Things to do in Antsirabe
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Discover Madagascar Tours
In the Hôtel Baobab, this company has a good reputation. Guide Désiré speaks impeccable English and runs a variety of trips, including the popular Tsiribihina River and Tsingy de Bemaraha combo - which includes a transfer by zebu cart.
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Mr Raherison Tours
Affiliated with Hôtel Hasina, this guide runs Tsiribihina River descents. The hotel can provide information, but contact Mr Raherison directly for booking and prices.
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Famadihana
Famadihana (literally, the 'turning of the bones') is the name given to the traditional exhumations of dead ancestors by the Betsileo and Merina people. Famadihana are joyous and intense occasions, which occur in each family roughly every seven years. Amid feasting, drinking, music and dancing, the bodies of the dead are disinterred from the family tomb, wrapped in bamboo mats, and carried and danced around the tomb. The bodies are then re-shrouded and reburied.
Famadihana ceremonies occur in the region around Antsirabe between July and September only. Local tour operators or pousse-pousse men can help you find one and arrange an invitation. If you receive an invite, it's…
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Restaurant Razafimanjy
This locally recommended place (you see a lot of couples dining with their drivers) cooks Malagasy-seasoned Chinese food with excellent results. The menu is very long, with meat, chicken and seafood cooked dozens of different ways. There are also a number of vegetarian choices. The stir-fried Chinese noodles we ate here were the best we found in the country. There is cabaret at night, and the attached internet café stays open until midnight.
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Ristorante Italiano Sarabanda
A small pizza joint with just a handful of tables, including a few out front, that does about a dozen different combinations of cheese, sauce, topping and dough. It is nicely laid out with colourful woven tablemats and deep-red walls adorned with local art. The wood-oven pizzas are delicious and big enough to share.
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L'Arche Tours
Guides Laza and Robinson Crusoe (yes, that's his real name) are based in the L'Arche restaurant and do trips down the Tsiribihina River and to Tsingy de Bemaraha, together or separately. They can also organise car hire. Laza speaks better English than Robinson.
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L'Arche
This long-established place serves homely French favourites and pizzas to expats, river guides and tourists - a Tsiribihina River company is based out of the bar. L'Arche grooves after dark on nights when reggae and traditional Malagasy bands rock the place.
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Asabotsy Market
Saturday is market day in Antsirabe, and it's worth a wander around the town's two big markets, Asabotsy Market and Petit Marché. The town also has numerous handicraft shops and is a good place to stock up on gifts for the folks back home.
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L'Artisanat
There are several shops in town selling carvings and Antaimoro paper. One to try is L'Artisanat, which is near the post office. You will also possibly be approached in the street to buy gemstones - not a good idea unless you're an expert.
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Salon de Thé Mirina
An unassuming little tin-fronted restaurant that makes a great pit stop on your way out of town in the morning. It serves a number of breakfast options, as well as pastries, ice cream and snacks come midday.
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Roadhouse Tours
A German-run outfit that does Tsiribihina River descents, hikes around the Zafimaniry villages near Ambositra, and excursions around the whole country.
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Pousse-Pousse Snack Bar
Near the market, this is one of the better places for really inexpensive Malagasy food.
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