Ambatosoratra: Village of beauty, peace and discovery

 
Nature lovers and adventurous spirit, your next destination will be Ambatosoratra! Located 350 km from Antananarivo, Ambatosoratra is a small rural district of approximately 200 inhabitants, in the region Alaotra Mangoro. The fertility of the soil favors agriculture, which is the main activity of the villagers. As this community is located at the edge of the Lake Alaotra, fishing is another practiced activity there. The beauty of this destination is based mostly by its green nature and its rich soil.
 
 
The rice fields as far as the eyes can see and the herds of zebus can be of great entertainment, maybe familiar to the local inhabitants of the region but astonishing for the visitors. It is necessary to stop-by, between december and february ,to admire the skills of the farmers during the rice transplanting, or the various stages of the harvest, from May. The landscape is worth seeing. It has this gross side which participates to its magnificence. The air is fresh and the atmosphere tempts you to plunge into this universe of the typically malagasy bush. The villagers always indulge to share their habits and customs and this side of the island is a peaceful place to fill up with energy and rest completely. Besides, you will benefit from learning about the “sihanaka” culture.
 
Formerly, this small village was abounded by big rice-processing factories and plantations. Back to the colonial period, there were many foreigners who used to develop the commercial activities of this side of the country. The vestiges of this glorious past are still visible and the ancestral methods to fertilize the ground and the blooming of the plantations are still practised by the inhabitants, nowadays.
 
This article was featured in Prime Magazine June 2018

Useful Information

When to go

Preferably on April or November, during the dry season.

How to get there

To go to Ambatosotra, you could drive on the RN44 from Moramanga with a city car or a bush-taxi.

Where to stay

The village arranges small guest houses. Otherwise, you could also reside in the hotels at Ambatondrazaka like the “Max hotel” or else “Les trois cocotiers” situated 20km away from Ambatosoratra.

Where to eat

You will have at your disposal small restaurants of the region, which will let you discover the typical dish, such as tilapia frit (fried tilapia fish) or the Besisika sauce.

What to see

The ecotourism is the most frequent tourism form on this site. You will discover the lake of Aloatra, known as the biggest lake in Madagascar. Furthermore, you could see the rice fields plantations, the center of the agricultural farming of the FOFIFA and the open-air quarries of precious stones or the Bandro reserve (type of lemur).