Madagascar Overland

An article describing the overland journey from the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, through the highlands, to the southwest coast

Pick up any Madagascar guide book and you'll soon gather that the 'RN7" route from Antananarivo down to the south-west coast makes for the most popular overland journey in the 'World out of Time'. Guidebook author DEREK SCHUURMAN did the trip.
Photos: Adrian Deneys & others

An edited version of this article appeared in the Interair inflight magazine, Vol 2, issue 3.

Here is an offbeat and adventure-filled idea for your next holiday: an overland adventure from Antananarivo ('Tana'), Madagascar's centrally situated capital, to the island's sunny south-west coast. In 10 - 14 days, it is possible to take in a fair sample of Madagascar's diversity: bleak highlands, wild rainforests, deep canyons, sweeping beaches and mind-boggling coral reefs. This journey will also bring you into close contact with Malagasy people and a variety of animal and plant oddities.

After leaving the chaos of bustling Antananarivo, your first major stop along the RN7 road will be Antsirabe (169 km = 3 hours drive southwards), a floriferous town which once was a spa centre in colonial times. Scenery there is typically 'Hauts Plateaux' - green hills checkered with rice paddies and hamlets of red brick houses featuring distinctly Medieval-styled architecture. The local people - Merina and Betsileo - closely resemble their Indonesian forbears, who arrived only 2000 years back by means of primitive outriggers. Antsirabe, a pleasant place to explore, is perhaps best known for two nearby volcanic lakes, Tritriva and Andraikiba, which epitomise the weirdness of 'things Malagasy'. Here's why: in the dry season, when most waterbodies tend to decrease in volume, the water level actually rises in these lakes. And in the wet months, when normal waterbodies increase, the levels of these lakes decrease. 'Bizarre', you might comment. But then so much in Madagascar is just that. Oh and while in town, be sure to stop by at the quaint bar, The Philosophical Zebu, most amusing for its ceramic models of Zebu cattle wearing either sleazoid sunglasses or intellectual reading specs.

Passing through this part of the Highlands in winter months (June to August, and even as late as October), you may well witness a famadihana or bone turning ceremony happening in the countryside. The Malagasy are renowned for these exhumation ceremonies, during which remains of a departed relative are removed from the tomb. Amid much celebrating, attendants speak to the corpse, dance with it and carry it around the tomb, afterwards wrapping it in a new shroud before replacing it in the tomb. Note that while certain families welcome vazaha (tourist) participation, others may feel quite the opposite.

The Route Nationale 7 (RN7) road is in good shape from Antananarivo, through Antsirabe and all the way down to Fianarantsoa, Madagascar's centre for wine and tea production. Your choice of accommodation in 'Fianar' is either the charming Tsara Guesthouse, or the rather unique, Chinese temple-like Hotel Soafia. Either way, management at Tsara Guesthouse are always able to help visitors get to the main tourist attraction in the area, Ranomafana National Park.

A 2-hour drive east of Fianarantsoa by deeply rutted road, Ranomafana's wild upland rainforest first sprang into prominence in the 1980's because 12 species of lemur find sanctuary there. This was where the striking Golden bamboo lemur was discovered in 1986 by primatologists Patricia Wright and Bernard Meier. Ranomafana is one of only two places where you can see all three of the Bamboo lemurs (hapalemurs) - the critically endangered Greater broadnosed bamboo lemur; the Golden bamboo lemur and the widespread Grey bamboo lemur. It isn't unusual to encounter five or more species of lemur during a single day's exploring there. But be prepared: the rainfall is high and the slopes often steep and muddy. That said, the park has a fine trail network and local guides, generally, are very good.

Many people have heard stories about the legendary roads in Madagascar. The last 30 km to Ranomafana will give you a fair introduction to this phenomenon. Some months prior to my visit, a landslide had occurred along that road. But I was confident that the situation would have been sorted out... Rounding the last, rainforest-clad slope, we were greeted by what can only be christened 'Grand Mud Chasm', through which a bulldozer was towing vehicles. Eventually, after waiting in a queue, our bus was towed across, with much help from a number of cheerful Malagasy, who were pushing the heavier vehicles through the deepest mud.

