Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
just a bed and a wardrobe, but it's the service people enjoy most at the Relais: meals in the
big dining rooms at night, crêpes for breakfast, reading in the beautiful garden or cosying
up inside on rainy days. The three-course lunch (Ar15,000) is the best deal in town.
Le Domaine de Fontenay
LUXURY HOTEL €€€
( 82 908 71;
www.lefontenay-madagascar.com
; r €181) This grand hotel has a rustic
charm to it. It has eight grand bungalows with stone floors, huge wood-and-marble bath-
rooms and four-poster beds. The restaurant in the old farmhouse (dating to 1904) features
a chimney designed by Gustave Eiffel, of Tower fame. It also has an orchid garden, giant
tortoises and a private nature reserve that has most of the wildlife you can see at Montagne
d'Ambre, as well as views over Diego's bay.
INFORMATION
There is no electricity in Joffreville; hotels generally turn on their generators from 5pm to
10pm. The nearest bank is in Diego Suarez.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
It is easy to catch a taxi-brousse to Joffreville (Ar3000, 1½ hours) from Diego. Vehicles
depart from the Gare Routière d'Ambilobe, next to Arrachart Airport. It is unlikely you'll
find a vehicle back to Diego after 4pm.
Parc National Montagne d'Ambre
This wonderful
national park
(
www.parcs-madagascar.com
) is literally a breath of fresh
air from the arid northern plains: at 1000m, it is generally 10 degrees cooler than in Diego
or Ankarana, even more so in winter, and its luxuriant forests could not contrast more with
the mineral beauty of the lower grounds.
It rains almost every day in Montagne d'Ambre, and the park (182 sq km) and adjacent
massif act as Diego's water reservoir: hydrologists have calculated that the area contributes
50 million cubic metres of water annually to northern Madagascar, enough to support 700
sq km of rice paddies.
For visitors, the park provides lovely walks in gorgeous forests, with plenty of waterfalls
and lakes to rest by. The summer season (December to April) is the best for seeing reptiles
and amphibians, but birdwatching and views from the summit are better in winter months.
One day is enough to get a good sense of what the park and the wildlife are like, but two
days would give you time to trek to the summit and discover many lakes and waterfalls
dotting the park.
