Antananarivo (Part 1)

Welcome back to the Madagascar Travel Show.

This episode is called Antananarivo (Part 1) because there will be future updates about this fascinating city.

It’s been a while since I last uploaded an episode — longer than I would have liked — and I appreciate your patience if you’ve been waiting for new content. In fact, this episode was recorded about a year ago, so it’s been sitting there far too long.

The good news is that I’ve now brought an editor on board, so from the next episode onwards, you can expect a much more polished and consistent production — proper intros, outros, music, and a more refined overall feel.

For today though, I’ve decided not to overcomplicate things. This episode is going out exactly as it is — no music, no intro, no outro — just the content. Sometimes it’s better to get things out there rather than let them sit unfinished.

And today’s topic is Antananarivo — the capital of Madagascar. A city that most visitors pass through, but very few really take the time to understand.

Antananarivo can feel like a blur of traffic, hills, and noise if you treat it like a quick stop between Madagascar flights. I want to help you flip that script and use Tana as a real starting point for understanding Malagasy culture, history, and daily life without wasting precious holiday time.

We get practical fast: how long the Ivato airport transfer can really take, when an official taxi price applies, and why you should always agree the fare before you get in. Then we climb into the city’s story through the biggest Antananarivo attractions: the Queen’s Palace Rova (Manjakamiadana) with its royal past, restoration after the 1995 fire, and sweeping views. I also point you toward the Rova of Ambohimanga, the UNESCO World Heritage sacred hill that delivers history, atmosphere, and a welcome break from the bustle, plus the Museum of Photography for images and videos that make Madagascar’s past feel close.

From there it’s all about living texture: markets like La Digue, Pavillon, and Pochard for crafts, textiles, produce, and local snacks, along with simple safety habits that keep your day smooth. I share thoughts on street food, a few reliable restaurant options, where nightlife tends to cluster, and why night transport matters. We also cover where to stay across budgets, how to get around (including private cars and taxis), walking routes with guides, etiquette tips, and the departure and customs rules travelers overlook, especially export restrictions on wildlife, plants, antiques, and stones.

If this helped you plan your Antananarivo itinerary, subscribe, share it with a Madagascar-bound friend, and leave a review so more travelers find it. What’s the one thing you most want to do in Tana?

Let’s get into it.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hello, hello, hello. It's been a long time. In fact, it was September of 2023. I think the last time I made a recording. All good intentions, but Dadamanga has just been so busy. We've just been so busy with work. My office is so noisy. There's cars going by, blah, blah, blah. So many excuses. But anyway, here I am with my first episode for 2025. And what better to talk about than the capital of Madagascar? So today we're exploring Antananarivo. So hi and welcome to the Madagascar Travel Show. I'm Brett. I'm going to be your guide today as we embark on a journey through the wonders of Madagascar, particularly the capital city, Antananarivo. Antanarivo, affectionately known as Tana, this is the bustling metropolis, the heart of Madagascar, the center of Malagasy culture, history, tradition. And these days, of course, the most modern and developed city of the country. We're going to take a deep dive into what makes Tana so captivating. I'm going to do my best. We're going to talk about the iconic historical landmarks, the markets, the art and the food scene. I may try to sneak in a little bit about trending spots for nightlife, not that I really know a huge amount about that these days. So if you're planning a visit or you're dreaming about a visit, I hope there's something here for you. Uh grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine, sit back and let's explore Antonanarivo together. So, segment one, we're going to talk about arriving and getting into the center of the capital of Madagascar. From the Uvatu International Airport where most of you will land. It's depending on the traffic, which can be really bad, anywhere from 40 minutes to two hours to get into the centre of the city. A lot of people choose to stay near the airport in Uvatu, which is the wise choice if you don't care for cities, um, or if you're leaving early the next morning. Personally, I think it's great for you to see Antonanarivo at least once if you're visiting Madagascar. So the drive into the center of town is really, really interesting and worthwhile. You can take a taxi to get from Uvatu into town. You will either have a car booked via your hotel, or if you're a client of us, one of our cars will be picking you up and we will have met you at the airport and smoothed over your arrival proceedings. Or you can take a taxi. There are many taxis queued at the airport. Take the cream-colored cars, the official taxis, they have a set price, which as we speak today is 80,000 RERI, which is about 15 euros. That's a really bad, rough calculation off the top of my head. As I said, the trip can take anywhere from 40 minutes to two hours, depending on the traffic. Once you get into the center of town, get yourself settled at your hotel, and then you're ready to explore. A lot of people explore Tanner on their hub days. So you may not have time on your first day, but there may be days when you're flying around the country or driving around the country where you arrive in Tannery in the morning, in the afternoon or the midday, but you don't leave until the next day. So these are great opportunities. You should look at your itinerary and try to sneak in a little bit of a look around the city, a walk through the downtown with a guide or visiting some of these key sites that I'm going to talk about now. So this segment of the podcast is about the history and landmarks. And you know, this is a city that is really quite ancient, so I can't in this podcast delve too deeply into the history, but we'll skim over it all so you have a bit of an overview. First, we'll explore some of the landmarks that tell the story of the city's royal past and the cultural evolution. And the number one place to talk about is Manzaka Miyadana Ruva, or the Queen's Palace. The Queen's Palace is perched atop one of Antonanarivo's twelve sacred hills. The Queen's Palace, or known by the Malagasy people as the Ruva, Manzaka Miadana. Ruva is palace. This is one of the most iconic symbols of Madagascar's royal past. It has a commanding position on the highest point of the city. Panoramic views over the city below. The streets leading up to the Palace are a labyrinth. From up the top at the palace, you can see over the city the colourful rooftops, the distant hills. It's a really spectacular view from up there. This palace was the seat of power for the Mariner monarchy, which ruled much of Madagascar during the 19th century. The Ruver tragically was severely damaged by fire in 1995, but restoration efforts have returned it to something like its former glory, but it is now no longer a palace, it's now a museum. So a visit here is more than just a look around a cultural building. It's an opportunity to learn about the Meriner monarchy, its influence on Malagasy identity, and its role in resisting the colonial