MAKAY, TSINGY and BAOBABS – 14 DAYS

From 4 to 12 persons.

From Tana, we go towards Antsirabe to meet the population during a nice hike in the villages. Then we headed to the Massif du Makay that we explore for 5 days in the company of our friends, guides and local porters. From plateaus to canyons, from long faults to rivers of sand, an exciting discovery of this exceptional site. The nights are camping. 

On leaving Makay, we reach the town of Morondava and further north the Kirindy reserve for a discovery of the dry forest and its amazing fauna. We continue our journey towards the Tsingy de Bemaraha to discover one of the most curious sites there is.

The Alley of Baobabs will end this beautiful journey by revealing itself at sunset.

Highlights

Day 1: Antananarivo > Antsirabe

Meeting with your guide.

We are heading south. As soon as you leave Antananarivo, the rice fields and villages characteristic of the Highlands shape the landscape. At Ambatolampy we take a break and discover the work, rather surprising, of the manufacturers of aluminum casserole dishes, those found throughout Madagascar.

Arrival in the afternoon in Antsirabe. We take the time for a little visit of the city and if you feel like it, a ride in a rickshaw, The mode of transport of the Antsirabeans.

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

Day 2: Hikes in the Highlands

The Highlands! These are the emblematic landscapes of Madagascar. A unique mountain and agricultural environment unlike any other. Here, a succession of tall red brick houses surrounded by verandas and balconies surmounted by thatched roofs, bronze rice fields running through the valleys causing an outpouring of varied colors in red, ocher, beige tones… These magnificent hikes transport us into the world. rural where the landscapes are colorful, authentic, under the benevolent eye of the inhabitants who like to communicate with the passing traveler. We meet women carrying their buckets of water on their heads like African women, peasants working their fields or their rice paddies, sometimes blacksmiths whose techniques have not changed for centuries.

• Duration: 3 to 5 hours of walking
• We organize your picnic lunch

Day 3: Betafo > Malaimbandy > Massif du Makay

Road to Miandrivazo then Malaimbandy. There, we take the track for 2 or 3 hours to find ourselves at the northern base of the Makay massif. This is the starting point of our expedition. Here we find our guides and porters with whom we will share this beautiful hike. These many days and evenings to spend together will allow us to get to know each other and share moments that will be an important part of the memories that will remain of this trip to Madagascar.

We reach our camp after a short walk.

First night in a tent.

• Duration: +/- 7h
• Distance: 300km including 80 km of track
• We organize your meals 

Day 4 to 8: Trekking in the north Makay

This part of the massif was prospected in 2013. We “hung out” there for a fortnight at the search for the best spots, bivouacs, and panoramas. We knew the south and the center well, and were particularly impressed by the potential of this area. We will guide you today inside these immense rectilinear faults, where the sun barely penetrates and where the vegetation along the walls is most astonishing. We saw many traces of good-sized crocodiles there! The Sakapaly River crosses these mountains from side to side, we “navigate” in the canyons and set up our camps on the white sandbanks. Our steps inevitably lead us to cross pockets of forest where lemurs can be seen, but hardly approached. This trek is quite sustained. No particular difficulties except the heat of course, but also walking in the often soft sand or in water up to the knees, the short but steep climbs, the descents in the canyons which it will sometimes be necessary to ensure with ropes, the always sneaky scratching hairs, the rolling pebbles under the shoe, the innumerable saka-saka, the cliffs where it is better not to be dizzy, the piles of rocks at the entrance to the canyons cross with balance and agility. No difficulty then … apart from this isolation, because here, we are far from everything, and these 5 days of walking which follow one another for an unparalleled discovery of Makay! All this, plus these many evenings around the campfire, in the company of our guides and porters who we can count on to make these evenings unforgettable. The nights are in tents or under the stars of the southern sky.

• Duration: 6 to 7 hours of walking per day
• We organize your meals 

Day 9: Makay > Morondava > Kirindy

All good things coming to an end, we regretfully leave our local team and the superb Makay massif. By the track we return to Malaimbandy then the road which leads us to Morondava. Continuation to the Kirindy reserve. We pass here by the famous Avenue des Baobabs. 

Arrival in Kirindy, installation and night visit in the forest.

• Duration: 6 to 7 hours
• Distance: 80 km of track and 200 km of road

Day 10: Kirindy Reserve > Bekopaka

With a guide of the reserve, we leave to discover Kirindy. It is a private reserve in one of the most threatened dry forest ecosystems. The reserve is famous because it is here that we can observe quite easily the biggest predator of Madagascar: the Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), an amazing animal, often compared to a puma.

The track that leads to the Tsingy of Bemaraha is not the most comfortable. We first reach the village of Tsimafana to cross the Tsiribihina.

A hundred kilometers which will take us a good part of the afternoon. Crossing the Manambolo River and arriving in Bekopaka.

• Duration: +/- 5h
• Distance: 140 km of track
• We organize your picnic lunch

Day 11 & 12: Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park

This site is one of the most extraordinary! The Tsingy are real cathedrals of limestone, this dense network of faults, crevices and blocks of limestone carved into blades is one of the most spectacular landscapes of Madagascar.

The formation of this Middle Jurassic massif began 200 million years ago, when the sea still covered this region of Bemaraha. Then this huge slab of corals and shells rose up. Exposed to the open air for 5 million years, the rain, with its work of erosion, sculpted the rest.

Among these wonders there are 6 species of lemurs, reptiles and 53 varieties of birds. It is also the habitat of one of the smallest species of chameleons, the Brookesia perarmata.

Accompanied by a park guide, these 2 days are devoted to the discovery of these wonders of nature.

• Duration: 4 to 5 hours of walking
• We organize your picnic lunches

Day 13: Bekopaka > Morondava

We take the track towards Morondava and cross the Manambolo and Tsiribihina rivers by ferry.

These “actions” can sometimes take a little time …

It is before arriving at our destination that we cross the famous Alley of Baobabs. We are there at the right time, the sun is low, the raking light, the smooth trunks reflect the orange rays of the sun. Great perspective photos.

• Duration: +/- 7h
• Distance: 200 km of track

Day 14: Morondava > Antananarivo

Free morning and transfer to the airport organized by the hotelier.

Flight towards the Malagasy capital.

• Duration: 1 hour flight