Starting at 1450 € / Person
An expedition made for the greatest explorers. Discover the little-known Makay massif and Madagascar's 2nd highest peak. It may be challenging, but it's not technical. Fairly difficult level, excellent physical fitness required.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Antananarivo :
Antananarivo is the busy capital city of Madagascar and the start of most Madagascar safaris. This city deserves it’s place on your Madagascar itinerary. It’s a vibey, colourful city that offers visitors a glimpse of Malagasy society. The architecture tells the story of the city’s history, with the Rova of Antananarivo palace complex the undeniable jewel in it’s crown. Visit the pink baroque Andafiavaratra Palace and enjoy the pretty Jacaranda trees surrounding lake Anosy.
Andringitra National Park: A spectacular and biodiverse reserve with an altitude range of 500 to 2,658 metres and mountainous outcrops of ancient Precambrian granite, waterfalls, lakes and unusual vegetation. Pic Boby, Madagascar’s second highest mountain, is a tough climb but there are other less challenging trails through some magnificent scenery and habitats, including lowland forest, high humid tropical forest, sclerophyll and bamboo forest, bush and heathland.
Massif du Makay
The Makay range covers 15050 km. The Makay is one of the most impressive works of nature. It is made from the remains of large massifs of crystalline rocks that disappeared hundreds of millions of years ago. There are a few areas in Madagascar that are little-known, unexplored, and sparsely populated. These areas offer high chances for new discoveries. The Makay is a Terra Incognitae that few people know about.
ITINERARY DAILY
DAY 1: ANTANANARIVO - ANTSIRABE 170km or 3h30 drive
Drive to the south of Madagascar, a landscape of highlands and villages surrounded by rice fields. Discover the rural world of the highlands (architecture, way of life). Antsirabe, a health resort developed by Norwegian missionaries, is the leading agricultural town and also the second-largest industrial town in Madagascar with its magnificent surrounding bourgeois houses. Lunch at leisure.
Night at the hotel.
DAY 2: ANTSIRABE - FIANARANTSOA 240 km or 5 hours 30 minutes drive
Visit to the city of water in Pousse Pousse: gem cutting, zebu horn, and embroidery workshops.
Then departure for Fianarantsoa. Passing through the town of Ambositra, visit wood carving and inlaid workshops. Lunch at leisure.
Arrival in Fianarantsoa in the late afternoon.
Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 3: FIANARANTSOA - AMBALAVAO - ANDRINGITRA 4 hours by road and 3 hours on foot with a gentle climb
Before setting off towards the Andringitra Massif, you can visit the Soavita vineyard and taste its wines, as well as a workshop making wild silk and Antemoro paper. Afterwards, you'll take the road that leads to the entrance of the National Park, about 45 km away. Given the road conditions, you'll have plenty of time to take in the stunning scenery. Arrive at Namoly and start your first 3-hour walk through the Betsileo villages and the Imaitso forest. This forest is home to a wide variety of plants, most of which have medicinal properties. Your guide will be happy to reveal the secrets of some of them. Your first bivouac will be at the Imaitso campsite, at the entrance to the forest.
DAY 4: IMAITSO - AMPASIMPOTSY - ANDRIAMPOTSY 7 hours walk, over 700m of ascent
The trail starts easily through the eastern forest: the beginning of the forest corridor connecting Andringitra National Park and Ranomafana National Park. On the way, you'll have time to admire the rich vegetation of this forest, and if you're lucky, you might even see some of the lemurs that live here, such as the fulvus or rubriventer. After an hour's walk, a beautiful climb begins, with a fine panoramic view of the Tanala landscape and the Namoly valley towards the end. The path then crosses the Ampasipotsy plateau with its high mountain vegetation adapted to the local microclimate. Picnic lunch in the middle of this plateau. A few minutes' walk from the bivouac, a well-deserved swim in the Andreatelo natural pool will reward you for the day. The water is very clear, but beware, it's very cold. Continue to the Andriampotsy bivouac at 2050m for a good night's sleep.
DAY 5: ANDRIAMPOTSY - PIC BOBY - DIAVOLANA - IATARANOMBY 9 hours walk and 600m + 900m climb
An early start for the ascent of Pic Boby. The ridge on which the summit is located is very exposed to the climatic influences of the East, with high humidity that can quickly cover the summits and spoil your beautiful ascent to this prestigious peak of Madagascar. After only 2 hours and 30 minutes of walking, you'll reach the summit, from where you can enjoy an exceptional panorama of the whole region. On a clear day, you can even see the Isalo Massif to the south. Descend and continue on the "extraterrestrial" circuit. You'll soon see why it's called that. Surreal lunar landscapes in a mountain setting that you won't forget. On the descent from this magnificent scenery, you will cross the endemic palm forest of this slope, "ravenea glauca", to the Iantaranomby campsite on the banks of a river, where you can cool off.
DAY 6: ANDRINGITRA - CAMP CATTA (4 hours walk and 700m ascent)
After breakfast, descend into the Tsaranoro Valley. Possibility to see Pachypodium d'enchyflorum, different aloe species, and lizards. Once at the foot of the massif, the trail continues through several Barabory villages; Betsileo and Bara cultures mix. From the village of Morarano, we cross the magnificent Tsaranoro Valley. Overnight stay in a bungalow.
DAY 7: CAMP CATTA
Picnic lunch provided:
- MOUNT CAMELEON EXCURSION: 500m+ ascent for a 4-5 hour return hike.
