MADA À LA CARTE
MADA À LA CARTE
Your tailor-made trip
You want to plan your stay yourself, choose your stages and your activities, have flexibility for improvisation, Mada -Expéditions.com is the right contact to build with you, for you, an exceptional private trip.
From your “starting canvas”, the dialog is engaged to validate and quantify your desires, your choices. We are here to advise you, tell you what is realistic and what is not, bring you our “good addresses” from knowledge of the field.
We then ask you for a “security deposit” of € 100 which will then be deducted from your invoice.
Your tailor-made trip
You want to plan your stay yourself, choose your stages and your activities, have flexibility for improvisation, Mada -Expéditions.com is the right contact to build with you, for you, an exceptional private trip.
From your “starting canvas”, the dialog is engaged to validate and quantify your desires, your choices. We are here to advise you, tell you what is realistic and what is not, bring you our “good addresses” from knowledge of the field.
We then ask you for a “security deposit” of € 100 which will then be deducted from your invoice.
OUR SERVICES
4x4 rental
With driver-guide
Reservations
Air-Mad domestic flights
Baby-sitter
For family travel
À LA CARTE COMFORT
Most of the travelers who come to us for this “à la carte” formula appreciate our “half board” formula (reserved night + dinner + breakfast), leaving plenty of room to improvise the midday meal as you wish.
You choose your hotel and price comfort:
SIMPLE
Simple but clean. From 80,000 to 100,000 MGA per DBL room
CONFORT
from 120,000 to 150,000 MGA per DBL room
LUXURY
from 160,000 to 250,000 MGA per DBL room
À LA CARTE TRAVELS
Some of the à la carte trips already made for our customers:
ROAD TRIP 4X4
Day 1: Night flight
Day 2: International flight and arrival Antananarivo
Arrival in the early afternoon and transfer to our guest room west of the capital.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel on a half-board basis.
Tar transfer: 40 km – duration: +/- 1h30
Day 3: Antananarivo – Antsirabe
You leave Antananarivo for the south on the famous “national road 7” which winds between the rice fields and climbing the hills, which allows you to observe the landscape of the highlands. Free meal in Behenjy to discover “malagasy” foie gras. Visit one of the artisanal foundry workshops (Ambatolampy) which make aluminum pots for all the housewives on the island. Continuation on the RN7 which crosses fertile plains surrounded by mountains, the route is very suitable for photo stops to Antsirabe, the spa town of the volcanic highlands. Gastronomic stop in duck country. “Traveler’s rooms” hotel.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel on a half-board basis.
Tar transfer: 170 km – duration: +/- 4h30
Day 4: Antsirabe – Morondava
We take in magnificent landscapes that take us from the Highlands to the coast. First the asphalt road crosses dry landscapes of thorny forest. Then the track crosses the baobab alley and stretches in the thorny forest until the stage. Arrival at the fishing village of Morondava. Lodge
Dinner and overnight at the hotel on a half-board basis.
Tar transfer: 625 km – duration: +/- 8h00
Day 5: Morondava – Tsingys de Bemaraha National Park
Leaving early, we reach Belo’s first ferry on a fast and rolling track, then the problematic Bekopaka ferry to cross before the queue is too long. Lunch in picnic formula. Passage of a 1st colorful ferry, visit of the Belo market on Tsiribihina and Sakalava tombs.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Track transfer: 180 km – duration: +/- 5h00
Day 6: Tsingys de Bemaraha National Park
Early departure in an all-terrain vehicle for the great Tsingy located about twenty kilometers from the village of Bekopaka. The pedestrian circuit: “Grand Tsingys” presents simple climbing passages secured by the park guides: a kind of “via-ferrata” on the needles! Picnic lunch on the itinerary. Return by 4×4 to Bekopaka.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Track transfer: 40 km – duration: +/- 1h30
Walking: +/- 3h30
Day 7: Bekopaka – Morondava
Track for Belo on Tsiribihina. Lunch at “Mad’zébu”, the local Malagasy gastronomy institution. Passage of 2 bins. We reach Morondava in the middle of the afternoon to do some shopping in the capital of Menabe and enjoy the sunset over the Mozambique Channel.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Transfer to track: 210 km – duration: +/- 6h00
Day 8: Morondava – Belo sur mer
In the morning, transfer by 4×4 to Belo sur mer by a chaotic track which crosses the thorny forest before joining the salt flats (salt marshes) which must be crossed at low tide under penalty of sinking. In the afternoon, visit the village and the Malagasy dhow yards which are inspired by the Breton ones (the Breton ones have left traces and children there).
