The Manambolo, the Tsingy de Bemaraha and the Makay Massif

Program developed as an indication with the airline Air France.

Upon arrival of your flight to Antananarivo, welcome at the Ravinala International Airport in 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, gradually, large volcanic cones appear.

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

Camp setup at a magnificent viewpoint, near 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 village of Ankavandra in the early afternoon.

Visit the village and meet with the inhabitants.

We spend the night in a guesthouse.

After breakfast, before the heat becomes too overwhelming, we board a traditional pirogue on the Manambolo River.

After the famous "FOMBA", ritual which asks the ancestors' permission to navigate the river, the convoy can depart along the river by 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 footprint becomes wilder.

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

Early in the afternoon, we exit the gorges to reach the village of Bekopaka.

Early in the morning, we head towards Morondava by 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 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 Avenue of the Baobabs. We will want to walk the red earth track to get there in time, photograph and capture the magnificent sunset that gives its orange tone 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 the Makay massif. In the small town of Malaimbandy, the very lively market allows us to make our last purchases before a few days of self-sufficient travel.

There we take the trail to reach the northern base of the Makay massif. This is the starting point of our unique hiking adventure.

This itinerary allows you to discover a very little-traveled part of the Makay.
In this unique environment, our progress on foot allows us to immerse ourselves in an amazing 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 clear water of rivers flowing over white sand beds. It is on these beaches, backed by mineral walls, that we set up our camps and spend the nights.

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

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

During our various reconnaissance missions, we found rock paintings and engravings, parietal art, which we know very little about. 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 luggage, food and equipment necessary for the camps. This massif has created around it a labyrinth of canyons and fissures as deep as they are unknown, secret.

We meet a dynamic farming world that is present everywhere. As we approach Antsirabe, various agricultural productions spread along the roadside.
We reach Antsirabe, the thermal city, nestled in the heart of the Highlands.

We are heading towards the city of Ambatolampy, located south of Antananarivo.
We cross the typical landscapes of the Central Highlands by taking a winding road lined with a mosaic of fields and various crops, rice paddies arranged in terraces.

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

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