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National park in Madagascar
Photo: Gripso banana prune, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ranomafana National Park is located close to RN7 in Fianarantsoa Province of Madagascar. It holds 41,600 hectares (161 square miles) of rain forest that is home to several lemur species, is accessible by paved road, and contains a variety of lodging options, making it a popular destination for visitors to Madagascar. It's one of the six national parks that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site Rainforests of the Atsinanana.
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Shorter walks are very easy and lead into secondary forest where lemur species can be observed. Longer walks lead into very dense primary forest where very rare species can be observed. The park management proposes walks lasting 6 to 8 hours; while this sounds tough, they can be done by persons with insufficient fitness as most of the time is spent observing animals. It's worth to do more than only one of the walks. Be prepared to wake up early as this is when the animals are most active. Be aware that not all trails start at the reception, you will need a transportation to get to the starting point of a few of the trails. Bring insect repellent and sufficient water. Wear long-sleeve clothes to avoid being bitten by insects and good shoes.
In the restaurant behind the National Park's reception (see "Eat" section), you can book a tour down the river in inflatable Kayaks. It starts in Ranomafana village and takes you a few kilometers eastwards through sparsely populated area, not through the national park's forests, however. The price includes transfers to the starting point and from the end point back to the reception (or your accommodation, which is likely to be on the way).
Piscine thermale
A small pool with water from a hot spring. Leave all your valuables at your accommodation when going. Ask around about when it is refilled, as it closes for this purpose.
Acceptable food and drinks are available near the reception of the national park in an unnamed restaurant.
While this lodge was once the nicest lodging option in the park, today it is sadly in need of maintenance and thus will probably not be the first choice of most visitors. The lodge does boast an impressive view from rooms perched on the hillside, and the walk up to the rooms passes by a mountain stream and lush vegetation, but the downside of this view is that you'll have to trek up an impressive number of stairs to get to the room. The restaurant is OK and offers a nice view of the valley. Rooms have showers and mosquito nets, but as of 2014 were in poor repair, with electric sockets falling out of the walls, toilet seats missing, etc. The lodge is the closest accommodation to the park's main trekking area, but still not close enough that you would choose to walk instead of taking a vehicle. Should you choose to stay here, you will need to make your payment in person in their office in Antananarivo prior to arrival, and only cash will be accepted.
Rents out bungalows built on the hill besides RN25 with working warm showers, mosquito nets and fan. English spoken. Booking ahead is recommended. Acceptable food is served for dinner and breakfast. For those who stay longer, there is a laundry service. Accepts credit cards with a 5% surcharge on your bill.
The only way to get to Ranomafana National Park is by road. The entrance is right next to the national road RN25, it is impossible to miss it.
Read in the guideUnless you have your own car, you can rely on taxi-brousse passing by. While possible, this implies that you lose time, in particular in the morning, when the national park employees use the taxi-brousse to go to work.
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