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.
Discover Antananarivo
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.
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
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.