Flights to Antananarivo with Air France from CAD 1,744*

Flights to Antananarivo from Canada with Air France

The city of Antananarivo is both the capital of the island country of Madagascar and, with about 1.4 million inhabitants, its largest urban settlement by far. One of the highest capital cities in the world, at 1288 metres above sea level, it has a climate characterized by wet summers and very dry winters. The daily annual mean is 18.3°C. The city bears both the mark of French city planners and large-scale rural migration, not to mention architectural innovations introduced by both British and French such as sun-dried bricks and roof tiles. The local currency is the Malagasy Ariary. Flights to Antananarivo from Montréal involve a change in Paris, with the whole trip taking around 21 hours.

Antananarivo – a fascinating mix of architecture, from royal complexes to French-style railway stations

The city of Antananarivo was founded around 1610, long before Madagascar was colonized by the French. However, because the building of houses in stone and brick was forbidden by royal decree up until 1867, little remains of the pre-colonial city. Two large stone staircases connecting the marketplace to the middle town which were built in 1832 are an exception, as is the Rova of Antananarivo. A palace complex rather than just a single building, the Rova has been steadily added to since the early 17th century. Although a fire in 1995 destroyed much of the site, reconstruction efforts have paid off and the royal chapel, 9 royal tombs, wooden houses built in a style that was reserved for the aristocratic classes, and most importantly, the Manjakamiadana or Queen’s Palace can now be seen again. When fully completed, the palace is to house the many artefacts saved from the fire, some of which can currently be seen in the Andafiavaratra Palace, a former Prime Minister’s residence.

Notable French-designed or built buildings in Antananarivo include the university (early 1960s), the former residence of the Governor-General (now the Ambohitsorohitra Presidential Palace) and the Soarano train station. An excellent way of seeing the architecture of the city, past and present – and much more – is to visit the new Madagascan Museum of Photography (Musée de la Photographie de Madagascar).

A short distance outside of the capital lies another rova, the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga. This is one of only three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Madagascar. Built on a hill that is sacred to the Merina people, the walled complex contains 14 gateways and many royal residences, pavilions and tombs.

Lemur-spotting – one of the great delights of a trip to Antananarivo!

Madagascar is world-famous for its wildlife, especially the 100 or so members of the Lemur family, found here and nowhere else. It’s possible to see lemurs in a wild setting a short distance outside Antananarivo at the Lemurs Park. The species present in the park include ring-tailed, mongoose, common brown and eastern lesser bamboo lemurs.

A little further afield (75km east of the city) is Madagascar Exotic. This private reserve contains an abundance of reptiles and butterflies, including multiple species of chameleon and gecko. Several kinds of lemur may also be seen in nearby forest habitat and at the reserve itself, where they are regularly fed.

For additional information on health issues and hotel bookings just follow these links.

Helpful websites to make your trip to Antananarivo go without a hitch!

These websites will enable you to prepare your itinerary before you’ve even set food in Madagascar!

• madagascar-embassy.ca/en/tourisme-culture/tourism/discover-madagascar
• madagascar-tourisme.com/en/
• lemurspark.com/
• photo-madagascar.com/collection/ (although this site is not in English, it contains a large selection of interesting photographs)