Safari to Ankarana

attractive and atmospheric hiking trails

Set in the far north of Madagascar, around 80 km south of Diego Suarez, Ankarana National Reserve is a large free-standing limestone massif of around 200 square kilometres, which is best known for its impressive ‘tsingy’ erosion platforms.

The rock here is very susceptible to rain erosion, which has created not only the spiky projections on the upper surfaces, but a network of caves and underground rivers below. This rugged and inhospitable terrain has helped protect the area from human intrusion.

These formations are surrounded and punctuated by deciduous forest, which is home to a wide range of unusual flora and fauna.

A network of interesting trails lead through dramatic rock formations to secret forest enclaves, hidden lakes and mysterious caverns.

Endemic mammals include crowned lemurs, Sanford’s brown lemurs, northern sportive lemurs, brown mouse lemurs, fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, fork-marked lemurs, eastern woolly lemurs, Perrier’s sifakas, aye-ayes and western lesser bamboo lemurs.

Notable bird species include paradise flycatchers, common jerys, Madagascar greenbuls, Madagascar bulbuls, nectarina sunbirds and various vagas.

The Reserve also has several species of reptiles and amphibians.

The largest sinkhole, the Mangily Crater, (measuring 700m/2300’ across and 140m/460’ deep), is sacred to the local Antakarana people, who have historically taken refuge from their enemies in its caves and other natural rock shelters.

The massif is thought to contain the longest cave system in Africa, with around 100 km of routes having been mapped. One of the most accessible caves, La Grotte d’Andrafiabe, has over 8 km of horizontal passages. This exciting underground world was recorded by Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth’s excellent book Lemurs of the Lost World.

The Ankarana area is reasonably close to the popular beaches of Nosy Be, so tends to feature quite frequently in trips, especially as a stop on a private-guided overland safari to Diego Suarez.

The usual stay duration is 2-3 nights.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Anakarana area is generally considered to be during the May-Oct cool dry season.

The May-Oct period represents a cool dry winter season, when daytime temperatures may reach 22C/72F, whilst nighttime temperatures manage to drop to around 14C/57F. The relatively infrequent rainfall tends to come in the form of occasional showers, with the prevailing conditions being hot and sunny.

The Nov-Apr period represents a warm wet summer season, when daytime temperatures may reach 28C/82F, whilst nighttime temperatures struggle to get below 20C/68F, which can be quite uncomfortable in the potentially very high humidities. Rainfall can be extremely heavy and persistent, possibly exceeding 300mm/12″ per month during Jan-Feb.

Getting there

The Ankarana area is usually accessed by road, usually as a stop on the overland journey from Diego Suarez to Nosy Be.

This type of trip typically starts by flying from the capital Antananarivo to Diego Suarez, where you are met by a guide for the 1-2 hour drive to Montagne d’Ambre. After staying here, the road journey continues south to the Ankarana for another 2-3 nights, then on down to the lodges of the Nosy Be area, either along the mainland coast or by motorboat out to the islands. After staying out there for maybe 4-5 nights, you can either fly back to Antananarivo or depart on international flights from Nosy Be.

Where to stay

There’s essentially two choices of accommodation in this area …

If you are on a very fast paced trip and only have one or maybe two nights in this area, then it’s probably best to stay on the eastern side of the tsingy, which provides easy access to the main park gate. Ankarana Lodge would be the obvious choice.

However if you travelling at a more relaxed pace and have three or more nights to spend here, then it is usually best to combine one night at Ankarana Lodge with two or more nights at the excellent Iharana Bush Lodge, which is more remotely located to the southwest and offers a much wider range of activities, notably including a via ferrata and caving.

accessed by road from Nosy Be