Ambohimanga is one of those places I probably wouldn't have bothered to visit if it weren't a WHS. But I'm very glad I did because, the visit, combined with a visit to the Queen's Palace in Tana, gave me a much better understanding of Madagascar's pre-colonial history. I had a private driver to take me to the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, about an hour outside of Tana.  It's not a huge site, you can spend about an hour there. One there, I picked up a guide at the entrance who spoke very good english.  She was very informative. After a brief overview of the fortress from the ceremonial courtyard, and the large sacrificial stone where zebu were sacrificed, we proceeded inside the complex. One of the most interesting buildings is the King's Palace, which was the house of King Andrianampoinimerina who reigned 1787-1810.  It's a very modest wooden house. Inside, my guide did a nice job of explaining the various implements on display, as well as explaining the sleeping arrangements, and how the king's bed was always in the one corner, and higher up than where his wife would sleep.  He (and subsequent rulers here) didn't rule all of Madagascar, but they did unify many kingdoms in the center/east and established 12 royal residences on nearby hilltops, including the Queen's Palace in Antananarivo.  There's also a Queen's palace here at Ambohimanga, a more European looking wooden structure that was the house of Queen Ranavalona I.  There's a bit of evidence of European diplomatic interactions with the kingdom on display here, gifts from countries or monarchs such as Queen Victoria. 

Also interesting, are the  tombs of many of the ancient kings and queens, small traditionally shaped houses above ground marking the graves below.  After that, there isn't too much, but there are the king's baths along the wall and some areas for herding the sacrificial zebu.  

 

The grounds are very pretty, with huge, ancient, sacred fig trees and loads of poinsettias, that, while foreign in origin, are quite suitable for Madagascar because of the red, white and green colors matching their flag, and the leaves that are sort of shaped like the island.  There is a nice viewpoint you can walk to, and it is interesting to note that the fields in the valley below sort of combine to form a shape like the island of Madagascar.

While visiting, I heard a fanfare of trumpets nearby.  My guide explained that this was coming from the adjacent, slightly higher, hill of the Royal Astrologer, and the fanfare indicates the presence of a visitor/donor/guidance seeker.

 

Again, I recommend combining a visit here with the Queen's Palace complex in Antananarivo.  A good guide will help you understand some of Madagascar's pre-colonial, and early colonial era history.  It's not the lemurs and forests that you come to Madagascar for, but it adds to your appreciation of the island. I give it a rating of only two stars because there isn't really a lot to see, but I still recommend it. My photo shows the inner courtyard of the complex with the tombs being the little wooden structures at the top left.