From the heights of Ankaratra the view leads to the capital in the north, to the Lake Itasy<\/strong><\/a> to the west, to the forest of Tsinjoarivo to the east, to the rice-growing basins of Sambaina and Vinaninony to the south, and to the peaks of the Malagasy highlands.<\/p>\n Ankaratra offers diverse landscapes - tree ferns in the humid forests, pine forests, heaths, rare flowers like orchids, bare mountains, huge rocks - and very diverse hiking opportunities.<\/p>\n It leads over\u00a0 Faratsiho<\/strong>the highest city in Madagascar (1,792 m), over the Mahafompona Pass<\/strong> (2.386 m), from there you can reach Antsirabe via RN 43 and Sambaina<\/strong> or via Vinaninony and Ambano<\/strong> (45 km slope through the orchards) reach.<\/p>\n Shortly before Ankeniheny<\/strong> (7 km west of Ambatolampy) a road leads to the right to the forestry and fish breeding station Manjakatompo<\/strong>, which is accessible with the authorization of ANGAP (National Association for the Management of Protected Areas).<\/p>\n This preserved area of 1,000 hectares, in which attempts are being made to Primary forest of Ankaratra<\/strong> restore, offers pleasant opportunities for hiking and bivouacking, especially between March and June, when everything is still green.<\/p>\n From the parking lot next to the orientation table (at 2,111 m) and the Anosiarivo Arboretum<\/strong> sports enthusiasts can reach the summit of the Tsiafajavona<\/strong> (2,643 m) and its cairn, at the foot of which the locals deposit offerings.<\/p>\n In 1840 Ranavalona had a vacation palace built in this splendid place, densely wooded at the time, in a place of prominence dominating the course of the Onive River.<\/p>\n East of the Rova (royal citadel) flows the Onive<\/strong> (150 m) in impetuous waterfalls, the Andriamovoka Waterfalls<\/strong>, down the hill (150 m). Tsinjoarivo, the \"thousand points of view\", is a sacred place where processions are organized for the Malagasy New Year.<\/p>\n Antsirabe<\/a>, the coquette, lies at an altitude of 1,550 m in a basin formed by the volcanic cones of Antsirabe<\/strong><\/a> was just a small village where locals came to stock up on salt when, in the 1870s, Norwegian missionaries, seduced by the freshness of its climate and the healing virtues of its thermal spring, opened the first spa.<\/p>\n Soon equipped by the French with a bathing establishment, a luxurious hotel, a railroad station and a post office, the \"Malagasy Vichy\" experienced the splendor of colonial resorts in the first half of the 20th century.<\/p>\n This small museum in Antsirabe was founded by the dean of mining operators in Madagascar. It presents in particular a beautiful collection of minerals from different regions of the island, as well as specimens of rubies, emeralds and sapphires.<\/p>\n It is a green city with wide avenues where you can walk in a rickshaw, by bike or on horseback and admire its merina houses and colonial mansions with old-fashioned charm.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.urlaub-auf-madagaskar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/DJI_0351.jpg\")
<\/a>At the foot of this mountain, in Ambohitrakolahy<\/strong> (the \"Hill of the Rooster\"), according to legend, the daughter of the heavenly ruler Andriananahary<\/strong> have come to earth with a rooster and a hen. She sacrificed the rooster and took paddy seeds from her harvest and sowed them, giving birth to rice cultivation.<\/p>\nHiking through the massif<\/h3>\n
<\/a>From Ambatolampy<\/strong>, a flower-filled village 68 km south of Antananarivo on the RN7, a large trail drawn by herds of zebus, now used by 4\u00d74s and mountain bikes, crosses the massif from east to west.<\/p>\nMANJAKATOMPO forestry and fish breeding station<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Although fishing and hunting are strictly prohibited, its waterfalls and rivers provide a pleasant coolness and one can swim in Lac aux Dames or Lac Froid. A small hiking trail, south of the fish station, leads to the Mimosas Arboretum.<\/p>\nTSINJOARIVO (45 km southeast of Ambatolampy)<\/h3>\n
\u00a0ANTSIRABE \"where it is rich in salt\" (167 km south of Antananarivo via RN7)<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Famoizankova<\/strong> in the north (2,367 m), Vontovorona<\/strong> in the east (2,055 m), Ibity<\/strong> in the south (2,240 m) and Itongafeno<\/strong> in the west (2,202 m). This quiet small town at high altitude has a healthy climate, but also the coolest in Madagascar: in winter the temperature can drop to 0\u00b0C.<\/p>\n\u00a0History of Antsirabe<\/h3>\n
The \"City of Wonders\".<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Antsirabe, with a population of nearly 80,000, has become a renowned center for cutting and trading in valuable minerals. It also thrives on its fruit and dairy production and its industries (the Star breweries, producers of Three Horses beer, a cigarette factory and textile industries, including Cotona, the first cotton spinning mill on the Big Island).<\/p>\nHikes in Antsirabe<\/h3>\n