A hilltop capital of palaces and rice fields
Antananarivo, known as Tana, climbs over a series of ridges in the central highlands, with rice paddies filling the valleys between neighbourhoods. The Rova, the former royal palace of the Merina kingdom, crowns the highest hill, and the surrounding upper town has old brick houses and staircases. Lake Anosy, ringed by jacarandas, sits below. Outside the city, the royal hill of Ambohimanga is a UNESCO site, and the Lemurs' Park offers an easy first encounter with Madagascar's wildlife.