Andabe Hot Springs

Andabe Hot Springs are situated in the Itasy Region of central Madagascar, in the volcanic highlands near Lake Itasy — one of Madagascar's few volcanic crater lakes, whose surrounding landscape of ancient lava fields, hot springs, and geysers reflects the ongoing geothermal activity of the Itasy volcanic complex, one of the most accessible examples of Madagascar's volcanic geology to visitors from the capital Antananarivo just 80 kilometers to the east. The Itasy Region's volcanic soils support exceptional rice cultivation in irrigated paddies that have been worked by the Merina highland people for centuries, and the landscape of rice terraces, volcanic hills, and traditional villages provides a window into Madagascar's highland agricultural civilization. The hot springs at Andabe draw on the geothermal energy of the Itasy volcanic system, delivering bicarbonate mineral waters that have served local communities for generations in a landscape uniquely characterized by the collision of active volcanism and intensive traditional farming on one of the most biologically unique large islands on Earth.