Atsinanana is Malagasy for east, and it is the name given to a string of six rainforest parks along Madagascar's eastern escarpment, listed together by UNESCO in 2007. These forests hold an enormous share of Madagascar's wildlife, including lemurs, chameleons, tiny frogs and orchids found nowhere else, and they have been placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger since 2010 because of illegal logging of rosewood.
Andapa itself is a market town of about twenty thousand, in a basin of rice paddies, with the green mass of the Marojejy mountains rising behind it. The area is part of the so-called SAVA region, the heart of the world's vanilla trade, and the smell of curing pods lingers around the villages in the season. Farmers dry the beans on mats in front of their houses, and the local economy swings with the price. A visit to a vanilla farm is both interesting and a lesson in patience.
The riding is for the experienced. The road between Andapa and the coast at Sambava is a notable test, with sections that can be rutted, muddy or washed out in the rainy season, which runs from January to March, when cyclones sometimes strike. The dry months, from September to November, are the best time, with warm days and fewer mosquitoes, though showers are possible any time. The scenery is lush, with palms, bananas and bamboo along the road, children waving and zebu cattle crossing slowly.
Fuel in Andapa exists but can be erratic, so carry a spare, and plan to fill in Sambava or Antalaha on the coast. Cash is essential, and card machines are rare. Simple hotels and restaurants in the town serve rice with zebu or fish, and bananas and coconut are sold everywhere. Move cautiously at dusk, when pedestrians and animals fill the road, and be prepared for rain.