Fianarantsoa is the academic and intellectual centre of Madagascar, and lies at the heart of the country's most productive agricultural region. Fianar has a surprisingly good selection of cheap and comfortable accommodation. To the west, Fianar's backdrop is dominated by the 1374m (4506ft) Mt Kianjasoa, and the city has a real high country atmosphere - take a jacket as it can get very cold. In the 1970s a Swiss corporation realised the wine-growing potential in the surrounding country, and it is now Madagascar's leading wine-producing region. You can also visit the Savahamby Tea Estate about 22km (13.6mi) east of town.Basse-Ville is the poorest but liveliest area in the city, with the main post office, an amazing, Swiss-styled railway station, and taxi-brousse stations. Nouvelle-Ville is the business area with the banks and several hotels, but the most beautiful district is Haute-Ville, which sits on a hill overlooking the two other districts. It has many lovely narrow streets, a quaint atmosphere and picturesque views across Lac Anosy and the surrounding rice paddies. Haute-Ville is marked from below by a cluster of church spires; thanks to heavy missionary activity Fianar is the centre of Catholicism in Madagascar.Because there is regular road transport between Tana and Fianar, there are only two flights a week. The road from Tana is good and there are plenty of taxis-brousses from Tana, 410km (254mi) to the north, and from Antsirabe, 240km (149mi) north along the same road.

Mahajanga is Madagascar's second port, and sits at the mouth of the Betsiboka River on the Baie de Bombetoka, on the north-west coast. It's very hot and dusty, and very lethargic, and as it's difficult to get to travellers often ignore it. It is a crumbling frontier town with wide promenades, interesting architecture, shady arcades and flowering bougainvillea - one explanation for the town's name is that it comes from the Swahili meaning 'Town of Flowers'. There are numerous churches and at least 20 mosques, and the town has Madagascar's largest Comoran Muslim community. The beaches around town are relatively safe, if stained blood red from the highland topsoil being washed out to sea.Facing the Canal de Mozambique, Mahajanga is 400km (248mi) north-west of Tana. You can fly there from Tana, Nosy Be, and Antsiranana, and it is also a transit point for flights to remote west coast settlements. You can also make the trip by taxi-brousse from Tana, a 12-15 hour (much longer in the wet season) journey that is a vision of environmental catastrophe.

This park was established in 1962 and covers 81,540 hectares (201,404 acres) of a wildly eroded sandstone massif. The extraordinary landscapes are worth a few days exploration on foot, but you will need a guide. The grassy plains are surrounded by sandstone ridges sculpted into wild forms, and secluded in the rocks are many Sakalava Tombs. If your guide seems uneasy about telling you about the tombs, drop the subject; many taboos (fady) operate in the region.The Canyon des Singes ('Canyon of Monkeys') makes for an interesting day walk, and you'll have a good chance of seeing sifakas (a common lemur) leaping through the trees. In the nearby Canyon des Rats are the Bara Zafimagnely Tombs, but you may have to ask your guide to show you them or skip them altogether. You can also walk along the canyon to the Piscine Naturelle - a hot and thirsty walk but worth it for the breathtaking landscape along the way. The Grotte des Portugais is at the northern end of the park. The cave isn't worth seeing, but the surrounding Forêt de Sahanafa is beautiful, with natural springs and a lot of lemurs.The Isalo is about 400km (248mi) south-west of Tana, and the nearest town is Ranohira. You need to get a bush taxi from Tana to Ihosy, and another for 91km (57mi) to Ranohira. From Ranohira it is a short taxi-brousse ride to the park.