powers. The building has a spectacular story. It was originally built in wood by a French consort of the ruler of the time. And later that wooden palace was encased in stone by the Scotsman James Cameron. And the stone building is what remains today. Much of the wooden internal structure was burnt in the fire. The skeleton, the stone skeleton of the building remained, and that was what has been renovated and turned into the museum. When you get there, the things to do, you can have a tour around the palace grounds, explore the royal residences, the royal tombs, and the historical structures that survived the fire. The palace has uh obligatory guides, so even if you have a guide, you can't take him in, or you can take him in, but he's a guest. So you have to be toured around the palace by a formal Ruver guide who will tell you all the really interesting stories about the evil queens and the wonderful queens, Ranavaluna 1 and Ranavaluna 3. There were queens who threw Christians off the clifftops, there were queens who poisoned their opponents. It's a really fascinating story, and the building is really spectacular. I mean, even if you're not interested in museums, personally, I think it's a wonderful place to visit. You could allocate a couple of hours. So the Ruva is located in the Anduhalu district. It's about 30 minutes from the centre of the city, depending on the traffic. Either your car or a taxi is the most convenient way to get there, all of which can be arranged through your hotel or your tour operator. Walking is also an option if you're staying nearby, but be prepared. The roads are steep, made of cobblestones, and you so you need to be prepared for a little to get a little bit of a sweat up to get up to the top of the mountain. Um I really highly recommend it. I went to the opening of the Ruver, the reopening, um, by the president of Madagascar in the middle of last year. And oh gosh, in the middle of 2023. It has a fascinating collection of relics, historical bits and pieces of the old royal family. And it's really fascinating to imagine that Madagascar had this rich culture and a fantastic royal family living up there prior to the French colonial invasion, at which time the Queen surrendered and she was exiled to Algeria, never to return to Madagascar alive. Her body was returned after her death, and she was interred here in Madagascar. The next most amazing place to visit, which I also really love, and I have visited there multiple times myself. I never get bored of it, is the Ruver, again, Ruva Palace, the Ruva of Ambuimanga. Ambuimanga, Ambui Hill, Manga Blue. So it's the Royal Hill of Ambuimanga, known as the Ruva of Ambuimanga. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's one of the most spiritually significant sites in Madagascar. About 20 kilometers northeast of Tana. This sacred hill was once the home and fortification of the earlier Meriner kings, who eventually moved into and founded Antananarivo and built the Manzaka Miaduna River that we were just talking about. The site is revered not only for historical importance but also for its cultural and spiritual significance. It's surrounded by ancient stone gates, features traditional Malagasy architecture, including royal residence and ceremonial spaces. It has a really serene atmosphere, lush greenery, it's a real escape from the bustle of the city. So you drive about you drive the 20 kilometers out of the city up into the mountains, and again, this place is on a hilltop with a spectacular view over the surrounding territory at 360 degrees. The king Andrea Nampu Namerna is who you will hear about. This is where his original home was and is still there. You can explore the historic gates surrounding the royal enclosure, two of the royal residents, the old king's uh wooden house is preserved as it was hundreds of years ago. The guiding there is fantastic. They tell you really interesting stories about how the king lived and anecdotes about various things that happened. There's a swimming pool there which apparently, the first time I visited the Ambuimanga Ruver, the guide said, and the king's swimming pool was filled every morning by 60 virgins who carried water from the spring. But that doesn't happen anymore because there are no more virgins. Eek. I wasn't quite entirely sure what she meant about that, whether she meant there were no more virgins at that palace or because or there were none in Madagascar. I couldn't quite get it. But anyway, that's it's a really, really beautiful place. It's a lovely drive, 45 minutes out of the city. Easiest way to do it is by hiring a private taxi or getting your tour operator to arrange your transport there. When you get there, you'll be hooked up with a guide who speaks English. It's a really, really lovely place to visit and a really lovely half day out of the city. And the stories are fascinating. Once again, even if you don't like museums, it's a really, really interesting way to spend half a day. The next place that I want to talk about is the Museum of Photography. The Museum of Photography is actually up on the hill, quite close to the first river that I was talking about, the Ruver Manzaka Miadana. The Photography Museum is a semi-private organization. They have a fantastic collection of vintage photographs and videos that chronicle the transformation of Madagascar over the decades, over the centuries, some images dating back to the 19th century. They have a regularly changing exhibit, and they have three, three or four video rooms. So videos are all projected in French, English, or Malagasy. So as you go in, you click the button for the language that you want and the video that you want. There's a little sign at the door with some buttons. You just click the button for what you want, take a seat and relax, and these fantastic old videos will show for you. There are temporary exhibitions that change constantly on a rotating basis. So I can't say now what you'll see when you get there. But it's a really, really um lovely way to spend a couple of hours. Dadamonga are friends of the Museum of Photography. We make a donation every year to help support the project. And I highly recommend it. It's really, really a lovely way to spend some time. It also has a lovely cafe in the grounds with very nice food. So if you're doing something else in the morning, you can go up there and have lunch in their cafe and then visit the photography museum afterwards or in any order that works for you. But it's a lovely place to spend a couple of hours, have some lunch, have an hour and a half in the museum. It's really worthwhile. So all of these landmarks, they're more than just tourist attractions, they are testimonies to Madagascar's royal, spiritual, and cultural heritage. So whether you're standing up on the top of at the Queen's Palace or wandering through the sacred grounds of Buimanga or uncovering the history of Madagascar through vintage photographs, all of these experiences offer really interesting and profound insights into the island's identity. So if you have time, I really highly recommend that you include these stops in your visit to Tana and take a little bit of time to soak in the stories that they all have to tell. It's really, really worthwhile and will give you a real sense of the history of this fascinating country. The next segment that we're going to talk about is markets and shopping. Once again, markets are not just places to shop, they're microcosms of Malagasy life. You're going to find souvenirs, fresh produce, all sorts of things, and these markets promise to engage all of your senses, including your sense