Madagascar/Ambila-Lemaitso advice needed

Hello,

I will be flying to Madagascar for a short first-time visit, arriving on Thursday afternoon and leaving the following Saturday. I have booked my first night's accommodation in Tana but after that I still haven't finalised my travel plans...and time is running out as I leave on Wednesday!

I am an independent traveller who will be using taxi-brousse and trying to stick to a budget of around 30 EUR per day- however this is flexible and can pay more if need be. Essentially though I will not be able to hire a car and driver or expensive transfers/tours. I love wildlife and my main aim is to go to Andasibe and hear the indri-indri, enjoy the rainforest and hopefully see some other lemurs and reptiles. However, I would also like to spend a day or two relaxing on the beach but then I'm torn between seeing another national park (Ranomafana) and 'wasting' time doing nothing at the coast. I would also like to get a good glimpse of Tana too, even if I don't spend a great deal of time there.

In your experiences, given my timeframe and the fact I will be taking taxi-brousses and want a relaxing trip (i.e not to lose days through travelling), would it be too much to try to combine Andasibe and Ranomafana? I understand they are both rainforest parks with similar ecosystems, so would I be missing out on a great deal if I only went to Andasibe (where I'd spend 2-3 nights)? Would spending time on the beach instead of Ranomafana be a wasted opportunity given that I'm unlikely to return to the country for some time, if at all?

If I do go to the coast, I'm torn between Mahambo and Ambila-Lemaitso. Mahambo seems easier to get to and would also allow me to visit Toamasina en route. I can't find much information about Ambila or how to get there- it seems there are no taxi-brousse from Brickaville. As my time is limited and I absolutely cannot risk missing my return flight, is Ambila a bit too far of the beaten track?

Any suggestions or input welcome!

Thanks,

I haven't been to Mahambo, but have been to Ambila-Lemaitso. It was quite a unique destination with raging surf on one side and the clear waters of the Canal on the other. I thought it was quite a wild place.The villagers go out fishing in their dugouts and watching them come ashore in the heavy surf was quite a sight, with many of them getting swamped. Swimming in the canal is Ok, but swimming in the ocean is not recommended because of sharks.

There is an early morning 4WD that goes from Brickaville to Ambila Lemaitso and back again early in the morning as well. It is very crowded and takes 45 minutes. I was able to hire a private car to go from Brickaville to the ferry crossing for 50,000 Ariary (about $25USD). The road is sandy and not too rough. Just ask around for the guy that does this trip when you arrive in Brickaville off the taxi-brousse.

For accomodation, I stayed in the Le Nirvana Hotel, which is just across from the ferry, 4km south of Ambila-Lemaitso. I paid 60,000 Ariary for a new bungalow, and there is a good restaurant there as well. To get to Ambila Lemaitso, you can walk the 4km or so along a sandy track that parallels the canal and the ocean. If you want to stay in Ambila, there is a great set of bungalows at LeTropicana which is right on the canal with a small beach. I didn't stay there but took a look and it was only 15,000 Ariary per night. And if you are really keen, you can hire a pirogue to go north along the canal to Tamatave.

Ranomanafana is a nice place but not too different from Andasibe. I would probably give it a miss and head to the beach instead, as it is a long side trip from Tana. But you are right, Ambila is off the beaten track. You need to be able to catch the early morning taxi-brousse 4WD back to Brickaville, or have a private car organised in advance to pick you up at the ferry crossing.

I agree, Ranomafana and Andasibe are similar. Just choose one. I would pick Andasibe because it is the best place to see the Indri Indri. There is also a community run project there called Mitsinjo, and another project run by Man and the Environment (MATE) - L'homme et l'environnement in French, not too far away.

Madarail now has a train which runs from Tana to Andasibe on weekends. It is a bit pricey, I believe about $65 round trip...it leaves Tana at 8 am on Sat and arrives Andasibe at noon, then leaves Andasibe at 2 pm on Sunday and arrives Tana at 6 p.m. I don't know if they run if they don't have enough passengers. Check at the Madarail office in Gare Soarano at the end of Ave de l'Independence in Tana.

Ambila-maitso is hard to reach by public transportation. You could take the train down from Tamatave (once per week, I believe on Tues.), but then you would have to catch a boat and walk (17 km!) to get back to Brickaville and hitch or hop in a taxi-brousse.

Mahambo is very nice. I suggest staying 6 km south at Le Captif. This is near the surfing spot. Or, head up to Fenerive Est. It is peaceful and lovely. You can take a pirogue to Nosy Akoho and see lemurs and the grave of the Betsimisaraka king, Ratsimilaho. There is a nice place to stay with good pizza right on the beach for 10,000 Ar per night (shared bath).

Safe travels and would love to hear how it goes!

Hi- thanks for your responses.

In the end I went to neither Mahambo nor Ambila-Lemaitso but spent a great few days at Lova's Acacia bungalows in Manambato- beautiful location, great relaxing and friendly place to stay. Went on a trip to Lac Ampitabe to the Palmarium reserve and to one of villages along the coast. Absolutely beautiful and really highly recommended! There is a taxi-brousse from Manambato to Antananarivo so it's not actually necessary to get a private hire in Brickaville. I was lucky and managed to get transport directly from Andasibe. I absolutely loved it in Manambato!

Went from there on to Toamasina which was also a great city- so relaxing and languid. All in all, I have come back converted into a Madaphile and can't wait to return!