Trekking Tour Madagascar - 9 nights

Tsaranoro Valley - Andringitra Mountains - Andasibe National Park

1st Day: Germany - Milan - Antananarivo (Tana)

Connecting flight from all German Alitalia departure airports (e.g. Munich) to Milan. Around 6:55 pm non-stop to Madagascar with the modern Boeing 767-300 of Air Madagascar.

2nd Day: Arrival in Tana
Around 5:50 am you will arrive in the capital of Madagascar where you will be welcomed by your driver who will take you to Hotel Royal Palissandre in the city centre.

3rd Day: Tana - Fianarantsoa - Tsara Camp in the Tsaranoro Valley
Connecting flight to Fianarantsoa. Welcome and transfer to the Tsara Camp.

The elderly of the village tell the story that the name Tsaranoro originated at around 1820. During the fights of the Betsileo people versus the Merina people (who wanted to overthrow the neighbouring kingdoms) King Sahanambo fled in the nearby highlands to escape from the intruders. He found a cave, large enough to home him and his closest followers. Out of security reasons he barricated the entrance with stones for several months until food supplies ran short. There was no other chance of survival than trying to obtain provisions in the valley. To avoid raising suspicion with the Merina people, the king decided to send his two sisters Ratsara and Ranoro to organise food supplies. The cave was opened to let them out and carefully closed after them. The sisters descended to the valley and found the necessary provisions without problems. Thus, they returned a lot earlier than expected and found the cave still blocked. They shouted and knocked, but nobody opened. They had enough food to eat but nothing to drink. Therefore they had to eat uncooked rice and became weaker from day to day until they finally died of thirst. A few days later, when the king opened the cave, he found the two sisters dead. In honour of Ratsara and Ranoro the king named the highest rock "Tsaranoro" and the three rocks on the left "Vatovoarindrina", which means closed stone gates. Since those times it is fady (taboo) to talk in the sacred forest about the Merian people on the fringes of Tsaranoro.

Tsara Camp

The Tsara Camp offers perfect comfort in completely secluded settings. It is not necessary to be very sporty to enjoy your stay at the Tsara Camp. However, more demanding tours are also offered. Tents/Accommodation: 10 twin tents, each with a floor space of 16 m², headroom 1,90 m. Maximum capacity is 20 persons. Each tent has two simple beds, bedside-table and possibility to hang up clothes. Each tent has a private bathroom unit with hot water, a chemical toilet and wash basin. Lighting is provided by storm lanterns and candles.
Restaurant: At the centre of the camp a 90 m² tent includes a restaurant, relaxing and sitting area, which offers unlimited filtered water, tea, coffee and an always filled fruit basket.
A very full breakfast is served from 7:00 to 8:30 am to help keep you fit throughout the day, especially for those who are planing hikes and excursions. Beverages include tea, coffee and hot chocolate and are served with toasted bread, butter, jam, honey, nut-chocolate cream, peanut butter, cheese, sausage, eggs and Malagasy specialties.
Lunch is served in the camp from 12:30 to 2:00 pm and includes a selection of delicious salad, cheese, fish and fresh fruit. For full day excursions with a picnic, sandwiches, cheese, eggs, tomatoes and fresh fruit are prepared.
Dinner is a complete menu including starter, main dish and dessert. Please inform us in advance if you prefer vegetarian food. The cooking is simple but rich in taste and offers the chance to experience the Malagasy food culture.

General information: By a 4-wheel truck it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes for the 10 kilometres between the village of Vohitsoaka and Tsara Camp. The truck is stationed at the camp and can transport up to 20 passengers with luggage.
What to bring? Trainers, but ideally trekking boots, warm pullovers for the cold winter nights (June-September), sun-glasses, hat, drinking bottle and a torch.
What is provided? Towels, sheets, mosquito spirals, binoculars and a small medical kit.

Easy trekking tours:
We offer excursions of different levels of difficulty and duration, accompanied by guides who are familiar with the area. Most hikes are easy and on even grounds and paths through villages and the sacred forest, where lemurs can be found.

Marimiandra Tour
This is an easy half-day trekking tour but which requires good sturdy trekking boots. The variation in elevation is about 100 m. We recommend that you bring at least 1.5 litre drinking water per person, sun protection, swimsuit and sun hat. The walk starts at Tsara Camp at around 8:00 am in the direction of the sacred forest for about 30 minutes. While slowly crossing the forest you can hear and observe lemurs along the way. It is not easy to take photos unless you have a zoom as these animals are not tame. You can also find traditional graves of the Bara people. At the peak you will have an amazing view of the valley. The decent along a stream leads to a natural swimming pool surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. The return route leads through the friendly village of Soavahiny where a traditional blacksmith workshop can be visited. You will be back at the camp in time for lunch at around 12 o'clock. In case you wish to stay longer at the natural swimming pool, just ask Ramon or Barnabas to prepare a picnic basket for you.

