Things to do
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Ambohimanga
Sacred to the Merina and listed by UNESCO, this fortified royal hill northeast of the capital holds the wooden house of King Andrianampoinimerina, royal tombs and a ceremonial courtyard inside a ring of walls. It remains an active place of worship, and rules about dress and behaviour are taken seriously. Guides at the gate explain the ritual meaning, which is much of what makes the site legible.
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Analakely Market
Downtown's main covered market fills the basin below the Avenue de l'Independance with vanilla, spices, basketwork and secondhand clothes. Stalls spill up the surrounding streets on busy mornings, and the noise and crush are part of the appeal. Pickpocketing is a real concern in the crowd, so heavy bags and visible cameras are best left behind, and trading thins by late afternoon.
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Andafiavaratra Palace
Rainilaiarivony, prime minister to three queens, built this pink palace downhill from the Rova in the 1870s. Its museum now holds the royal relics pulled from the Rova fire, including crowns, thrones and portraits. Opening is irregular and often depends on a caretaker being present, so a visit works best arranged through a guide alongside the hill above.
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Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
Indri, the largest living lemur, call across the eastern rainforest here in a wail that carries for kilometres, and the morning walk to find them is the reason many trips run this way. The drive from the capital takes much of a day on the road to Toamasina, so a night at Andasibe is worth planning. Night walks along the reserve edge add chameleons and mouse lemurs.
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Lake Anosy
Ringed by jacarandas that flower purple in October and November, this heart shaped lake sits in the administrative quarter below the upper town. A causeway runs out to a French war memorial on an islet at the centre. It works as a short walk between errands, and the surrounding streets are better avoided after dark.
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Lemurs' Park
A private reserve southwest of the capital, laid out as a riverside botanical garden, keeps several lemur species in open forest where they move freely between visitors. Guided walks run on a fixed loop and take about an hour, which makes it an easy half day for anyone whose itinerary never reaches the eastern rainforest. Mornings and late afternoons are when the animals are active.
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Rova of Antananarivo
Crowning the highest hill in the city, this walled royal compound was the seat of the Merina monarchy until French annexation. Fire gutted the stone palace in 1995 and restoration work has been long and halting, so parts of the site open and close without much notice. The draw is as much the terrace view over the capital as the buildings themselves.