La Montagne des français

Between Antsiranana and the Indian ocean lies the “mountain of the French”, a 340-meter-high rock massif officially protected as a reserve since 2013. Even though it is not a big mountain range and despite its proximity to the city, the reserve is home to five species of lemur, 50 bird species, 40 species of reptile, […]

Les Trois Baies

East of Antsiranana, Montagne des français rim the bay, protecting the city from the sheer brute force of the annual cyclones approaching the island from the east. Ramena, Antsirananas “seaside resort” with beautiful beaches and astonishingly calm water, is situated right at the entrance to the bay. Beyond Ramena and the mountains, three strikingly picturesque […]

Antsiranana (Diego-Suarez)

Antsiranana is the northernmost city of Madagascar, and beyond Antsiranana, there is only the Cap d´Ambre, the northern tip of the island. Its Malagasy name means port, and that is quite a striking name. The bay of Antsiranana is encircled by mountains and is said to be the largest natural port on earth, with a […]

Joffreville & Montagne d´Ambre

Joffreville (Ambohitra) in the Montagne d´Ambre had been built by the French colonial rulers for strategic as well as climatic reasons. Today, the small town offers not much more than picturesquely decaying colonial architecture and the opportunity to go hiking in the nearby Montagne d´Ambre National Park. Around 5.000 people are living in Joffreville today, […]

Tsingy rouge

Just like the Cirque rouge near Mahajanga as well as La Vallée at Ankarafantsika National Park, the Tsingy rouge south of Antsiranana (Diego-Suarez) are a product of deforestation and the following erosion. Only recently discovered, this rock formation is changing its looks with every rainy season, and it is very likely that it will be […]

Ankarana

The Tsingy limestone formations cover areas along Madagascars west coast, from the Tsingy de Bemaraha north of Morondava and the Tsingy de Namoroka south of Mahajanga all the way up to the Ankarana massif south of Antsiranana (Diego-Suarez), where the Tsingy finally meet the ocean. 182 square kilometres of the Ankarana massif are protected as […]

Andasibe

Because of its proximity to Tana and the good accessibility near the Route National to Toamasina (Tamatave), Andasibe National Park is the most visited in Madagascar. It is home to the famous Indris, the Eastern lesser bamboo lemur and other lemurs like the diadem sifakas that got translocated from nearby Mantadia National Park as well […]

Mitsinjo

The forest of Mitsinjo is part of the Andasibe area a 4 to 5-hours-drive east of Tana. Besides the eponymous Andasibe National Park and Mitsinjo forest, there are several other protected areas such as VOIMMA, a small community-based park, Mantadia National Park, Torotorofotsy Reserve, Maromizaha Reserve and Vohimana Reserve, all trying to protect chunks of […]