Rico Lodge

We only had one day to spend in Andasibe but Rico helped us to make the best out of it.
We started the morning with exploring the Villagers parc and observed some lemurs. Then we had lunch and walked around Andasibe.
Rico arranged a guide for us, and at the end of the day, Rico took us around his botanical garden and for a night walk.

It was an amazing experience, we had some great diners, highly recommended the zebu.
Thank you again for helping us with all the planning.

Rico's lodge is isolated 600m from the main road. He is working on his land to preserve the biodiversity and is welcoming all the people who wish to stay and benefit from his dedication. The place is very close from the natural reserves which makes a lot of hikes easily accessible. He and his wife will be able to advise you what to do in the region or in Madagascar whatever your plans may be. The accommodation is simple and the meals delicious. Of course, if you don't like nature, this shouldn't be the place to head to.

About 500 meters up from the main road, entering the forest, you can find this little paradise. Committed to the environment, the bungalows are widely spaced, surrounded by nature, lakes and a river. Ideal for those who seek adventure in the forest and real nature. The silence is overwhelming, the sound of the forest is the best ally to sleep peacefully. The bungalows are powered by solar energy and supply light at night. in the evening, in the restaurant they give good menus with a very interesting dessert. Do not miss the banana flamed with rum. You can recharge your mobile while you dine. The water in the shower is heated by firewood. The owner is very friendly and committed to the environment and the deforestation problems of the country. Unforgettable experience and highly recommended if you want to runaway from noise, concrete and dogmatic tourism.

Ricos place is really special. He is a great host, which gave us a free nighttour through his forest. Very peaceful place

I stayed at the Ricolodge for 4 nights with my wife. This place is the best you can find in Andasibe. It's situated about 600 meters deep from the main road on the upper hill of the forest. There are some eco bungalows on its territory with private terraces where you can sit and enjoy the sounds of nature after a morning hike through the National Parks or look at the billion stars during the night.

The restaurant and café are also good. Rico asked about our food preferences, and as we are vegetarians, the entire 4-day menu was perfectly cooked for us.

Rico is very friendly, and he offered to transfer us from Tana airport in a comfortable car with a very good driver. He also gave us great advice on planning our days. He recommended some activities and guides who were very skilled at finding the wild animals right in the forest! Thanks to Divano, Jacky tuk-tuk driver, and of course Haingo from VOIMMA Park.

As Rico is not only a host but also a nature lover, he gave us a free 1-hour night tour of his own forest, where we found a lemur. The night forest is so different from daytime, making it truly worth the walk to hear all the life and beauty around you. There is also a medicinal plant garden with a variety of species, and Rico explained each one to us, which was really nice.

I'd definitely recommend Rico's place if you love being close to nature. Please don't expect typical hotel rooms here; these are eco-lodges built to minimize damage to the surrounding nature. Electricity can only be found only in the restaurant area, as all power comes from the rooftop solar panels.

I was so happy to spend 4 nights; it was reminiscent of my childhood when I spent a lot of time in the village surrounded by nature and far away from the huge city. 4 full days are enough to explore the top national parks here and see all the lemurs around you. However, if I could stay longer, I would spend even more time here.

I wish Rico lots of good luck with his business. I hope I can come back once again to see Rico, hear the song of lemurs during the mornings, and meet his lovely family again. Our expectations from staying there were exceeded beyond what we initially thought.

Rico and his staff staff are lovely people -pleasant, attentive, kind and provided excellent service. Rico is attentive and helpful and ready to give any good advice needed for exploring Andasibe. The lodge is very pretty, well kept, with hot water for showering most of the time, and electricity in the evening. You can't charge your phone or camera in the room but Rico and his staff are always happy to charge them for you. The food is very nice, accommodating to special needs (I'm vegetarian) and as I mentioned before , the staff were all very attentive to our needs, helpful and cooperative.
The guide that Rico arranged for us, Donna , is not just another guide. He is an English speaking subject-matter expert, his area of expertise being birds and reptiles, but also very knowledgeable and and skilled at spotting lemurs . Donna has a vast first hand knowledge of the fauna and flora of the area and because we wanted to see as much wildlife as possible ,he was the perfect guide for us..

Amazing place, amazing food, for nature lovers and roots minded people. (With comfort regarding the isolation of the place)

Super expérience, vous serez accompagné par Rico le président des guides et sa famille d'une aide précieuse.
L'accès au parc ce fait facilement par tuctuc.

Je suis restée 3 nuits chez Rico, le temps de découvrir les différents parcs qui sont situés juste à côté et accessibles à pied, et d'observer plusieurs espèces de lémuriens. Vous pouvez également accéder facilement au village d'Andasibe.
Les lodges sont situés au calme dans la forêt, avec tous les bruits d'animaux la nuit (il y a même des lémuriens qui passent juste derrière la propriété) et aucune pollution lumineuse pour admirer les étoiles. C'est très confortable. Il y a des moustiquaires et de l'eau chaude pour se doucher, ainsi que des bouteilles d'eau à disposition.
Rico est passionné de nature, et a pris le temps de partager ses connaissances, de me montrer son jardin botanique et de m'emmener pour une visite nocturne dans la forêt.
Je recommande également de dîner sur place, c'est délicieux et généreux.

Un Lodge réellement respectueux de son environnement. Son créateur est vraiment investi et passionné. Les repas sont incroyablement bons et pourtant simples, et les végétariens sont bien venus.
On peut camper ou choisir un bungalow.
En évitant au maximum le déboisement, le lieu permets de se sentir au cœur de la forêt, et offre des espaces d'intimité.
Je recommande

Amoureux de la nature, allez chez Rico !
A proximité des parcs naturels et en pleine nature : dépaysement et immersion dans la jungle garantis !

This the THE place to go for everyone looking for a relaxing and calm escape into Nature.

We were the only guests, staying in a cozy and spacious bungalow. Only negativ point was the Mattress that must be some type of memory foam? Prepare yourself to wake up in a bit of whole the next morning.

We arrived in Andasibe from Tana with a Cotisse Taxi Brousse, without knowing any guide, but the Lodge organized a guide and spontaneous Night & Day Tour in the Nationalparc for us. We saw different types of Lemurs playing with each other, chameleons and many other animals and Plants, a super cool experience.

Overall, don’t come here for a luxurious vacation or hot water, but for a stay in nature, with extremely accommodating and nice staff, lemurs that can be heard in the background and chicken walking around your Terrasse.

Good place for air camp

Gewoon goed.

Endroit calme, mais il n y a pas d'eau chaude dans la chambre

After reading the fab reviews we decided to stay here at Rico’s.
Big Mistake!

It seems Rico uses the term “Eco Lodge” to disguise a very unloved, poorly maintained operation.

Yes the staff are enthusiastic and friendly and yes the ambiance is lovely. However you will quickly forget that when you want to flush the toilet after number 2 and it fails, when you want to shower and cold brown water drips from the tap and when you want to sleep the rain pours through the roof and onto you, your partner, your pillow and your mattress.

Eco means environmentally friendly. This is not eco this is just very run down and shabby, look elsewhere.

Service client minable, annule la réservation 1 semaine avant l'arrivée alors que la réservation était confirmée depuis 2 semaines. Propriétaire indisponible pour aider le client.
Je ne recommande absolument pas