FROM ONE MOUNTAIN TO ANOTHER

Sunreef Travel Madagascar

The Great Malagasy Hikes

Days
1

Routes:Antananarivo-Andasibe-Antsirabe-Morondava-Kirindy-Bekopaka-Morondava- Antananarivo-Tuléar-Ranohira-Isalo-Andringitra-Tsaranoro-Ambalavao-Fianarantsoa-Sahambavy-Manakara-Ranomafana-Ambaladingana-Antoetra-Ambositra-Antananarivo

information

From one Mountain to another… The Great Malagasy Hikes – 25 DAYS

This itinerary will immerse you in the extraordinary island of Madagascar, a land of mystery. Go beyond its beaches and lagoons and get off the beaten track. Get to know and love this traditionally welcoming people. Madagascar's beautiful landscapes will take your breath away. The crossroads of cultures and traditions that make it an exceptional country, a unique land.
Land of adventure! Sanctuary of nature! So many words to describe this country. Let us guide you on a simple but exciting journey of unusual and original discoveries. 

Climate

-For Andringitra: 

Novembre to April: rainy season 

May to October: winter

  • For Manakara:

December to April: rainy season

Period: 

May to October: ideal for travelling in favourable weather conditions. 

Our favourite :

  • The natural sites:

    The hikes and walks in the deep country that your support team will suggest along the way.

  • Having a real meeting with the Malagasy people:

    Immersion in the villages crossed during stages and hikes, the discovery of the way of life of the peasants, the know-how and creative ingenuity of the Malagasy craftsmen…

ANDRINGITRA – MANAKARA

  • day 1

    ANTANANARIVO

On arrival at the airport, a private transfer will take you to the hotel.

 

Image-Ivato-International-Airport

  • Day 2

    ANTANANARIVO – ANDASIBE

Departure for Andasibe. From there, a visit along the way to the farm Madagascar Exotic. You arrive in Andasibe in the early afternoon, followed by the discovery of the Vakona Reserve. Afterwards, you'll take a night-time tour of Andasibe National Park to connect with nature.

 Sleeping at the hotel

  • Day 3

    ANDASIBE

The programme continues with a day's visit to the Andasibe Mantadia National Park. This site is renowned for its conservation of the largest lemur and other animal species. It is also home to a flora with several varieties of orchid, rosewood and medicinal plants. 

  • Day 4

    ANDASIBE – ANTSIRABE

On the way to Antsirabe, we begin our journey through the highland landscapes. Not forgetting a stop in Ambatolampy to admire the work of aluminium cookware manufacturers. Arriving in Antsirabe in the late afternoon, we check into a hotel.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

  • Day 5

    ANTSIRABE – MORONDAVA

On the way to Morondava. The rice-growing plains pass us by. We stop to visit the markets in the villages we pass through, Betafo and Mandoto. As we go along, we see the patchwork of terraced rice fields and diverse crops. Even more so, the hills overlooked by the red brick houses of the central Highlands. These give way to the arid landscape of the mid-west. On the other hand, the "peeled" mountains of the Bongolava massif, jagged by erosion. On this point, we pass through the town of Miandrivazo. The landscape becomes more rugged, with the west coast just around the corner. Finally, we arrive in Morondava at the end of the day.

  • Day 6

    MORONDAVA – KIRINDY

Route to Kirindy. Shortly after leaving the town, we turn north and take the track that crosses the Allée des Baobabs. It's a simple passage for a first contact, but we'll stop here on the way back. From here, the dry forest appears.

Kirindy is an hour’s drive away. Its forest is home to several endemic animal species including the Fosa (weasel) or Cryptoprocta ferox. Moreover, it is the only carnivorous predator of the Malagasy forests. That is why we also meet the giant jumping rat, feeding on insects and small animals. Notably, the Berthe’s microcèbe, one of the smallest lemurs in the world, weighing just 50 grams.

In short, these animals generally only come out at night. So we'll be combining a nocturnal visit with a daytime visit, during which other animal species can also be seen. For example, the sifaka lemur, which moves in jerky jumps. Hence the nickname dancing lemur. There is also the tawny lemur, chameleons and birds.

Overnight in a gite  

  • day 7

    KIRINDY – BEKOPAKA

Road to Bekopaka. We will be crossing the Tsiribihina River by ferry. We arrive in Bekopaka at the end of the day, at the foot of the Tsingy de Bemaraha massif.

