Antananarivo
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- Type:province
- Native name:Antananarivo Province
- Area:58,283 km²
- Capital:Antananarivo
Introduction
Antananarivo Province stretches south from the capital through the central highlands, holding Antsirabe's thermal-spa boulevards and, west of Tana, the volcanic crater lakes around Lake Itasy — highland Madagascar beyond the capital itself.
Overview
Beyond Antananarivo city, the province's best-known stop is Antsirabe, roughly 170 km south on RN7 and the highlands' second city — a planned thermal-spa town founded by Norwegian missionaries in the 19th century, whose mineral springs still draw visitors today, and whose wide boulevards are worked by a genuinely large fleet of pousse-pousse (rickshaws), a local transport tradition found nowhere else in Madagascar at this scale. West of the capital, the Itasy region's crater lakes — Lake Itasy itself, plus the geysers and waterfalls around Ampefy — sit in volcanic country that's genuinely scenic but far less visited than RN7's southbound stops, reachable as a day trip from Tana for travellers with extra time before heading south.
Discover Antananarivo
Antsirabe: Thermal Springs and Pousse-Pousse
Antsirabe was founded in the 1870s by Norwegian Lutheran missionaries drawn to the area's mineral hot springs, and that thermal heritage continues today through several spa hotels built around the springs' reputed therapeutic value. The town's wide, orderly boulevards — a legacy of its planned 19th-century layout — are worked by an unusually large fleet of pousse-pousse, hand-pulled rickshaws that remain a genuine everyday transport option here rather than a tourist novelty, distinguishing Antsirabe's streetscape from anywhere else on the island. The surrounding highlands also support small-scale gemstone cutting and dairy farming, both visible in workshops around town.
Lake Itasy and the Volcanic West
West of Antananarivo, the Itasy region's landscape is volcanic rather than highland-agricultural: Lake Itasy itself, Madagascar's third-largest lake, sits within a field of extinct volcanic craters, and the nearby town of Ampefy is the base for visiting the area's geysers and the Lily waterfall, where the Ampefy River drops over a basalt shelf. The area sees a fraction of RN7's traffic, making it a genuinely quiet day trip from Tana for travellers with an extra day before heading south, though infrastructure for visitors is more modest than the RN7 corridor's.
Ways to Experience This Destination
A 19th-century thermal-spa town with a genuine pousse-pousse rickshaw tradition, 170 km south of Tana on RN7.
Volcanic crater-lake country west of the capital — geysers, a basalt waterfall, and a quiet alternative to RN7's traffic.
Antananarivo Province Travel Information
- Antsirabe is roughly 3-4 hours from Tana by road, the first genuine overnight stop on a standard RN7 itinerary south.
- Lake Itasy and Ampefy are a feasible day trip from Tana (around 2 hours each way) but see far less tourist infrastructure than RN7 — a driver-guide familiar with the area is worth arranging in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Is Antsirabe worth a stop on the way south?
Is Lake Itasy worth visiting?
Cities in Antananarivo
Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.