Ankaranana Lodge

Northern Madagascar


The pool and garden are attractive, the restaurant is good (menu Ar60,000) and the lodge is well located close to the park entrance. However, the staff are indifferent and accommodation needs TLC. Doors don't lock and the bedding is very poor quality. Air-con is on from 6pm to 10pm only but there are fans. There's no phone coverage or wi-fi.

Beware of the night walks on offer in the adjacent Gondwanaland park. Walking through the tsingy in the dark takes all your concentration so you won't have time to look for animals.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northern Madagascar attractions

1. Réserve Spéciale Ankarana

0.92 MILES

This striking and undeveloped fantasy land is home to uniquely Malagasy sights: psychedelic fields of spiky tsingy (limestone pinnacle formations) next to…

2. Perte des Rivières

1.6 MILES

A massive rock chasm into which three of the park’s rivers plunge during the rainy season (they emerge 20km later in the Mozambique Channel). It's an easy…

3. Tourelles

1.66 MILES

Reaching this turret-shaped tsingy will take about three to four hours and is an easy walk. You will need to cross a small river during the wet season…

4. Grotte des Chauves-Souris

2.42 MILES

The impressive Grotte des Chauves-Souris (bat) cave has superb stalactites and stalagmites, and thousands of bats (eight species, including Commerson's…

5. Petits Tsingy

2.59 MILES

An easily accessible area of tsingy, these karst formations are close to the Grotte des Chauves-Souris or Bat Cave. The plants here are xerophytes,…

6. Tsingy Rary

2.75 MILES

The hike here takes three to four hours and is not difficult. Here you notice the difference between the limestone and volcanic rocks. Birds to look out…

7. Tsingy Meva

3.63 MILES

This tsingy extends from the northern part of Ankarana and into the southern part of the Parc National de Montagne d'Ambre. It's a two to three hour hike…

8. Grotte d'Andrafiabe

5.74 MILES

Andrafiabe takes about five hours to reach from the western entrance to the park and is moderately difficult. Both the underground cave and the 'cathedral…