Top Sights in Antananarivo – The Capital of Madagascar

Backpacking Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar.

This is a backstory from 2023, when I travelled in Madagascar, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia.

Nicknamed the Red Island, Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in the world after Greenland, Papua New Guinea and Borneo.

It is one of Africa’s (many) poorest countries. And as with everywhere, people flock to the city in the hope of a better life. And the cities become crowded AF and can get to a point where the infrastructure struggles to cope. Antananarivo is like that.

The reality check in Antananarivo is that the traffic is mental, the roads suck, and the pollution is horrible.

Thankfully, the rest of Madagascar is a little less crazy. Just a reminder: it is Africa, and chaos is part of the territory.

Arriving on a Kenya Airways flight from London, via Nairobi, in the true spirit of Nomadic Backpacker, I took a local bus from the airport.

Why pay 70,000 Ar for a stress-free taxi when you can fully immerse yourself in the Real Madagascar for just 600 Ar, which is about 15 cents US.

If you’re travelling with luggage you can’t balance on your lap, then the minivans—known as Taxi-Brousse—probably aren’t for you.

I rode the Taxi-Brousse from the airport to the NY Telomiova guest house, run by a lovely family, in Imerinafovoany, just over 5 km away.

After a two-night stay, I took a Taxi-Brousse to Vassacos before walking the rest of the way into town.

I stayed a week at the El Mundo Hotel, which set me back just 9€ a night for a private room.

Here are my Top 9 Sights in Antananarivo, The Capital of Madagascar:

1. Lemurs’ Park

Undoubtedly, the top thing to do in Antananarivo is to visit the Lemurs’ Park, which is located in Katsaoka, just 22 km from the capital.

The Lemur is on the endangered species list, and the ones here have mostly been rescued from people who thought they made great pets. I admit that they are very cute, but as pets, seriously? They belong in nature!

The goal is to return them to the wild, but with illegal deforestation, their habitat is threatened.

​They are protected, but in the wild, this is hard to enforce, and parks like these are vital to their survival.

Many travellers and tourists hire their own driver to get to the Lemurs’ Park. Of course, I travelled there under my own steam.

If you have limited time in Madagascar, I would recommend going to the Lemurs’ Park and then getting the hell out of Dodge.

If you don’t see the following eight sights, you won’t lose any sleep. There is plenty of stuff to see elsewhere in Madagascar, such as the gorgeous Avenue of the Baobabs. If you are up for some proper adventure, travel on a cargo boat on the Canal des Pangalanes.

But if you insist:

2. Avenue de l’Indépendance:

The main street that runs south from La Gare Soarano to Ambohijatova, where a memorial stands to those killed in the 1947 Malagasy Uprising, is known as the Avenue de l’Independance.

It was originally known as the Avenue Fallières, then Avenue de la Liberation, before finally becoming the Avenue de l’Indépendance in 1960. The buildings and terraces that line the avenue date from 1935.

The original Town Hall dates from March 1936, but was destroyed by fire during the Rotaka protests in 1972 and lay abandoned for many years.

3. La Gare Soarano:

The Soarano Station was designed by architect Georges Auguste Fouchard and built between 1908 and 1910. It is located at the northern end of the Avenue de l’Indépendance

The building was built on the ground where once stood a fountain, hence the name Soarano, which means good water.

The current owner of this station is the Madagascan company Madarail, though no regular passenger rail service operates from the capital.

Train services are being restarted in Madagascar, so there is still hope that trains will start running from Tana again. I rode the train from Toamasina to Brickaville not long after the line was reopened.

4. The Kianja Barea Mahamasina Stadium:

The Kianja Barea is a 40,260 seater football and athletics stadium in the Mahamasina district of Antananarivo. I went to have a look, and there was a practice session going on, for what I later learned was a match being played on my last day in town, Madagascar vs Ghana.

5. The Rova of Antananarivo:

The Rova of Antananarivo is the royal enclosure that served as the home of the sovereigns of the Kingdom of Imerina in the 17th and 18th centuries, and for the rulers of the Kingdom of Madagascar in the 19th century.

It sits on the highest of many hills in the district at 1,480m. Great views across the city, just check out the smog:

6. Portail des voyageurs:

The Travellers Gate: Obviously, this is the old gateway to the Rova of Madagascar, the royal enclosure. It was a nice find, as I wandered back down to the city. This is the beauty of travelling. Small but interesting finds.

7. Catholic Cathedral of Andohalo:

The Catholic Cathedral of Andohalo, the Immaculate Conception, was built between 1873 and 1890:

8. Le Palais de Justice d’Ambatondrafandrana:

The courthouse, which bears the name of Ambatondrafandrana (the stone of the Rafandrana), the rulers of Antananarivo in the 17th century, was designed by John Parret in 1881 and built on the site of a stone from which the ancient kings dispensed justice. The palace served as a place of justice during the reign of Queen Ranavalona II from 1872.

9. Le Buffet du Jardin:

Yes, this makes the list. If you spend time in Tana, you will need this place to recover your senses, I kid you not. Cold beers, great pizzas, and friendly staff. A little corner of paradise amid the chaos.

Antananarivo Survival Kit:

Food:

The local street food breaks every food safety rule you’ve ever read about.

It is cooked whenever, and kept all day long in unchilled glass cabinets, very often in direct sunlight. And of course, if it isn’t sold, it’s back on sale the next day until someone eats it. Consume at your peril.
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The Super U supermarket is your new best friend, but be careful what you eat from the chilled section, as power cuts are common here.

Security:

It goes without saying, do not walk the streets with your phone/wallet in your back pocket, no different from London, Rome or CDMX.

If you need to consult Maps.Me, step into a shop to take a look. There is no need to tempt the opportunist.

At 6 pm, it is already dark. The streets become empty. Do not walk alone after dark. Do I need to expand on that? Plus, there are no street lights and lots of open drains.

I walked everywhere during the daylight hours. Of course, you never know what could happen anywhere in the world, but the vibe during the day felt safe.

During my stay, there were daily power cuts at random times. Keep a torch to hand.

On the plus side, despite being a crazy, hectic, dirty city, the people are courteous, always with a smile (we have a lot to learn).

In the supermarkets, the staff greet you with their Bonjours, Merci Beaucoups and au revoirs.

Free Wi-Fi:

Power permitting, I had a good connection at both of the hotels in Tana.

The Leader Price café and a restaurant out near the Radisson Hotel at Lakeside also had free Wi-Fi.

I later bought some data.

It wasn’t super fast, but I could upload photos to my blog, watch YouTube and even make video calls with Miss CDMX.

La Lingua Franca:

Malagasy is the first language. Being a former French colony, French is spoken, but not by all. In the hotels, supermarkets and bars that cater for tourists and expats, French is spoken naturally and sometimes English. But the average Joe on the street doesn’t.