Ranomafana is located in the Vatovavy region of Southeast Madagascar. It is 63 km away from the nearest city of Fianarantsoa, and 392 km from the capital city of Antananarivo.
To get to Ranomafana from the capital city of Antananarivo, please consider these options:
Book a seat in a Cotisse car by calling or Whatsapp messaging the Cotisse Antananarivo station at (+261 32 11 027 10) or by going in person to the station. Seats have to be paid for at least 24 hours before departure either online using Paypal or MVola money, or in person at any of their stations. Seats to Fianarantsoa will cost 40 000 MGA each, and buses run there daily/nightly. The drive will take 12 hours with regular bathroom breaks and one lunch break. If you choose to take the daytime bus, you will arrive in Fianarantsoa at 7pm. Local buses to Ranomafana will not be running then, and so it is best to overnight in the city. There are several good hotel options, including Zomatel and Hotel Vannie, that typically have open rooms and cost between 50 000 - 90 000 MGA per night. In the morning, you can go to the local bus station at any time and take a regional brousse (bus) straight to Ranomafana for 7 000 MGA per person. That drive is about 2.5 hours – use the restroom before getting in! If you choose to take the nighttime bus, you will arrive in Fianarantsoa in the morning and can head directly to the local brousse station to make the transfer to Ranomafana.
Getting from the Cotisse station in Fianarantsoa to a hotel is not hard! You can choose to walk to either Zomatel or Vannie Hotel, which would be a 20 or 15 minute walk respectively, or you can take a cab. The cab ride will be no longer than 5-10 minutes and should cost no more than 10 000 MGA. Farther hotels, such as Mahamanina, will take a little longer and the cab may cost a bit more.
Getting to the local bus station in Fianarantsoa is also not difficult. From Zomatel and Vannie Hotel it is simply a walk down the hill (veer right) and from other parts of town any cab driver will understand “brousse stationnement”. Fair warning, regional brousses look a bit different from Cotisse (or Soatrans). You will be squeezed in there and your baggage will likely sit on the roof. Let the driver or door attendant know you are getting off at Ranomafana and you should be good to go. Be aware of your belongings and surroundings as best you can, and keep valuables on your person.
Similar to Cotisse, you can book a seat in a Soatrans bus by calling in advance at (+261 32 11 905 00) or by going in person to the station. Seats have to be paid for 24 hours before departure in person. Seats cost 65 000 MGA to Manakara, which will leave Tana at 1:30pm and drive you past Ranomafana at around 3am where you are able to exit the car. Ranomafana is safe and calm at night, and depending on where your hotel is you will have only a short walk once dropped off in town (if your hotel is SETAM, Foret Austral, Au Dominatur, or Karibotel, I recommend leaving the bus in front of the hotels and not in town). Alternatively, seats to Fianarantsoa cost 45 000 MGA and you can follow the same instructions as above.
Private cars and drivers are not an uncommon option for tourists to take. Navigating the bus system and poor roads in Madagascar is difficult - and not necessarily relaxing! Many private car companies exist in Antananarivo for this reason, and prices for private cars are often reasonable. Simply looking up private car rental or private drivers in Antananarivo will point you in the right direction, but we can recommend the company Dadamanga as a good place to start. Costs to Ranomafana will vary, but typically sit around 100-300 USD per car depending on the company you book with, whether you have a driver, how many people are in the car, and what time of the year the booking is in. The drive will take about 12 hours, but you are able to choose where and when to stop for food and rest breaks. Popular places to stop include Antsirabe, a city 5 hours into the drive, and Ambositra, a city 8 hours into the drive and home to beautiful artisanal wood crafts.
You also have the option to book a private charter plane to the Fianarantsoa airport. This must be done through a travel agency and costs vary. The flight is about 1 hour long, and you can take a bus or car to Ranomafana once you arrive in Fianarantsoa.