  • day 8 and 9

    BEKOPAKA

Day trips to the national park. The first day begins with an adventure in a pirogue. We then set off on a hike to the small Tsingy d'Andadoany. On the second day, after 17 kilometres of track, we'll head off to discover the large Tsingy. The latter offer wide open spaces, vertigo and great sensations. And to top it all off, the Toit des Tsingy offers a magnificent 360° panorama of the massif.

  • Day 10

    BEKOPAKA – MORONDAVA

We take the track back to Morondava. Lunch at Belo sur Tsiribihina. We rediscover the Allée des Baobabs through a superb sunset. Afterwards, we continue to Morondava and check into our hotel. 

  • Day 11

    MORONDAVA – ANTANANARIVO

Free time to enjoy the Anosikely beach or a walking tour of the city. Transfer to the airport and flight to Antananarivo. Welcome on arrival and transfer to the hotel.

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  • Day 12

    ANTANANARIVO – TULEAR – RANOHIRA

Flight to Tuléar, welcome at the airport, orientation tour of the town, then departure for Ranohira. First glimpse of the baobabs and the famous tombs surmounted by funerary sculptures called "Aloalo" and painted with naïve scenes of life. We pass through Sakaraha and Ilakaka, quiet little towns until the discovery of a huge sapphire deposit that transformed them into veritable mining towns worthy of the epic American Wild West. Arrive in Ranohira, check into the hotel and enjoy some free time. At the end of the day, we'll head off to "La Fenêtre de l'Isalo" for a sunset.

  • Day 13

    ISALO NATIONAL PARK

First, transfer by car to the foot of the massif. Then, we go up on the plateau «drawn» by erosion, for a beautiful morning of hiking. This massif of sandstone has been shaped and sculpted since the Jurassic in strange ruiniform forms. These lands belong to the Bara people, an ethnic group from the South. Our walk will take us to the place called «the natural pool». The presence of Bara burials is the mystical touch of the circuit. After the heat of the day, swimming in the pool is welcome. In the afternoon we will go to the Nymph Waterfall. This circuit is also a live slideshow of plants «adapted» through the geological transformation of the Isalo: the Pachypodium rosulatum gracilis, close relative but physically far from the pervenche (Apocynaceae family), the Aloe vera sought for its cosmetic virtues as well as other strange varieties of plants. Return to Ranohira at the end of the day, visit the village, dinner an

  • Day 14

    FROM ISALO TO ANDRINGITRA

Breakfast and we return to the Nationale 7 to cross the vast semi-desert plateau of Horombe. This is the road of wide open spaces, then the town of Ihosy before passing the Portes du Sud d'Ifandana and arriving at Ambalavao. We'll see Ambalavao from one mountain to the next, heading east. Finally, we arrive in Namoly at the end of the day.

Dinner and overnight at a campsite or village gîte

  • Jour 15 / 16

    ANDRINGITRA NATIONAL PARK

We begin our walk towards the Andringitra. Immediately, huge granite monoliths shape the landscape. We then pass through the Andranolava natural pool to reach Andriampotsy. This is at an altitude of 2,000 m, where we will spend the night. Here, we'll be camping in a fully equipped campsite, complete with kitchenette and shower.

Andriampotsy is the starting point for the 2thday ascent of the 2ndth highest peak in Madagascar: Pic Boby, 2,658 m high. The landscapes are lunar, called «Imarivolanitra», where the earth meets the sky. Then we leave early for the ascent of the summit, which is done in return. Walking is not difficult, the trails well arranged. In addition, the view from above is really worth the detour, a magnificent panorama of the surrounding regions. After, return to the camp in the late morning. We have lunch and then we start the descent to the Tsaranoro Valley, on the west side of the park.

Surreal lunar landscape that is worth the nickname «Plateau des extra-terrestres». We then cross the palm forest «Ravenea glauca», endemic. Then, we make a campsite of Iantaranomby at the edge of a river in which we can refresh ourselves.

  • Day 17

    THE TSARANORO VALLEY

On the fifth day, our walk takes us into the Tsaranoro Valley, where we arrive in the late morning. The Tsara Camp lodge will give us a warm welcome in its well-equipped tented bungalows. Afternoon at leisure.

  • Day 18

    TSARANORO – AMBALAVAO -FIANARANTSOA -SAHAMBAVY

We rejoin the Nationale 7 via a service road some twenty kilometres long and head for Ambalavao. Then a visit to the Antemoro paper factory. We then continue on to Fianarantsoa. Here, we explore the town before heading to Sahambavy, on the shores of the lake of the same name.

