The Highlands: Antsirabe & Ambositra
The central highlands south of Tana are the most scenically spectacular stretch on the Route Nationale 7—and a standalone destination that many visitors pass through too quickly.
Antsirabe — The City of Good Water
Antsirabe (175 km south of Tana, 3–4h) is situated at an altitude of 1,500 m and was a thermal spa resort during the colonial era. The city has a charming colonial core with wide boulevards, pousse-pousse (rickshaws), and the old thermal bath Hôtel des Thermes (renovated, open for visits). Antsirabe is Madagascar's craft center:
- Gemstone workshops: Madagascar is rich in sapphires, tourmalines, and amethysts. In Antsirabe, you can visit workshops and buy directly.
- Miniature model workshops: Astonishingly detailed models of cars, planes, and ships are crafted from recycled materials (tin cans, bicycle parts).
- Zebu horn carvings: Combs, jewelry, and figures made from the horns of Madagascar's zebu cattle.
Around Antsirabe: The Lac Tritriva (30 km), a crater lake in an extinct volcano, surrounded by a tragic love legend. The Lac Andraikiba offers picnic opportunities by the shore.
Ambositra — Capital of Wood Carving
Ambositra (90 km south of Antsirabe) is the center of Zafimaniry wood carving—a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage since 2003. The Zafimaniry live in the mountains east of the city and decorate their wooden houses and everyday objects with geometric patterns that endure through generations. In Ambositra, carving workshops and souvenir shops line the streets.
The rice terraces between Antsirabe and Ambositra are among the most beautiful landscapes in Madagascar: emerald green steps hugging the hills, interspersed with eucalyptus and red laterite paths. In the morning light, the scenery is breathtaking.
