NORTHERN MADAGASCAR

Best time to visit Northern Madagascar is from April to mid December (after starts cyclonic season).

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Antananarivo Airport

You can buy a SIM card there with data bundles or withdraw cash and exchange money.

As the airport is quite far from city and there is usually terrible traffic, you may last 3 hours to do a 45 minutes trip. There are some accommodations near airport such as Ivato Aeroport Studies Annexe 1 from 10 USD without payment in advance.​

Taxi to the city for 40.000 Ar or a taxi-brousse for 800 Ar (it departs from Mo Cafe Junction, 1 km from airport).

 

What to see in Antananarivo

Rova, Queen's Palace

Palace of Justice

Church of Amboninampamarinana

Anasoy Lake

Gare de Soarano

Independence Avenue

Analakely Market

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Accommodation in Antanananrivo

Madagascar Underground. Beds from 15 USD.

Tana-Jacaranda. Beds from 15 USD.

Le Logis Hotel. Beds from 25 USD.
Lova Hotel. Beds from 25 USD.

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Get to Andasibe

Take a taxi-brousse heading to Toamasina from the Cotisse company. Taxi-brouses leave at 7 am, 8 am, 9 am, 10 am, 12 noon, 7pm and 8:30pm. The price for a seat is 20,000 Ar. Book here online. The journey lasts 4 hours and passengers must warn the driver.  

Visitors can rent a car from 50 USD.

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Accommodation

Chez Luc. Basic bungalows. Price from 40.000 Ar + 5.000 Ar (breakfast). 20 minutes walking from Andasibe NP. There is WiFi.

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Andasibe Mantadia National Park (Analamazoatra Reserve)

There are four walking trails. The easiest and most popular trail is Circuit Indri 1 (40,000 Ar - two hours), which includes the main lakes and the territory of a single family of indris. The moderate Indri Circuit 2 (50,000 Ar -  three hours) visits the lakes and encompasses the patches of two separate families. The Circuit Aventure (60,000 Ar - four to six hours) does all of the above, plus some more strenuous hikes. It's mandatory hire a guide (45.000 Ar).

Best time to see (and hear) indris is early in the morning, from 7 a.m. at 11 a.m. The park is overcrowded from July to October.

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Mitsinjo Reserva

Near Andasibe NP visitors can do a night walk to spot (from 6pm) to see tiny frogs and the smallest lemur, 

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Come back to Antananarivo

Take a regional matatu on the main road to Moramanga (26 km from Andasibe). There you can take another matatu to Andasibe. It will take 4-5 hours.

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Get to  Nosy Be Island

By plane from Antananarivo (Tsaradia airline) to Nosy Be Airport. Price from 120 USD and takes 1.30 minutes. In the airport, you must take a private taxi (10.000 Ar) or a tuktuk (here called taxi-be) outside of the parking .

The tuktuk trips cost between 2.000 - 6.000 Ar.

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Accommodation

Scuba Nosy Be Diving Center, in Palm Beach. For divers you will have a free night for each dive you have done. Great facilities, hot shower, fans in dormitories, power and cleaning services. The journey from airport takes 30 minutes.

Le Transat. Cosy houses near Madirokely beach. Prcie from 120 USD / entire house.

Albergue Tamana Hostel . In Hellville you find a budget hostal for backpackers. Price from:15 USD.

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Restaurants

Nosy Lodge. Near the Scuba Nosy Be diving center you will find a hotel with a fantastic swimming pool close to the beach. Divers are beneficiaries of a discount. Enjoy buffet breakfast, lunch or dinner seeing sunset.

Chez LouLou. Buffet of seafood on Sundays in Andilana Beach.

Chez Tantine. Best prices for seafood in a terrace.

Baobab Kafe. One of the best French restaurants in Nosy Be.

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Go party

Drink some beers and dance in a enjoyable local pub in Le Taxi-Be and surroundings. 

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Diving in Nosy Be

Nosy Tanikely National Reserve. Dive with green turtles, lots of fish and a large number of corals, sponges, shells.

