Trek in Terra Incognita, the Vavavato

We take the beautiful road heading west. We cross the typical villages of the Highlands and, gradually, large volcanic cones appear. On the shores of Lake Itasy, we settle in the small town of Ampefy. After lunch, we take time to discover and soak in the very peaceful atmosphere of this little-traveled region.

Traveling along the most beautiful mountain road in Madagascar from Ampefy, we reach the small town of Faratsiho. This village and its surroundings offer us the most beautiful mountain landscapes and the highest altitude of the entire large island: we are in the heart of the Ankaratra Massif.

On foot, we begin our approach from this village of Faratsiho. Here, passable roads do not exist.
Off the beaten path, we chart our course through an area of high relief, near the Bongolava Massif. The villagers are primarily potato farmers. The mountainous landscapes that cut across the horizon, the valleys, the agricultural plains typical of western Ankaratra are infallible landmarks: we are indeed on the Highlands of Madagascar.
First night camping on the balconies of Ankaratra, a high-altitude meadow from which a majestic view unfolds before us over the mountains, whose peaks can be engulfed by clouds.
Bivouac at 1,750 meters

We venture into the chaos of rocks. Through a succession of granite ridge lines and valleys that may hide relict forests, our southward journey is varied and interesting. The little-traveled trails allow the inhabitants of these high regions to connect their isolated dwellings. Here, and as we will see throughout our hiking traversal, lakes are very present. They are used, in a traditional manner, for fish conservation during the dry season, evolving in the rice paddies. Rice-fish farming is the main means of subsistence for the people living there. We find tilapia, carp and Madagascar black-bass.

The habitat itself is very singular and stands in sharp contrast with that of the Highlands. Houses or small hamlets are scattered far apart from each other, families live in isolation. Here, there are no defensive ditches, no protective walls surround these dwellings, as if the citadel was self-sufficient.

We are now hiking at the base of an immense conical mountain. It dominates the surrounding mountains by its power and also by its nature. At the heart of the granites, a volcano broke through and dominates the region by its dark mass. Vohitany is our objective for the end of the day. From the summit, the panorama is magnificent and embraces the entire Highlands region, to the west the Bongolava and, in the distance, the limestone sedimentary cliffs. With a 360° view, starting from the north we find Ankaratra and the Imerina region, the Vakinankaratra; at our feet the two branches of these mysterious mountain chains and the Mont Ibity region; the birth of Bongolava to the south, the sedimentary plateaus of Bemaraha to the west in the background, then the volcanoes of the Itasy region… magnificent.

Our bivouac is established by the edge of a mountain lake. Mountain atmosphere guaranteed

In the cool of the morning, we set out on foot across the great rocky ridges that dominate the bivouac. The trek takes us off-trail to reach beautiful peaks, allowing us to discover the geological composition of this massif. The highest point of the "mony mainty" stands before us, like a beautiful call to climb it. During this trek, our average altitude remains around 2000 m., it is cool, almost cold, yet the southern sun remains scorching.

At midday, we emerge into the central valley at the heart of the mountains. The places are inhabited, with small hamlets scattered here and there. We head towards a beautiful line of mountains, crossing the entire high-altitude valley.

The people here almost never descend into the valleys of the Highlands. Keepers of ancient animist cults and traditional Malagasy practices, they are known only to a few scholars, astrologers and traditional practitioners. This region is filled with mysteries, and that is precisely why we became passionate about this land; where only the curious and attentive hiker can venture, and appreciate the places at their true value.

According to insiders, the population would be mainly constituted by a group from India settled on the Highlands, between Ankaratra and Vakinankaratra, long before the Merina expansion. This expansion would have pushed them into the heights of Vavavato, a mountain very little known to Malagasy people. The women remain in the mountains, the groups live in self-sufficiency.

Interestingly, we sought documentation and studies that might have been carried out about these mountains… Nothing, just a simple mention in a French military document dating from 1914…

Since entering the massif, we encounter herds of bovines that are equally singular... We go from discovery to discovery: these are "vabus"! A hybrid between zebu and cattle, as sturdy as a zebu but without a hump. The herds are substantial, and among the vabus roam enormous pigs going about their business all day long, among these humpless zebus. The herds are watched over by shepherds identifiable by the sound of their flutes, enchanting melodies rising from the rocky chaos.

The western chain of Vavavato granites stretches toward the Betafo region. Summits rise up and offer us every opportunity to reach them. Of course, we're not talking about mountaineering but rather lovely hiking trails.

We arrive at the end of the day in a surprising region scattered with a multitude of lakes, relatively flat high-altitude prairies, with very prominent rocky outcrops. Walking through these places, all we'd need is a few yaks and we'd be on the High Plateaus of Spiti in northern India, on the foothills of Tibet.

On a soft prairie, we set up our camp for another night at altitude under the starry sky.

Suddenly, we reach the southern edge of the Mony Mainty. Through a narrow valley dotted with cascading lakes, we quickly lose altitude and leave the granite formations behind to reach, without transition, the volcanoes. The scenery changes completely. Nature is being systematically cultivated by Man, the hillsides and valley floors are farmed, shaped and developed.

The beauty of the rice paddies in the Betafo region is extraordinary. From the wild and pristine nature of the Vavavato, we abruptly shift to a controlled nature, a striking transition that gives pause for thought. Around Betafo, human occupation is significant and villages are scattered across the hills between the volcanoes, the wide valleys are entirely dedicated to rice paddies. We reach the town of Betafo at midday, leaving behind us, with regret, the mysteries of the Mony Mainty.

Short tour of the city and visit to local craftsmen (making miniature bikes and cars, zebu horn work…) then drive to Ambatolampy.
Rice fields and typical villages of the Highlands shape the landscape.
At Ambatolampy we stop to discover this very lively town on the RN7.
Continuation in the afternoon towards Antananarivo.