Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping
8
Campement d'AndrafiabeB2
9
Campement du PrinceC2
10
Chez AurélienD3
11
Le Relais de l'AnkaranaD2
Information
12
Main Park EntranceD3
Park headquarters(see 12)
13
Western Park EntranceC1
ACTIVITIES
Ankarana is best known for its serrated, dark-grey
tsingy
and its caves, and there are a vari-
ety of circuits to take in the highlights. The park is split in two halves, which are distinct
and not easily linked, so ideally you should set aside two days to visit both sides.
The eastern half is the most accessible, via the village of Mahamasina, and the best place
to admire the strange-looking
tsingy
. The easiest way to see these surreal pinnacles is to do
the two- to three-hour
Grotte des Chauves-Souris
(Cave of Bats) circuit. This impressive
cave has superb stalactites, stalagmites and thousands of bats hanging from the walls, and
nearby is a small viewpoint from where you can look over the
Petits Tsingy
.
The route to the
Grands Tsingy
is a longer walk -five hours return - with some inter-
esting sights on the way, including
Perte des Rivières
, a massive rock chasm in which
three of the park's rivers plunge during the rainy season (they come out 20km later in the
Mozambique Channel). There are some good viewpoints and a rope bridge to cross. The
hike to the pretty
Lac Vert
is the longest circuit (nine hours in total) and takes in all the
main sights in the eastern half of the park.
The western half of Ankarana is different and only accessible from June to December.
Herethefocusisonthreesetsofcaves,
Grotte Squelette
(SkeletonCave),
Grotte Cathéd-
rale
(Cathedral Cave) and
Grotte d'Andrafiabe
, which you can visit through a subter-
ranean circuit (if this doesn't appeal, another circuit links two of the caves via a 'normal'
path). There are beautiful canyons along the way, including
Canyon d'Andohalambo
.
SLEEPING & EATING
Le Relais de l'Ankarana
GUESTHOUSE €€€
( 032 02 222 94;
http://relaisdelankarana.unblog.fr
; Mahamasina; r Ar80,000) Run by
the hospitable Hobaya family, the Relais is a wonderful halt on the Diego-Nosy Be route.
The guesthouse was built in 2008 (this was, apparently, their retirement plan), and the
