5 days Tana

Andasibe, preferable stay for two nights so you have a full day there for the wildlife. A suggestion which I have not tried is to stay at the Hotel Orchidee in Andasibe village to see village life. In July take warm clothes and waterproofs.

Do not visit Madagascar Exotic on the way whatever your guide/driver suggests.

Hello,
I agree with #1 but i don't know why he want not to suggest you to Madagascar Exotic because we have been there and it was very nice .
Good luck!!!
Anne

Madagascar Exotic is quite controversial because of its alleged background ( it is said that they do illegal trade of endemic species ) . Still it's a good opportunity to see some species upclose.

I had customers who specifically mention that they don't want to go there and we respect that.

Anyway, it's only an hour or so visit, it won't ruin your trip if you happen to not enjoy seeing animals in captivity.

here is a suggestion:

• day 1: Antananarivo to Andasibe ( do the night visit )
• day 2: Mantadia reserve visit ( if you are fit it's very rewarding)
• day 3: Analamazaotra reserve visit, return to Antananarivo.

Cheers!

I have no knowledge of any illegal trade by Madagascar Exotic though I do know that these allegations are frequently made. I do not know so I do not make them.

This was not my objection which is.

When I visited I was under some time pressure and on arrival explained this and was told that a guide was immediately ready to show us round. I was lied to and having got my money was told 'You will have to wait'. Some 30 minutes later the 'guide' appeared. He was sullen and was chewing a toothpick which meant that it was not possible to hear whatever he was saying. He did not give a toss. I explained that I could not hear him and he simply looked away. He refused to engage in any conversation or to answer any questions but merely spoke in a low tone apparently to himself about - well I suppose about the animals though it could have been anything. Finally at the end he removed the toothpick and demanded, and I mean demanded, a tip. 'Give me money!' I said that I was not going to give him any money and explained why. He swore, made a threating gesture, and walked away.

So maybe I had a bad guide on a bad day and other people have had a good guide on a good day.

Glad you enjoyed it Anne you obviously had a better experience.

Hi,
I highly recommend a half day visit to Lemurs Park, about 30 km from Tana.
www.lemurspark.com/

We have visited it twice in 3 years, and been very impressed with what it offers, in June this year.
The Lemurs are free - not caged - but you can get very close. There are about 8 different species there.

In Andisibe and Ranomafana we got many photos of backsides of lemurs high up in the forest.

Thanks so much for your advice, peoples. Andasibe is now locked in. Birrell, we'll to to Lemurs Park for our lemur photos.

We still have a spare day. We were thinking of hiring a car and driver and either doing a day trip to Lake Itasy (west) or Lake Mantasoa. (East.) Any reason that one would be preferable over the other? Alternatively we could drive north to Ankazondandy or south to Ambatolampy. Our objective on this day would be to get a feel for the Malagasy lifestyle. Any suggestions welcome.

Are the locals sensitive about being photographed? (Naturally we would not photo anybody unless we had their consent.)

Rashaja, I've read a lot of your posts on this site. You seem to be very knowledgable about this region. Do you spend a lot of time here?

Cheers

Mike

We stayed 2 nights at lac Itasy. A scenic place, and the village of Ampefy will give you a taste of local life. Also there is Chute de lily and a volcanic place nearby.
Just travelling around Tana will show you the ebb and flo of Malagasy life.

I have been reprimanded by another poster for giving tour guide information on this forum, but if you private message me I am happy to help. Our guide organised a customised tour of Tana and would go to Itasy.

Cheers