of smell. From the colourful displays of handmade crafts of every type and colour to the lively banter of the vendors, the markets are where the city's soul comes alive. So a short list of some of the markets. La Digue. La Digue Market is really close to the airport. It's a haven for people seeking Malagasy crafts and souvenirs. It's particularly famous for its vibrant selection of handmade items that reflect the artistry and ingenuity of Malagasy artisans. The things you can buy there are raffia baskets and bags woven in many bright, vivid colours. Crafts made from Zebu horn from carved ornaments to functional items like utensils, spoons, forks. Zebu horn products are unique to Madagascar and are actually really stylish. Some of them are really lovely, like beautiful salad servers and things that you just wouldn't kind of think about. Very nice stuff. There's also a lot of traditional fabric there, so fabrics woven in striking patterns, colours that can be used as wraps, scarves, wall decorations, etc. Lots of jewelry and trinkets made from natural materials like shells, stones, wood games, traditional Malagasy games such as the solitaire game and others are able to be found there. Wooden boards with stone pieces that you move around the board. There's a small antique section, but I think the thing that's probably most fascinating there for tourists is the woven materials from either raffia or silk or cotton. There's also a lot of embroidery. It's a really, really interesting market. You it takes about 20 minutes to get there from the center of the city. It's a good thing to do if you have a car taking you to the airport who can stop with you for an hour. I mean, once you get out and start wandering through it, you sort of get a little bit lost in it, and it does take about an hour at least to visit, so you should allocate a little bit of time to it. Next, we're going to talk about the pavilion market or pavion. The pavillon is in the center of the city in Analakeli district, which is the downtown main business district on the Avenue of Independence. It has more uh produce than crafts. There are some crafts there, but it's full of uh fresh fruit, vegetables, dried fish, dried shrimp, dried everything. You'll find things that you just don't understand, and it's a particularly more smelly market than the Dig market because it has all this fresh food, spices and preserved goods. It's really fascinating. The pavilion markets are located in downtown Analakeli, so it's really easy for you to get there if you're staying downtown, and it's a lovely way to spend a little bit of time and be fascinated by the amazing produce. Another market worth visiting is the Poshar Market, which is also in Analakeli, up in the back of the main train station, the colonial train station, the Gar. Poshard Market is more about fabric, clothes, local snacks. You can buy kuba, which is a Malagasy treat made of rice flour, peanuts, and sugar, which is really delicious. And there's lots of sort of everyday goods there. There is also a separate section to the poshard market, which is just for souvenirs, tourist things, crafts, handmade goods, toys, things made out of tin cans, stones, precious stones, semi-precious stones. It's also a fascinating wander around. There are some other markets in Isutri, in Saralana, and there are occasional handicraft fairs all over the city. Some tips for visiting any market in Madagascar is to keep an eye on your belongings, number one. Pickpockets are common in crowded areas. So for me, I take as little as as required and keep a very close eye on my belongings. I don't have my phone in my pocket or my wallet. I have it all in a small backpack which I wear on my front. You might have a bum bag, a banana bag, or some other way of keeping your money. And it's always a good idea to have the bulk of your money somewhere else and have easy access to small notes because a lot of vendors for small items won't have change. The shopping in these markets isn't just about buying stuff, it's also like you really will experience the rhythm of Malagasy life, the colours, the chatter of the vendors, the aroma of freshly cooked street food, the smiles. Malagasy smiles are amazing, the smiles of the artisans. It's really, really worth the time to spend a little bit of time in a market to really get to know a little bit more about Malagasy life. Next, we're going to talk about food. Okay, so the flavors of Antonanarivo, a bit of a culinary adventure. Now, you know, recommending restaurants is not my business. It's it's always hit and miss. I've never had what I would really say amazing food in restaurants in Madagascar. I've had more amazing food experiences eating local fresh food in the coastal areas. I'm not an enormous hoodie these days. I was in the restaurant business. I've eaten in a lot of places in Madagascar and I find everywhere more or less acceptable. It's very rare that I've been blown away by food in Madagascar, except like I say, eating beautiful, fresh seafood on the coast. But here we go with Tana. We're talking about Tana. So there's a ramen restaurant behind the Super U in Analakeli. We're talking about street food here. Now, look, people can warn you for or against street food. It's true, Madagascar is a pathogen-rich environment. Hygiene isn't great. Street food, obviously, people don't have taps to wash their hands and things like that. But in general, my opinion is things that are freshly cooked on high heat, such as fried food that's cooked before your eyes, I think is really fine. I eat it not only in the capital, but even in small villages. If I find a lady who's frying a beignet de poivrons, so that's like a little sweet peppers stuffed with sometimes chili, sometimes cheese, sometimes meat, dipped in batter and then deep fried. They're absolutely delicious. Samosas, sambos, they're called in Madagascar, sambos. You will find these all over Madagascar, and there's also plenty of places where you'll find them in Tana. Another thing that's very common is brochettes. So this is skewered meat of some kind. There are all sorts of places where you can find it. Now, I'm not going to give you a list of every place where you can find these things because they're literally on every street corner. But ask your guide, ask your tour operator, ask whoever's taking you. The best person to ask is your driver or guide because they know good places. So brochettes of beef, zebu meat, uh chicken, fish, prawns, kidney, heart. You can find just about anything on a stick in Madagascar. And I'm not going to say to go. With regard to street food, your personal choice, take a risk or don't take a risk. You know, there is always a risk of a tummy bug when eating on the street in a country like Madagascar. There's a ramen place behind Super U in an Alakeli where you can grab freshly made noodles prepared right in front of you. It's also an authentic experience and a favorite amongst locals. Then, in with regard to Malagasy traditional food, there are a number of restaurants, but the one that I would recommend trying is a place called Hakkafi. Hakafee is on the same hill as the Photography Museum and the Ruva Manzaka Miyadana. The owner of Hakafee, Henin Sua, she has traveled all over Madagascar creating a television program where she visits traditional cooks all over the country, all around the coast, all through the highlands, and collecting traditional recipes. She has then adapted traditional recipes to a more modern twist. And there in her little restaurant called Hakafi, which is a lovely outdoor terrace, she presents these traditional Malagasy