Cycling Tour of Southern Madagascar
€1350 per person
A 13 day super tour by bicycle and on foot visiting the parks of Andasibe, Ranomafana and Isalo, along the most beautiful secondary roads. For the more sporty travelers.
Highlights
Andasibe National Park, Antsirabe, Zafimaniry Villages, Ranomafana National Park, Sahambavy, Fianarantsoa, Tsarasoa Valley, Isalo National Park.
Departure/Arrival
Antananarivo/Toliara
When to Go
March - December
Included
Private Car Throughout The Tour | Accompanying Guide On bicycle | Entry Fee of Mentioned Excursions/Parks | Hotels on Dinner and Bed and Breakfast basis | Lunches on the Go
Not Included
Domestic Flight | Drinks other than 1 Lt per day | Personal Expenses | Anything not Mentioned in Included
What to Bring
Comfortable athletic/cycling clothing, waterproof cycling jacket, hiking shoes, hat, water bottle, cycling helmet, cycling gloves.
Options
Hire a Bike a mountain bike from €230. Return to Antananarivo by car + from €30 pp
Prices per person
- 2 Travelers €1600, 1 tw/dbl
- 3 Travelers €1450, 1 tpl
- 4 Travelers €1350, 2 tw/dbl
For more options, please contact us
13 Days
From Our Gallery
Be our gest and see it for your self
Some of the sights waiting for you
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Day 1 Antananarivo - Andasibe 140 km, 4 hours' drive
After breakfast, the journey to Andasibe begins, 4 hours on the road with landscapes ranging from barren to lush forest. We will arrive in Andasibe by noon in time to visit Mitsinjo Reserve. The locals have been able to recover part of the old primary forest through conservation programs and reforestation of endemic trees and plants. Part of what is now Mitsinjo Reserve, used to be part of slash and burn agricultural land.The reserve is also work for over 40 people. The reserve is the best place to see the indri, largest species of lemurs. After sunset, night walk by the edges of the park in search for small nocturnal creatures at work, hoping to also spot some nocturnal lemurs. Hotel Lemurs Lodge or similar.
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Day 2 Andasibe 50 km cycle, muddy track, light ups and downs
Early in the morning the first leg of our bicycle tour, a 50 kilometers round trip to reach the most virgin and least visited part of Andasibe National Park, Mantadia. In Mantadia, with a little luck, we can see different species of lemurs such as the gray bamboo lemur, the indri, the diademed sifaka, the black and white ruffed lemur and the red-bellied lemur. On the way back, after a walk of about 3 hours in the park, we can visit the Vakona Reserve with its lemur island. The return to Andasibe is scheduled for 5pm. Hotel Lemurs Lodge or similar.
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Day 3 Antsirabe 320 km, 7 hours' drive
Morning dedicated to traveling, we will have about seven hours to get to our next stop, Antsirabe. After about 5 hours, we will arrive in Ambatolampy, where we will visit a foundry of kitchen utensils to see how time in Madagascar really stopped at the beginning of the century. We should arrive in Antsirabe at around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, in time for a short visit to the large local market. Hotel Plumeria or similar.
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Day 4 Antsirabe - Ambositra 110 km 3 hours' drive and 25 km on bike on a very dusty dirt road
After breakfast by car we reach Lake Andraikiba where we will begin our cycling leg to reach Lake Titriva. Tritriva is a beautiful lake that fills the extinct crater of a volcanic cone surrounded by majestic metamorphic cliffs. After Tritriva by car we continue south to Ambositra, the capital of wood carving of Madagascar. Hotel Artisan or similar.
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Day 5 Ambositra - Ivato Centre - Antoetra 20 km, 20 mins' drive, 25 km cycle on dusty mostly flat road and 4 hours walk
In the morning we visit Ambositra and its ateliers, before continuing by car to Ivato Centro where the bicycle section of the dusty road to Antoetra begins. Antoetra the capital city of the Zafimaniry and our starting point of our trekking through the region. The zafimaniry are known as the experts in wood carving and houses built entirely of wood without the use of nails. The hike will be tough, but in an authentic atmosphere of other times. In approximately 3 hours, after 8km, we reach the belvedere from where, on clear sunny days, we can see several Zafimaniry villages. Sakaivo, our next stop, is just "under our feet" , 600 meters below us. Overnight at a local house.
