Le Domaine de Fontenay

providing access to the hiking trails of the Amber Mountain

Le Domaine de Fontenay is located in the Montagne d’Ambre area of northern Madagascar.

The lodge is set in the small village of Joffreville at the foot of the mountain massif.

This village was originally a military settlement, a place for the French officers to relax away from the heat of the coast and to grow food crops for the navy base and passing shipping at Diego Suarez.

The house in which the lodge is contained in an old army medical facility which was originally built in 1904 and has been restored and extended by the present French owners.

The main house contains lounge and dining areas. It exudes a distinctly French ambiance.

Unfortunately the German owner died in 2020 and the future of the property is up in the air and we are not yet sure how that is going to affect the levels of service.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Le Domaine de Fontenay is in just eight simple but comfortable rooms, seven of which are contained in several converted outbuildings to the rear of the property, one of which is a two bedroom Family Suite.

The remaining Suite Room is in the main house, with a private first floor terrace.

Activities

Le Domaine de Fontenay provides access to the following activities …

• Walking safari
• Nature walks on the private reserve
• Village tours

The Montagne d’Ambre area is a fixture in overland trips from Diego Suarez to Nosy Be across the top of northern Madagascar. As such, it tends to feature quite frequently in more adventurous trips.

The usual stay duration is 2-3 nights.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Montagne d’Ambre 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 Montagne d’Ambre 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.

part of an overland safari from Diego Suarez to Nosy Be