Close to the big city of Antsiranana is this colder park with extremely beautiful flora and some pretty waterfalls. Hiking is pretty easy here, and there are not a lot of other people here. This is a great park to have a day hike and feel in complete nature. If you want to know more about this place, keep reading.

Price: 55,000 park entrance per person, and, depending on the hike, a compulsory guide fee for the group.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: A 1-hour drive from Diego Suarez

How much time needed:  1 Full day.

Hiking

Above is a map of Amber Mountain National Park and the yellow dots show the sights of the park. Most hikes will take around 3-6 hours, and you can talk with your guide about where you want to go. There are waterfalls, lakes, a botanical garden, viewpoints, and more. Hiking is pretty easy here, as it has a small slope at some points, but most parts are flat. The way to the lake is pretty steep, but also pretty short.

Flora

Yes, there is wildlife and there are beautiful waterfalls, but my personal highlight of Amber Mountain was the amazing flora that exists in the park. There are so many different species, and many of them are endemic to this region. This makes the park very biodiverse, and unique, and worth visiting in this region. The park is extremely green, and walking here feels like a real treasure.

Things to see

There are some beautiful things to see in Amber Mountain, which include a sacred waterfall (see picture), other waterfalls, a beautiful lake, a viewpoint, and a botanical garden. For me, the waterfalls were the most impressive things to see, but other sights were also worth the visit.

Lemurs and other wildlife

Although the amazing creatures are not the first reason to get here, lemurs are present in the park. The 2 lemur species that you can find are the Sanford's brown lemur (see picture) and the crowned lemur. They can be difficult to find because of the dense forest, but you have chances. Besides, this is a chameleon valhalla with many species, including the extremely small Montagne d'Ambre leaf chameleon and the blue-nosed chameleon. For the rest, do you have a proper chance to find ring-tailed mongoose, which are pretty often seen in comparison to the rest of the island.

When to visit

Amber Mountain can be visited throughout the year. For reptiles, which are great here, it is better to get here from January to March, but this can be extremely wet. The months of June to September can be colder than the rest.

How much time

You can visit this park as a day trip from Diego Suarez, but I always like to stay around the area. I prefer a nice full day in the park and sleep before and after around the park. More than one day in the park is not necessary.

Where to stay

In Joffreville, the village closest to Amber Mountain, there are a couple of accommodations. The ecolodge is the most fancy, but there are more. There are chances that some of the accommodations are closed during the low season. In and around the village and the ecolodge are many Madagascar day geckos (see picture above), which are beautiful and fun reptiles.

In combination with

Amber Mountain is located in the far north of Madagascar. It is very close to the lovely city of Diego Suarez. Besides, it is perfect in combination with the Red Tsingy, and Ankarana National Park and further Nosy Be. 

Final thoughts

Amber Mountain is an amazing place to visit, especially for chameleons and the plant biodiversity. The park may not be the most thrilling in the whole country, but you will not regret your visit. Have a great stroll, see the waterfalls, and hope to find some beautiful wildlife. Amber Mountain is a good place to discover, but don't expect to see as many lemurs as in other parks.

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