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Track transfer: 70 km – duration: +/- 3h00
Day 9: Belo sur mer – Morombe
Departure of a large 4×4 stage whose schedule depends on current conditions (heat, tide for crossing the dry salt marshes, level of rivers to cross) in landscapes that lend themselves to photos and stops to meet the villagers and observe nature. This is the most difficult step for the vehicle and for the driver. Arrival in Morombe depends on all these conditions … to sleep facing the sea.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Track transfer: 280 km – duration: +/- 11h00
Day 10 : Morombe – Salary
Do not miss the ballet of the dugout canoes which go offshore at sunrise. In the morning, transfer by 4×4 to Andavadoaka, and on the route, you will discover the variety of “dwarf” baobabs from this arid region which are very different from those encountered before. The route allows us to observe the bush landscape (dry euphorbia forest) and its rubrostipa baobab trees from Mikeas country, the last representatives of the Bantu ancestors. They are hunter-gatherers, they live hidden in the thorny forest and are very fearful. Free afternoon and rest by the paradise bay, the turquoise sea and these colorful coral reefs. Optional activities: canoe vezo, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing…
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Transfer to track: 120 km – duration: +/- 6h00
Day 11 : Salary – Tuléar
Free morning and rest. Track for Tulear.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Track transfer: 120 km – duration: +/- 2 hours
Road transfer: 50 km – duration: +/- 1 hour
Day 12 : Tuléar – Anakao – Ambola
Resumption of the track for the most remote region of Mada: the Great South and its beautiful tracks of red or blond sand. You have the choice between:
do the whole stage by car …
take a 1 hour speedboat crossing to the VEZO fishing village of Anakao and finish the stage by car.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Road transfer: 50 km – duration: +/- 1 hour
Transfer to track: 120 km – duration: +/- 5h00
Day 13 : Ambola – Itampolo
Discovery of the Tsimanapetsotsa natural park. Dry forest, lagoon and observation of flamingos. Blond or red sand track traced by zebu carts to Itampolo. Wild coast, far from everything, of breathtaking beauty. End of the day relaxing and “house” aperitif for the sunset. Very simple bungalows
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Transfer on track: 80 km – duration: +/- 5h00
Day 14 : Itampolo – Lavanono – False cap
Track at the end of the world: Lavanono. Crossing of a dry river, and white dunes, rolling on the beach, feeling of freedom. Authentic encounter. Bivouac.
