The Highlands, Madagascar

Antananarivo, the sprawling business capital of Madagascar, is built on a series of hills, and offers a perfect base from which to explore the surrounds. There is much of historical interest to discover here, both within and immediately outside the city, from the former Royal Palace (the Rova) built on a high vantage point overlooking the city, to the Queen’s Summer palace, otherwise known as Ambohimanga, located far to its south.

Further afield, the highlands have some beautifully photogenic villages, the most attractive of which was featured on a Malagasy banknote. Here you will find red clay two-storey houses built in steps on the side of hills – a distinctive feature of the Madagascan landscape.

Due to the climate and terrain, Madagascar’s highlands region is perfect for growing rice (or vary as it is known in Malagasy), which is a basic part of the country’s diet and included in most dishes. As you travel through the region, you’ll pass vast rice terraces that call to mind South-East Asia more than they do Africa.

As one continues further south, the rice terraces give way to wide open plains dotted with enormous granite heads. This is the setting for the town of Antsirabe, de facto capital of the Central Highlands. Healing springs and mysterious deep volcanic crater lakes have long attracted visitors to this unique region.

In and around the Highlands, Madagascar
The Highlands region is often used as a stop-over point by those travelling to the coast. A few days here, however, exploring the towns, cities and attractions, is certainly worthwhile.

Antananarivo is where most travellers begin their exploration of Madagascar, and it offers a very welcome start to any trip. A pleasant day can be spent in the capital discovering the city sights. The ‘high city’, formerly the Royal seat, is where the old Queen’s place, the Rova, and the house of the first minister (now a museum) are located. At this high point, there are fabulous views over the city skyline and its multitude of colourful clay houses.

Antananarivo’s mid-city is where you will find attractive shops and the low city is the business area of town, with the Avenue of Independence, colonial-era landmarks and the 19th-century railway station; here you can wander and observe the day-to-day life of this busy city.

About 21 kilometres from Antananarivo is the Queen’s Summer palace, Ambohimanga. With its cool climate and a pervasive sense of history, Ambohimanga offers a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of Antananarivo.

For travellers continuing to the southern coast, a night in Antsirabe is a must. Once a retreat for European colonists and missionaries, Antsirabe’s fading colonial-era façade, most visible in its many old villas and its spa hotels, hides a thriving and industrious town that is full of life.