ANDRINGITRA & BOBY PEAK – 9 DAYS

From 4 to 12 persons.

The heart of this trip is an itinerant hike in the granite massif of Andringitra. It is a world apart, a world unknown and little traveled, which in no way corresponds to what we can imagine. Here, the foothills of the mountain are flooded with terraces, cultures combining the green intensity of primary forest and the gray austerity of granite peaks. Aesthetically, the mountains are very close to alpine landforms, only the vegetation differs. The large cliffs of Tsaranoro and Anja dominate the green valleys where small villages hide themselves away from everything. From the summits, the view is panoramic and embraces a vast territory. This land of trekking will delight all the unconditional of beautiful mountain roaming, spotted with magical encounters.

Highlights

Day 1: Antananarivo > Antsirabe

Meeting with your guide.

We have breakfast in the hotel and start heading south passing through Antananarivo.

Rice fields and typical villages of the Highlands represent the landscape right after Antananarivo.

We stop in Ambatolampy to discover the rather amazing work of aluminum to make cooking pot for the whole country.

We take lunch in town. Continuation towards Antsirabe in the afternoon.

We take our time for a city tour and experience “pousse-pousse” (rick shaw) riding for those who want, it is the main transport for locals.

• Duration: +/- 3 h
• Distance: 170 km

Day 2: Antsirabe > Anja Reserve

We stay on road N7 and progress towards the south. We shop around and visit Zafimaniry artisans workshop, trying to find carved wood or a piece of marquetery box finely done. We stroll around in town and head to Fianarantsoa where we get lunch with Malagasy specialities and then go on till Ambalavao.

The landscape changes as we leave gradually the highland. We set up our camp in a spectacular granite mass foothill. Anja reserve is situated between two domes in a specific setting of forest and big rocks where different groups of Lemur catta live and are there protected.

• Duration: +/- 7 h
• Distance: 325 km
• We organise your meals 

Days 3 to 6:  Andringitra and Peak Boby

Anja Reserve is located at twenty kilometers south of Ambalavao. Groups of lemurs live in a nice forest at the bottom of a huge granite rock blocks. We learn about local customs of Betsileo and also Bara tribes. The latter bury the deceaseds inside natural caves in the rock cliff after fairly complex rituals. The local guide will give us more details.

We climb rocks without difficulty until the pass. Many interesting hikes are possible around.

This Reserve is run directly by villagers. All profit goes to improve the local people’s life conditions in the surrounding. We follow to Tsaranoro valley in the afternoon.

• Duration: from 7 to 8h of daily walking
• We organise your meals 

Day 7: Andringitra – Tsaranoro Valley

We leave the massif behind us and join the valley of Tsaranoro. Six plant formations are represented in this area of great richness.  Researchers listed 20 species of mammals, of which 4 of them are endemic to the massif, and also 62 species of birds. The most strange plants of the area are Kalanchoe, aloes and pachypodium. The plain is full of terrestrial orchids. The huge granite domes make of these mountains with narrow valleys, an amazing sight, especially at sunrise and sunset.

• Duration: from 5 to 6h of walking
• We organise your picnic lunch 

Day 8: Tsaranoro > Ambositra

We get back to the main road. At Ambalavao, we visit the craft factory of the paper Antemoro. This secular process to make this paper with bark of the mulberry tree Avoha (Bosqueia danguyana) was introduced in Madagascar in the XVth century by the first Arabic migrants to retranscribe the Koran. He(it) is always made to Ambalavao according to the same processes.

We take back the road in the direction of Fianarantsoa. We lunch on the way and continue until Ambositra. Walk in the village and an evening in the hotel.

• Duration: +/- 5h
• Distance: 240 km including 4km of track

Day 9: Ambositra > Antananarivo

Ambositra is the town of the woodcarvers. Visit the workshops of craftsmen Zafimaniry. We hunt around in search of the sculptured piece of wood or of the finely decorated square of marquetry. Arrival at the end of morning at Antsirabe for the lunch.

Continuation in the afternoon to Antananarivo.

• Duration: +/- 5h
• Distance: 250 km