Discover Madagascar’s Ankarana National Park

If you are looking for an incredible adventure, Afroculture.net invites you to discover the Ankarana National Park in Madagascar. We invite you to live a unique adventure in this sacred place where there are underground caves, a sacred lake, impressive rocky massifs “the Tsingy” in a natural park to visit urgently.

An incredible park

Ankara National Park is located in northern Madagascar. It is a protected nature reserve that has a network of underground rivers, sensational caves, the Tsingy and a very rich fauna and flora. It was created on February 29, 1956 and covers 182.25 km2 with 34 km of tourist network. In September 2023, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Tsingy

The park is also home to Tsingy. These are limestone rock formations that have inherited a particular shape thanks to erosion. They are composed of narrow labyrinth-like corridors.

The word Tsingy means “to walk on tiptoe” in Malagasy. It is so named because the rocks are very sharp.

Inside, there are 8 circuits arranged:

1) the bat cave
2) the loss of rivers
3) the green river
4) the green lake
5) the second canyon
6) the Tsingy rary
7) the Tsingy meva
8) the benavony loop

The sacred caves: a historical place rich in tradition.

It is an incredible place where there are sacred caves that were created by a network of underground rivers. In total, there are 11 caves where there are sacred places of worship and the tombs of the great kings of Madagascar. The people often come there to leave offerings.

Historical reminder

To escape the ethnic groups of the highlands in the 19th century, the people and the kings found refuge in the region of the Antakarana reserve. Many sovereigns were buried in its caves. They immortalize all the memories of this era.

A sacred place full of prohibitions.

The caves are a sacred place where you cannot do just anything. There are many prohibitions for all Malagasy people and foreigners. For example, it is forbidden to eat pork or wild boar. It is also forbidden to have sexual intercourse or to relieve yourself there. Gathering and hunting are also banned. In addition, people from the highland ethnic group “the Merinas” and women during their periods cannot enter.

A very rich flora and fauna.

In this reserve, there are 60 species of reptiles, 17 species of bats, 15 species of amphibians, 92 species of birds and 10 species of lemurs. For example, there are snakes, turtles, scorpions, lemurs, crocodiles. It is good to know that the crocodile is considered a sacred animal. Some measure 6 meters long. You have to be very careful, because they are present in some rivers.

This park also houses a dry forest where there are baobabs, flamboyant trees, aerial orchids, etc.

What are the different activities to do?

Walk in complete tranquility.
Visit the limestone rocks “tsingy” and the sacred caves.
You can go trekking in the park.
Discover the Milaintety caves and the Bat caves.
Visit the green lake.
Possibility of camping. However, there are no hotels in the park.

How to get there?

From Antananarivo: on RN4 to Ambondromamy (410Km), turn right on RN6 to Ambilobe (609Km), continue to the village of Mahamasina (entrance to the Park) located 29 km from Antsiranana.
From Antsiranana: on RN6 at 108 km
From Ankify: take RN6 to Ambalavelona (Ambanja) for 15 km and continue to Mahamasina for 129 km via Ambilobe From Mahajanga: On RN4 to Ambondromamy, then RN6

Schedules and prices

It is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The park ticket prices are: