Top things to do in Central Madagascar

This 370,000-sq-metre reserve encompasses three mountain-size granite boulders (the three sisters) ringed at the base by a forest full of ring-tailed lemurs. Anja's lemurs are famous for sunning themselves on the...

The Parc National Ranomafana is a steamy hothouse of jungle bio-diversity where the hum of insects of is ever present and the wail and squeal of a dozen lemur species entices wildlife-watching tourists.

The oldest and most attractive part of town is the pedestrian Haute-Ville (known as Tanana Ambony in Malagasy). Utterly removed from the hustle of the rest of the town, the Haute-Ville feels more like a quiet...

Parc National Andringitra is the pièce de résistance of the wider Massif de l'Andringitra. It encompasses a high-altitude granite plateaux of epic beauty, small tracts of primary rainforest, scenic trails along...

This hillside restaurant just south of the village of Behemjy gets busy at weekends with people coming for one thing and one thing only: foie gras (stuffed-goose liver). A simple entree of foie gras costs from...

For gastronomic fare at average prices, make sure you book a table at La Rizière. The restaurant is a working culinary school and the chefs and waiters are all perfecting their trade. Service is charming (the...

Hands down the best restaurant in town, Chez Jenny is a winning combination of colourful decor (including some captivating Zafimaniry wood carvings), delicious food, warm service and atmosphere, complete with a...

For 30 years this family workshop has been creating miniature objects (cars, rickshaws, bicycles etc) made from recycled materials – anything from aluminium cans to (unused) intravenous tubes, textiles and old...

This cheap and cheerful eatery heaves with young locals every night of the week. It serves the best brochettes (kebabs) in town, cooked on a street-side BBQ (don't miss the peanut dipping sauce). The huge mi sao...

The owner of this gently old-fashioned, small-town bistro is a maestro in the kitchen as he sizzles, boils and fries delicious and authentic French countryside meals with just a pop of Madagascar about them....

The grimy and utterly fascinating aluminium pot workshops are all gathered in one small area behind the market. The area is filled with small workshops and superheated brick kilns around which soot-coated men...

Some 18km south of Manakara on the road to Vohipeno, you'll find Domaine Aavyland, a 31-hectare organic plantation and distillery producing medicinal and fragrant essential oils such as ravintsara, niaouly,...

Established in 1969 and specialising in green teas, this is Madagascar's only tea plantation. Visits take you from the fields to the processing plant and finish with a tasting. Tea is picked every day from...

For the moment, the Parc Communautaire de Sakaviro Miray, a community conservation project preserving a small patch of forest that is home to three groups of semihabituated ring-tailed lemurs, is little known to...

Once the grand dame of Antsirabe, the exterior of this landmark hotel is still gorgeous and a sight in its own right. Sadly, the interiors have been allowed to decay which means we wouldn't suggest staying here,...

This stunning arboretum, which is located about 2km east of Ranomafana, is worth visiting for its scenic location alone. There are around 250 species of plant here including 36 tree species, many of which are...

This cafeteria is one of the busiest in town, with reason: reliably tasty, great-value Malagasy staples such as vary' aminana (rice soup served for breakfast), mi sao (noodle stir-fry) and zebu stews are served...

A long-standing favourite, Manja serves big portions of traditional Malagasy food such as romazava (beef and vegetable stew), ravitoto (pork stew with manioc greens) and hen'omby ritra (zebu in tomato sauce). Its...

Madagascar is home to an endemic species of silkworm, which feeds on tapia trees in the wild and whose cocoons are threaded and woven like 'conventional' silk. The labour intensive production process of this...

The restaurant at this classy hotel offers easily the most upmarket dining in town. There's a daily changing menu which has tropical takes on many classic French dishes. It's pricey but worth it. If you're not...