​Overview – Amber Mountain NP

Philip Briggs
Expert
By Philip Briggs

Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Insight guide to Madagascar.

Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Insight Guide to Madagascar.

Philip is the author of the Insight Guide to Madagascar.

Amber Mountain National Park (Parc National Montagne d’Ambre) is known for its exceptional scenic beauty. It contains a group of volcanic mountains rising up to 1,475m/4,839ft above one of the most water-rich rainforests in the country. The popular, easy-to-navigate trails access several waterfalls and lakes. People with disabilities or elderly people can get to the main picnic site by car.

 
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Best Time To Go August to November (Less rainfall)
High Season July to August and December (The park is busy)
Size 226km² / 87mi²
Altitude 387-1,392m / 1,270-4,567ft
+23 Photos

Pros & Cons

  • Very accessible and easy hiking trails
  • Access into the forest by car
  • Home to many chameleons, other reptiles and several lemur species
  • Beautiful waterfalls and crater lakes within easy walking distance
  • Can be crowded when cruise ship day visitors arrive
  • Only very basic huts in the park

Amber Mountain NP Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Wildlife

Amber Mountain NP is a great place to see reptiles and chameleons in particular. Guides will try to show you the tiny Mount d'Ambre leaf chameleon, endemic to the park and one of the world’s smallest reptiles. Lemurs to look out for during the day are the crowned lemur and the Sanford's brown lemur. Predators are not easy to spot, but lucky visitors might see the elusive falanouc.

Scenery

The spectacular scenery is really what makes this park special. The habitat of montane rainforest (above 900m/2950ft) offers a wide variety of plants including the bird’s nest ferns (known as popular pot plants), cycads, tree ferns and orchids. Antankarana Waterfall and two crater lakes are focal points for most visitors to the park.

Weather & Climate

Temperatures are quite uniform throughout the year. Afternoons are usually around 28°C/82°F, and at night it’s around 18°C/64°F. The Wet season from November to April sees very high precipitation and humidity. The Dry season from May to October is only slightly cooler but has lower humidity and is therefore more comfortable.

Best Time To Visit

Amber Mountain can be visited throughout the year. The shoulder months, from April to May and from October to November, are particularly recommended – the weather is nice and there isn’t too much rain. Animals, including reptiles that are less easy to spot in the Dry season months, are active during this time and in October to November many lemurs have babies.

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Amber Mountain NP Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
Most Helpful Expert Review
Expert
Ariadne van Zandbergen  –  
South Africa ZA

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

Endemism galore in pristine rainforest
4/5

Amber Mountain National Park must rank as one of Madagascar’s most scenic parks. The pristine rainforest reaches 40m/131ft high into the sky and orchids, tree ferns and bird nest ferns are just some of the more iconic plants that caught...

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Latest User Review
Gabriele  –  
Italy IT
Reviewed: Sep 25, 2018
Interesting park especially for the variety of plants
4/5

The park is beautiful and accessible. It shows a very interesting variety of trees, ferns and orchids. Among them impressive rosewood trees. We couldn’t see many lemurs but we had the chance to see the smallest chameleon in the world....

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