Dinner and overnight in tent and barbecue on the beach
Transfer to track: 120 km – duration: +/- 7h00
Day 15 : False cap – Berenty
Magic track to reach the famous private reserve of Bérenty which allows to approach the animals. This very protected place is a real sanctuary of wild life, especially for the lemur-catta whose dancing talents are a treat. Relaxation among the lemurs and night walk to discover the small micro-lemurs and chirogalus that hide between the thorns of the didiaeraceae. Very comfortable lodge
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Transfer on track: 80 km – duration: +/- 5h00
Day 16: Berenty – Fort Dauphin
After a last very early walk in the reserve and a breakfast shared with some lemurs not shy, we leave for Fort-Dauphin. The climate and the dry vegetation give way to greenery. We stop off near the city, in a bungalow hotel set up in Lokaro bay for an evening of comfort and charm…
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Transfer on track: 80 km – duration: +/- 5h00
Day 17 : Fort Dauphin – Ste Luce
The ascent of the wild south-eastern coast with a pleasant climate. We approach the wet coast. No less than 10 folk bins await us. Very simple ecolodge, the “pirate camp” is nestled at the tip, facing the sea and allows you to visit the lagoon and the mangrove by kayak.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Track transfer: 30 km – duration: +/- 2 hours
Day 18 : Ste Luce – Vangaindrano
The track crosses large meadows between ocean and mountains. Then the landscape changes again. We are in another country. Plantations of cloves, coffee and niaouli follow one another. Bivouac
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Track transfer: 180 km – duration: +/- 9h00
Day 19: Vangaindrano – Manakara
After finding the tar, we go to Manakara and the Pangalanes canal. Hotel
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Transfer to track and tar: 180 km – duration: +/- 9h00
Day 20 : Manakara – Ranomafana
You embark in dugout canoes for an excursion which takes you by the Pangalanes canal to the fishing village Antemora (“those who live near the shores”) to attend the ballet of dugouts which come and go in the waves of the Indian Ocean. Here we find prawns, sea bream, lobsters, tuna, saber fish and bonito. Continue sailing on fresh water, crossing the eel traps and the mangrove crab fishermen. Visit of a spice plantation: cloves, pepper, vanilla, pink berries, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon … Then you discover the work of distillation of essential oils for cosmetics and medicine: Niaouly, Ravinstara, vetiver, cloves … Lunch by the sea. You can enjoy the only place on this coast where swimming in the sea is not dangerous (sharks), because it is protected by a tabular coral barrier. Then, we must take the road to the highlands, at altitude by crossing the tropical rainforest to join the national park of Ranomafana, crossing the primitive forest.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Tar transfer: 170 km – duration: +/- 3h30
Day 21 : Ranomafana – Antsirabe
Hiking tour in Ranomafana Park. It is one of the most beautiful places that the rainforest can offer. Magnificent scenery of primitive forest, with its endemic fauna and vegetation. The bamboo lemur, the fulvus rufus (red lemur) and the rubriventer lemur (red-bellied) populate the places. Ranomafana National Park is home to 12 species of lemurs, 96 species of birds and the must-have chameleons, geckos and fluorescent frogs. The walking tour in the park also allows you to discover medicinal plants, trees and various flowers that your local guide will identify. Road to Ambositra and Antsirabe.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel with half board.
Tar transfer: 270 km – duration: +/- 5h30
Day 22 : Antsirabe – Antananarivo
In the morning, visit Antsirabe. We will visit local craft workshops (artisanal confectionery, embroidery, sculpture of zebu horn and manufacture of miniature cars in “salvage” of aluminum boxes). Road to Tana. Help with ET flight registration.
Tar transfer: 170 km – duration: +/- 4h00
Jour 23 : Return to France
MADA IN SOLIDARITY
Day 1 : Tana
In the morning, mass in Akamasoa that the famous father PEDRO created to get out of the street thousands of “homeless” … At 69 years old, this Lazarist priest, born in Argentina to Slovenian parents, who has lived in Madagascar for 43 years is at the head of a real city of 20,000 underprivileged people who find a dignified life thanks to its association Akamasoa. This Lazarist religious calls, between hope and anger, to reject the “globalization of indifference”. Whether you believe in heaven or not, Sunday Mass is a religious celebration full of fervor for some, a show event for others which brings together more than 10,000 people who share prayers, songs, dances; a real Malagasy gospel atmosphere not to be missed at any price.
You will then have lunch in a restaurant in the historic city center which offers quality musical entertainment before joining the Rova hill (palace of Queen Ranavalona) whose visit is essential.
Night in rooms (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meal: dinner
Transfer distance by road: 70 km – duration: +/- 3h30
Day 2 : Tana
Visit the Lemurspark. It is a private zoo located 25 km from Antananarivo in Madagascar. Created in 2001 with the aim of popularizing the discovery of the different species of lemurs that exist in Madagascar, the long-term objective is to reintroduce them into their natural environment. Visit of Domaine St François by the NGO “A.S.A” which works for the reintegration of landless peasants. Transfer to Antananarivo to visit an ironwork workshop that serves as a place of integration for the homeless and downgraded in the capital. The Violette et Dieudonné ironwork workshop is a true model of solidarity entrepreneurship, managing a self-sufficient village of artisans. The husband is the artist and craftsman, while the wife is the owner, the manager of the shop, even participating in international fairs in Europe. What this couple has managed to build is a model to follow in terms of sustainable development in Madagascar.
