Antananarivo - Post Report Question and Answers
What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Visit to lemur parks. - Jul 2020
We love going out to Ferme d'Ivato (an organic farm) on Sundays for a long lunch and a walk around the farm. Also, there's a local drag racing culture that we happened upon one weekend out in the country... day-long races at an old airfield outside of Tana. Lots of fun. - Mar 2017
Limitless mountain biking!! - Jun 2016
Once you've been to the lemur parks, it's all about saving your money to get out of the country. - Oct 2015
The main tourist attractions in Tana are the royal palace (Rova of Antananarivo), the Ambohimanga UNESCO world heritage site, and Lemurs Park. For a nice afternoon escape I really recommend visiting the 12 sacred hills, including the villages of Ambohidrabiby, Ambohidratrimo, Alasora, Imerimanjaka and Ilafy. For a longer day or weekend trip the options are many: Lake Mantasoa and the ruins of the 19th century munitions factories there, the hot springs and Lily waterfall at Ampefy, and the beautiful waterfall and paths around Queen Ranavalona's summer palace at Tsinjoarivo, to name just a few. This is a beautiful, safe country for exploring off the beaten path. - Mar 2015
There are some good restaurants and fun places to enjoy a drink with friends. For the most part, the best thing to do in Tana is to make really good friends and hang out at each others' houses. We find that every weekend we are completely booked up with parties, dinners, brunches and playdates, but we almost never go out. Shopping can be interesting at the local markets, but it's not something you would do often. There are some fun places within 4 hours where you can go to spend a long weekend. These places have opportunities to see lemurs, hike and relax. - Apr 2013
Eat out, travel, hike, camp, etc. - Apr 2010
Go Karting, Off road biking, cycling, rainforests (walks), quad bikes, flying (there is an aeroclub there to hire aircraft from), Country clubs - horse riding, swimming and tennis mainly. Also see that river rafting/kayaking picking up there. Exploring the Hauteville area of Tana is fantastic with all its stairways. The birdpark at Tsarasaotra (a RAMSAR site) is beautiful. - Dec 2008
