Top Things to do in Toamasina Province
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What to do and see in Toamasina Province, Toamasina Province: The Best National Parks
Discover the best top things to do in Toamasina Province, Madagascar including Rainforests of the Atsinanana, Masoala National Park, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, V.O.I.M.M.A. Community Reserve, Zahamena National Park, Makira Natural Park, Mananara Nord National Park.
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1. Rainforests of the Atsinanana
2. Masoala National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 95 reviews
Reviewed By marleensera
During our trip to Madagascar last year, my husband and I visited some of the National Parks. Although it is off-the-beaten-track (or maybe exactly for that reason), we decided to go to Masoala, a patch of primary forest with amazing biodiversity and very few tourists. We contacted Lauriot from Visit Masoala, who organised the tour for us with professionalism and kindness. They have multitude of options (including hikes, etc.) and they all seem to be interesting but due to our schedule, we chose to stay 3 nights in Masoala and 1 night in Nosy Mangabe. It was one of our best experiences in the trip. In Masoala our lodge was just a couple of meters away from a beach that belonged to the lodge. You could listen to the waves from our room, it was mind blowing. We did day excursions and saw lots of animals thanks to our very knowledgeable guide. There was also time for relaxing and to swim and snorkel. Food was delicious. Nosy Mangabe is a tiny island covered by primary forests. The accommodation is very basic (tent) but they provide everything you need, so it is really easy. So, if you want to visit Madagascar, Masoala is one of the must see places and you can contact Lauriot on [email protected] if you need help with the organisation.
3. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 719 reviews
A true paradise for nature lovers, the Andasibe Mantadia National Park enjoys a rich and incredible flora and fauna. Located in the Rural Municipality of Andasibe, this Protected Area is the most visited in Madagascar because of its proximity to the capital: 135 km for around 3 hours by road.
Reviewed By midway42 - Minnesota, United States
Located east of Antananarivo, it takes about a three-hour drive from Tana (on a paved road…. yes!) to access the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. The area consists principally of primary growth forest and receives a significant amount of rain annually. It is home to a number of Madagascar’s unique, iconic wildlife. I stopped by here with my guide and driver early in the morning during my second full day in the country. After paying the requisite admission fee we were met by the local guide and toured the area for about two hours. The visitor center greets everyone with a brief description of the surrounding ecology and history of the area with English subtitles to boot. After a few minutes here we struck out on the trails, and after passing by a number of unique plants and insects we were face-to-face with a number of lemurs. Brown lemurs abound here and are like squirrels, but the real find was a group of indri which were high in the tree-tops. We observed them for about an hour, hearing the distinctive call and watching them interact. This was followed by a group of sifaka (jumping lemur) that literally took the hat off this reviewer. A trip to one of the internal lakes and a visit to a bamboo grove rounded out the experience with a visit to the small souvenir shop. Overall this was a memorable experience and the perfect introduction to Madagascar’s signature species. The local guide made all the difference here and was in touch with other guides that identified the indri and sifaka; he also exhibited an encyclopedic knowledge of all of the plants, insects, and animals encountered during the tour. The sighting of the Indri was a highlight not only of the visit here but of my entire time on the island; unable to be kept in captivity and critically endangered, their survival is among the most tenuous of the animals in the country. Moreover, there were no more than a dozen tourists in sight while we were in the forest proper. The trails weren’t strenuous by any means but did provide a bit of physical exertion to boot. A recommended visit.
4. V.O.I.M.M.A. Community Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 52 reviews
Reviewed By Katana107 - Abbotsford, Canada
I really enjoyed my night walk (the forest one ) and my day time walk. On the day walks, we saw brown lemurs and the indri indri up close. We saw a parson's chameleon and several leaf tailed geckos. On the night walk, we saw a small species of chameleon, leaf tailed chameleon, nocturnal lemur (I can't remember the name) and a mouse lemur.
5. Zahamena National Park
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 3 reviews
6. Makira Natural Park
Makira Natural Park is Madagascar's largest terrestrial national park covering 372,470 hectares of rainforest. Along with spectacular scenery, the park is a naturalist's heaven with more than 60 species of mammals, including White-fronted Brown Lemur, Common Brown Lemur, Red-bellied Lemur, Western lesser bamboo lemur, Indri and Red-ruffed Lemur.
