Maison de Jean Laborde (Mantasoa) – located 60 km. east of the capital, is the home of the Frenchman Jean Laborde (1805-1878) who became a prominent industrialist in Madagascar during the 19th century. As an architect, Laborde also built the Queen’s Palace in the capital. Laborde’s industrial pursuits on the island made Mantasoa a […]
Lac Anosy (Rue Ramahatra, Antananarivo) – this is a heart-shaped man-made lake located in the old downtown district of the capital. In the middle of this lake is the Monument aux Morts — erected in 1927 and was dedicated to the victims of World War I (including Malagasy soldiers who died fighting on behalf […]
Eglise Catholique Faravohitra (Antananarivo) — like the upper town, Faravohitra (“the last village”) preserves the traces of the city’s past, where you can still admire the elegant Romanesque mansions of the English missionaries and the Malagasy aristocracy. This church was built brick by brick by a Reunion Jesuit at the turn of the 20th century […]
Cimetiere des Pirates / Pirate Cemetary (outskirts of Ambodifotatra, Île Sainte Marie island) – normally, tourists don’t go out of their way to visit cemeteries. This may be a worthy exception. Just outside of Ambodifotatra, a small dirt road leads to a jungle overgrown path. Follow it, and you will come across this cemetery with […]
Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza (Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, Rue Kasanga Fernand, Antananarivo 101) – a.k.a. Tsimbazaza Zoo, this is a zoological and botanical garden in the neighborhood of Tsimbazaza in Antananarivo (the country’s capital) — located just north of the National Assembly of Madagascar building. Here, visitors will see numerous species […]
Ambohitsorohitra Palace (Ambohitsorohitra 101, Antananarivo) – standing perched on a hill overlooking the center of the capital, this was once the headquarters of the French colonial government, then it became the French Embassy. It’s now the official residence of the country’s president. This palace was designed by the French architect Jully back in the 1800s […]
Andohalo Cathedral (Lalana Justin Rajoro, Antananarivo 101) — sitting majestically on a cliff, this Catholic cathedral dates back to the 1800s, where Malagasy Christian martyrs were killed by Queen Ranavalona I. Make a stop at the largest church in Madagascar, which is both a historic and a landmark site and gaze at the captivating architecture. […]
The Venue (Bosveld Centre, Portion 24 Welverdiend Farm, R40 Hoedspruit, Limpopo) — savor the prettiness of Limpopo when you stay overnight in Hoedspruit, a little town at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountain Range. And it is in this idyllic setting that excellent wine and sophisticated gin can be enjoyed at leisure. While this […]
Sun City Resort (off the R556, North West Province, Sun City) – located 2 hours (200 km) northwest of Johannesburg, this is the gambling and tourist enclave that was the subject of a celebrity-laden anti-Apartheid campaign in 1985 (whose campaigners, which included pop stars like U2’s Bono, Bob Geldof and Bruce Springsteen, produced a […]
Skukuza Rest Camp (Kruger National Park, Skukuza 1350) — Skukuza camp is one of the more popular camps in the Park and can get a bit busy as it is also a pit-stop for day visitors and safari tour groups. It is the largest camp in the Kruger National Park and the administrative headquarters. […]