Madagascar - July 2019

Johannesburg - Besagnatry

Day 1 & 2:  A 40-minute speedboat ride from Nosy Be to Ambanja was followed by a 7-hour 4X4 trip where we shared the very bad road with pedestrians, cyclists, tuk tuks, cows, motorbikes and tractors.  In Mevadoany we met our 6 porters, guide and cook as well as Hennie and Penny (the chickens that were going to summit with us~!). 

Hennie, our chicken that hiked with us
Our official 179 km hike to the highest peak in Madagascar started with a river-crossing.  Not long afterward, Hennie and Penny came flying past on the back of a motorbike.  Ten minutes later Brina - one of our porters followed suit.  He reeked of alcohol and obviously thought he had a faster way of getting to the first village, since he was already in the party mood.  We came across several snakes, birds and chameleons on our way and it was pure magic hiking through the forest. We spend our first night sharing a room with a local family in Besagnatry.


Besagnatry - Maroamalona

Day 3 & 4:  Cecile woke up shouting after she dreamt that I had poked her with my hiking sticks, so it took a while for the camp to settle down.  At 6:30 we started our 4-hour (quite hectic!) hike, followed by lunch that lasted 3 hours.  Afterward we hiked for another hour.  I was covered with insect bites and I dreadfully discovered  that my insect repellent has expired 16 years ago! 
Bundu bashing
So there we were at 18:00...  in the dark...  in a forest next to a river with the insects, birds and bats making magical sounds.  Things could not get better in Africa!


Maroamalona - Ampanihy

Day 5:  Cecile unveiled her hiking sticks and except for poking Jock (our very introverted local guide) on the butt several times she managed fine.  Jock did not speak a word of English and whenever we did something that could endanger ourselves, he would grunt.  Once he was rambling away in Malagasia unaware that Cecile was behind him. When she started speaking Afrikaans to him, he turned around with a huge grin on his face.

Once in Ampanihy, the village we were going to spend the evening, we raced down to the river for a quick wash before the village children could follow.  I forgot to grab my soap so had to use the cold water Omo I had with me.  On our return we were met by at least 15 kids and some grown-ups - all staring at us.
A little girl in Ampanihy
Cecile performed a cross between a Zulu dance and ballet and they cracked themselves up.  For the next two hours we were followed everywhere.  By 16:30 I crawled into my tent to escape the staring eyes of the villagers and dogs. When the food arrived I grabbed my plate underneath the tent flap. Cecile was a lot braver - she kept on reading and just gave a grin every now and then.
When we discussed possible ablutions facilities the cow camp was mentioned.  Cecile choked on her rice and I had to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre - and almost dislocated her shoulder in the process...


Ampanihy – Ampitsojovana

Day 6 & 7: It was a pretty steep hike through the forest/bushes where Jock had to chop open a path for us. The porters were in an exceptional mood calling out 'haka!'.  Someone would then reply with a loud 'yaya!.  We joined in - much to their amusement.  They did get a bit boisterous but Cecile moved them to the front to help open the path and they were quieter - but only for a while...  Once at the camping spot they performed the "Zulu-cross-ballet" dance for us. The wind started to howl and we all got into bed early - freezing!

Spectacular!
Summit day

Day 8: It was absolutely freezing but our hike started at 7:30 - with a steep uphill.  For the next 3 hours I was huffing and puffing.  Once on top the porters took Hennie and Penny and whilst they were performing their ritual, Cecile and myself enjoyed the spectacular view. Then we were called and much to our relief, Hennie and Penny looked a bit dazed, but was very much alive!  

On top of Madagascar's highest peak!

After taking some pictures of the team at the, more pictures and more laughter, we tackled the extremely steep slopes.  7 Hours and 20 km later, I could wash off the sweet.  I managed to wash my clothes in our lunch box. It was another day for me where I was not just surviving...  I was living!


Ampitsojovana - Ampanihy

Day 9: The amazing stars made up for the freezing cold after we summited Maramokotra.  Then, too soon, it was time to head back.  Some serious steep, slippery and at some stages exposed downhills followed. Luckily there were no serious falls and no one lost any teeth. After 6 hours of mainly bundu bashing I should have felt grateful for being exfoliated by the bushes but instead I felt vulnerable and bruised.  My nose was blocked due to a cold so I was huffing and puffing more than usual!  Whilst going up another steep mountain I was attacked by a vicious swarm of midgets.  They were relentless and I was forced to put my buffy over my face after I've swallowed the 4th one. Needless to say I was sweating profusely trying to breathe.  In Ampaniya we were welcomed like family and could escape into our tents for a quick cup wash before entertaining the children.

Cats, dogs, chickens, children ... all at peace

Ampaniha – Ambatobe

Day 10:  A hectic 7-hour hike over hills and valleys followed, but I considered myself lucky since I only swallowed one insect!

One of several chameleons we saw in Madagascar

Ambatobe – Besagnatry Hely

Day 11:  Our tents were still wet with dew when we started our 3-hour hike at 8:00.  Lunch lasted for about 3 hours, which gave me enough time to wash my dirty smelly clothes.


Besagnatry Hely - Mevadoany

Day 12:  It was quite a long days' hike and all the worrying about no ablution bushes close to the village turned out to be unnecessary.  I have limited my water intake which left me seriously dehydrated.  Once back in Mevadoany I had a warm bath in a cup of water before entertaining the children.  The porters joined in the fun and by 20:00 we were all ready to crawl into our tents sharing the space with a family. We did not get a lot of sleep though. The neighbours (a mere 1m away) played loud music, a puppy howled for hours,  one of two chickens fell from the roof, the granny was snoring, the baby was crying...  and it was extremely stuffy in the room!  But all was well in Africa!


Mevadoany - Antsirasira

Day 13:  Everyone (except for me) was on a mission to get back to ‘civilization”.  Trying to take a break longer than 10 minutes was out of the question. We had a nice surprise when Nanciane (our touring company agent) welcomed us with an omelette before we crossed the last river.  A bumpy and dusty stretch followed.  When we arrived in Antisarira we were pleased that we stayed in a very cosy place.

Hugging one of the beautiful trees in the forest
Nosy Be

Day 14 - 16:  The following three days were spent walking on the beach, accompanied by packs of friendly dogs and swimming with tortoises!  

Swimming with giant tortoises 
Madagascar is the 50th African country that I have visited, and upon returning to sunny South Africa, I can confirm that Madagascar definitely ranks in the the top 5!

Life is tough in Africa


The end of a perfect trip