Arriving in the capital city Tana
We landed at the capital city of Tana in the dead of the night, and after waiting for about an hour for our luggage (the conveyor belt was experiencing technical difficulties), we were picked up by pre-ordered taxi arranged by our hotel. We stayed at Chez Aina - this ended up being our "home base" - we stayed in the same room every time we transited through Tana. Aina was very helpful, her hotel was very well-located and kind of a melting pot to meet expats, doctoral students researching local rice cultivation, and tourists from around the world. If you are looking for something less homey and more hotel-esque, there's Hotel Les 3 Metis just down the road, similarly priced.
We spent a day exploring Tana and its beautiful colors. The exciting thing about Tana is - it doesn't remind me of any other city I know. It's crowded, loud and polluted, and you should avoid driving or taking a cab if you can, but its hues are bright, its people lovely, and there are little oases of peace around every corner. Don't listen to all the people that tell you to get out of the capital as fast as you can, and give Tana a chance. It might surprise you.
Heading West to Tsingy
On Day Two we picked up our car - a Nissan 4x4 - from Coen's house on the outskirts of the city (Coen is a Dutch film-maker living in Madagascar who rents out cars without drivers to the crazy tourists who want them. Due to high insurance prices and bad roads, most agencies only rent out cars with drivers). As it turned out, our car's battery wasn't exactly ready for us. It took a small army of mechanics half an hour before we could hit the road. All good things take time, and this is particularly true in Madagascar. They call it mora mora, so sit back and enjoy the slow-paced ride.
Our first destination was Tsingy National Park in the west. We decided to split our journey into four parts so that it looked something like this:
- Tana to Antsirabe - 160 km / 3 hours on the R7
- Antsirabe to Miandrivazo - 219 km / 5 hours on the R34
- Miandrivazo to Morondava - 270 km / 4 hours on the R34 / 35
- Morondava to Bekopaka - 86 km / 8 hours offroad
The road from Morondava to Bekopaka is not asphalted. This part takes an entire day, involves crossing two rivers on ferries, and can only be done by 4x4.
Pro Tip: Highly recommend downloading the Madagascar map on the free App Maps.me - We used this with the GPS on my phone. It is very accurate and has most hotels.
Tana to Antsirabe (3h)
And we set off down the R7. This road is actually very good, and quite frequented. The countryside is green and beautiful, decorated with rice fields and rivers.
About 45 mins. in you pass through Behenjy, a hub for foie gras production. Stop for lunch at Coin du Foie Gras, if you're a fan of this controvercial specialty. Alternatively you can stop for a meal in Ambatolampy at Rendezvous des Pecheurs.
Antsirabe is the pousse-pousse capital of Madagascar. We loved the vibe of this small city (big town), and can highly recommend the Hotel de Thermes. It is a beautiful old colonial mansion, with vast grounds and beautiful and tastefully furnished rooms.
For food, try Zandina - a favorite for locals and tour groups, with good-quality pizzas and local dishes. For bars, we tried out Pousse-Pousse and Razafimamonjy.
Antsirabe to Miandrivazo (4h)
This is a pretty uneventful drive, but as you approach Miandrivazo, the weather gets hotter and the road worse. The last 60 km. before Miandrivazo are full of holes, so by the time we reached Miandrivazo, all we wanted was to lay back with a cool drink. We ended up staying at Pirogue (no online presence), but in hindsight, we should have paid that extra buck and gone to Princesse Tsiribihina just 400m down the road. At Pirogue we had to struggle with no electricity in the stifling heat. Princesse Tsiribhina had a swimming pool, and looked quite luxurious. Needless to say, we hit the road pretty early the next morning.
Note: We initially wanted to stay at Chez La Reine Rasalimo which had a pretty nice description in our Bradt guide. After driving through the narrow but bustling streets of Miandrivazo to reach here, we were turned away by the care-taker. It seemed to be shut down for the season (or for good, but we can't be sure). We were traveling in May 2018.
Miandrivazo to Morondava (and the Avenue of the Baobabs) (5h)
After the few initial bumps this road kept getting better. Just after Miandrivazo we were stopped for the first and only on time in Western Madagascar for a police check. This is normal in Madagascar. Police check-posts are situated at every village/town/city, so make sure to always have your car papers and driving license at hand. Usually they just ask you where you're headed and where you're coming from and see you on your way; sometimes they ask to see your papers. We stopped once at the halfway junction Malaimbandy at a roadside hotely for a hot beverage and fried snack. After this we didn't stop until we reached Morondava just after noon.
Morondava is a lively and prosperous beach town. We checked ourselves into Chez Maggie, a very comfortable resort with friendly and helpful personnel, direct access to the beach, comfortable bungalows, a swimming pool, great food and a really mean tea punch! 😎 So tasty! After a quick walk down the beach (and a tea punch), it was time to head out to catch the sunset view of the grand Avenue of the Baobabs! It's advisable to leave around 3:30 pm so that you have ample time to take pictures, walk around, buy souvenirs, etc. and head back before it gets too dark (driving after dark here is no fun). And the time is well worth it - these baobabs are a sight to behold.
Morondava to Bekopaka (8-10h)
We left in the morning around 7 am for Bekopaka. You could also leave earlier and catch the Avenue of the Baobabs at sunrise, as it is on the way. Our plan was to reach the first river crossing before noon, cross over to Belo sur Tsiribihina, then break for lunch at Belo, before heading onwards.