dishes with a modern twist. She has a cookbook for sale there. It's a nice place to stop for a pause, especially logical if you're going to visit the photography museum or the Ruva Manzaka Miyadina. Smart casual dining is the most common sort of format. The places that I can recommend are the Hotel Sakamanga in Pasama Dinika. Their restaurant is really their restaurant has maintained the same standard for the last 20 years. Good, quick, safe, comfortable food. You can have a steak or you can go for A grilled chicken, or you know, there are all sorts of things on their menu that will suit even the most simple tastes. And you can also find more complicated things there, and you can find some luxury items like Malagasy Caviar and Foie Gras. The plantation in Ivandry is another nice spot that's highly recommended. I have already mentioned the Cafe du Musée, which is at the Photography Museum in Andualu. Le Petit Verdeau in Ambatunakanga is highly reviewed. The Ribordiere in Antana Narenina is uh well known for serving an indulgent raclet, a melted cheese dish. La Varang in Antana Narenina is a very well known restaurant and is very, very highly reviewed. The Citizen Hotel, Citizen Guest House has lovely lakeside views and also has a very highly reviewed restaurant. I ate last night at the Le Louvre Hotel in Antana Narenina, and I thought it was just okay. Like I'm not a great person to review restaurants because I'm incredibly fussy, and like I said, nothing has really blown my mind in terms of food in Tana. So I'm gonna leave that section at that and let you also search media. If you use social media, then you can find all sorts of things, especially on TikTok. There are some emerging influencers who are working in food, and you might find some things there by searching TikTok for some tips. Okay, the next thing I'm going to briefly brush upon is nightlife. Tana's nightlife is fairly diverse, but it tends to be spread out all over the city, so it can be a little bit hard to know what's going on, and the marketing of events is not very good, so it can be hard to know what's on and where it is. Some shorbettes in Antana Narenina, which is a high part of the city where the Hotel Le Louvre, the Hotel Colbert, the Hotel La Varangue are all based. There, there's a little restaurant that's been there forever called the Le Buffet du Jardin. The Buffet du Jardin has kind of a busy expat vibe in the evenings, especially Friday nights. There is a a 20-year-old uh English-speaking person's meeting there every Friday night. But it's a it's a very casual little spot. It's a place where people eat pizzas and have uh steak and chips. It's nothing fancy. The Hotel Le Glacier in Antana Narena. On the Avenue of Independence, you will find Le Glacier. Le Glacier, the icebox. So Le Glacier in Anala Keli, one of the city's oldest hotels. Not that many people stay there in the hotel rooms these days because it's really rowdy. But it is definitely the best spot in the center of town for live music. You will definitely see a lineup of uh local bands and artists there every week. So if you want to look at live music, head down and look at the posters in the window at Le Glacier and see what's coming up. As with anywhere, busy, crowded places, be very wary of your personal possessions if you go to Le Glacier. The Ishoraka district, which is up above the hotel Sakamanga, is very well known for having a cluster of bars, lounges, and restaurants. So it's not a bad spot to go bar hopping. Some of the more well-known, well, the most well-known bar in Ishoraka is Manson. There are a number of them that range from quite upscale cocktail bars to casual hangouts, and some of them occasionally have live music. There's also a bit of a rooftop escape scene in Tana. So there's a number of hotels that have rooftop bars. The one that I can think of straight off the top of my head right now is the Hotel Grandeux Bain. And out in Ivatu, there's also a fantastic swimming pool on the roof of the Hotel Nusimanga with uh a cocktail bar, where which is also a really lovely place to sit and hang out. In terms of two last things we've talked about, so food, restaurants, and the social scene, I recommend you really have a look on Instagram and TikTok. If you're interested in the social scene and want to be up to date on food, look for the Malagasy influencers who are currently busy on social media giving curated looks into the city's trendiest venues, which I can't possibly keep up with. There's lots of TikTok reviewers as well. So, you know, if you just put Antonanarivo into TikTok and search and see what comes up, I think you may very well find some interesting new influences there. Okay, so while we're talking about nightlife as well, a little bit of just general advice. We strongly recommend avoiding walking the streets of Antonanarivo at night. Once night falls, there are quite a lot of homeless people who come out after dark and set up their cardboard sleeping arrangements on the footpaths. And in certain districts, there are a lot of sex workers who also come out after dark. So I highly recommend that you do not walk the streets of Tanner in the evenings. It can be unnerving, if not unsafe, unnerving. It can be uncomfortable. People can be really quite a little bit pushy, especially beggars. So I really recommend that you get your hotel to arrange your transport or you get your tour operator to arrange your transport to go out at night. There's also a vehicle booking company called EVTC, which you can find online. It's part of a company called eShanandru. And EVTC offer a good service, door-to-door transport. You can book a car for five hours for 120,000 RR, which is what, about 25 euros or something off the top of my head, a very rough, bad calculation. So you can book a car with EVTC. They will pick you up where you're staying. They will take you to wherever you want to go. They will sit and wait outside the restaurant for you or what whatever event you're attending and then take you home for within that five-hour limit. If you exceed the five-hour limit, there's an extra fee per hour. While I'm on that subject, I just would like to mention, you know, we we have a lot of our clients who ask me, can our driver take us out to dinner? And the answer to that is, well, yes, in theory they could, but if they've been driving you since seven o'clock in the morning, you know, we feel that eight hours is a fair working day for anybody. So if a driver has already been working driving you around, I don't think it's fair for you to then ask them to drive you to a restaurant, sit in the car alone while you go and have dinner and then drive you home, and then they finally at quite late at night get to go home to their families. So I recommend that you let your driver have some time off and go and have dinner with his family, his or her family, and come back and get you the next morning so they're not too exhausted and to give them a fair working day. So if you really want to go out at night, I recommend that you get your hotel to arrange your transport or you can book it on with a a service like EVTC to give your driver a bit of private time and rest time. Again, in terms of uh practical advice, you just need to stay vigilant. You know, as in as with any busy city, you need to stay aware of your surroundings and keep your belongings secure to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience. So don't wear, if you're going out in the markets or you go into a nightclub, don't wear flashy gold jewellery, don't have a great big wad of cash in the wallet that people see when you pay for