Sleeping at the hotel

  • Day 19

    SAHAMBAVY – MANAKARA

Breakfast followed by a walk to the nearby railway station. Board the train for Manakara. The last train still operating in Madagascar, on a 163 km route, a journey that takes between 8 and 10 hours. With obligatory stops at all stations, which makes the journey that much longer. The train is the umbilical cord that opens up this area, which is rich in agricultural produce such as coffee, bananas and lychees. Stops at stations are an opportunity to rub shoulders with the local population. People take advantage of the train's passage to sell local produce to passengers. In other words, the train is a godsend for the local economy. Finally, we arrive in Manakara at the end of the day.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

  • Day 20

    MANAKARA – LE CANAL DES PANGALANES

After breakfast, board our barge for a day on the Canal des Pangalanes. This waterway is 665 km long and safer than the tumultuous Indian Ocean.

According to history, the gigantic works to link a string of lakes were undertaken by Governor General Gallieni at the beginning of the 20th century. When it was built, the canal facilitated trade between the coastal towns, but also provided strategic control over these areas, which were very difficult to access.

Drowned in extraordinary vegetation, the canal also allows us to discover a harmony in the daily life of the population. On this aquatic boulevard, we pass barges and "bateaux-brousse" (river taxi-brousse). These are pirogues and rafts carrying produce from the surrounding areas to the nearest towns. These products include bananas and other seasonal fruits, cassava, fish and dried ravinala leaves for roofing huts.

Your journey will be enhanced by the spontaneous greetings and cries of joy from the children on the banks of the river as we sail along. We are spectators of extraordinary scenes of life, unforgettable and unusual.

Stop off on the way to visit a vanilla plantation. We will then moor on a beach in the Indian Ocean for lunch. Afternoon relaxation on the beach. Return to Manakara by car in the afternoon and check into your hotel. If you wish, you can visit the town by car.

  • Day 21

    MANAKARA – RANOMAFANA

Road to Ranomafana. The road winds along the coast, then becomes a series of steep climbs and narrow valleys between hills covered in ravinala (traveller's trees) and large bamboo groves. Villages dot the route: Irondro, Kianjavato, Ifanadiana... We arrive in Ranomafana at the end of the morning, check into the hotel and then explore the village on foot. In the early evening, we will have our first contact with the national park during a night-time visit to discover the Brookesia (the smallest of the chameleons, just 3 cm!!!) or the Microcèbe (the smallest of the lemurs, barely 50 grams).

  • Day 22

    RANOMAFANA – AMBALADINGANA

Morning visit of Ranomafana National Park. Classified as a Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, it is the conservation site of the lemur Hapalemur doré, the only living being able to survive the cyanide contained in the shoots of a giant bamboo species endemic (Cathariostechys madagascariensis) and which constitutes the main food of the animal. Discovery of the park’s main faunistic and floristic varieties: different species of amphibians and reptiles, orchids, rosewood and Rhipsalis, the only cactus growing in a humid tropical environment… In the early afternoon, we leave Ranomafana and head to the highlands and join the National 7. We head to Ambaladingana, Zafimaniry territory, the people of the woodworkers. Overnight at the lodge.

  • Day 23

    AMBALADINGANA – ANTOETRA

We begin a day's hike in Zafimaniry territory. From here, we take a short walk to visit the village of Antoetra, capital of the Zafimaniry. Here, we will discover the art of the Zafimaniry people, classified as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In particular, sculpture and marquetry are a veritable art of living. At the same time, the houses of the Zafimaniry are made of carved wood. From the doors, porticos and windows. Even the furniture inside is a work of art, carved by hand.

  • Day 24

    AMBOSITRA – ANTANANARIVO

We leave for Ambositra, where we'll visit the art workshops and adjoining shops to buy, or simply admire, the products on display. We then set off for Antananarivo in the early afternoon, arriving at the end of the day.

  • Day 25

    ANTANANARIVO – INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

To round off your arrival on this tour in style, a private transfer will take you to the airport. We'll help you board your international flight.

From one mountain to another

From one Mountain to another… The Great Malagasy Hikes – 25 DAYS This itinerary will immerse you in the extraordinary island of Madagascar, a mysterious land that reveals itself only to those who know how to listen and understand, to those who take the time to discover. Go beyond its beaches and lagoons, get off the beaten track, get to know and love this traditionally welcoming people. Madagascar's breathtaking landscapes, its blend of cultures and traditions make it an exceptional country, a unique land. A land of adventure! A sanctuary of nature! So many words to describe Madagascar. Let us guide you on a simple yet exciting journey of unusual and original discoveries...