Antsirabe

Introducing Antsirabe

There seems to be a pousse-pousse (rickshaw) for every person in Antsirabe (ant-sira-bay), a bustling city where the look and attitude is classic highland Madagascar. The urban oasis in a rural desert is an almost elegant place where the fresh air, cool climate (nights can be freezing) and therapeutic springs led Norwegian missionaries to build a health retreat in the late 1800s. When the French came to town, Antsirabe became a chic spa getaway for wealthy colonists wanting to escape Antananarivo’s hustle.

Today, the city thumps to a uniquely Malagasy beat – it’s colourful, chaotic, cluttered, gritty and poor. Brightly painted rickshaws crowd wide palm-lined boulevards, their drivers hustling hard for enough fares to feed their families, and gangs of scraggly children and young mothers with furrowed brows beg on the streets.

If you’re looking for Madagascan art, Antsirabe is definitely worth the three-hour drive from Antananarivo. The town has numerous artisan workshops with quality handicrafts –­ in some cases the attention to detail on even the smallest metal bicycle is truly amazing. To check out these places, help the community and gain a uniquely Madagascan experience, visit the shops with a pousse-pousse tour –­ these start from as little as Ar400 for one stop, but we’d suggest paying a bit more. On the activities front, Antsirabe is the best place to find a tour operator for a three-day run down the Tsiribihina River in Western Madagascar.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009