog I will share the best things to do in Madagascar, tips on where to stay in Madagascar and an amazing Madagascar itinerary to make the most of your trip. Wildlife lovers are able to spot different lemurs, including the dancing ring-tailed lemur, birds, chameleons and other reptiles. Because it’s a reserve run by locals, all the profits go back to the community. I would definitely stay here again on my next trip to Madagascar. Visit their website if you want to know more about this foundation and all of their projects and achievements. The starting point to climb Table Mountain is about 10 km from Tulear. Rainforest, which lies directly at the beautiful San Cristobal Boutique Hotel only 4 km from Tulear atmosphere in National! Every Wednesday find often when traveling in Madagascar around Fianarantsoa and Ambalavao have the to! 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