Travel Guide Ambalavao

The big town of Ambalavao, located about 57 kilometers south of Fianarantsoa (1 hour drive) in the direction of Tulear, is a very pleasant stop on the way south, especially if you do not take the train to Manakara. With its 30,000 inhabitants, the city is famous for its beautiful varangue houses and the sumptuous mountains that surround it, which are great opportunities for discovery and trekking. Many famadihana (ceremony of turning over the dead) take place in the area; if you visit Madagascar in August-September, you may be able to attend them. In Ambalavao, antemoro (or antaimoro) paper is produced, as well as a large number of silk fabrics or lambalandy (Ankazondandy Sericulture Center, at the southern exit of the city, which you can visit). This region also produces wine, of questionable quality to say the least. Finally, the Wednesday (and Thursday morning) zebu market, on a small hill south of the city, is the largest in the country ahead of Tsiroanomandidy. Try to organize your visit one of these days, it is really worth the trip (and the tourists are rare if not non-existent, you will make sensation in the middle of zebus, on bottom of mountain panorama!) Otherwise, for some travelers, it is the gateway to the Andringitra Park, you will find guides and information there. Finally, 12 kilometers south of Ambalavao is the communal reserve of Anjà, not to be missed under any pretext if you pass in the region!