Safari to Andringitra

the biodiversity is very high, with over a dozen lemur species

Andringitra National Park is one of a string of conservation areas that protect the ribbon of indigenous rainforest that runs along the spine of Madagascar.

Set 350 km south of the capital Antananarivo and 400 km east of Tulear, this is a relatively remote and little-visited conservation area.

The reserve is centred on an impressive range of granite mountains, surrounded by various zones of high altitude fauna, down to tropical rainforest on the lower slopes.

These ecosystems are home to an extremely diverse flora and fauna, including 13 species of lemurs.

The primary reason to visit is to undertake various treks and hikes within the reserve, as well as rock climbing and even parascending.

The area also contains some very pleasant rural villages and the interaction with the local people, particularly when out on the trails, can be extremely relaxed and enjoyable.

Andringitra is usually included as a stop on the main RN7 route between Antananarivo and the southwest coast.

If you are not into hiking or rock-climbing, then it is possible to stay back up on the RN7 just south of Ambalavao (Betsileo Country Lodge) and visit the modest Anja Parc, which contains some very approachable ring-tailed lemurs.

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

The temperatures and rainfall levels vary enormously throughout the parks and especially at different altitudes. It’s necessary to plan for all seasons in a day, especially if you are out hiking.

The Mar-Oct period represents a cool dry winter season, when daytime temperatures may reach 22C/72F, whilst nighttime temperatures can drop significantly below zero. Rainfall tends to come in the form of occasional showers.

The Nov-Feb period represents a warm wet summer season, when daytime temperatures may reach 28C/82F, whilst nighttime temperatures should remain well above zero. Rainfall can be extremely heavy and persistent, possibly exceeding 400mm/16″ per month during Dec-Jan.

Getting there

The only way to access the Andringitra area is by road.

The national park lies around 30 km south of the main RN7 road, between the town of Fianarantsoa and the mountains of Isalo, from where a dirt road winds into the Sahanambo Valley, with the mountains rising up ahead.

The conventional way to include Andringitra would be as part of a guided overland safari travelling from the capital Antananarivo all the way down to the southwest coast at Tulear, in which case it would usually feature between stops at Antsirabe and Isalo. However this is the default budget trip to Madagascar and can get very busy and rather tacky in parts.

Our preferred way to get here is to first fly from the capital Antananarivo to the southwest coast at Tulear and then drive inland to Isalo and Andringitra, returning to Tulear for some time on this wonderful coastline. This doesn’t completely resolve the traffic issues, but it certainly helps. And since this would be a very active itinerary, in each area we can include longer hikes which would get you well off the beaten path.

Where to stay

Although there are a handful of simple local guest-houses in the valley, the only slightly higher quality properties are Tsara Camp (our usual choice as a trekking base) and Camp Catta (the main centre for rock climbing.

primarily visited for its hiking and trekking trails