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Day 6 Sakaivo - Antoetra - Ambalandingana 10 km, 4 hours' hike and 15 km cycle on dusty mostly flat road
In the morning we visit Sakaivo passing by the house of the village chief. On foot we return to Antoetra and get back on the saddle on our bicycles to return to Ambalandingana at 15 km. Hotel Sous le Soleil de Mada.
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Day 7 Ambalandingana - Ambohimahasoa - Ranomafana 110 km 2 hours' drive and 40 km cycle on a hilly paved road
From Ambalandingana by car we reach Ambohimahasoa in about 2 hours. We cycle on the RN25 to Ranomafana, a difficult section with ups and downs but with a splendid landscape with very little traffic. Hotel Karibotel or similar.
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Day 8 Ranomafana - Sahambavy 70 km, 1 hour drive and 15 km cycling on a paved road with light hills
In the morning we visit the National Park of Ranomafana. The park known for the diversity of lemurs it hosts; twelve species, including the spectacular red-eyed Sifaka Milne-Edwards that is now threatened with extinction, golden bamboo lemur and the black and white ruffed lemur. The visit will last for approx. 2/3 hours. After the park visit by car we reach the small village of Ambalakely on the RN7 to take the secondary road to Sahambavy, another spectacular 15 km immerse in the Malagasy country-side. We will arrive in Sahambavy by late afternoon. Lac Hotel.
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9 Sahambavy - Fianarantsoa - Ambalavao 110 km, 3 hour' drive
After breakfast visit of the tea plantation fields of Sahambavy, followed by a visit of the factory. Then by car, we reach Fianarantsoa to visit with a local guide the historic haute ville. After Fianarantsoa and a lunch break, we continue to Ambalavao. Near Ambalavao, 12 km south, we visit the famous Anja Privat Reserve. The reserve is famous for its large colony of ring-tailed lemurs and its spectacular views over the local valley. Hotel Betsileo Country Lodge.
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Day 10 Ambalavao - Tsaranoro 20 km 30 mins' drive and 35 km cycling on a flat dusty road
From Anja by car we reach the track that will take us to the Tsaranoro Valley. From the crossroad we cycle for about 35 km. to the Tsaranoro Valley. After a break, with a local guide, we will walk to the summit of the Chameleon Peak. The excursion is tough and requires attention not to slip and is not recommended for those who suffer from vertigo. Hotel Soa Lodge or similar.
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Day 11 Tsaranoro - Ihoosy - Ranohira 150 km, 3 hours' drive and 70 km cycling on paved road with gentle hills
We leave Tsaranoro by car, we have to travel an important distance. The car will drop us off at Ihoosy after a long climb. After the climb we are on the Ihorombe plateau, it is the best stretch of the Route National 7 but, up to Ranohira there are over 70 km and it may be too much even for the heat. Hotel Isalo Ranch or similar.
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Day 12 Ranohira 50 km cycling of dusty road generally flat
Today we dedicate the whole day to visiting the famous Isalo National Park. The Park offer an incredible array of landscapes that include grasslands, mountains, deep canyons, tropical oases, savannas and picturesque waterfalls that form natural pools of clear and fresh water. By bicycle we cycle for about 25 km to reach the Canyon of Rats and the Canyon of the Maki. On foot we visit the splendid canyons ending with a well-deserved swim in small streams that form splendid natural pools. If we are on time, sunset at the "window" of the Isalo. Hotel Isalo Ranch or similar.
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Day 13 Ranohira - Toulear 210 km, 4 hours' drive
We depart from Ranohira after breakfast and in 1 hour we arrive at the National Park Zombitse-Vohibasia where, with a little luck, we will be able to see 3 different species of lemurs, including a nocturnal one. We will also see giant baobabs and chameleons. After the visit we arrive in Toulear in 3 hours. In Toulear, after a lunch break, transfer to the airport to catch the domestic flight to the capital. End of our services.
