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Ambohimanga

312 Reviews

#2 of 33 things to do in Antananarivo

Sights & Landmarks, Sacred & Religious Sites

Closed Now: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

23 km North of Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar

Open today: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

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Antananarivo Tour with Lemur Park and Ambohimanga Palace

Cultural Tours

From $145.97*

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Traveler Overview

4.0 312 reviews

Excellent43%
Very good41%
Average13%
Poor2%
Terrible1%

Travelers talk about

“a unesco world heritage site”(8 reviews)

“local guide”(12 reviews)

“summer palace”(5 reviews)

About

The former royal capital and its palace on a steep hill offer stunning views overlooking rice terraces.

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Hours Today: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

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Contact

23 km North of Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar

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00248323422

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1 - 10 of 126 reviews

daveedwilliams

Manning, South Carolina

386

Reviewed November 3, 2018

An Unesco site

This is a traditional fortified settlement that served as the spiritual seat of the Merina royal family from the 15th century onwards. The walled village includes wonderfully preserved royal residences and graves, and is considered a sacred site.

Date of experience: April 2018

Thank daveedwilliams

Michael L

Northbrook, Illinois

24962

Reviewed October 22, 2018

Interesting, though crumbling palace where Christians thrown over a cliff!

This is the palace of a Malagasy queen who decided that the Christians were undermining her rule and decided to get rid of many - by throwing them over a cliff nearby. Her rule did not last long, but it was very cruel in other...More

Date of experience: October 2018

1 Thank Michael L

ron d

Caloundra, Australia

357159

Reviewed October 15, 2018

Very interesting

Getting to Ambohimanga is a bit tiring if you are coming from Tana, battling through the traffic jams. It took us 75 minutes but it was worth it. We got a guide who was really excellent, not only with information about the palace but also...More

Date of experience: September 2018

1 Thank ron d

DjangoDjango

Cologne, Germany

498277

Reviewed October 12, 2018 via mobile

Great for history buffs.

This sacred hill has been declared world heritage site by unesco in 2001. From here began the line of king and queens who were to unite Madagascar. The site contains various interesting features like the wooden house of king adrianampoinimerina. I would strongly recommend to...More

Date of experience: October 2018

2 Thank DjangoDjango

InTheMomentManhattan

Manhattan

364154

Reviewed October 11, 2018

A UNESCO Site

The royal compound in Ambohimanga is a UNESCO World Heritage site.It is not very large but gives great insight into Malagasy history, culture and architecture. It is a fascinating place to visit. Our guide was excellent and carefully explained all of the details of the...More

Date of experience: September 2018

Thank InTheMomentManhattan

300megv

Johannesburg, South Africa

397

Reviewed October 11, 2018 via mobile

Exploring

Absolutely beautiful palace and grounds. Great views and a very interesting history. Having a guide is optional but recommended. The nearby restaurant is decently priced.

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank 300megv

151malr

Surrey, United Kingdom

Reviewed May 1, 2018 via mobile

Must See

We hired a car and driver for the day to visit here and a few other places around Tana. The guide was excellent with wonderful English and annexing knowledge of the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. As others have mentioned the site is clearly revered by...More

Date of experience: April 2018

1 Thank 151malr

famwag

surrey, england

15697

Reviewed April 29, 2018

Fascinating window on the past

Pick up a local guide and you'll get real value from your visit, far more than from the occasioanl sign boards and notes. You may possibly get access to some of the palace areas not normally open to visitors. The palace of the king demonstrates...More

Date of experience: April 2018

3 Thank famwag

liditagomez2

Sant Joan d'Alacant, Spain

5720

Reviewed February 16, 2018 via mobile

A bit of history

We took a taxi that took as there and waited for us for 80000 Ariary, but it is easy to get there using the taxi brousse. We took a guide ( you can tip them, they are not suppposed to cost anything) who really knew...More

Date of experience: February 2018

1 Thank liditagomez2

Gomathy23

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Reviewed December 5, 2017

Place of Royalty History

It was interesting to find out how the olden days king and queens live. Their culture and history. It is like historical museum. Lovely the higher mountain view. Must climb staircase to reach the temple. The burial of the king and queen.

Date of experience: November 2017

Thank Gomathy23

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Questions & Answers

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sheenas1958

Is it possible to hire an English speaking guide at Ambohimanga . Or do we need to come with a private guide or on an escorted guided tour??

February 3, 2018|

AnswerShow all 7 answers

I am just not sure as we arranged all our guides well in advance. They were local as they met us at the various reserves but we organize them through a great company in Antananarivo. Cactus Tours

Travel Forum Posts

Libran_Lovely

London, England

Ambohimanga (2 Replies)

When you visit this site do you have to have a guide, is it a stipulation when you enter?

September 24, 2013|

Response fromGasy L|

Ambohimanga is one of the 12 sacred hills of Imerina. It is not only a place to admire. There is a history and only local guide will tell it well.Indeed, you need a guide that you can hire at your arrival. They are paid around 10 000Ariary (4 euro). You will give it like a tips according to your satisfaction. If you want to save money, try to get there by your own. You will miss many things if not doing so.

CA-by-way-of-IL

Palo Alto, California

Madagascar honeymoon planning advice? (4 Replies)

Hi there! My fiance and I are planning to a two-and-a-half-week honeymoon in Madagascar for September. We decided to visit largely because of the endemic wildlife. For those of you who have spent time there, which stand out to you as the best/most special places to see Madagascar's unique animals? Otherwise, here are the places we are considering visiting (below). I doubt that we will be able to visit all these. Other big interests for us would be geology and history. Any advice on how to...More

March 26, 2017|

Response fromCA-by-way-of-IL|

This is very helpful. Thank you!!

ItchyFeetBunny

Altadena, California

Not sure how to plan a trip to Madagascar 10 or 12 days? (8 Replies)

Hi All, I am interested in using local tour operators to draft an itinerary out for my 10-12 days (from 10/7 to 10/19) in Madagascar. Knowing the island is quite big, the must-see places is all over the island....to narrow it down, I just wanted to know if it's possible for me to do/see the following in those days: 1. Snorkeling at the great reef or Nosy Tanikely (I think Nosy Be is really out out reach) 2. Allee des Baobabs 3. Tsingy de Bemaraha 4. Antananarivo (Ambohimanga, etc.) ...More

April 15, 2017|

Response fromMada-Wendy|

Yes, 10 days is too short to fit it all in. Even if you would buy a lot of local flights. Maybe you should focus on the North part of madagascar. There are some baobabs around Diego Suarez (fly there) There is Tsingy de Ankarana, rain forest in mountain d'ambre. Do your visit at Nosy Tanikely / Nosy Be and fly back from Nosy be to Tana. Wendy

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