This picturesque West part of the highland is among the most beautiful places in Madagascar for adventure lovers. You feel like in the middle of nowhere when the sound of the wind in the mountains and the water in the canyons bring you to peace and takes your stress away. Wildlife appear all of a sudden in some canyons and cliffs.
Leave the capital after an early breakfast. The landscape for this first bit of the journey is made of typical Merina countryside, of mixed rice paddies, and vegetable crops. A few wildlife such as stonechat, hamerkop, egrets, kingfisher, and some common Birds.
Stop in Antsirabe for lunch. Then continue to Miandrivazo.
“Peaceful” feeling while crossing the wide middle West landscape of the Island. If it is not the worked land, most of this part of Madagascar looks humanless. Here and there, traditional gold miners are at work. Late afternoon arrival, check in then have dinner.
Breakfast then drive to Malaimbandy, wilder landscape with wooded savanna dominated by the endemic Bismarck Palm. Rough road starts in Malaimbandy. After a few hours’ driving through some deciduous small forests, we start to hike to the first campsite.
Breakfast then trek. Be prepared with hiking shoes. We walk through savanna, then go down to the sandy trail in the beginning of the canyon. The landscape changes everyday; we can really admire the real adventure here, serenity, stress-free moment. We have picnic lunch on the way. Arrive in the campsite in the middle of the afternoon, relax then have dinner.
Breakfast then go up to have a look of the surrounding to see how beautiful the landscape is and enjoy the little breeze, some elephant foot plants bloom with beautiful yellow flowers on the sandstone rock. Then go back down and prepare the luggage and start the trek again. Long smooth trousers are suggested as we walk sometimes through narrow paths with growing grass with spiky seeds on the sides of the way. The landscape varies from savanna, mountain, then to deep canyons where you will enjoy the beauty of the sandstone wall, like in a different planet. Picnic lunch on the way. Arrive in the campsite in late afternoon. Campsite by the stream.
Enjoy the sunrise before breakfast. We start the day by climbing to reach the top of the mountain. We can see up here the different shapes of the sandstone mountains. Then we follow the edge of the cliff before getting down again to the canyon. We have picnic lunch on the way. Then we continue the hike to reach the next campsite down in the canyon. Here we can meet the Sifaka Lemurs climbing up in the trees. Have dinner then enjoy the stars shining before going to bed.
Breakfast then we start the trek through the canyons, the vegetation is very beautiful with some palm trees. Better to wear short and shoes suitable to walk in water as today we spend much time in the water. We can spot Lemurs on the way. Arrive in the campsite in the middle of the afternoon. Take a dip in the river before dinner. Enjoy time by the fire before going to bed.
Breakfast then start the hike. We go up then walk through savannas and canyons. Again, better to wear short and suitable shoes for water. The colors of the sandstone walls are really astonishing. Arrive in the middle of the afternoon, relax by the river, dinner and go to bed.
Enjoy the sunrise up in the mountain before breakfast for picture of the canyons and the mountains of Makay. Start the hike through a canyon. Today we step on the colorful rocks and petrified wood. Arrive late in the afternoon in the last campsite.
Today is the last hike. After a few hours’ hike in the savanna, we meet the cars and it is time to say goodbye to the porters.
Drive to Malaimbandy, lunch on the way; then back to the main tarred road and drive to Morondava.
Today you can explore the town of Morondava, we can drive early to enjoy the sunrise at the Baobab Avenue. Or spend time to wander through the fishers’ village.
Fly to Antananarivo.
