Andasibe is the rainforest closest to Antananarivo, and the best place in Madagascar to see and hear the indri, the largest living lemur. Its call carries for kilometres through the forest in the early morning. The good news: it is easy to reach. Here is how to get there and how to plan your stay.
By Private Car with Driver (Recommended)
Andasibe lies about 150 km east of Antananarivo on the RN2, the main road to Toamasina on the east coast. The drive takes around 3.5 to 5 hours, depending on traffic leaving the capital and the number of trucks on the winding mountain sections. A private car lets you leave early, stop when you want and go straight to your lodge.
- Leave Antananarivo early in the morning to avoid the city traffic.
- The road is paved but winding, with potholes and heavy trucks in places.
- Many travellers go directly from Ivato airport to Andasibe on the day they land.
- Good stop on the way: the Peyrieras reptile park, with chameleons and geckos.
By Taxi-Brousse (Public Transport)
Taxi-brousses (shared minibuses) towards Moramanga and Toamasina leave from Antananarivo's eastern bus station. Get off at Moramanga and take a local vehicle for the last stretch to Andasibe. It is cheap but slow, and you will need to arrange a ride to your lodge, as most are outside the village.
How Many Nights in Andasibe?
Two nights is ideal. You arrive in the afternoon and do a night walk to look for chameleons, frogs and mouse lemurs. The next morning you visit Analamazaotra for the indri, and in the afternoon you can explore Mantadia, wilder and less visited. With one night only, you miss either the night walk or Mantadia.
Tour by KiriTour
Andasibe 3-Day Rainforest Tour
Indri lemurs, Mantadia and a night walk
Tour by KiriTour
Lemur Kingdom Deep Dive — 4 Days
More time in Mantadia and the reserves
Continue to the East Coast
Andasibe is on the way to the east coast. From here you can continue to the Pangalanes canal and the Palmarium reserve, where you can see the aye-aye, or on to Sainte-Marie island.
Tour by KiriTour
Rainforest to Aye-Aye Reserve — 5 Days
Andasibe, the Pangalanes and the Palmarium
Tour by KiriTour
Andasibe & Sainte-Marie — 7 Days
Rainforest, then the island
Landing in Antananarivo? We can pick you up at the airport and take you straight to Andasibe. Send us your dates.
Frequently asked questions
About 150 km east on the RN2. The drive takes around 3.5 to 5 hours depending on traffic and road works.
Written by the KiriTour team
We're a local tour team based in Morondava. We guide travellers through the baobabs, Tsingy, Kirindy and the Tsiribihina every week, and organise trips across Madagascar.
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