Night in rooms (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meal: dinner
Transfer distance by road: 70 km – duration: +/- 3h30
Day 3 : Tana – Antsirabe :
You leave Antananarivo for the south on the famous “national road 7” which winds between the rice fields and climbing the hills, which allows you to observe the landscape of the highlands. Free meal in Behenjy to discover “malagasy” foie gras. Visit one of the artisanal foundry workshops (Ambatolampy) which make aluminum pots for all the housewives on the island. Continuation on the RN7 which crosses fertile plains surrounded by mountains, the route is very suitable for photo stops to Antsirabe, the spa town of the volcanic highlands. In the evening, a presentation of the amazing Z.O.B association: the “Zébu Overseas Board”, before our visit to their premises the next day.
Night in rooms (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meal: dinner
Transfer distance by road: 170 km – duration: +/- 3h30
Day 4 : Antsirabe – Ihasy- Ambositra :
In the morning, visit a tourmaline quarry then hike between the rice fields to the village of Ihasy. You will discover the agricultural activity and the “green bean” sector set up to open up this isolated valley. Visit of the public primary school and the health center which are helped by the local bed and breakfast and audio-visual presentation of the local eco-tourist activity and impacts. For the health center, possible, appreciated and useful donations, then lunch at the Ihasy lodge. We then join Ambositra by the RN7 to sleep there with the locals in a homestay.
Night in rooms (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / dinner
Transfer distance by road and track: 130 km – duration: +/- 4h30
Walking: +/- 2h30
Day 5 : Ambositra – Fianarantsoa :
In the morning, visit artisan workshops in Ambositra (marquetry) then drive to lunch stop at the Ambohimasoa belvedere. Lunch-show (Malagasy songs and dances) in front of the panorama, continuation of the road in the afternoon to join Fianarantsoa to stop there. Visit the sorting workshop for second-hand clothes from Europe for the local market and visit the workshop of the NGO “le relais” for the manufacture of Malagasy cars (Karenjy) before joining your gîte managed by the NGO Vozama who works in education and support for agriculture, but has been interested for some time in tourism as a factor of development.
Night in rooms (“single” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / dinner
Transfer distance by road: 160 km – duration: +/- 4h00
Walk: +/- 1 hour
Day 6 : Fianarantsoa – Ranomafana :
Oxygenation day to soak up the Betsiléo landscape by participating in the local ecotourism project: descent of the river in a dugout canoe, picnic on the bank and hike to cross the hamlets and meet the locals at work in the rice fields. We arrive at the Sahambavy tea plantation (visit possible during the week), then return to Fianar and transfer to Ranomafana.
Night in rooms (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / dinner
Transfer distance by road: 170 km – duration: +/- 4h00
canoe descent +/- 3h00
Walking: +/- 3h00
Day 7 : Ranomafana – Fianarantsoa – Ambalavao – Tsaranoro :
The park is one of the most beautiful places that the rainforest can offer (rain = it is raining). The bamboo lemur, the fulvus rufus (red lemur) and the rubriventer lemur (red bellied) populate the places. Ranomafana National Park is home to 12 species of lemurs, 96 species of birds and the must-have chameleons, geckos and fluorescent frogs. The walking tour in the park also allows you to discover medicinal plants, trees and various flowers that your local guide will identify. Road to Fianarantsoa then Ambalavao. Visit the Ambalavao “antaimoro” tissue paper factory and a wild silk weaving workshop. You will discover there all the stages of the production of this paper, from a bark originating from the South East coast of the island. It still takes a bit of road and track to reach the Tsaranoro nature reserve, the valley protected by the local enthusiast who plants, plants and replants to save this magnificent site. Inspired by Jean Giono’s book, The Man Who Planted Trees, Gilles Gauthier created an association (woodenstock) to restore biodiversity in the Tsaranoro Valley. His nursery is open to everyone. Neighboring schools even come here to provide environmental awareness days. We will sleep at his house in the atypical ecologde “Tsarasoa” which he built on the spot …
Night in rooms (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / dinner
Transfer distance by road and track: 210 km – duration: +/- 6h00
Day 8 : Ambalavao – Ranohira :
Early in the morning you go on a guided hike to climb the Chameleon, a belvedere summit of the Tsaranoro massif. We then return to the RN7 to resume the direction of the south with a hook visit to Anja.
