Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
- Sep 16, 2017
- 2 min read
After an 18-hour Taxi Brousse from Morondava to Antananarivo, picking up the squad (Chris, Gabriel and Jack) in Tana and another Taxi Brousse we arrived at Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Despite being one of the easiest to get to and therefore most visited parks in Madagascar thanks to its proximity to the capital (4 hours drive) it still remains one of the highlights of the trip.
Accommodation: We stayed in a family-run budget guesthouse not far from where we were dropped off called Vohitsara Guesthouse. The bungalow for the five of us was perfect and included 5 beds, mosquito nets, a table and chairs, a deck and towels. Amenities included toilets, showers, a clothe-washing station and clotheslines, and Malagasy food on request. (Around 8,000 MGA or $2.50 pppn)
The Parks: There are two main parks that you can visit, the Parc National Analamazaotra, which is the easier and more accessible of the two, or the Parc National Mantadia, which is a bit further away (roughly 17km) but more wild. As a group we decided to visit the more adventurous of the two and booked a 4x4 and guide to take us around the Tsakoka and Natural pools circuits. Here is a breakdown of the prices per person:
National Park Entry Fee - 45,000 MGA ($14)
Tour Guide Fee - 28,000 MGA ($9) Car Hire Fee - 24,000 MGA ($7) Total Cost for the day - 97,000 MGA ($30)
The short distance to the park takes roughly an hour after which you set out on foot for 2-3 hours to look for lemurs and chameleons. We were extremely lucky in that despite the recommended time to go to hear the Indri lemurs was early morning, our group was the only one to hear them that day and we arrived well after 11AM. The Indri call sounds like a mix between a monkey's howl and a whale song and you can hear it in the video below (excuse the language).
After working up a sweat in the humid forest we headed towards the natural pools for a dip in the cold water to freshen up. There was a waterfall and a bench nearby where you could have your picnic.
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