Explore the Western Part Differently
The west, reached the slow way: three days drifting down the Tsiribihina by boat, nights on sandbanks, then the limestone cathedral of the Tsingy de Bemaraha and the Avenue of the Baobabs at sunset.
What you'll experience
- Three-day descent of the Tsiribihina river
- Camping on river sandbanks, full board on the boat
- Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Manambolo gorges by pirogue
- Kirindy Reserve: fossa and Madame Berthe's mouse lemur
- Sunset at the Avenue of the Baobabs
Three days on the Tsiribihina
The river descent is the heart of this tour. A flat-bottomed boat, a crew, a cook, and 150 kilometres of slow water between gorges and savannah. Nights are spent under canvas on white sandbanks, with dinner cooked on the fire and, in the morning, the Sakalava villages waking up on the banks.
The Tsingy de Bemaraha
Tsingy — the Malagasy word means to walk on tiptoe — are blades of limestone standing up to 100 m high, the remains of an eroded coral plateau. The park is explored through a secured network of suspension bridges, ladders and via ferrata. Good fitness and no fear of heights are required.
Photos from this tour
Your detailed programme
- 1
Arrival Antananarivo
Welcome at Ivato airport, transfer and overnight in the capital.
- 2
Antananarivo – Antsirabe
RN7 through the highlands: rice terraces, brick villages, Antsirabe and its rickshaws.
- 3
Antsirabe – Miandrivazo
Westbound as the landscape turns dry and mountainous. Overnight in Miandrivazo, gateway to the river.
- 4
Tsiribihina river descent
Boarding at Masiakampy. Gorges, waterfalls, villages; first night camping on a sandbank.
- 5
Tsiribihina river descent
A second day on the water: bathing under a waterfall, crocodile and bird watching, baobab-lined banks.
- 6
End of river descent – Bekopaka
Disembark at Belo sur Tsiribihina, then the 4x4 track north to Bekopaka with two river ferries.
- 7
Tsingy de Bemaraha (Bekopaka)
Great Tsingy circuit with via ferrata, then the Little Tsingy and the Manambolo gorges by pirogue.
- 8
Bekopaka – Morondava
Long track back south, arriving at the Avenue of the Baobabs for the golden hour.
- 9
Morondava
Kirindy Reserve day and night walks, or a free day on the Mozambique Channel coast.
- 10
Morondava – Antananarivo
Flight back to the capital, last craft shopping and farewell dinner.
- 11
Departure
Transfer to Ivato airport for your international flight.
- All airport / hotel / airport transfers as per the detailed programme
- Accommodation on a half-board basis throughout the tour
- All visits and entrance fees to national parks and reserves listed in the programme
- One bottle of water per person per day
- An English or French speaking driver-guide
- Tourist taxes
- Full board on the boat during the river descent
- A four-wheel drive from Tana to Masiakampy, then Belo sur Tsiribihina to Morondava, petrol included
- — Drinks
- — Any visit not mentioned in the programme, or taken as an option
- — Domestic flights
- — Comprehensive travel insurance
- — Lunches in hotels
Check availability for this tour
A local English-speaking advisor replies within 24 hours. 100% customizable: dates, accommodations, beach extensions.