Eastern Madagascar
Centrest Sejour
The Centrest Sejour has been recently renovated to offer simple but comfortable accommodation just outside Ranomafana National Park. The hotel is located on the outskirts of the Ranomafana village and a short drive from the National Park entrance.
The 34 standard bedrooms include 4 triples, 20 doubles and 10 twins and all feature fans and safety deposit boxes. The rooms are very simple but clean and comfortable and the service is friendly. There is Wi-Fi in the restaurant and reception and the lodge offers a laundry and massage service on request. The newly renovated restaurant serves tasty European and Malagasy cuisine and there is a well-stocked bar.
Facilities
Private bathrooms, fans and safe in all the rooms. Wi-Fi is availble but best in the restaurant and laundry service is availble on request. There is a restaurant and bar and landscaped gardens to enjoy.
Local Wildlife
Ranomafana is an exceptionally rich high-altitude rainforest reserve where the very rare golden bamboo lemur and eleven other lemur species exist. These include the critically endangered greater bamboo lemur and beautiful Milne Edwards’s sifaka and red-bellied lemur. Over 100 bird species have also been recorded in Ranomafana with specialities including the attractive pitta-like, short-legged and rufous-headed ground rollers, yellow-browed oxylabels, velvet and yellow-bellied sunbird asitys and brown emutail. Many of these species are very elusive and skulking though and are best seen on the high altitude Vohipara Trail. Over 120 endemic species of frogs have be found in Ranomafana and reptiles are also plentiful with the satanic leaf-tailed gecko and huge O'Shaughnessy's chameleon as highlights.
Optional Activities
Exploration of Ranomafana National Park on a variety of trails. Please be aware that the trails can be steep and tough but generally the going is moderate. The Vohipara trail is more gentle.
Village visits including swims in the famous Thermal Pool are also a highlight and a day trip to the Kianjavato Forest Reserve can also be arranged.
Claire Pote
Area Specialist
This is a good value lodge for those that are looking for a no thrills base to explore Ranomafana National Park.
If you have any questions regarding our Madagascar tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
It was lovely to meet Helen face-to-face and to devise the ideal trip with her – her enthusiasm for Madagascar certainly confirmed us in our choice of destination. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides, seemed genuinely interested in their work and in interacting with tourists. Invaluable in spotting wildlife and discussing uses of local medicinal plants. [Our escort guide] was a delightful companion on our journey in Madagascar and very solicitous of our welfare. We were thrilled by the wildlife. Without the keen insight and knowledge of our guides we would certainly have failed to spot the giraffe-necked weevil and stick insects. The night walks were very productive – several mouse lemurs. The first sight of indris was an especial thrill as was the sight of a sleeping mouse lemur in broad daylight. Perhaps the most rewarding experience occurred when the lemurs came to us – six ring-tailed lemurs in Isalo, sifakas on the balcony in Anjajavy, flocks of grey-headed lovebirds on the lawn at breakfast. An excellent tour which gave us a good insight into the wildlife and potential conservation issues in Madagascar. We had opportunities to visit local communities. We were most impressed by the efficiency in ensuring a trouble-free and very enjoyable time in Madagascar. Our tour leader and driver were delightful and very hard working. We shall certainly look forward to booking a further tour with you.
