Family Adventure in the North Makay

Meeting in downtown at 06:00 AM for departure with our 4x4 vehicles scheduled for 06:30 AM. Departure for Antsirabe located 170km from Antananarivo. Crossing the landscapes of the Highlands by taking a winding road bordered by a mosaic of various crop fields and rice paddies arranged in terraces. Several stops along the way to meet with farmers and villages along National Route 7.

Heading due west, we reach the town of Miandrivazo on the banks of the Tsiribihina River at the end of the day. Night in a hotel in Miandrivazo.

We resume our journey to Malaimbandy. It is beautiful and runs along the Mahajilo river which flows into the Tsiribihina river. We reach the small town of Malaimbandy at its very colorful market.

On an earth track, we venture into a wide furrow oriented north-south between the Bongolava to the east and the Makay to the west. The track becomes increasingly chaotic with passages through water fords, very dense forests. Depending on the season, the track is more or less difficult.

The sedimentary plateau with ruiniform features of Makay is composed of friable sandstone; it is also the northern extension of the Isalo massif. The slow and inexorable work of time, along with a few tectonic movements aided by water flow, have patiently eroded these rocks.

We set out to discover this unique massif. Through a network of rivers and then a large savanna, we enter a gorge called Ankaromokotry, named after a fruit we find on the plateau.

We set up our bivouac on a beautiful tongue of white sand on the bank of the river.

We continue our descent into the depths of this wonderful canyon. The water becomes less and less significant and a few acrobatic passages add a playful touch to our hike. In this gorge, the spectacular and inextricable geomorphology has allowed groups of original animals and vegetation to develop away from the world, to the point of giving birth to new species.

Lemurs are very present in these isolated forests. We catch glimpses of them more than we observe them, as they are unaccustomed to any human presence.

We dedicate time to discovering the fabulous environment of the Sakapaly gorges. A very beautiful trail allows us to climb onto the plateaus south of the canyon. An entire labyrinthine pathway opens up to us, these are the famous sakasaka. The vision we can have of these rock formations is spectacular. We embrace a 360° panoramic view that is unique. A few kilometers away, to the south, stands the highest point of the entire Makay massif.

We dedicate this day to discovering the secret gorges at the sources of the Manapanda River. Three parallel fissures flow towards the North. They are all three totally different.

Having traveled through it the day before, we already know Ampasimeiky with its white sand, its large trees and its lack of water. We now discover the Andranomanga fissure with its blue and abundant waters.

Thanks to a maze of fissures, we set off to explore this very singular region.

Our caravan winds through the cliffs, an easy route, we reach the plateau. The objective is now to reach a narrow crevasse, covered with pandanus, palm trees and ferns that opens the passage to us towards the large hydrographic basin of Manampanda. Our progress unfolds entirely with our feet in the water, in a lush vegetative environment. The lemurs, very present, slip away into the canopy. At our feet, trapped in the blocks of the riverbed, petrified wood bears witness to the remains of a fossil forest. These silicified witnesses are very useful for the study of geology, paleobotany and paleoenvironment. Needless to say, this unique heritage is to be protected.

Our tributary joins the Manampanda river the water flow suddenly becomes much more significant. Our bivouac is established on a beautiful sandy beach on the banks of the river.

The Manampanda river traces our progression for a good hour then we leave it to reach the plateau. After reaching the ridge line, we head towards the Bara villages on the northern periphery of the Makay massif. We reach the village of Tsiazorambo in the early afternoon.

Our vehicles are there, at the meeting point. This is the end of our unique and unprecedented journey in this sumptuous Makay massif. We leave part of this team with whom we have just lived a beautiful adventure together, the porters and our guide.

We get back to our 4x4s to take the northern exit trail, in order to reach the town of Malaimbandy before crossing national highway 34 which takes us to Miandrivazo.

Leaving the town of Miandrivazo, the road climbs into the hills of the Bongolava region. As we travel, mosaics of terraced rice fields and various crops, with hills dominated by red brick houses of the Central Highlands, come into view. We gradually enter Vakinankaratra. After the very beautiful Betafo valley dominated by the chain of volcanoes, we arrive late in the morning in Antsirabe.

Rice fields and characteristic villages of the Central Highlands shape the landscape. We continue in the afternoon towards Antananarivo. Arrival in Antananarivo, at the end of the day.

Misaotra and see you soon!