your drinks. Don't have a phone in every pocket. Keep it simple. My mother used to say, keep it simple, stupid. Or was that my school teacher? I can't remember. Keep it simple, take the minimum possible and uh just be aware of your surroundings. Okay, so the next thing I'm going to talk about is some cultural experiences that aren't those museums that we've already talked about. There's quite a bustling art gallery, art gallery and workshop scene happening in Antanarivo these days. If you're interested in looking at those sorts of things, again, I suggest having a search on social media because these things tend to trend and are promoted by influencers on social media. But Tana is uh a treasure trove of cultural richness. There you will find all sorts of things that reflect the history and uh also modern innovation. So the capital, of course, is the forefront of uh this cultural renaissance, and it has an art scene that's flourishing like never before. There are galleries, residences, and concept spaces that you can find, and these things change and evolve. So I'm not going to list too much right here today, but a couple of things that I can tell you about is we recommend Hakantu Contemporary Gallery. So they have two locations. They showcase works from emerging and established artists, and it's really worth having a look. They have uh exhibitions that include perhaps photography, perhaps installations, perhaps multimedia. So worth having a look at Hakantu Contemporary. Foundation H, Fondation Arsher. It's a platform for nurturing creative talent. They have a base quite close to the center of town, not far from the Sakamanga Hotel. They offer residences and scholarships to upcoming artists, and you might see a curated showcase of painting, of sculpture, of digital art. Very interesting spot. Flow Studio, have a look for Flow Studio. They offer workshops in painting, crafts, and other arts. Maybe an interesting choice for travelers who are looking for a hands-on experience. They may have a workshop that you can participate in. And for buying stuff, there's a place called the Arcani Concept Store. Arcani Concept Store is a bit of a boutique space that celebrates artisanship. So there you can find everything from jewelry to textiles and pottery. There's all sorts of things. You can pick up unique souvenirs while also supporting local artists. There are a number of other interesting shops like that in Antonano Rivo, and it's really not complicated to find them. Lisi Gallery is another one. There's another interesting shop right next to the Hakkafi restaurant, and I've already talked about the markets where you will find work from local, more traditional local craftsmen. For the more modern stuff, you may need to have a little bit of a look into social media and look at what's trending. Another interesting thing that people like to do when we get the occasional requests for is a cooking class. There are a couple of places where you can do cooking classes in Tana. Malagasy food is a fusion of influences from Africa, Asia, Europe. So it's an interesting thing, and you can meet up with uh either local chefs or there's a couple of foreign chefs here also doing classes. The classes normally start with a visit to a market to shop for the ingredients, which is in itself a bit of a sensory delight. Back to the kitchen, prepare dishes such as rumazava, which is a stew of meat and greens. Ravtutu, which is crushed cassava leaves cooked with pork, vary amnana, which is rice cooked with greens. You may learn how to make kuba, which is the Malagasy cake I was talking about before, made with peanuts and brown sugar. Delicious stuff. There's a number of them who do it. Okay, and now we're going to get down to where to stay. Now, this is a complicated question, and I don't want to make any enemies by recommending my favorite places and not recommending others, so I'm going to give a bit of a broad overview. There is now every sort of accommodation in Antonanarivu, from the most simple to the absolutely most luxurious. I'm going to rip through a few of them fairly quickly. I recommend that you also talk to your tour operator about your hotel choice because the prices can vary quite wildly. Not far from the Ivatu Airport, we're going to start at Ivatu Airport. So if you don't want to leave the Ivatu Airport, I recommend these, which are mid-high level hotels. I don't know any budget hotels really. I'll brush on that in a minute. So our favorite hotels near the airport are in no particular order Nusimanga. Nusimanga is the sister hotel of the Sakamanga Hotel, which has been around for gosh 35 years. The Nussi Manga is a brand new hotel opened only a year or so ago. It is impeccable, spotless, lovely, comfortable, over several floors, but with lifts, so perfectly suitable for people who are a little bit like me and can struggle on their feet from time to time. It's a lovely hotel with every comfort of home. It's very nice, very nice restaurant, a lovely terrace on the roof with a swimming pool. Highly recommended. The Relais du Plateau. This is our go-to standard, apart from Nussimanga, it's our go-to standard near the airport. In fact, all of these are our go-to hotels, and they just depend on how we feel the client will enjoy the different style of hotel. So the Relais de Plateau is also located near the airport, has lovely rooms, a beautiful restaurant, a very serene pool area, a spa area. You can stay there and you can also buy a spa pass. If, for example, you have a few hours to kill, you can buy a spa pass so you can hang out at the pool, use the pool, have a shower, change your clothes before you go to the airport. Highly recommended. Au Bois Vert is also a lovely place near the airport. It's in a pine forest. It's quite tranquil considering how close it is to the bustling streets of Antananarivo. It has large gardens, stone bungalows, a nice restaurant. It's a good place also if you're seeking a bit of tranquility when you first arrive or before your flight going home. Ibis Hotel in Ankurondranu is uh not far from the airport and not far from the centre of the city is about in the middle. It's a business hotel. It's a very typical hotel like any IBIS anywhere in the world. And I don't think I need to explain that any further to anyone. Also in the airport district is the San Cristobal, which uh I say it from time to time too. It's another one of our favorites. Saint Cristobal is uh a lovely hotel, especially if you take the more expensive rooms that have beautiful bathrooms and big bathtubs, plenty of boiling hot water there. It's a go-to for me if I've been on a rough trip. I'm getting back to town and I want a touch of luxury and a soak in a deep bath. I go to Saint Cristobal. It is a really nice place to do that. I'm not really enamoured with the restaurant there, but the hot the rooms themselves in the hotel are just lovely, and it's a great place to shut yourself indoors, get in a bath, and really clean yourself up after a grueling safari in the forests or along the roads. Now I should mention the Nove Hotel, which is the most luxurious and newest hotel in Tana. It's also sort of centrally located between the airport and the center of the city. It is definitely the most fabulous hotel in Antananarivo. It's only open in the last year or so. It is uh obviously it has there, you will find that the standard of the hotel and the prices are very similar to what you would expect abroad. So we're talking in the hundreds of euros per night, but quite luxurious, beautiful rooms, spa, a conference center, it has a very nice restaurant, outdoor terraces to