National Parks & reserves

Kirindy: The word Kirindy means as much as „dense forest with wild animals“. Due to the more south located national park Kirindy-Mitea, the reserve is also known as “Kirindy Nord”. From former times it has the name “La forêt des Suisses”, the Swiss people’s forest. Location: Kirindy Forest is located in western Madagascar in Menabe region. From the capital of …

In the middle of Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, there is a small green oasis in the north of the town. It is known under its name Tsarasaotra (translated „a good place to live“) or simply „Ile aux oiseaux“ which means birds’ island. The area of 0,25 km² size includes lake Alarobia and a second smaller lake and some shore sides. The …

Zahamena: Zahamena means „red trees“, which hints at a tree species scientifically called Diatum unifoliatum. It occurs only in Zahamena and has a typically reddish-orange colored bark. Location: Zahamena national park is located in the northeastern highlands of Madagascar, in the region Alaotra-Mangoro. This area is famous for Madagascar’s largest lake, Alaotra, which is about 25 km away from the …

Mitsinjo: Mitsinjo means as much as “looking ahead” or “planning the future”. Location: The reserve is located close to the village Andasibe in eastern Madagascar, around 140 km away from the capital Antananarivo, in the region Alaotra-Mangoro. You drive approximately four hours on RN2, which is not in the best condition, and then change direction at a well-signed junction. Information …

Nosy Tanikely: Nosy Tanikely means “island of little earth”, which alludes to the small area of the island. The often-used spelling “Tanihely” with h instead of k is not a spelling mistake, but only the name of the park in the dialect of the local people, the Sakalava. Location: Nosy Tanikely National Park is located in northwestern Madagascar off the …

V.O.I.M.M.A: The letter sequence is an abbreviation for Vondron’olona miaro mitia ala, in English „Local people love the forest“. Lage: Andasibe is located about 130 km away from the capital Antananarivo and is one of the major attractions for travelers in Madagascar due to its national park Andasibe-Mantadia. By car, you can reach the village in approximately four hours. V.O.I.M.M.A. …

Nosy Mangabe: The Malagasy words manga be mean as much as “very beautiful” (which the island is, no doubt) as well as “very blue” or “a lot of mangos”. Location: Nosy Mangabe is the island of your dreams, laying a few kilometers southeast of Maroantsetra in Antongil Bay. You can reach the island via a motorboat from Maroantsetra in less …

Reniala: The name means as much as “mother of the forest”, which is the nickname of the baobabs endemic to this area. Location: Deep down at the southwestern coast of Madagascar, about 30 km away from the big city Toliara (Tuléar), there is the small village Ifaty-Mangily directly at the sea. You can reach it since 2016 via a well-paved …

Zombitse-Vohibasia: The compounded name of this national park derives from two of three areas belonging to the park. Zombitse means as much as „dense forest“ and thus names the dry forest of the national park. Vohibasia is the savannah in front of this forest and means „hill of pistols“, which is attributed to conflicts between the people of the South …

Akanin’ny nofy: The name Akanin’ny Nofy means “the nest of dreams”. The name describes this little paradise perfectly. However, the reserve is better known under its second name “Palmarium” or formerly “La Palmarie”. Location: The Akanin’ny nofy reserve is located on a peninsula in eastern Madagascar, about 60 km south of the city of Toamasina (Tamatave). From Toamasina you drive …