Andasibe-Mantadia National Park — Attraction in Madagascar

We visited the park in May 2022.

In the morning we lent a 4wd to go to the Mantadia primary forest (which requires a 1 hour drive from the Andasibe village according to which pathway you want to take). Our guide found us the 4x4 for 160 000 AR, it is expensive but a commonly charged price for 4 wheelers.

We did the Tsakoka itinerary. It is supposed to be the longest. It is where you can spot rare birds and different kinds of lemurs, at least that was before covid. According to our guide, this part is so remote from the road and was so poorly monitored during the pandemic that the locals hunted the lemurs. He said we should have spotted several groups of sedentary lemurs in given places but we barely saw some high up in the canopy, which real high because it's a primary forest. The lush green vegetation is impressive. We went there too late to observe birds and missed the few ones our guide pointed at. The jungle cry I read so much about in the comments is real and it's magical. Watch out for leeches (had one one me) and mosquitoes (heard one I can tell). There are other routes in that part of the park (leading to waterfalls or a natural swimming pool).

Mantadia is the primary rainy forest, while Andasibe is a secondary one. The trees are skinny, the vegetation way less diversified and the pathway mainly flat and paved. This is where we headed to on the afternoon, as we didn't spot much fauna in the Mantadia primary forest. It is the same entrance fee but you pay your guide for each route you enter. There we were able to hang out with a group of Sifaka ( about 12 of them). Always keep an eye on the upper branches as they do not bother where their droppings may land. You might have to dodge some bullets. They were much more accostumed to human presence. They were eating leaves and inspecting us from a short distance without embarrassment. We also spotted another group of brown lemurs and that was all.

What I can recommend and what we couldn't do is to buy your entrance tickets the night before (before 4pm), so that you can enter the park early in the morning (from 5am). The office only opens at 8am, Malagasy time. You loose valuable hours as birds and lemurs are more active early in the day.

Entrance was about 45 000 Ar and our guide 110 000 AR...

En septembre 2024, j’ai eu le privilège de découvrir le Parc national d’Andasibe-Mantadia, pendant la saison sèche. Deux jours sur place m’ont permis de profiter pleinement des randonnées en forêt, de l’observation nocturne et de moments de pure contemplation. Accompagné de quelques amis passionnés de nature, j’étais venu pour explorer, observer les lémuriens et photographier les paysages. La forêt était enveloppée d’une fine brume matinale, avec les appels envoûtants des indris qui créaient une ambiance quasi mystique — un vrai bain de nature et de spiritualité.

Les points forts :

Beauté naturelle : Forêt dense et préservée, abritant une faune exceptionnelle — Indri-Indri, caméléons, grenouilles… tout semble vivant et vibrant. Atmosphère unique : La sérénité des lieux, amplifiée par les sons de la forêt, offre une vraie immersion sensorielle. Qualité du guidage : Les guides sont bien formés, respectueux de l’environnement et réellement passionnés. Activités variées : Circuits de randonnée, balades nocturnes, baignade en cascade, observation d’animaux endémiques. Tarifs raisonnables : Un bon rapport qualité-prix pour les prestations proposées (entrée et guide).

Quelques points à améliorer : Accessibilité : Difficilement accessible depuis Antananarivo (environ 5h). Certains sentiers secondaires mériteraient un meilleur entretien. Le musée d’accueil manque de dynamisme : panneaux effacés, interactifs hors service. Quelques visiteurs et guides utilisent des appels enregistrés pour attirer les animaux — une pratique à revoir pour le respect de la faune.

Si vous aimez la nature authentique et généreuse, ce parc est fait pour vous. Il conviendra aux familles curieuses, aux photographes animaliers et à ceux qui cherchent une expérience immersive loin des circuits classiques. Je recommande de venir entre mai et octobre (saison sèche), muni de vêtements longs, d’un imperméable et de répulsif anti-moustiques. Deux jours sont idéals pour explorer à la fois Analamazaotra et Mantadia. Ce que je retiens : une rencontre vibrante avec la forêt malgache, des instants suspendus à écouter les indris, et une profonde sensation de reconnexion avec la nature. Et comme le disent de nombreux visiteurs : “Andasibe, c’est un incontournable !” —...

Great place to see lemurs. Really enjoyed seeing the indri, sifaka, mouse, brown, and black and white ruffed lemurs in their natural habitat. Takes a bit to get to the circuit trail, very challenging roads, so hire a good driver and guide. I'd recommend Christof as a guide. The closer park works fine, but if you can get to Mantadia, that is better. I think only about about a thousand folks make the difficult trail, though I could be wrong. Duke University has a research station there. If you want to see the foosa, early...