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Hilary Bradt
Publisher, travel writer, lecturer and sculptor
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Hilary Bradt 
As of February 2025, the commune of Andasibe has imposed a tax of 5,000Ar per person on visitors to the nearby protected areas. This follows a similar move in Ranomafana. It is not clear how the tax is being collected, or indeed whether it is legal, but it is understandable given that for many years now local communities around Madagascar’s national parks and reserves have not been receiving their designated half of the income from entry ticket sales.
The Malagasy government is pushing ahead with a controversial highway linking Antananarivo and the port city of Toamasina, following a different route from the Route National 2 that currently links the cities. Construction has already begun on the first 80km section, which passes through the ecologically sensitive Anjozorobe-Angavo forest corridor as well as close to the UNESCO-listed Royal Hill of Ambohimanga. The Egyptian firm responsible for construction of this first section expects it to be complete this year. The Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa will provide US$325 million for the second phase
More than a hundred Malagasy civil society organizations have called on the government to halt construction after thousands of farmers were affected by flooding linked to the project. They are calling for compensation for affected communities and inclusive consultations before the project continues.
The highway’s critics also point out that no official, definitive route for the whole route has yet been published.
Restaurant Florida in Brickaville serves surprisingly good food at reasonable rates for a lunch stop en-route to Tamatave. The setting is nothing to write about however.
At Vakona’s Lemur Island in Andasibe, it is forbidden to touch or feed the lemurs. It appears that there are now fewer lemurs and they have become harder to find. The guides deter them from jumping on the shoulders of visitors.
As of 2024, the rates for visiting Maromizaha Reserve near Andasibe are 35,000Ar/day for the entry permit and 30,000Ar to 80,000Ar guiding fee per group for the circuit depending on the length (35,000Ar for a night walk). For overnight visits, the fee for camping is 15,000Ar per night. Porters and cooks are available for 5,00Ar and 7,000Ar per day respectively.
Vakona Lodge prices: 420,000Ar for a single, 465,000Ar for a double, 510,000Ar for a triple, 555,000Ar for a 4-bed family room. Driver and guide rooms are provided gratis. Lemur Island visits cost 20,000Ar for guests and 30,000Ar for outsiders. Canoeing is 20,000Ar. Squash costs 30,000Ar/hr, as does the hammam. Horse-riding is available for 45,000Ar/hr. These are the prices valid as of 2022.
At the GERP-managed Maromizaha protected area near Andasibe, there are 6 nocturnal and 7 diurnal lemur species, including black-and-white ruffed lemurs, diademed sifakas, indri, eastern lesser bamboo lemurs, and red-bellied lemurs. Helmet vangas are occasionally sighted there. The main trail as far as the viewpoint makes for an excellent night walk, with numerous geckos and chameleons in evidence. Just 10 minutes from the car park area, there is a bat cave, where a mass exit of Rousettus madagascariensis can be witnessed usually around 18:00, depending on season.
At the Ihofa Vohitsara Bioreserve (IVB) Field Station near Andasibe, guest accommodation in the form of three ‘treehouse bungalows’ (called Babakoto, Bandro and Fotsife) are in the advanced stages of construction with a view to opening in mid-2024. Each bungalow is designed for 2 couples or one family. The location is on the road towards Mantadia, before Tsaravonoina. The field station is operated by Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, which runs a number of such sites where they have (or plan to have) bungalows or covered tent pitches.
The graphite mine at Andasibe closed down about six years ago.
Repairs and resurfacing of the Route Nationale 44, which runs north from Moramanga to Ambatondrazaka (at the southern end of Lac Anosy), were completed in September 2023.
Two bridges on RN2 have recently been rebuilt with Japanese aid money. One, over the Mangoro River is at PK94–95. The other is nearer Moramanga at PK105–106.
A fairly new place called Pause Café makes for a great meal stop on RN2. It is located near Moramanga, at PK 107. They have a limited menu of Malagasy dishes, breakfast and pizzas. Also a picnic area with good toilets. It was set up by a car hire company called Diary Service. Contact: mob 034 15 073 80 / 034 15 563 55 / 034 09 946 01; email diarylocation@gmail.com.
