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Hilary Bradt
Publisher, travel writer, lecturer and sculptor
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Hilary Bradt 
Setam Lodge in Ranomafana has reportedly become rather run-down since the pandemic. The tour operator Setam – part of the same company – is still running, so hopefully the lodge will be brought back up to its former excellent standard soon.
Tsara Guest House in Fianarantsoa reportedly closed down in late 2020.
My friend recently stayed at Arotel in Antsirabe and also at Thermal in Ranomafana and reported that both were very good.
In the Fianarantsoa area, we met two helpful local people who would be able to arrange tours etc; Germain Radera germainradera.14@gmail.com tel 034 90 801 60 and Olivier (who lives in Ranomafana) tel 034 83 657 86 Facebook ‘Olivier mada tour’, both speaking good English (and other languages). Olivier has a 4X4.
The FCE was not running at the time of our visit in early August due, I was told, to the driver not having been paid for 9 months. There seemed some hope that this would be resolved before too long…!
A basic but well located central hotel in Antsirabe is Hotel Hasina. Contact: 15 Avenue Ralaimongo; tel 44 485 56; mob 032 84 773 43; email hotelhasina@yahoo.fr; Facebook hotelhasina.Antsirabe.
Kirsten Juni Nilsen has written an e-book about her 2017 travels between Fianarantsoa and Manakara along the route of the FCE railway on what was her fifth visit to the island. It is called Travel guide Fianarantsoa–Manakara: Hiking along the railway and is available from Amazon. ISBN 978-82-303-5425-4. Illustrated with colour photographs by the author. Money raised from sales of the book go to help the people of Madagascar.
There are now daily taxi-brousse from Ambositra to Antoetra instead of just one day a week. Multiple taxi-brousse go there and back on Thursday. The return taxi-brousse from Antoetra to Ambositra leaves very early in the morning (around 4 AM) so if you miss it you may have to find another way back to Ambositra.
In 2020, three second-hand locomotives were shipped to Madagascar to serve on the Fianarantsoa-Côte Est (FCE) line.
Conterno is a recommended snack bar selling coffee, ice cream, pastries and Asian food at reasonable prices. It is located 100m from the Rianasoa Total fuel station in the Mahazoarivo Sud district of Antsirabe. Contact mob 034 03 827 37.
In Antsirabe, a new music school project called Mozika Manova Fiainana (meaning ‘Music Changes Lives’) has been set up and could make for an interesting and inspiring visit. MMF provides lessons in music, arts and crafts to underprivileged children, as well as providing support for schooling, homework, health, food and clothing, in a holistic approach aimed at giving kids a good start in life and the resources they need to become healthy resourceful adults who can contribute to the local community. The NGO welcomes donations to support its work. Contact mob 034 78 899 77; email mozikamanovafiainana@gmail.com; Facebook musicchangeslivesMadagascar.
The service Fianarantsoa-Côte Ouest (FCE) railway line now departs from Fianarantsoa Tue/Sat and from Manakara Wed/Sun. Current prices for the full journey as of late 2021 are as follows: 31,200Ar 1st class, 20,900Ar 2nd class, 70,000Ar reservation (resident) and 80,000Ar reservation (non-resident). Cheaper tickets are available for those travelling only a section of the journey.
The famous Michelin railcar is also available for private hire any day on the Fianarantsoa-Sahambavy route. The return day-trip price is 500,000Ar for up to five people, 650,000Ar for up to ten people, or 900,000Ar for up to 19 people. There is a further 200,000Ar surcharge if the wait time in Sahambavy exceeds 4hrs. Reservations mob 034 55 499 17.