Ranomafana & Fianarantsoa

A rainforest national park in the central highlands where you can look for golden bamboo lemurs, close to Fianarantsoa's old town and the jungle railway.

Ranomafana & Fianarantsoa lie in the Haute Matsiatra region of south-central Madagascar, in the middle stretch of the southern section of the RN7. Ranomafana National Park sits on the eastern slope of the highlands, about 60 km northeast of Fianarantsoa, and is part of the World Heritage–listed Rainforests of the Atsinanana. At Talatakely you can look for golden bamboo lemurs, at Vohiparara you can go birdwatching, and on night walks you can spot mouse lemurs and chameleons. After a hike, unwind in the hot springs in town. Fianarantsoa is the heart of the Betsileo people. Its hilltop Haute-Ville preserves 19th-century stone-paved lanes and churches, the FCE jungle railway descends from here to the east coast, and the Sahambavy tea estate lies to the east of the city. Continuing 55 km south, Ambalavao has the Antaimoro paper workshop and the country's largest zebu market, and farther south the Anja Community Reserve offers easy sightings of ring-tailed lemurs. The area is humid all year, and the rainforest is often shrouded in mist and drizzle. Lemurs are most active from September to December, while January to March is the cyclone rainy season, when roads are prone to damage. The drive from Antananarivo along the RN7 takes about 8–10 hours. We suggest 2 nights in Ranomafana and 1 night in Fianarantsoa, then continuing south to Isalo. Hire a car with a driver, and bring waterproof clothing and non-slip shoes for rainforest hikes.

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