On leaving camp, we cross the sacred forest of Tsaranoro, the graveyard of the valley's inhabitants. We leave early in the morning to have a good chance of seeing lemurs basking in the sun. After a short climb towards Tsaranoro, we ford a stream coming down from the plateau. Take a short refreshment break and walk along the stream until you reach the plateau. Turn left towards the summit of Langera, known as "Le Caméléon". After a final steep climb, take care to reach the ridge: superb views of the surrounding area. After a picnic lunch, or just a snack depending on the time of day, we descend to the village of Morarano and then return to camp via the valley floor. The walk down the valley can be hot, so it's a good idea to stop by the river to cool off. Overnight in a bungalow.
- THE GREAT TSARANORO: This is a one-day trek. You leave early in the morning. From the camp, it's a 4 to 4½ hour walk to the top of Tsaranoro (Tsaranoro itself can only be reached by climbing). In the middle of the hill, you'll find the Bara tombs, dug into the hill itself. There is a difficult section on the last part of the climb. On arrival, you'll have a magnificent view of the mountains of southern Madagascar. Lunch is taken at the summit, behind the Tsaranoro. The descent takes about 3 hours. Overnight in a bungalow.
DAY 8: CAMP CATTA - RANOHIRA (5 hours by road)
Drive to Ranohira, the gateway to the Isalo National Park.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 9: RANOHIRA - ISALO NATIONAL PARK (day of trekking in the park)
Isalo National Park, famous for its canyons, mountains, and sandstone formations, offers a fantastic experience. The trek includes visiting the "Piscine Naturelle" and discovering the endemic flora and fauna. Optional activities include a sunset view over the park's horizon.
Night at the hotel.
DAY 10 to 14: MAKAY MASSIF Trek of 6 to 9 hours per day
Five full days of trekking await us in the Makay. The Makay is undoubtedly one of the most monumental works of nature on the island. Few people, even in Madagascar, know of its existence. This yellow sandstone massif has high parts that are still covered by forest or shrub vegetation, typical of the arid environment of western Madagascar. In the depths of each gorge or valley, "life" has evolved: lemurs, reptiles, snakes, and crocodiles. A place completely untouched by human observation, where nature reigns supreme.
During the hikes, we alternate between the ridges of this massif, whose different colours form a natural and eternal rainbow, canyons with sandy crevices, viewpoints, dense forests, sacred lakes, natural pools, caves with cave paintings...
Every moment is yours to enjoy. Here we are sure to meet the "Bara", the semi-nomadic ethnic group that occupies the lower plateaus in the south of the island. This is an opportunity to experience and understand their life and daily routine, so far removed from any form of civilisation. They will show us how they distil the local rum from tamarind and sugar cane!
After the effort of each day, the comfort... the local team will be happy to prepare good, simple but tasty, plentiful and complete meals. The camp will be set up near a waterhole, a small river...
We will be asked to leave only our footprints.
Nights in bivouacs
DAY 15: MAKAY - RANOHIRA 9 hours walking
After breakfast, depart by 4x4 to Ranohira. Picnic on the way. Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 16: RANOHIRA - TULEAR - IFATY 5 hours of driving for 240 km
Departure by car for a crossing of the deep south, passing through the Sapphire Village and on the way to LES BAOBABS. Transfer to Ifaty. Overnight on the banks of the Mozambique Channel. Lunch on your own.
Night on the seashore
DAY 16 & 17: IFATY
The village of Ifaty offers beautiful beaches bordered by Vezo fishing villages. Once nomadic, the Vezo seem to have settled here. They seem to have found Ifaty a peaceful and pleasant place to live, a little corner of paradise!
But Ifaty owes its reputation above all to the beauty of its seabed. The Ranobe lagoon is an exceptional site for fishing and underwater exploration. This coral reef, one of the largest on the island, is full of dive sites teeming with a variety of marine life; some go as far as to say that Ifaty is one of the most beautiful dive sites in the world.
Whether you're a fan of diving, traditional or big game fishing, or just lazing around, you'll find what you're looking for here.
Night in hotel
DAY 18: IFATY - TANA
Transfer to the airport, flight to Tana. End of our service.
What is included
What is not included
Upon your arrival in Antananarivo on the first day of the "TREK IN MADAGASCAR", you will be greeted at the airport and taken on a tour.
If you arrive before the first day, you can arrange for a hotel room for the tour. You will be picked up from your hotel on the morning of the first day. The time will be decided upon your arrival.
The transport will depend on the group size for the "TREK IN MADAGASCAR" tour, based on the size of the group.
A small car that can accommodate two to three people.
A minibus that can accommodate between 4 and 8 people.
A bus with a capacity of 10 people or more.
A 4x4 vehicle is provided for the day trip to Andringitra and Tsaranoro.
A visa is required to enter Madagascar and can be easily obtained upon arrival at Antananarivo airport, with a validity of up to 60 days. Tourists planning to stay for less than a month can obtain a visa for a sum of 115,000 Ariary (approximately 35 €). It is advisable to pay with the exact amount or small change. No photograph is required; however, it is imperative that passports are valid for at least 6 months after the return date.
Please note that travel and cancellation insurance is required for each person traveling with Tribu Nomady. Any insurance costs are the responsibility of the client. Please ensure the validity of your insurance.
You must have your own insurance with coverage for the entire duration of your trip to cover personal injury, damage, and loss of personal belongings, including but not limited to photography equipment and other electronics, medical expenses, repatriation costs, and lost luggage. Please contact your travel agent if you need additional assistance.
