Camp Catta

a great base for hiking and trekking

Camp Catta is located in the Andringitra area of southeast Madagascar.

Originally founded by rock climbers around 2008, this place is one of the better accommodation options in the area (although this isn’t saying a great deal).

It’s a simple property, centred on a modest main building, whose small bar and restaurant serve as a sociable hub for the area.

The food is reasonable with a mix of Malagasy and European cuisines.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Camp Catta is in 12 rooms, the best of which are brick-and-thatch bungalows, the remaining tented rooms being rather small and dingy.

Activities

Camp Catta provides access to the following activities …

• Mountain trekking
• Mountain hiking
• Rock climbing
• Cultural interaction

Andringitra is a lovely area, but it is a mission to get to, which is the primary reason that it features in so few trips.

The usual stay duration is 3-4 nights, perhaps longer if you intend to undertake one of the multiple day treks.

Seasonality

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.

a long road journey to get here