Visiting the Anja village reserve allows you to get to know different species of lemurs. A gallery forest of ficus, lianas and orchids has developed between spectacular rock chaos, sometimes forming caves adopted as shelters by certain animals. On the slopes of these reliefs, the plant relay was taken up by succulents, such as the kalankoes and the pachypodiums. In this green paradise, live colonies of ring-tailed lemurs, which are almost the emblem of the Big Island, the maki. They spend a lot of time on the ground, are not too fierce and are therefore easily observable.
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / dinner
Transfer distance by road and track: 260 km – duration: +/- 7h00
Walking: +/- 3h30
Day 9 : Ranohira – Ilakaka – Antsokay
From Ranohira (“the water of the lemurs”), the view embraces the chaotic and ruiniform landscapes that are of interest to Isalo National Park. This rocky massif seems to come from science fiction whose hallucinating forms it borrows: high rocks, caves, peaks of sandstone and granite enliven this area which has the appearance of a ghost town.
Hiking to reach the canyon of “Namaza”. The excursion which allows you to discover birds, butterflies, lizards and a panoramic view of the forest, the waterfall, the blue pool and the black pool.
Departure for Ilakaka on the “RN7”. Ilakaka: the “far-west” in Madagascar! A mushroom town following the discovery of sapphires. Discovery of surface sapphire mines and the hard and dangerous work of miners. Visit an exhibition of precious and semi-precious stones.
Along the way view of the Mahafaly tombs. Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / dinner
Transfer distance per track: 20 km – duration: +/- 1h0
Transfer distance by road: 200 km – duration: +/- 4h00
Walking: +/- 3h30
Day 10 : De Antsokay à Tuléar-Mangily :
Visit the botanical garden of Antsokay where we find all the endemic plants of the Madagascan south. A thousand species are represented there. We then drive to Tulear to meet the NGO “bel futur” which works in multiple directions and represents. 22 km north of Tulear, the Ifaty – Mangily site appeals to all travelers who come to wash the dust accumulated on the tracks and roads in the clarity of the lagoon. Installation at the solidarity hotel in Mangily, a great initiative to discover from the inside.
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast
Transfer distance by road: 250 km – duration: +/- 4h30
Walk: +/- 0:30
Day 11 : Mangily :
Day of rest and beach in Mangily. We recommend the “pirogue and snorkelling” excursion offered by the hotel (equipment provided) to discover the aquarium of the protected marine reserve and the afternoon visit to the “Reniala” baobab forest. school and projects related to environmental protection.
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast
Day 12 : Airport transfer. End of our services
Meals: Continental breakfast
DISCOVERING THE ORCHIDS
Day 1 Antananarivo – Angavokely
On the way to the Angavokely forest. which is located about 50 km east of the capital. It is the highest peak in the Antananarivo region with its 1,787m. There is the dense rain forest closest to Tana. Altitude orchid stations (Polystachya rosea, Oberonia disticha, Habenaria alta, Liparis danguyana and many Cynorkis, C. fastigiata, C. lilacina, C. angustipetala, C. lowiana …) and arboretum (orchids, lichens ). The site also has great historical interest with the raised stone of the former lord “Andrianja” Return in the late afternoon to the capital.
