Andohahela National Park, National park in southern Madagascar

Andohahela National Park is a protected area in southern Madagascar featuring multiple forest types that exist side by side. Within its boundaries you find humid rainforest shifting to drier deciduous woodland, each zone hosting different plants and wildlife.

Andohahela was declared a protected area in 1939 and became a national park in 1998, though the French Wikipedia gives 1997 as its creation date. In 2007 it was inscribed as part of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana World Heritage Site. In 1999 the British Guild of Travel Writers named it Best New Foreign Tourism Project at the World Travel Market.

Local communities around the park have deep roots in traditional forest practices and help shape how the land is managed today. You can feel this connection when walking with guides who know the plants and animals as part of their daily life and heritage.

You can explore different sections through marked trails, with local guides available to show you the wildlife and plants. Bring good walking shoes and waterproof clothing because trail conditions vary and rain is common in these forest areas.

This park holds a rare combination where humid rainforest and dry spiny forest sit directly next to each other. This side-by-side existence of contrasting forest types is something you seldom see elsewhere and shapes the variety of life you encounter while walking through.