Ambanja and the Sambirano Cacao

The Sambirano valley behind Ambanja is watered by a river running off the Tsaratanana massif, and the combination of that water, the volcanic soil and the shelter of the mountains gives it a microclimate quite unlike the dry country around. Cacao has been grown here since the colonial period, and Madagascan beans, mostly Trinitario, have a reputation among chocolate makers for a bright acidity and red-fruit character that is prized rather than corrected; single-origin bars naming Sambirano sell worldwide. Plantations run fermentation boxes and drying beds that can be visited, and one or two producers make chocolate in the valley itself. The same land grows vanilla, pepper, ylang-ylang and coffee. Ambanja is a working market town and the ferry point for Nosy Be, so the valley is easy to reach.

What you actually see

• Cacao under shade trees - pods growing directly on the trunks.
• Fermentation and drying - beans in boxes and on raised beds.
• Spice cultivation - vanilla, pepper and ylang-ylang on the same farms.
• The green valley - a watered corridor between dry hills.

When to go

May to November for the roads. The main harvest runs roughly from October through the following months, with fermentation and drying most visible then. Cyclones affect the region between January and March.

Honest expectations

Tours must be arranged in advance through a plantation or hotel and are not set up for casual visitors. The town is functional and hot with limited accommodation. Chocolate made locally is not always available to buy on site. Farm work here is hard and low-paid, which is a fair thing to ask about.

Nearby

Nosy Be is reached by ferry; Ankarana lies northeast.