Visit of traditional villages
An easy tour where you will get to know the inhabitants of the valley, customs and traditions of this secluded part of Madagascar. An early morning 1,5 hours walk from Tsara Camp leads through the valley in the direction of Morarano. You will meet women carrying their babies on their backs and men with "Angady" (spades) on their way to the fields, as well as many children cheerfully greeting you with a "Salut Vazaha!". A World Wildlife Federation office is located in Morarano and plays a very important role in this area. The school is also very interesting: a very young teacher is completely dedicated to her profession and teaches the children reading and writing skills. Due to the isolated location of the valley, teachers are very hard to find. Therefore, only two schools exist in the area of Morarano and Vohitsoaka. The hike continues along the Sahanambo River to the village of Andasy at the foot of the Andringitra mountain. While walking through the village you will become familiar with the life of a Malagasy village and its typical Zebu enclosures made of thick wood branches. The returning part of the trekking tour, leading through rice fields, should bring you back in time for lunch. For this trek you need light trainers, drinking water, hat and sun glasses, as well as a swimsuit and towel in case you want to take a swim. We recommend this tour to every hiker who wants to enjoy a day meeting local people and farmers who live in harmony with the seasons.

Intensive hike to the highlands of Tsaranoro
For the more adventurous hikers tours to the highlands of Tsaranoro are available. These hikes which follow a narrow canyon with lush vegetation require good quality trekking boots. A fantastic panoramic view of the great south awaits you at the peak.

Houra Avaratra Tour
Here solid shoes are recommended, however not necessarily trekking boots. From the camp it is a 1-hour tour along rice fields and a steep ascending slope to the peak of this height. The descent will take you through a small forest where eight Ring Tailed Lemurs are living. You should start very early in the morning, because that is the time when these lemurs are most active, while later they are more difficult to spot as they spend most of their time in the trees. You can also visit two caves where lemurs shelter during the rainy season. In the past, the caves were used by the Betsileo people hiding from King Radama and his followers who where conquering the area at the time. The 1-hour descent offers many beautiful views of rice fields and surrounding villages.

Langela (Chameleon) Tour
This strenuous trekking tour is for those who loves physical exercise. Solid trekking boots is a must as well as sun protection, hat, sun glasses and plenty of drinking water. A the steep ascent from the camp takes between 2 and 3 hours. The mountain resembles a giant chameleon. The difficult last part of the ascent does not require special climbing equipment, but hikers should have no fear of heights. At the peak you can enjoy a lunch picnic with a panoramic view of the Tsaranoro Valley, Tsara Camp and the southern slopes. On the descent which will take about 1,5 to 2 hours you will discover various plants typical to the region such as Euphorbia, Pachypodium Rosulatum or Elephant's Foot, Aloe and Kalanchoe.

4th Day: Begin of the 4-Day Pic Boby Trekking

Part of the Andringitra Mountains, Pic Boby with its 2.658 m peak is the second highest mountain of Madagascar and offers some of the best trekking on the island. This tour is suited for well-trained hikers and of course solid trekking boots are necessary.
We leave Tsara Camp early in the morning, cross the Tsaranoro Valley, and ascend to "Dondy" in the direction of Antanifotsy Valley. This trek takes 6 hours and ascend 1.100 m in altitude. Close by Andringitra National Park tents are set up for the night. Picnic lunch, dinner and tents are included.

5th Day:
After an early breakfast we hike to the impressive Zamandao waterfalls in the Andringitra National Park. We continue the hike to the plateau. The path is bad and partly very difficult. It is a 6-hour hike with a difference of 800 m in altitude. Picnic lunch and dinner are included. The tents are set up at an altitude of about 2.400 m. The winter nights between June and September can get quite cold.

6th Day:
This is your great day! You start ascend to the peak of Pic Boby early in the morning. After a lunch on the peak you will hike back to the middle plateau, where a gorgeous view of Andringitra National Park awaits you. A difference in altitude of 400 m covers rough paths and takes 5 to 6 hours. Camping at the plateau. Full board meals are included.

7th Day:
Early in the morning the tour continues on a rough path in the direction of Morarano and throughout a valley until after 6 hours we reach Tsara Camp.

8th Day: Drive to Fianarantsoa
A private car will transport you to Madagascar's second largest city, where accommodation is provided by Tsara Guest House.

9th Day: Fianarantsoa - Antsirabe
On the way to Antsirabe we recommend a visit to the wood-carving workshop in Ambositra. Accommodation is provided in Hotel Arotel.

10th Day: Antsirabe - Andasibe National Park
Today you will visit the Andasibe National Park. In its extraordinary lush rainforest you can spot various groups of Indri Indri - the largest living lemur. Day and night walks are possible throughout the national park. Overnight stay is provided at the Vakon Forest Lodge.

11th Day: Flight back to Tana
Around 11 pm flight via Milan (arrival at 8 am) and back to Germany.

12th Day: Arrival in Germany (e.g. Munich) around noon.