sit, lovely hotel, but be prepared to pay for it. In the more in the center of town, closer to the center of town, then we can talk about a number of hotels in center of town. The Carlton is the five-star in Inverted Commerce Hotel in the Innossi region with uh views of the lake in the center of town, with the statue of an angel in the middle of the lake. The hotel has a pool, tennis courts, uh, various dining options, and uh people say it has excellent service. I honestly avoid it only because I just that sort of hotel doesn't suit me. But if you want that sort of five-star experience, it's the older of the two between the Nove Hotel and the Carlton. The Carlton is an old building. It used to be the Hilton 35 years ago, so it's an old building, but you know, very a very nice hotel. I just don't stay there myself. The Colbert, the Hotel Colbert is another one of those places where I don't stay myself, but it's very popular. It's also very old, but it is regularly updated. I go there a lot for the patisserie and the ice creams and the chocolates, but I don't stay in the hotel. That it is a colonial style hotel on the internal side. From the outside, it doesn't look like much, but it's quite nice and comfortable inside. Charming, historical, central location. You know, it's a perfectly nice hotel that a lot of people stay at. It's it's a little bit uh Franc French. It's a little bit French. You know, you'll find a lot of Madagascar is a little bit French, but this is a classic hotel from colonial days. La Varangue is a lovely little boutique hotel. It kind of feels like stepping into a private home. It has extraordinary decor with musical instruments, brass instruments hanging on the walls, and it has a lovely restaurant that has a cute view across the part of the town. The restaurant is very well known and very, very highly reviewed. The hotel itself has some nice rooms. I recommend the junior suites to have a bit of space. And it's in a central district, so the Colbert and the Lavaranga within two minutes walking distance of each other. Also in the same spot, um, within minutes walking distance of each other, is uh the Le Louvre Hotel. This also is a modern business hotel. It has a lobby, restaurant, coffee shop, it has a spa, a swimming pool, but it's small rooms that that you would be more accustomed to abroad. It's a business hotel. It's nice. Palaissandre Hotel also we use often. It's on the in the center of town, on the opposite side of the road to the La Varangue and the Corbert Le Louvre. So the Palais Sandra also has lovely views of the city, it has a spa, restaurant. Very nice hotel, nice service, nice food. It's a very good choice. There are so many others. Look, Maison Gallieni. Maison Gallieni is not a hotel, it's a guest house, and it's an amazing historical building. I recommend that you look it up if you're thinking about your hotel choices. Uh it's really worth a thought. It's a really, really beautiful place with uh exceptional attention to detail in terms of design and decoration. It's a really lovely place, so have a look at it. You know, then for budget options, I really highly recommend that the best way to find good budget options in Tana is to use an app. I mean, you can use an app for any of these hotels, but to find good budget options, the best way to shop around is using booking.com, for example, as one example. Look at uh the Tamboo Suites, look at Hotel Malice, look at Hotel Brazas, look at uh Le Logis, Maison Lou Vachua, Le Tois Metis, the Seoul Hotel. All of these hotels are reasonable hotels, reasonable prices, and it will depend a little bit on where you really want what part of the city you want to stay in. I don't recommend that you go for the cheapest option every time, and I definitely recommend that you do not go for ridiculously cheap options. You are going to be sacrificing your security and the cleanliness of the room, and there's going to be something that you're going to find a bit shocking. I really recommend that you avoid the absolute bottom end of the market and go mid to higher end when you're in Antananarivo just for your security, and so you don't start your holiday with uh a dose of bed bugs or something horrible like that. I could talk about hotels all day because it's what I do in my work, but I I want this podcast to be a little bit more open and recommend things that aren't just where I would uh absolutely send our clients. Well, I think most of the places that I've talked about are all the places that we would send our clients. My final discussion about hotels in the centre of the city is the Hotel Sacamanga. The Hotel Sacamanga is kind of my go-to when I'm having a personal stay in Antananarivo because I've been staying there for since its inception, I guess, 30 years ago. It started in uh with an old building that had eight rooms. The owner, Patrice, then bought buildings around him and expanded the hotel. And there are now some really very nice rooms of a very good standard, particularly the rooms in the new buildings overlooking the swimming pool. So, so that's my tip to you is to ask for one of the rooms in the new building overlooking the pool or around the pool. These are definitely the best rooms in the hotel. Why I like the sucker manga is because of the atmosphere. It's a friendly, casual dining sort of place. It has multiple dining options. So around the swimming pool, there's a pool bar where you can have pizzas, light meals during the day. Breakfast is served in uh in buffet style around the pool. It also has its own pizzeria where you can get uh wraps and rotisserie chickens and pizzas and sambos and all sorts of takeaways, which they will deliver to your room. It also has the Sakamanga restaurant, which is a really perfectly nice place to have a meal. They also now have bread muffan, which is their bakery, where you can have beautiful ice cream, patisseries, sandwiches, quichas. I go there just for the cheesecake. It's just uh two doors up the hill from the restaurant is their bakery, and two doors down the hill from the hotel is their pizzeria. So it's a really self-contained experience. I really like it there. It's a very friendly and casual, nice atmosphere. I highly recommend it, especially if you stay in the newer rooms in the new building. The only other place that I want to just briefly mention is where I'm staying right now. I'm here in this place called Le Pousse Pousse Hotel in Antanana Renena, which is near the Le Louvre Hotel. Now I'm staying in one of their apartments. This is a really super spacious apartment that has an air-conditioned bedroom with ceiling fans as well, a big normal bathroom. This is not a luxury apartment. This is simple but spacious, super secure, upper lift, which works perfectly every time. I have a small kitchen here. I have a living room with a TV and a little dining table. I'm sitting at the working desk. So there's a desk where you can set up your computer and connect to Wi-Fi. Then there's a bedroom adjacent with a king-size bed, air conditioning, and a perfectly acceptable bathroom with a bathtub. I really like it here. The views across the city are spectacular. And I chose it for this day because I like to stay in hotels with bathtubs, um, as you might have guessed from my description of the San Cristo Baal earlier. Yeah, so this is a this is a perfectly good choice, and I just find it on booking.com. You get the best price on booking.com for this hotel. Okay, moving right along. Moving right along, we're going to talk about getting around. Getting around using public transport in this city can be a real challenge unless you