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Analakely Market
Antananarivos main market is a shadow of the former zoma (market), for which the capital was legendary, but it’s still a packed, teeming place, selling clothes, household items, dodgy DVDs and every food product you could imagine, plus a few you probably couldn’t. Dont bring any va
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Grotte des Chauves
The easiest way to see the surreal tsingy of the Réserve Spéciale Ankarana is to do the two- to three-hour Grotte des Chauves-Souris circuit. This impressive cave has superb stalactites and stalagmites, and thousands of bats; nearby is a small viewpoint from where you can look over
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Palmarium Reserve
This private reserve next to Palmarium Hotel on Lac Ampitabe is a great place to test your inner guide. There are 500,000 sq m of dense forest cut with wide trails, and seven species of lemur to spot, including Coquerel’s sifaka , aye-ayes and some tame black-and-white ruffed lemur
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Musée Cedratom
Features exhibits on local culture, an elephant bird egg and other oddities, including an ancient mask with real human teeth. Interesting place if youre ever lucky enough to find it open – the official opening hours mean little and the guardian of the door couldnt really give a tos
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Atelier Corne de Zébu
Zebu horn is a versatile – and beautiful – material, which artisans at this workshop turn into numerous objects, from jewellery to salad spoons, sculpted animals and accessories. Youll see the whole production process: from how to separate the bone from its keratin shell to polishi
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Chez Mamy Miniatures
This family workshop specialises in the creation of miniature objects (cars, rickshaws, bicycles etc) made from recycled materials – anything from aluminium cans to (unused) intravenous tubes, textile and old cables. Theyll demonstrate how to make parts of their models; its an incr
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Soalandy
Madagascar is home to an endemic species of silkworm, which feeds on tapia trees in the wild and whose cocoons are threaded and woven like conventional silk. The fascinating production process of this wild silk is laid out in this workshop. You can buy beautiful scarves (Ar50,000 t
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La Table
This table mountain is unmissable as you approach Tuléar down the RN7, about 10km from town. There’s a relatively easy trail to the top, which takes about 15 minutes to climb, and is a great place to watch the sunset. Go early or late in summer. For Ar30,000 you can hire a taxi in
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Musée d’Art et d’Archéologie
This small museum in Isoraka gives an overview of archaeological digs around the island, including displays of grave decorations from the south (known as aloalo ), rotating exhibits on Madagascan life (cooking, music etc), and a few talismans and objects used in traditional ceremon
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Musée du Port
The small university museum at the entrance to the port constitutes barely 2½ rooms of farming tools, fishing implements, archaeological finds and tribal charms, along with poster displays on deforestation and local conservation projects. Some of the captioning is in English, inclu
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Zebu Market
Ambalavao hosts the largest zebu market in the country. Tough, wizened herders walk from as far away as Tuléar and Fort-Dauphin to sell their cattle. It is quite a spectacle, especially as the animals make their way up the bluff where the huge enclosure is located. The market reach
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Chez Marcel
The technique used to make traditional sweets here hasnt changed in decades: a syrup is prepared, then rapidly cooled down and kneaded on a granite slab. Ingredients such as vanilla, orange peel, ground coffee or crystallised ginger are added to the mix for flavour; the preparation
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Village des Tortues
Near Reniala, this 70,000-sq-metre park protects over 1000 radiated and spider tortoises. A guided tour of the grounds in English tells you the full story of these endangered animals and how they are being conserved. It takes less than an hour, so its a worthy break from the beach.
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Aluminium Pot Workshop
Travellers can visit local workshops and watch the artisans at work. The metal used to manufacture pots here is scavenged from car parts etc. It is melted in furnaces and then poured in handmade moulds of very fine laterite and coal powder. The workers are incredibly dexterous and
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Sabotsy Market
A Madagascan version of a Moroccan souk, this sprawling open-air market, with distinct areas of jewellery, clothing, food, and more, will keep you occupied for hours either shopping or simply absorbing the spectacle. Located in a vast walled compound, it is a Pandora’s box of unusu
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Fort Flacourt
This fort is currently used as a military base and the soldiers at the entrance endlessly discuss whether or not to let you in, how much it should cost and who should get the money. If they do let you in, theyll insist on a guide. There’s not much to see except for a few cannons, a
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Lemur Park
In this small park, the black lemurs are wild, but locals feed them bananas so that the animals will eat off your hand or jump on your shoulder for that perfect photo op. The practice is detrimental to the animals but generates substantial revenue for the village, which has helped
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Brasserie Star
Wondering where all that Three Horses Beer comes from? Look no further. Madagascar’s dominant and unmissable brand is made in this, the country’s biggest brewery. Starting at the THB billboard on the corner of Ave Foch and Rue Danton, head west on Danton (toward Morondava) for 800m
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Reniala Nature Reserve
This is a 60-hectare spiny forest full of baobab trees and some birds. There are two circuits, one of 45 minutes to an hour and the other of 1½ to two hours. If you have been to the Arboretum in Tuléar, which is better done, you don’t need to repeat that experience here, unless you
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Le Village
Around 30 highly skilled artisans work here producing scale models of historic ships, fishing boats and famous vessels. Everything is made by hand – from miniature cannons to the ships sails. One model takes about six months to complete. You can view the artisans at work from Monda
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