Overnight: Sakamanga hotel (“comfort” category in DBL or TWN rooms with bathroom and wc)
Meals: picnic / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 100 km – duration: +/- 3h30
Walking: +/- 3h30
Day 2 Antananarivo – Anjozorobe
Buffet breakfast at the hotel and drive to Anjozorobe. The site is located approximately 100km north of the capital. It is reached by national road 3 and by a 10km track which leaves from the town of Anjozorobe. The vegetation of Anjozorobe is of the dense humid mountain type. The site is a private park of a few thousand hectares with a good network of tracks. The “Saha-forest-camp” (http://www.sahaforestcamp.mg/a-propos/) is a recent ecolodge which offers real hotel quality and participates in local community life (social impact). We are in the countryside in a calm and green environment. A first outing will allow you to discover some orchid stations near the lodge.
Night: “Saha-forest-camp” (“comfort” category in DBL or TWN rooms with bathroom and wc)
Meals: lunch / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 110 km – duration: +/- 3h00
Walking: +/- 2h00
Day 3 The Anjozorobe “forest corridor”
Breakfast on site. The forest corridor of Anjozorobe is one of the last vestiges of dense natural rainforest of the Highlands, it shelters a rare biodiversity: 82 bird species of which 43 are endemic, 423 plants of which 65% are endemic, 11 species of lemurs including the famous “babakoto” (Indris). Walk in the forest to observe the flora and fauna. Possibility of visiting around the Lodge: production of essential oils, honey, visits to surrounding villages … In addition to cultural exchange, the aim is to promote trade in regional products and create commercial activity for the villagers.
Night: “Saha-forest-camp” (“comfort” category in DBL or TWN rooms with bathroom and wc)
Meals: picnic / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 40 km – duration: +/- 1 hour
Walking: +/- 5h00
Day 4 Anjozorobe – Andasibe (Analamazaotra-Mantadia national park)
Breakfast on site. Last morning to visit the Anjozorobe site, then drive to Moramanga and Andasibe in the afternoon. We cross the landscapes of the Hauts Plateaux with its brick-colored houses and thatched roofs. The RN2 is one of the main roads of the country which connects the big port, Toamasina and the capital. The traffic is intense. We leave the Highlands by the Mandraka escarpment. Here begins the forest. Installation in the bungalows “Feon’ny ala” on the edge of the forest, then nocturnal circuit before dinner to observe the lemurs (microcèbes, chirogales), the frogs (mantella) and chameleons.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc)
Meals: lunch / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 150 km – duration: +/- 3h30
Walking: +/- 2h00
Day 5 Analamazaotra-Mantadia – Vohimana experimental reserve
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the private park “Vakona” to observe the different species of diurnal lemurs: Sifaka, ring-tailed lemur, Indri-Indri, sifaka, gray bamboo lemur (Hapalémur griseus), avahi (Avahi Laniger) etc … orchids of the hotel to admire its beauties. Small forest of about 80ha, rich in orchids including Eulophiella rumpleriana, Aerangis spp, Angraecum spp, Aeranthes spp, Bulbophyllum spp, … The flora of this park is quite interesting. There are several varieties of medicinal plants. We take the RN2 road for a few tens of kilometers and enter the Vohimana sector. Visit the village community workshop and the “essential oils” (alembic) sector before joining the eco-village in the heart of the forest.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc)
Meals: lunch / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 50 km – duration: +/- 1 hour
Walk: +/- 1 hour
Day 6 Vohimana – Manambato experimental reserve (Pangalanes canal)
Breakfast on site. Last morning to visit the Vohimana site for a large 3 hour circuit which allows you to observe many orchid stations, and to approach lemurs (Indri-Indri). We then walk for an hour to join the RN2. Road to Brickaville and access to the village of Manambato by the track. Installation in the bungalows of the hotel “Acacias” on the edge of the beach, in a collection of orchid gardens.
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc)
Meals: picnic / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 150 km – duration: +/- 3h00
Walking: +/- 4h00
Day 7 Vohibola experimental reserve (Pangalanes canal)
Breakfast on site. Transfer by motor boat on the Pangalanes canal to reach the Vohibola site, the last remnant of coastal forest in this sector. The Malagasy NGO manages 2,200 ha by preserving biodiversity and developing the natural resource with the people. The village of Andranokiditra is particularly interesting to visit (distillery, nurseries, ecomuseum). There are also specimens of Nephentes (carnivores). Installation in the bungalows of the hotel “Orchids” by the beach. Evening songs and traditional dances.