are very fluent in French and have an abundance of courage. The types of transport available are, let's talk about first taxi bay. Taxi bay is a local minibus. It's the main form of public transport. It runs set routes throughout the city. Fares uh range from 500 to 1,000 Ariari, so about 10 to 20 cents. But you really have to know their route, you have to know the routes, you have to know the route numbers, you have to know where they go. I have never tried it in 27 years of living in Madagascar. I look at it and think, nah, I'm just gonna get a taxi. There are multiple taxis in the center of the city. They, apart from the airport taxis, the official airport taxis, which have a set price, all other taxis in Antanarivo you have to bargain the price. There are no meters. So the fare has to be discussed between you and the driver. Do not leave the discussion until the end of your trip. Don't get in the car until you've discussed the price. So you tell the driver you stand at the window, you tell the driver your destination, and you you decide the price then and there. And only then do you get in. You really need to be a little bit careful when selecting taxis because some of them are really clapped-out old cars. And I, you know, I've been here a long time and I'm a victim of this constantly, where I get a taxi and it looks kind of okay, and then we break down halfway up the hill when I'm Antana Riva is hilly, all right. So transport here is up and down hills. So there are two main public transport options: taxi bay and taxis. There are also now a plethora everywhere in every corner, if you have the courage, a taxi motor. Taximoto is a driver of a motorbike who sits on the side of the road waiting for passengers. You get on the back of the motorbike, put on a helmet that thousands of other people have worn already, and he'll scoot you through the streets of Antanarivo a little bit faster than going by car because motorbikes can get through the traffic jams a bit quicker. I honestly don't recommend really any of those options. If you're here on a holiday, you don't have a great deal of time. I recommend that you use the tour operator and have a hire car. It's going to cost you about 50 euros for a full day. EVTC is a good car hire service. You can find them on the eShanandru E-S-A-N-A-N-D-R-O website where you can book your car on their website. You do need to be a little bit uh capable of reading French to deal with their website, but it's it's not that complicated. You can put in your pickup address, you put in your address where you want to go, and you can either just do a trip for that route, or you can do a five-hour hire, or you can do a 10-hour hire. I highly recommend them. They're reliable, clean. The drivers know what they're doing. You may need to have a little bit of a grip of French if you're going to use a serve, any of these services, because English is not widely spoken. And that's why I say your tour operator may be the best bet to arrange you an English-speaking driver. Your safety, of course, you know, you're on holiday and uh for, you know, a few bucks, you want to enjoy yourself. So, you know, take care of your safety and make sure that you're going to actually enjoy yourself. An English-speaking driver from your tour operator may be the best bet for you to make sure that you get what you want at the time that you want to do it, in the way that you want to do it, with someone who speaks a language that you speak. With taxis, though, we're going to talk about taxis, the standard rate around the city. Okay, so for taxis, the standard rates around the city, like I said, you have to bargain. But starting at around 20,000 ARE, you're not going to get anything for much cheaper than 20,000 ARI, so around five euros, four euros for short trips in the city, and then going rapidly up. And mainly they will ask you for three times that much, and you have to bargain them down. It's kind of a complicated process, but uh 20,000 to 40,000 for any trip within the city seems normal to me. But if it if you're going on a longer drive, then obviously you're gonna pay more than that. Perhaps 120,000 RERE is a reasonable price to hire a taxi for half a day, and perhaps uh 200,000 RERE to rent a taxi for a day trip, but it depends on the distance because the drivers are always gonna think about how much fuel they're going to use. Peak hour traffic in the city is an absolute nightmare, and I can't say it m strongly enough. It is a nightmare. It can take hours to get short distances if you travel in peak hours. It's a really good idea if you're going to say you're leaving Antanarivo and you're gonna get wanna get somewhere like Andasi Bay, leave before 7 a.m. Get up, get showered, get dressed, and get in the car so you're out of the city before peak hour hits. Between 7 and 9 in the morning and between 4 and 7 in the evening are the worst periods, obviously. But the traffic in the city is pretty bad at almost every time of the day now. Many streets are one way or become one way during peak times. So, you know, you need a local driver to negotiate all of that stuff. It's also not a bad idea to allow extra time if you're traveling in the rainy season, so particularly in Nantana Riva, it can rain at any time of the year, but November to March is the rainiest season. There are times when roads can fill up with water, so you may need to, it may take you a little bit of time to negotiate around those areas in very high rain season. Walking, we've already talked a little bit about, and there are some great areas for walking. So from the center of town up to the high town where the palace is and the photography museum is a lovely walk. Get yourself a map, and you know, you can walk all around it safely. Just keep an eye on yourself and be observant of what's going on around you. Do not, it's not a good idea to sneak off into little shortcuts or down alleyways. It's really good to stay on the main road. Also, really great if you want to go for a walk in absolute comfort, confidence, and safety to take a guide. And you can get a guide from the office of tourism in the high part of town where I've just previously described the Louvre Hotel, the Colbert Hotel. Up there is a garden, uh, Jardin de Antana Narenina. And in there is the Office of Tourism office in the garden. And you can pop in there to that office and you can get tourist information. You can book a guide, you can book tours, there's all sorts of things you can do. Walking tours are really, really interesting with a guide because they can talk to you about what you're seeing. So that's that. Now, if obviously it's really hard for me to write a guidebook to Antena Narivo in a podcast, verbally in a podcast. It's impossible. So there's a lot of information that I'm leaving out. You are able to contact your tour operator, ask questions of your tour operator, and I am always on TripAdvisor answering questions in the Madagascar Travel Forum. So you're also welcome to post your questions there, and I will answer or one of the other contributors to the TripAdvisor Travel Forum can also answer there. Okay, so a little bit about customs and etiquette. People often ask me about the dress code. You know, there's not really a strict rule, and there are certainly no rules in Madagascar, like you have to keep your legs covered or you have to keep your head covered, none of that exists. But in general terms, conservative dress is recommended. So not too flushy, although you might see girls walking home in micro shorts early in the morning on their way home from the nightclub. That's not a recommended approach