Antananarivo & Sourroundings

Hi,
I'm not sure about the altitude info of pervious reply. This site suggests 1406 feet not 2000+ m!
http://www.wolframalpha.com/entities/cities_elevation/what_is_the_elevation_of_antananarivo,_madagascar%3F/mx/xz/2b/
Certainly we never experienced altitude issues.
We visited the Rova in 2008 and it was just a shell. But we were there again in June this year and it has been rennovated and looking good.
One trip either your husband or both of you should do is the Lemur Park, about 25 Km from Tana. We were taken there by our driver and guide - arrived at the airport around midday, had a snack lunch at his home then asked to go there. We were back around dinner time. It is excellent for getting a REAL lemur experience.
http://www.lemurspark.com/
Our guide also took us around Tana on a quality art and craft tour. If its your style then "Tishanaka" craft shop at the beginning of Avenue of Indepence is great, a gallery nearby called Is'ART Contemporian is nearby, and the old railway station has interesting shops and galleries.
There is a gallery in the Carlton hotel called KU DE TA - quality crafts.
The large craft area coming in from the airport is a fascination experience - literally hundreds of shops FULL of craft stuff.

Our guide would set up trips for you - both around the city and to the Lemur Park. Private message me if you would like more details.

There are absolutely no altitude issues with Antananarivo. The figure of 2643 metres quoted by #1 is wildly mistaken. Equally wrong is the figure of 1406 feet quoted by #2, though with him it is more the case that he has misread the website that he cites, which in fact gives the altitude as 4094 feet / 1248 metres, a figure that corresponds to the 1250 metres quoted in websites based in Madagascar. The website of Ortana, the official tourist authority, gives the elevation of the entire region as between 1000 metres at its lowest point and 1500 metres at its highest.

If you’re going to suffer respiratory problems, it is more likely to be due to the air in central Tana which is heavily polluted by the exhaust fumes from hundreds of poorly maintained vehicles in slow-moving congested traffic.

The walk up to the Rova from the main market at Analakely, just behind the Avenue de l’Indépendence (up the long flight of steps by the market, turn right at the top and keep going), is well worthwhile, both for some of the buildings on the way and the views over the city. Restoration of the Rova itself is well advanced, but in September it was still not possible to go inside. Worth a visit is the prime minister’s palace, now a museum, a short distance from the Rova which contains some items salvaged from the fire and other pieces of historical interest mainly related to the former royal family.

You should resist all attempts to persuade you to engage a guide. Contrary to what some of them say, they can’t get you inside the Rova, and although the labels in the museum are mainly in Malagasy or at best uninformative French, you cannot rely on the self-appointed guides to give you decent information about what you’re seeing. In fact when I last visited with Malagasy companions they were unable to stop laughing at what they said was the rubbish that a “guide” was telling his clients.

In case you might be concerned, I have never experienced problems of personal safety or felt even remotely threatened when walking up to the Rova, which I’ve done several times both alone and in company. The same is also true of the central area in general, despite the doomsday warnings on some foreign ministry websites, though it’s advisable to take precautions against pickpockets when wandering around the market and shopping areas.

One place that hasn’t been mentioned by previous posters and which is an interesting half-day (or longer) excursion is the former royal palace at Ambohimanga, which is up on a hill around 20 km from the centre. You can go there by city taxi, but you’ll need to bargain hard with the driver and make it clear that you expect him to wait for as long as you need. Alternatively. You can ask your hotel to put you in touch with a private driver. The palace closes at five p.m. The caretakers are willing to act as guides and do seem to know what they’re talking about. Also they don’t ask you for money, though it would be very churlish not to give them a decent tip if they’ve given good service. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of them speak English.

Lemurs Park is the place to go for people who want to see lemurs but don’t have time to see them in their natural habitat. With all due respect to #2, it is not the “real” lemur experience. It’s an open-plan zoo without bars with lemurs imported from a variety of habitats around the island. Bars aren’t necessary because the area is surrounded by natural barriers which discourage escape, and of course because the animals are fed. It’s an interesting enough place, and you get quite close to the lemurs, but as I say, hardly “real”.

You say you have time on Friday and Saturday: this might give you the opportunity to visit Andasibe National Park. This lies around 150 km east of Tana on the main road to Tamatave/Toamasina. You could get out there Friday afternoon after you finish work, visit the Andasibe section of the park in the morning and get back to Tana Saturday afternoon. If you’ve time to stay out there till Sunday, you could do a night walk in the rainforest of the Mitsinjo community reserve (the night walk of the National Park is at present not worthwhile).

A visit to Andasibe would be much more of a “real lemur experience” and you would see and hear the indri-indri, the largest lemur species, other lemur species in their natural habitats, chameleons and, on the night walk, possibly leaf-tail geckos.

Another half-day destination is the Croc Farm close to the airport at Ivato. I used to be very sceptical about this place, but it’s now won me over. They breed crocodiles in a reasonably natural environment, and of course use them as a source for crocodile-skin fashion goods and accessories. As this is an activity which reduces the poaching of crocodiles in the wild, it’s definitely to be encouraged, as the idea of persuading people to stop buying crocodile-skin products altogether is probably utopian. In addition to the crocs, there are a selection of other animals, including a fosa, in zoo-like enclosures which are generally much more pleasant than the enclosures in the main Tana zoo at Tsimbazaza, and there are also free-roaming sifakas. If you like the idea, you can eat crocodile in the restaurant. You can get there by bargaining with a city taxi driver. If the driver is unwilling to wait, it’s an interesting walk back down to Ivato, where there are plenty of taxis.

As you can see, there is plenty for you both to do.

Thank you we will be sure to take our walking shoes!

Thanks so much for the art info as I am into that!

Thanks a lot-you have certainly given me great tips!

Very little to add to advice above but one suggestion is to take a taxi up to the Rova and walk down. You can see the place where christians were thrown off the cliff and and an old stone gateway as well as some magnificent views.

Croc farm is fine while I was there October before last. There was a lemur with her young, just beautiful.

Also no problems with safety if you use common sense.

Enjoy