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc)
Meals: lunch / dinner
Boat transfer distance: 20 km – duration: +/- 1 hour
Walk: +/- 1 hour
Day 8 Vohibola experimental reserve (Pangalanes canal)
Breakfast on site. Transfer by motor boat to the Pangalanes canal to reach the nurseries, the reforestation sectors and make a large forest circuit in the morning to visit different orchid stations. Free afternoon.
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc)
Meals: lunch / dinner
Boat transfer distance: 5 km – duration: +/- 0:30
Walking: +/- 3h00
Day 9 Pangalanes Canal – Antananarivo
Breakfast on site. Return transfer by motorboat on the Pangalanes Canal to reach Manambato by crossing Lake Rasoabe. On the way, a stop-visit to discover the reserve of the hotel “Palmarium” which shelters various stations of orchids. Lunch at the hotel “Acacias” then drive back to the capital.
Overnight: Sakamanga hotel (“comfort” category in DBL or TWN rooms with bathroom and wc)
Meals: lunch / dinner
Boat transfer distance: 20 km – duration: +/- 1 hour
4×4 transfer distance: 220 km – duration: +/- 4h30
Walk: +/- 1 hour
Day 10 Antananarivo – Ambatolampy – Antsirabe – Ambositra – Antoetra
Breakfast in town and departure to the south. As soon as you leave Tana, the rice fields and characteristic villages of the Highlands outline the landscape. At Ambatolampy we take a break and discover the rather astonishing work of manufacturers of aluminum casseroles, those found throughout Madagascar. Continue in the afternoon to Ambositra, where you leave the tar of the RN7. A section of track gives access to the ecolodge “under the mada sun” to spend the night.
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc)
Meals: lunch / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 220 km – duration: +/- 4h30
Walk: +/- 0h00
Day 11 Antoetra – Ambositra
Breakfast on site, short 4×4 transfer to Antoetra and hike departure. This sector studied by Perrier de la Bathie (1920) for its rock vegetation composed of orchids (Angraecum longicalcar, Angraecum magdalenae, Jumellea spp,…), Kalanchoes (Kalanchoe gastonis bonieri, K. syncepala, K. orgialis, K laxiflora, K. tubiflora,…). The landscapes are magnificent in this region little visited but where more than 100 species of plants are endemic! Two examples: Aloe capitata var cipollinicola, A. compressa var. schistophila. Return to Ambositra, to spend the night at the “Artisan” hotel. We hunt in search of the carved piece of wood or the square of marquetry if finely crafted.
Night in bungalows (“comfort” category DBL or TWN with bathroom and wc)
Meals: picnic / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 50 km – duration: +/- 1h30
Walking: +/- 4h00
Day 12 Ambositra – Ibity – Ihasy
Breakfast on site. In Zafimaniry country, Ambositra is the village of wood carvers. In the morning, visit the stalls of Zafimaniry artisans. We hunt in search of the carved piece of wood or the square of marquetry if finely crafted. We take the RN7 to go north and join the mountainous sector of Mont Ibity (2,248 m). Transfer by a good track to Ibity, and easy access walk to the hikers’ gîte located in the village of Ihasy, at the foot of the mountain. We will stay there in dormitory rooms (4 rooms with 4 beds). “Bucket” shower with hot water. Hike to observe very special altitude orchid stations. The flora is partially inventoried (Missouri botanical garden), but already seriously threatened because people uproot and sell in town certain species appreciated by collectors, such as orchids or Pachypodium brevicaule (Apocynaceae), which is endemic to Ibity and the massif of the Itremo only. In orchids, Angraecum spp, Jumellea spp, Aerangis spp and Cynorkis spp, are well represented. On the flanks of the massif, we find the pyrophilic species Uapaca bojeri (Uapacaceae) and some representatives of the endemic family Sarcolenaceae.
