The Manambolo, the Tsingy of Bemaraha and the Makay Massif

Programme drawn up on an indicative basis with the airline Air France.

Upon arrival of your flight to Antananarivo, welcome at the Ravinala International Airport at Ivato Antananarivo by a member of Détours Madagascar.

Transfer to your hotel in the city center.

We take the beautiful road to the west. We cross the typical villages of Hautes Terres and, little by little, large volcanic cones appear.

From Tsiroanomandidy, we resume our journey to reach the Bongolava massif, further west, a semi-desert region where you can find one of the largest cattle markets in Madagascar.

Setting up camp at a magnificent viewpoint, on the outskirts of the Ambatomalamba waterfall.

After breakfast, early departure for 4 to 5 hours of trekking in the Bongolava, where bare hills stretch as far as the eye can see. Picnic lunch, then continue until we reach the Ankavandra village in early afternoon.

Village visit and meeting with the locals.

We spend the night in a guesthouse.

After breakfast, before the heat becomes too overwhelming, we embark on a traditional outrigger canoe on the Manambolo River.

After the famous "FOMBA", ritual that asks permission from the ancestors to navigate on the river, the convoy can depart along the waterway while letting itself be guided by the current, while crossing a lunar landscape of jagged hills stripped bare by erosion.

Still on the Manambolo River during our river cruise, the landscape transforms as we approach the Bemaraha Massif. Villages become rare and give way to impressive gorges.

We enter the foothills of the mountain, inhabitants disappear. Nature untouched by human impact becomes wilder.

The Manambolo Gorge conceals ancient Vazimba tombs, the first peoples to have hidden themselves in the Tsingy. This long procession of cliffs with vertical walls carved by the river isolates us from the rest of the world.

In early afternoon, we emerge from the gorges to reach the village of Bekopaka.

Early in the morning, we head towards Morondava by four-wheel drive vehicle. Despite the quality of the track, we will relive with nostalgia this intoxicating discovery of steep high cliffs and magnificent landscapes. The very particular sensation of measuring immensity creeps in once 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 through the famous Alley of the Baobabs. We will want to walk the red earth path to get there in time, photograph and immortalize the magnificent sunset that gives its orange hue to the baobabs.

Arrival in Morondava in the evening.

We head east to venture inland. A beautiful paved road takes us to the north of Makay Massif. In the small town of Malaimbandy, the lively market allows us to make our final purchases before our few days of self-sufficiency.

Here we take the trail to reach the northern base of the Makay massif. This is the starting point of our unique trek.

This itinerary allows you to discover a very little-traveled part of Makay.
In this unique environment, our progress on foot allows us to immerse ourselves in astonishing nature. From time to time, we climb onto the domes and eroded peaks, the panoramas are exceptional.
We are also led to walk at the bottom of these gorges, our feet in the limpid water of rivers flowing over white sand bottoms. It is on these beaches, backed against the mineral wall, that we set up our bivouacs and spend the nights.

Here, parrots are omnipresent, their cries echo through the long corridors. A few raptors such as buzzards, kites and striped polyboroides glide above the mountains. Bats, guardians of the place, come out at night to make their silent rounds.
The ruiniform sedimentary plateau of Makay, composed of friable sandstone, is also the northern extension of the Isalo massif. The slow and inexorable work of time, aided by some tectonic movements and the flow of water, have patiently eroded these rocks. Deep canyons cut through it, fragment it, making any progression most difficult.

The local population living in the rare villages on the periphery of the massif rarely ventures onto these inhospitable lands except to find refuge. Numerous fady (prohibitions) and a number of beliefs and fears protect this fortress as best they can.

During our various reconnaissance missions, we found rock paintings and engravings, parietal art, about which we know very little. In blood red, brown and ochre colors, they represent animals with hippopotamus silhouettes, geometric drawings and human representations.
A team of porters accompanies us daily for the transport of baggage, food and materials necessary for the bivouacs. This massif has created around it a labyrinth of canyons and fissures as deep as they are unknown, secret.

We meet a dynamic and ubiquitous farming world. As we approach Antsirabe, various agricultural productions spread along the roadside.
We reach Antsirabe, the thermal spa town, nestled in the heart of the Highlands.

We head towards the town of Ambatolampy, located south of Antananarivo.
We cross the typical landscapes of the Central Highlands by taking a winding road bordered by a mosaic of fields and diverse crops, with terraced rice paddies.

The Malagasy capital is full of artisanal and cultural gems. This is where the best artists and craftspeople from the country are gathered, whether it's for ironwork, leather goods, marquetry, basketry and many other fields.

A few examples of places to visit are Violette and Dieudonné's ironwork studio, Izaho leather goods workshop which works with zebu leather, and the numerous artisanal galleries in the capital. Is'Art Galerie is also a major cultural venue, offering concerts, exhibitions, workshops, bar and restaurant services, as well as an artisanal shop, Galerie Lisy which catalogs practically all Malagasy crafts in one place, Mada Fusion Association (AMF) by Nature Attitude where women cleverly work with raphia.