Isalo Massif, Andavadoaka Coastal Track and Bemaraha Tsingy

You are flying to AntanaAntananarivorivo, the capital of Madagascar.

Departure for iAntsirabe located 180km from Antananarivo. Lunch en route. Crossing through the landscapes of the Highlands along a winding road bordered by a mosaic of diverse crop fields and rice paddies arranged in terraces.
Several stops along the way to meet the farmers and villages bordering National Road 7.

Mid-morning, heading due South on the RN7: we experience a mountainous landscape with a beautiful alternation of agricultural valleys and mountain passes.
The road is beautiful and allows a smooth approach to the South part of the Highlands. We enter the Betsileo country, the majority ethnic group of the southern high plateaus. Here, life is rhythmed by rice cultivation and zebu herding.

Through the patchwork of terraced rice fields and diverse crops where every shade of green is displayed, heading to Ambalavaoknown for its vineyards.

We continue our journey to the Anja Village Reserve. It is at the foot of this granite massif that we set up our camp.

At the end of the day, we venture into the forest where a few families of mischievous ring-tailed lemurs have made their home. We will also have the opportunity to find them again the next morning before our departure. The Anja reserve is managed directly by the villagers. The profits allow for the improvement of living conditions in the surrounding villages.

Continuation towards the south in Bara country and crossing of Madagascar's largest plateau, the deserted Horombe, before catching sight of the village of Ranohira which we reach in late afternoon.

We pass through the villages of Ilakaka and Sakaraha, still on the immense Horombe plateau, small quiet settlements until the discovery of a huge sapphire deposit that transformed them into veritable mining towns worthy of the American Wild West epic.

First glimpse of the baobabs and crossing of the Mahafaly limestone plateau, its famous and impressive tombs topped with funeral sculptures called "Aloalo" and painted with naive scenes of life.

We travel along the coastal track throughout our journey, with views of a landscape of spiny bush and arid savanna where the baobab reigns supreme.

Picnic lunch during the journey from Ifaty to Andavadoaka.

We reach the small village of Andavadoaka: the lagoon is splendid, we are in one of the most beautiful places in Madagascar, where the landscapes are of incomparable purity.

We leave the fishing village of Andavadoaka to continue on the coastal track and reach the village of Morombe.

Short rest stop along the way, we continue along the coastal track bordering the Mozambique Channel. The landscapes along the road are lined with immense baobab forests. Possible stops along the way to explore and admire these giants of nature more closely.

Continuation on a smoother track heading due West towards Manja, renowned for its production of rice and beans.

Night in a basic bush hotel with simple amenities.

Always on this atypical route, we reach the coastal town of Belo sur Mer, where people are ingenious around maritime activities, and whose identity is the manual manufacture of schooners.

Apart from the activities of fishermen and their typical outrigger canoes, Belo sur Mer reserves for you a great salt desert, one of the largest salt marshes in Madagascar and in places, pink flamingo lakes.

We are heading to Morondava, the small town along the shores of the Mozambique Channel in the central west. Then, Kirindy, 65km north of Morondava in the heart of the Menabe region, on the road towards Bekopaka and the Tsingy de Bemaraha.

After visiting the Kirindy reserve, we head towards Belo sur Tsiribihina. The dusty track winds through the dry forests of western Madagascar, scattered with baobabs. Many villages, markets, and people encountered; meetings are numerous and exchanges are rich.

Almost at the end of a morning's journey, we discover the first village in the Centre West of the Menabe region: Tsimafana. It is the boarding point to take the first ferry and discover this abundant territory of the Tsiribihina river, a journey punctuated by groups of birds. We reach the town of Belo sur Tsiribihina and have lunch there. We strongly recommend the local restaurant Mad Zébu, of stunning quality, which will delight the most discerning food lovers.

To reach the entrance of Bekopaka, we take the second ferry over the Manambolo river. The beauty of the landscape is so breathtaking that it would be capable of keeping us longer on this river and stopping time. High steep cliffs surround us, this intoxicating discovery, these grandiose landscapes and this very particular sensation of traversing the immensity are worth the detour in themselves.

We reach Bekopaka at the end of the day, at the foot of the Tsingy de Bemaraha massif, classified as Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Check-in at the hotel.

Early in the morning, we head towards Morondava in an all-terrain vehicle. Despite the quality of the track, we will relive with nostalgia this intoxicating discovery of steep high cliffs and grandiose landscapes. The very particular sensation of measuring the immensity creeps in again.

First ferry crossing on the Manambolo river to reach Belo by late morning. We have lunch there and then continue with the folksy crossing of the Tsiribihina river by ferry. We pass by the famous Avenue of the Baobabs. We will want to walk the red earth path to get there on time, photograph and capture the magnificent sunset that gives its orange tone to the baobabs.

Arrival in Morondava in the evening.

According to the flight schedule to the capital, we take a short city tour and transfer to the airport to take the flight between Morondava and Antananarivo.

Upon your arrival at Ivato airport in Antananarivo, a member of the Détours team welcomes you at the airport.

Transfer to your hotel for the night before continuing this beautiful journey.

Arrival late morning at Paris CDG. Misaotra and see you soon!