Travel Guide Maevatanana

Maevatanana "the beautiful village" is one of the country's hottest towns. It has a population of around 30,000. It's an important bush-taxi stop on the Antananarivo-Mahajanga route, and almost a must. The town, which overlooks the Ikopa valley, is mainly populated by Merina, Betsileo and Sakalava. It is best known throughout the country as a gold-trading center, and gold miners have been flocking here since the 19th century. The dynamic Queen Ranavalona had in fact undertaken to develop mining in order to contribute to the state budget. At the time, it was the last relay post for the Tsimandoa royal couriers sent from the capital to Mahajanga. In 1885, the Queen authorized Mr. Léon Suberbie to organize the mining industry there. He founded Suberbieville (which extracted 250 kg of gold a year); the royal administration even envisaged linking the region to Antananarivo by rail! Today, we still sift through the mud of the rice paddies in search of gold with our peasant friends. But the most productive search takes place in the soil, in galleries and in river beds. Sharing the quest of the gold diggers and observing the crocodiles of the Betsiboka are two of the activities that can be organized from this locality. For more information, contact your hotel. The main street is lined with gargotes, grocery stores and drinking establishments. There is a small market in the upper town. The Ambatofotsy district features some fine examples of classic Merina architecture.