At the first village, a policeman waved us to a halt. We thought it was a regular check-post, but somehow, the policemen talked his way (in a language we didn't understand) into hitching a ride with us to the next village. Of course, we had no idea how far the next village was, or if we had just made a dangerous mistake letting a stranger with a rifle into our car. Well, we're alive to tell the tale and twenty minutes later, he was off and on his way. 😅
Next we met a lovely Cuban couple, their awesome Malagasy guide Michel Golfier and his trusty co-driver / spotter, who would end up being our travel companions for the next three days. Michel lives with his family in Morondava and runs a family-owned travel agency. He is knowledgeable, organized, all-round solid guy and great guide. If you're looking for a local guide/car in Madagascar, he's your man. His e-mail is hyerna2002@yahoo.fr and phone numbers (+261) 034 08 917 44 and (+261) 033 28 228 46).
By following them close at their trails, we were able to navigate the rough roads with relative ease. At around 11 am we reached the river crossing. Michel's car was the last car on the next ferry, so unfortunately, that meant there was no spot for us. Michel said he would wait for us at the other end of the crossing. Each ferry can carry 5 cars and they leave when they're full. I use the term 'ferry' loosely - these are rafts tied onto two canoes, with an attached truck motor! Pretty cool stuff! 😎
So we waited, and waited, as the next cars trickled in. An hour later we were still missing a spot. Our fellow travelers were able to negotiate that we would carry three barrels of oil in place of the last car. Finally, just as we were ready to leave the docks, a car arrived and rolled right onto the raft. (Pretty sweet deal for them, I must admit with some bitterness - last on, first off). The ride is about 1.5 hours long.
At Belo, we met Michel and the Cubans again. As it turned out, Philippe (boyfriend) had actually emailed Michel before our trip to rent a car without a driver, which Michel had refused. Small world, indeed. To make up for the lost time, Philippe and I skipped lunch and we drove onwards.
Pro-Tip: Make sure to stop at Mad Zebu in Belo for a meal. We did on our way back, and it was absolutely incredible. An unexpected Michelin meal in a dusty little transit town in the middle of nowhere - what a treat! It was our best meal in Madagascar. From the tender zebu meat to the tilapia cannelloni stuffed with avocados, it was perfect in every way.
The next few hours were very hot and dry. We realized with some irritation that we were definitely not carrying enough water reserves to last us for the next few days, and that we were headed to a remote hot place only accessible by 4x4 vehicles. Thankfully though, we had packed some water purifying tablets, which we were able to put to good use here.
(For a full list of things to take on your trip to Madagascar, check out my other blog post here)
There were a few really tricky sections, where the roads were either very rocky and uneven or completely flooded. Around 5 pm, we arrived at the trickiest section of them all - a 200 meter stretch of road submerged in ~4 feet of water. Yikes. How were we gonna get through this one? Michel and his trusty spotter waded into the water to find the holes and identify the best path. After conversing with the local villagers, they seemed to have an idea on how best to cross, and they left. About 150 meters in, their car gave up, as we just watched on with dread. The locals pushed their car out and about 15 minutes later, they made it to the other side. Next up - it's our turn. We undid our seatbelts, rolled down our windows, and we put our game faces on.
Thank god for our beast of a car, and thank god for Philippe's nerves of steel. We made it to the other side. Phew. We were almost there. We still had one more river to cross, but this was just a two-minute crossing. Michel then took us to the hotel Orchidee de Bemaraha, and it was perfect to cool off with some chilled Three Horse's Beer (THB) and recharge our batteries for the hike the next day. It is located close to both the ticket office and the river bank for the pirogue ride. The food was very good, the kitchen run by a Frenchman. Rooms were comfortable (great shower!). There is an outdoor bar and swimming pool. The staff even packed us a sumptuous picnic lunch to enjoy atop the Grand Tsingy.
The next morning, we woke up early, had breakfast and headed straight for the ticket office. There are many possible hikes to choose from in Tsingy. We were advised to combine a 4-hour hike of Grand Tsingy with a 2-hour peaceful pirogue ride down the Manambolo river. Our guide Bira, a tall silent Morgan Freeman type, showed us the sights. The pirogue ride involved visits to some cool dark bat-filled caves, but mostly it was just a very relaxing ride up and down the river. Next we had another 90-minute (18 km) offroad drive to Grand Tsingy. Fun fact: Two little village kids hitched a ride to the next village. on the back of our car
We spent the next four hours hiking through tropical forest and pitch-black caves. We spotted a few lemurs, exotic birds and giant rats along the way. It was great fun: The views are magnifique, and the climbing is aided by sturdy stepping stones and a well-secured fixed-rope route.
After a day hiking in the hot sun, we treated ourselves with a relaxing evening at Orchidee. The next day, we parted ways with our friends at Belo, who continued on to Morondava. We decided to stop overnight at Kirindy Forest Reserve.
A night at Kirindy
After reading about the Forest Reserve with its unique flora and fauna, founded by German researchers, and Michel's recommendation to seal the deal, we decided to break our journey in Kirindy. It was a welcome break after the crazy and eventful few days we had behind us. The reserve has basic facilities, and the food is nothing special. But both the night and morning walk through the reserve are a special experience, even though Philippe and I are not particularly nature people. We did spot cute little nocturnal lemurs and less-cute carnivorous fossas. Unfortunately, we didn't stay up long enough to spot the Giant Jumping Rats, but I hear those are quite a sight, and you can only catch them here. 😊
The scenes and people of Western Madagascar remain vivid in my heart and mind.