Harmonious Protected Landscape · DIANA Region · Ramena Commune · Northern Madagascar
Oronjia
Harmonious Protected Landscape
A low dry dense forest on the Orangéa peninsula, at the gateway to the Bay of Diego Suarez — home to colonial history, ancient burial sites, and the Tour of the 3 Bays circuit.
About the Protected Area
Dry forest, bays, and colonial landscape
The Oronjia Harmonious Protected Landscape is located in northern Madagascar, in the rural commune of Ramena, DIANA Region, 20 km from the city of Antsiranana, in the southern part of the Bay of Diego Suarez. Managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), it covers 1,688 hectares of low dry dense forest on the Orangéa peninsula.
The manager's office is located at Ankorikihely, along with two bungalows for researchers. The site is accessible via the Ramena road, to the northeast of Ankorikihely village. Visit arrangements are to be discussed with guides at the park entrance.
Oronjia — known to the French as Orangéa — once housed a French military base established to protect the entrance to the Bay of Diego Suarez in the 19th century. Remnants of that colonial past remain visible to this day.
Fauna and Flora
An endemic dry forest, rich in reptiles and birds
The protected area is covered by a low dry dense forest populated by Poupartia sylvatica, Commiphora stellulata, flamboyant trees, and baobabs. Forest edges give way to grasslands with woody species such as Sclerocarya birrea, Gagnebina commersoniana, and Strophanthus boivinii. In the lowlands, the introduced species Pithecellobium dulce can be found.
The site also harbours a secondary thicket of Acacia farnesiana, Lantana camara, and Leucaena leucocephala (false mimosa). Plants typical of western forest are present, including Rhopalocarpus suarezensis and Caesalpinia madagascariensis. Only one endemic plant species is known from Oronjia: Adenia litoralis.
Culture and Heritage
A colonial legacy and funerary rites
Oronjia — known as Orangéa during the French colonial period — sheltered a military base established to guard the entrance to the Bay of Diego Suarez in the 19th century. The remnants of this colonial past are still visible today, most notably the fort on the Mamelon Vert hill, which offers a sweeping panoramic view over the bays.
A cave on the Mamelon Vert contains a burial site, bearing witness to an ancient and intimate human presence within this landscape long before the colonial era.
Identified threats
Tourist Circuit
The Tour of the 3 Bays and the Mamelon Vert
The main tourist circuit covers 10 km in total, linking the three bays of the peninsula and ascending the Mamelon Vert for a panoramic view from the colonial fort. Visit arrangements are to be discussed with guides at the park entrance.
Total circuit: 10 km · Visit arrangements with local guides at the park entrance.
Location
Northern Madagascar, DIANA Region
Oronjia lies 20 km from Antsiranana on the Orangéa peninsula, easily accessible from Diego Suarez via the Ramena road. The manager's office is at Ankorikihely village.