Night in a shelter-refuge (“simple” category in 4-bed dormitory rooms with external bathroom and wc)
Meals: picnic / dinner
4×4 transfer distance: 100 km – duration: +/- 2h30
Walking: +/- 3h00
Day 13 Ihasy – Ibity – Antsirabe – Antananarivo
Breakfast on site. Transfer by vehicle on a good road very suitable for photo stops to Antsirabe, spa town in the highlands that we take the time to visit before having lunch in the center (“Tsenakely market”). Walk, meeting with artisans and artists (artisanal confectionery, embroidery, cutting of precious and semi-precious stones, zebu horn sculptors or manufacturers of miniatures in recuperation of aluminum boxes). We take the RN7 road to reach the capital. End of our services
Meal: lunch
4×4 transfer distance: 200 km – duration: +/- 4h30
Walk: +/- 1 hour
BIKE ON THE EAST COAST
Stage 1 : From Toamasina to Foulpointe
The first stage is not very long but runs on a very damaged tarmac road. It’s a good “getting started” before getting down to business. No elevation change since you drive by the sea to reach the pretty Foulpointe beach, a stage that allows swimming.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / picnic / dinner
Distance: 50 km – 4h00
Stage 2 : From Foulpointe to Soanirano-Ivongo
A second stage, longer but without difficulty, because entirely on tarmac road which runs along the seaside. The crossing of Fénérive is folk, before reaching the apocalyptic ferry which marks the end of the tar.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / picnic / dinner
Distance: 80 km – 6h00
Stage 3 : From Soanirano-Ivongo to Manompana
The serious things begin! It is necessary to pass the ferry of Soanirano-Ivongo early to engage in the best conditions on the sandy track which sinks into the coconut groves by the sea. Three ferries to pass in the most perfect disorganization which allow to observe the daily life of local residents. Arrival in Manompana, feet in the water in front of the pretty bay of Tintingue.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / picnic / dinner
Distance: 45 km – 8:30 am
Stage 4 : From Manompana to Antanambe
Early in the morning, you must take the RN 5 track back with two ferries to pass. The track is less sandy than the day before because some passages are in hard laterite. Stage arrival in Antanambe, in front of a magnificent bay which invites you to swim.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / picnic / dinner
Distance: 36 km – 7:00 am
Stage 5 : From Manompana to Mananara
It is the most chaotic stage of the course because although the sand disappears, the track becomes very difficult at times with bath-holes, passages of slides in the very frequent mud and real rocky stairs to cross! The crossing of the rare bush taxi vehicles is the occasion for discussions and exchanges of jokes, to laugh with travelers who face the famous “national 5”.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / picnic / dinner
Distance: 45 km – 8:30 am
Stage 6 : From Mananara to Rantabe
The track becomes rolling at times and it circulates more easily. Passage of two bushes and an alternation of hard track and sandy passages in which you have to dismount … Some bridges are reduced to the status of walkways and look like scaffolding.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / picnic / dinner
Distance: 60 km – 8:00 am
Stage 7 : From Rantabe to Maroantsetra
To reach the bottom of Antongil Bay, where the small port town of Maroantsetra lies dormant, you have to pedal on a track that seems to have been bombed, as there are holes filled with water and red mud that look like craters. We then zigzag while looking for the best trajectory. Last bridges and walkways before arriving at the river port.
Night in bungalows (“simple” DBL or TWN category with bathroom and wc).
Meals: Continental breakfast / picnic / dinner
Distance: 42 km – 4:30
ROAD TRIP 4X4
Tana – Morondava – Tsingy Bemaraha – – Morombe – Tulear – Itampolo – fort Dauphin – Farafangana – Manakara – Tana
MADA IN SOLIDARITY
A trip around the “solidarity” theme visiting dynamic and meaningful NGOs: health, education, environment.
DISCOVERING THE ORCHIDS
To visit some of the most beautiful spots: Andasibe, Vohimana, Antoetra, Ibity…
BIKE ON THE EAST COAST
With transfer vehicle and assistance for 4 cyclists. From Toamasina to Maroantsetra, the terrible RN5.
Entrust us with your requirements, your timing, the pace you give to your stay, your desire for adventure or relaxation, we will organize for you a tailor-made, unique, unique stay.
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