Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
One cruises in shade at just the right pace, and if you land an English-speaking
driver, you get a tour guide, too - one who knows Antsirabe like the back of his
hand. The
cyclo-pousse
, in which the cab is attached to a bicycle, is a step up, at
least as far as the driver is concerned. And then there is the top of the food
chain, the
kinga
, or motorised
pousse-pousse
.
Prices are always negotiable with drivers, but there are general guidelines. In
Antsirabe a single trip from the taxi-brousse station to Antsenakely, for either
pousse-pousse
or
cyclo-pousse
, usually goes for nearly Ar2000, although the
asking price may be Ar5000; most trips in the city are Ar1000 to Ar2000. When
it rains, the price doubles - for
pousse-pousse
,
cyclo-pousse
or
kinga
.
Discover Madagascar
TOUR
( 0324032250;discovermad@yahoo.com;RueJeanRalaimongo)IntheHotelBaobab,
this company has a good reputation.
Madagascar Tropic Voyage
TOUR
( 032 44 434 46;
www.madagascar-tropic-voyage.com
;
Ave Foch) This spin-off from
Discover Madagascar has an energetic young leader who speaks English and sources all his
talent locally.
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Just when you thought you'd seen it all: June to September is the time for
famadihana
(lit-
erally, the 'turning of the bones'), the ritual exhumation and celebration of ancestors' bones
by the Betsileo and Merina people.
Famadihana
are joyous and intense occasions, which
occur in each family roughly every seven years (
Click here
)
.
Famadihana
ceremonies take place in the
hauts plateaux
(highlands) region from Tana
to Ambositra every year. Local tour operators or
pousse-pousse
drivers can help you find
one and arrange an invitation. If you receive an invite, it's polite to bring a bottle of rum as
agiftforthehostfamily,andtoaskbeforetakingpictures.Foreignersaregenerally warmly
welcomed, and most people find that the experience, far from being morbid, is moving and
fascinating.
SLEEPING
Antsirabe offers a fascinating array of sleeping options, better than anywhere else south of
Tana. None of the hotels have heat, though, so come prepared in winter.