for tourists. So uh conservative dress. Certainly, if you're visiting religious sites, you should cover your shoulders and your knees. It's tradition here to remove your shoes when entering people's homes, and they'll stop you if they don't want you to do that. Smart Casual is the normal standard across the country, even in sort of upscale restaurants. There, I don't think there's a place in Madagascar where you would be obliged to wear anything more formal than that. And of course, it's a hot country, so light and loose clothing is appropriate for the climate here. In Antananarivo and as and in anywhere else, a couple of things to just consider is that it's it's a little bit impolite to just snap photos of strangers. I mean, I know a lot of people do. I know photographers love to take candid shots of people. If the person doesn't notice you, then I guess that's okay. But I personally prefer to ask permission before taking photographs of people. We also don't point fingers. So if you're pointing at something, you can point with your hand or a knuckle. But pointing with a a pointy finger at people or at uh sacred places is a bit of a no-no. I also recommend that you at all times show respect for any figures of authority in this country: police, gendarmes, military. This is a new democracy. People can be expressive in how do I say it? I think it's just always wise to be respectful to people in places of authority in a new democracy like this where you just don't know how people are going to react. So I don't ever give money to people who ask me for money, be they police or whatever, but a polite no, a smile, and walking on. I just I don't give to beggars. Some tips for choosing a tour operator. I recommend that you check reviews, you check the credentials. So reviews are obviously a really great place to see how other clients have enjoyed or not the service of a tour operator company. And probably the best place to look is TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor is more strictly monitored, so you can be sure that the reviews on TripAdvisor are real, although some of them aren't. I've noticed on Google that there seems to be occasionally, and someone was complaining to me about it yesterday, that someone has been leaving fake negative reviews about their business. It hasn't happened to us, but it may be possible. So anyway, check reviews. I personally prefer TripAdvisor to give me more accurate information. You should always make sure that you confirm what's included and what's not, prices and what's included in writing. So always get it in writing. For peak season, which is anywhere from June to October now, really, it's very, very wise to book in advance. It's particularly important if you don't speak French to make sure that you're getting an English-speaking guide. You may want to verify if there are things like their insurance and things like that. A good measure of a tour operator is, although it's not obligatory, is are they members of TOP? TOP is the Professional Tour Operators Association of Madagascar. It's not obligatory to be a member of TOP. If a tour operator is a member of TOP, it means that they've signed a code of conduct that they agree to adhere to, and they stand to lose their membership if they misbehave. Only operators who've been in existence for more than three years, have insurance, have a license from the Ministry of Tourism, are able to become members of TOP. So it's not a bad idea to check if your tour operator is a member of TOP. Okay, so going to talk a little bit about customs regulations because we're talking about Antananarivo today. Most of you will be leaving from Antananarivo today, and I'm going to go through a bit of a list of things that you need to be aware of when you're leaving. So, upon departure, we're going to talk about money first. You're only allowed to take 400,000 ARI out of Madagascar. So Ariari is not a convertible currency. You can't sell or buy it abroad. It's only traded in Madagascar, and you're only allowed to take 400,000 ARI out of Madagascar as a souvenir. If you are searched at departure and they find more than that, they will confiscate it. Foreign currency must be declared if it exceeds 5,000 euros or the equivalent in any other currency. And if you've arrived with a lot of cash and you've you've made a currency declaration on your way in, you need to have it with you on your way out to get your money out. So just beware of your paperwork if you plan to travel with lots of cash. So the things that are prohibited to export from Madagascar, all protected flora and fauna. So all lima products or parts of lemurs, so no skin. Oh my goodness. Nothing that's anything to do with lemurs. No live animals, no live birds, no live turtles, no lizards, no frogs. You can't export any animals. It's ridiculous how many people try. The export, the departing uh customers' offices have very sophisticated equipment that's been donated to catch people trying to smuggle animals and plants. So please be careful, leave everything behind in Madagascar. So it's illegal to take any live animals or birds, any turtle shells or products made of turtles, any plants, rare plants, especially orchids, any seeds, unless you have an export permit and a photosanitary certificate, or any product made of any species that's on the CITES list. So any plant or animal, if it's on CITES Appendix One, you can't take it or anything made from it out of Madagascar. So uh cultural heritage, you can't take out, you can't export antiques over 100 years old, you can't export traditional artifacts without proper export documentation, you can't export historical documents, archaeological finds, religious artifacts, or any old manuscripts. In terms of natural resources, you cannot export uncut precious stones, raw minerals, gold or other precious metals, fossils, coral, sand, or any shells from any protected species. So you because you're not going to know whether they're protected species or not, just don't take shells with you. So in general, the things that you can take out of the country are things that you can buy at craft markets. Even then, you do have to be aware in some cases that the stones on solitaire games may be restricted. There are kiosks at the airport. So the things that you can export but which require a permit are precious stones and minerals. So cartstones require certificates from the Ministry of Mines and must be purchased from licensed dealers. You need to have the original purchase receipt and export permits must be obtained before you arrive at the airport. Permits cost approximately 100,000 RERE. Crafts and souvenirs, so wooden crafts should have a certificate of non-endangered wood species. Traditional instruments require cultural export permits. All of these permits are available from the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Forests. All of these ministries have kiosks at the airport that you can visit and ask if you have any questions. Vanilla, you can only take two kilos per person with a receipt from an authorized seller. Spices must be commercially packaged with clear labeling. You shouldn't try to take fruit, vegetables, or meat products or any other food products. They're kind of even strange about people exporting onions and beans. So I highly recommend that you're careful about what you try to export. You will be scanned on the way out. You will very likely be caught if you try to smuggle animals. Please don't smuggle animals or plants. Please leave the animals and plants here in Madagascar. Okay, that's all I'm going to do today, and the rest I will top up later.