Antananarivo and Area Looking - Madagascar - page 276

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
As if to emphasise how different it is from other capitals, Tana has relatively little conven-
tional sightseeing. However, there's quite enough to keep you occupied for a few days.
ORTANA [147 F4] (regional tourist office) 24 304 84/22 270 51; e ort-
[e-mail] ; www.tourisme-antananarivo.com ; Mon-Fri 08.30-17.00, Sat
08.00-16.00. Helpful tourist office for Tana & surrounding area conveniently located near
the bottom of the steps connecting the lower & upper towns. Good selection of tourist lit-
erature & maps. English spoken.
EcoTanana [143 D5] Pl Andohalo; m 032 71 472 65; e [e-mail] ;
www.ecotanana.net ; 10.00-17.00. A network of guides, guesthouses & craftsmen sup-
porting ecotourism in Tana. Visit the project's kiosk near Mahamasina.
ONTM [146D4](national tourist office) 3RueElysée Ravelontsalama; 2266115/22
216 II; f 22 660 98; e [e-mail] ; www.madagascar-tourisme.com
ONTM Ivato. Located in the international section of the airport, this branch of the na-
tional tourist office has irregular opening hours to coincide with main flight arrivals.
ROVA [143 D5] The queen's palace, or rova , the spiritual centre of the Merina people,
dominatestheskylineofTana.Itwasdestroyedbyfirein1995,leavingonlythestoneshell
- an act of arson unprecedented in Madagascar's history.
The palace has been closed for restoration since 2005. It may be open again by the time
you read this, although at the time of writing work has stopped owing to lack of funds.
In any case, it is worth the walk up to the palace for the view and to imagine its former
grandeur.
PRIME MINISTER'S PALACE (PALAIS D'ANDAFIAVARATRA) [143 D5] (
Sat-Thu 10.00-17.00, Fri 10.00-12.00; entry 3,000Ar ) This former residence of Rainilai-
arivony (he who married three queens) has been restored and now houses the few precious
items that were saved from the rova fire, mostly gifts from foreign prime ministers and
monarchs (including Queen Victoria). It was built in 1872 by the British architect William
Pool. After independence it became in turn an army barracks, law courts, school of fine
arts,thepresidential palace and(again) theprime minister'spalace. Itwasdamaged byfire
in 1975 but subsequently restored.
TSIMBAZAZA ZOO [143 D5] ( 24 517 78/510 74; daily 09.00-17.00; entry
10,000Ar ) This comprises a museum, botanical garden and zoo exhibiting mainly Mala-
gasy species.