Sirène Dorée in Moramanga is a patisserie and tearoom selling ice cream and pizza. The restaurant Aigle d’Or, located nearby, is also still open. Both are located on the main RN2 that passes through the town.
Near Andasibe, in the 282ha ecotourism section on the eastern side of the GERP-managed Maromizaha Reserve (total area 1,486ha plus a 956ha buffer zone) there are three campsites for those wishing to stay inside the rainforest.
The start of this month (June 2023) saw the resumption of Dia Tsara passenger operations on the TCE railway line, which links Moramanga to Toamasina via Andasibe, Brickaville and Ambila-Lemaitso. New carriages have been brought into service, with 64-seat first class wagons and 72-seat second-class ones.
The train departs Moramanga at 07:00 on Sundays (to Ambila) and Thursdays (to Toamasina), returning at 06.00 on Tuesdays (from Ambila) and Saturdays (from Toamasina). The price for the full journey from Moramanga to Toamasina is 15,000Ar in first class or 7,000Ar in second class. There is a charge of 110Ar per kilogram of excess baggage (above the 15kg allowance per traveller). Call 034 00 503 16 for information.
Minor correction for the next edition: CALA stands for “Complexe Agronomique du Lac Alaotra” rather than “Centre Agronomique du Lac Alaotra” as stated on page 191 of the 13th edition.
Marie Guesthouse & Restaurant in Andasibe is expanding. When I was there in October, construction was well under way on the second storey of a new building next door, which I understood is going to be more rooms.
None of the diademed sifakas in Analamazaotra Forest (Andasibe National Park) is radio-collared anymore. There are ten in the group now. This large group is in the process of splitting into two (with four and six individuals), but for now they largely share a territory.
Oty Motel is located just west of Moramanga, close to PK 105 on Route Nationale 2.
The graphite mine north of Andasibe ceased its operations about six years ago. It had been running for decades (under the same ownership as the nearby Vakona Hotel, which remains operational). Graphite was first exploited at Andasibe in the 1940s.
Andasibe Hotel remains closed since the pandemic, although it is said that they are hoping to reopen eventually.
Six new passenger railway carriages painted in red-and-white Madarail livery have just arrived at the port of Toamasina. They will soon be put into service on the Moramanga–Ambatondrazaka/Moramanga–Toamasina line.
The long-awaited renovation of a 40km stretch of the RN44 road running north from Moramanga to Lac Alaotra is now completed, reducing the travel time between Marovoay and Vohidiala from eight hours to three. The second phase of the construction project, a further 73km stretch, is already under way, with completion scheduled for July 2023.
Starting from 17 December 2021, Cotisse Transport will start operating a new taxi-brousse route between Antananarivo and Ambatondrazaka. The journey takes 11hrs (07.00–18.00) and costs 30,000Ar each way. Online booking: https://cotisse-transport.com
Newly opened in Andasibe, Manjarano Lodge & Spa brings the standing of accommodation available in the area up yet another notch. Located next to Vakona Lodge, it takes its name from the graphite mine nearby that has been operating for decades. Set amongst trees and alongside a lake, the hotel boasts a swanky main building with dining area and swimming pool. There are 12 luxurious bungalows of 50m², each with a lounge, sat-TV, safe, minibar, AC, Wi-Fi, terrace & king-size bed; private bathrooms with bath & shower, his-n-hers basins & hairdryer. These are priced at 920,000Ar per night for duble occupancy or 600,000Ar single. Contact mob 032 11 038 39, 034 72 222 61; email resa@manjarano.com; Facebook Manjarano-Lodge-Spa.
For Sahatandra River Hotel in Andasibe, the phone number 034 14 019 29 is no longer operational.
The correct contact details are now: mob 034 38 019 29, 033 80 019 29, 033 81 019 29; email sahatandra.river.hotel@gmail.com