Madagascar: Makay Massif 9-Day Trekking Adventure｜Madagascar

Day 1: Antananarivo - Antsirabe

Begin your adventure by heading south from Antananarivo. Cross the characteristic landscapes of the Highlands, taking a winding road lined with a mosaic of fields of various crops and rice terraces.

Day 2: Tsiazorambo - Andasiberivotra

After lunch, start your hike. Cross the Manampada River, leaving the cultures and the village behind. Head due south, across the plateau, to reach the first sandstone reliefs of Makay. Suddenly, your gaze turns to a superb meander of the Manampanda River, embedded in the sandstone cliffs. The preserved forest is also well represented. Establish your bivouac in this enchanting place.

Day 3: Vinagny Mahemitsy - Ankaromokotry

Leave the bed of the River Manampanda and take height to walk on the vast tabular reliefs. The ruiniform sedimentary plateau of Makay is composed of friable sandstone, it is also the northern extension of the Isalo massif.

Day 4: Ankaromokotry - Ampasimaiky

Very quickly, reach the heights to dominate this great hydrographic network. This spectacular and inextricable geomorphology has allowed, at the bottom of unexplored canyons, groups of original animals and plants to develop away from the world, to the point of giving birth to new species.

Day 5: Andranomanga - Col Andranomanga

Continue your progress at the bottom of this wonderful canyon. The water is less and less important and some acrobatic passages give a playful touch to your hike. In this gorge, spectacular and inextricable geomorphology has allowed groups of original animals and plants to develop away from the world, to the point of giving birth to new species.

Day 6: Sakapaly Ambony - Sakapaly

Again, along a complex path, navigate more than you walk through these tangles of ridge lines to reach a magnificent canyon. Sneak into this narrow tunnel, your feet in crystal-clear water. The phantasmagorical walls are amazingly sculpted and the play of colors is of a disconcerting variety.

Day 7: Sakapaly Ambony - Manampanda

Travel through the cliffs, route without difficulty, set foot on the plateau. The goal is now to reach a narrow fault, covered with pandanus, palm trees and ferns that opens the way to the large Manampanda watershed.

Day 8: Andasiberivotra - Tsiazorambo

The Manampandana River traces your progress for a good hour, then leave it to reach the plateau. After joining the ridge line, head towards the Bara villages on the northern outskirts of the Makay massif. Reach the village of Tsiazorambo in the late morning. Your cars are there, at the meeting point. This is the end of your unique and unprecedented journey in this sumptuous massif of Makay.

Day 9: Malaimbandy - Antananarivo

Early in the morning, drive to Antsirabe, the capital of the Vakinankaratra region. After lunch, continue on the road to Ambatolampy. The rice fields and characteristic villages of the Highlands shape the landscape. Arrive in Antananarivo at the end of the day.