Nosy Sakatia. Near this island there are a lot of diving points where you can spot: manta, rays, rays, humpback parrots and sharks (leopard, hammerhead and reef sharks). Bests are: Manta Point (18-25m), Shark Point (15-50m) and Banc de l’entree exterieur (16-30m). 

Nosy Iranja. It is considered one of the 10 most beautiful islands on the planet, lighthouse designed by Eiffel and a nearby panoramic viewpoint.

Dives prices from 80 USD / two dives (8.00 am - 13.00 pm). More info here.

 

Whales safari

Observable species (by season): whale sharks, humpback whales (August- October), Bryde's whales, Omura whales, long-beaked dolphins.

Swim with whale shark +  visit Nosy Iranja including meals. Price from 70 USD.  More info here.

 

What to do in Nosy Be

Rent a motorbike and travel around the island.  

Nosy Komba Island trip to see its famous Black lémur.

Réserve Naturelle Intégrale de Lokobe by cayak.

Andilana Beach, the most beautiful in the island.

Nosy Be waterfalls.

Arbre sacré de Mahatsinjo.

Mont Passot. From the viewpoint you can see all island (including Lac Amparihibe) in sunset.

Get to Ankarana National Park

Travel to the ferry terminus in Hell-Ville early in the morning. Take the ferry (6 am to 4 pm)  6,000 Ar or a speedboat ( 5.30 a.m. a 4 pm) 12,000 Ar to Ankify.  The journey lasts 40 minutes.

In Ankify you must take a matatu to Ambanja road junction, there take another matatu to Ambilobe (from 2.000 Ar - 45 minutes). There take another matatu (10.000 Ar) or taxi-brousse (20.000 Ar) if its too late heading to Andres Suarez and stop in Mahamasina Gate in Ankarana National Park. It takes 4-5 hours.

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3 Days hike in Ankarana National Park Mahamasina - Amboandriky 

Grand Circuit (9 hours). This hike includes: perte de riviere, petit Tsingy, Ambahibe cave, Ambohimalaza viewpoint, Lac Verd (now it's not available due to damages of last floods), Grand Tsingy and Grotte des Chauve-Sauris (full of bats). 

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In Amboandriky, Crocodile Cave (floods push crocodiles of the park to this cave)  and Lac Mangily.. Other caves to visit: Antsironandoha Cave, Andatobe Cave, Andrafiabe Cave, Cathedral and skeletons, and Second Canyon 

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Wildlife: lemurs, geckos, chameleons, ring-tailed mongoose, snakes, scorpions, etc... 

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Accommodation

Some campsites are closed in low season. You must bring your own tent.

Campement Princes: located in the forest, you will be together with lemurs. 5 tents for 10 people (3.000 Ar/ person).

Campement d'Andrafiabe: located on the edge of  tsingy cliffs. 42 tents for 84 people, 3.000 Ar / person.

Chez Goulam. Near the Mahamasina Gate, you will find cosy cottages with power. Prices from 25.000 Ar. Book in advance.

The entry fees cost 37,000 Ar for two days. The guide tariffs will depend on the circuit chosen. The guide fees for a three-day-circuits cost about 40,000 Ar for a group of one-six persons.

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Get to Andres Suarez Airport.

To come back to Antananarivo after Ankarana hike, visitors can take a plane from Andres Suarez. Take a matatu from Gate Park to Andres Suarez (from 20.000 Ar). From Taxi-Brousse Station, take a taxi to airport (20.000 Ar). 

Taxi journeys in Diego cost a flat 1000 Ar or 1500 Ar at night. Tuk-tuks are 500 Ar, 1000 Ar at night.

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Note: The prevalence of malaria among the residents remains high, therefore bring enough mosquito repellent.

As other regions in Africa, walking at nights is not advisable.

Locals not speak English.

Matatus don't run at nights (sunrise 5.00 am and sunset 18.30 pm). Only taxi-brousses. 

Always bring enough money as ATMs are limited.

Here more info of National Parks in Madagascar.