Visiting Marojejy

Marojejy is well worth exploring. The entire area is easily accessed from Sambava, which has good air service from Antananarivo, Antsiranana (Diégo-Suarez), Toamasina (Tamatave), and Maroantsetra. An excellent paved road with beautiful scenic views winds for approximately 100 km (60 miles) up the Lokoho River valley from Sambava to Andapa. Taxi traffic between the two towns is frequent.

The park is open year-round, but the best times to visit are from April to May and September to December, when it is less rainy. Information, entry tickets, and guides and porters can all be obtained at the park visitor center located in the village of Manantenina (60 km from Sambava along the Sambava–Andapa road), or at the Marojejy National Park office in Andapa. Employing a local tour operator for your trip can be helpful for smoothing all the logistical details.

Marojejy currently operates three tented camps and several camping areas within the park. The park also offers treks of varying lengths along a trail that leads from the village of Manantenina into the rainforests of the park and eventually up to the summit of Marojejy itself (elevation 2,132 m / 6,995 ft).

Marojejy Summit Trail Map

Mantella Trek

The Mantella Trek, named after the tiny frog shown in this photo, takes you to Camp Mantella, a four- or five-hour hike from Manantenina. Camp Mantella (elevation 450 m / 1,475 ft) has six cabins furnished with beds, mattresses, and bedding. It also has a large, sheltered eating area with an assortment of cooking utensils. A campground is located nearby for those who prefer to pitch a tent. This area of lowland rainforest is a good place to see several species of lemurs, many birds (including the helmet vanga) and many species of amphibians and reptiles. The beautiful Cascade de Humbert waterfall is a short walk (800 m) from the camp. For best wildlife viewing, we recommend at least two days for this trek.

Two men stand at the entrance to a small, hexagonal building with a green metal roof

Marojejy Visitor Center

A large signboard reading "Parc Marojejy" and a hexagonal gazebo are in a grassy area surrounded by forest

Park Entrance

Rushing, rock-strewn river, edged with lush green forest, a steep, gray mountain rises in the distance, rimmed with gauzy clouds

Manantenina River

A white, fan-shaped waterfall crashes down between gray rocks into a dark, frothing pool, surrounded by lush, green vegetation

Waterfall along trail

A big, open shelter with green metal roof covers several long wooden tables and benches. The shelter is in a green forest with a pointy mountain in the background

Camp Mantella

Three small wooden cabins with green metal roofs are nestled in a deep green forest

Camp Mantella

A shiny black frog with a brilliant lime-green back and bright turquoise-bloe spots on its legs and feet

Mantella laevigata

A high, thin waterfall cascades down a rock face with green jungle on either side.

Cascade de Humbert

Simpona Trek

The Simpona Trek is a continuation of the Mantella Trek, leading from Camp Mantella up to Camp Marojejia (about a two-hour hike). Camp Marojejia is located at the transition between lowland and montane rainforest (elevation 775 m / 2,540 ft) and is perched on a hillside with stupendous views overlooking sheer granite outcrops and lush vegetation. The camp consists of a sheltered eating area and four cabins furnished with beds, mattresses, and bedding. The name of this trek comes from the Malagasy name for the Silky Sifaka, a rare and beautiful white lemur found in this area. Plan on spending at least three days in the park for this trek.

Three covered wooden pavillions are built on stilts on a green, wooded hillside

Camp Marojejia

A covered wooden deck with several levels is cantilevered over a thickly wooded slope

Camp Marojejia

A small cabin with wooden deck extends out over a densely wooded slope with a deep green pool of water at the bottom

Camp Marojejia

Wooden bunk beds inside a small wooden cabin.

Camp Marojejia cabin interior

A lemur with dark face, huge round eyes and fluffy white fur stares directly into camera

Silky Sifaka

Huge cliffy peak draped with lush, green vegetation

Ambatotsondrona

A wide, cascading waterfall is partially obscured by mist and thick green vegetation

Near Camp Marojejia

Water flows over flat gray rocks in front of a hillside of dark green rainforest

Below Camp Marojejia

Marojejy Summit Trek

The Marojejy Summit Trek continues beyond Camp Marojejia along a very steep trail to Camp Simpona (elevation 1,250 m / 4,100 ft), which is then used as a basecamp for the final hike to the peak itself. Camp Simpona consists of a sheltered eating area with two cabins and a small camping area nestled high in the cloud forest. Trekking to the summit of Marojejy is a real wilderness experience — one of the most beautiful and wild walks you will likely ever take. High in the alpine moorlands above the cloud forests, the views from the summit are truly spectacular. We recommend allotting at least 4–5 days for this rugged and difficult excursion.