What we saw in Ranomafana, however, more than made up for the drama involved in getting there. The park's trails include several wonderful half-day walks, to picturesque places like Belle Vue viewpoint and the waterfall Cascade del Riana. Besides the lemurs - many of which are habituated and allow a close approach - expect to see birds and reptiles galore in summer months. In spring and early summer (September to December), visiting birders are in for a serious OOE (Orgasmic Ornithological Experience in Birder-speak). Rarities that are often seen, include brown mesite, pittalike and rufous-headed ground-rollers; velvet asity, wattled sunbird-asity, yellow-browed oxylabes, grey-crowned greenbul and Pollen's vanga. The point is, Ranomafana is a birding destination of note.

From Fianarantsoa (south-eastern escarpment), to the Isalo Mountains (central south-western interior), the RN7 road is in need of some upgrading. Depending on the vehicle you're travelling in, this leg can take from 6 - 15 hours. Or more. Understand that in Madagascar, the more severe a breakdown is, the more entertaining the situation is perceived as and the more ingenious the methods of repair are employed. As it happens, our bus had a faulty battery and we were precariously low on fuel. A stop at the remote outback town of Ihosy (a strange place, which is the 'capital' of the Bara tribe) failed to elicit help and the sole fuel station was out of supplies. We were forced to press on for our destination, the Isalo Mountains, where we were expected at a hotel called Relais de la Reine at 7pm.

By 10 pm, we were still hurtling along and our bus's lights had dimmed progressively, thanks to a faulty battery. In icy rain, our ever-resourceful driver flagged down a passing bush taxi (taxi-brousse) and we followed it slowly, using its headlights as a guide. As I stood up in the middle of the bus to stretch my legs, we hit a ditch and I fell face first into the crotch of German travel agent Eva, the one person in the group who just did not like me. I tried to jolt back up, but the second ditch in rapid succession, had me grabbing her buttocks in order to stabilise. It was midnight when eight weary troopers clocked in at the hotel, Madagascar's top, top country hotel and crashed.

Isalo National Park reminds many of Arizona's canyons: sandstone formations are cut by deep, winding canyons, through which idyllic streams flow. Appropriately, one of these is called L'Oasis. Hotel Relais de la Reine d'Isalo is, as I mentioned, one of Madagascar's most impressive country hotels. Solid chalets are blended into the mountains and the main complex houses a large, elegantly decorated restaurant, bar and reception area. Solar power is utilised and, if a guest is lost in the mountains, a search party is dispatched immediately. Cuisine and service are top flight, thanks to the hotel proprietor, Gilbert Golombier, and his family. Isalo attracts largely hiking enthusiasts, as it is not a wildlife hotspot. You will, however, see things like the dumpy 'elephants foot' pachypodiums on the cliffs and, at the hotel, the rare Benson's rock-thrush. In the park, in a canyon known as Canyon des Singes, ringtail lemurs and Verreaux' sifakas are resident. So lemur watchers can indeed have their obligatory 'fix' of these charming primates.

The final 4-hour stretch from Isalo mountains to Tulear (south-west coast) features several stops. First is Zombitse Forest, now a new national park. For nature enthusiasts (especially birders), Zombitse is a delightful venue. You'll be spoilt for choice here, with 'specials' like giant and olive-capped couas, various vangas and local raptors, appearing ever so often. Most visitors try to spot Zombitse's star attraction, the Appert's greenbul. Discovered around 30 years ago by a priest, this bird has never been found anywhere other than in the 21 000 ha Zombitse and the neighbouring Vohibasia Forest. Because Zombitse straddles the RN7 road, it is quite easy to explore, but there is a serious need for paths to be created. Lack of administration in the area is resulting in frequent complaints from visitors, who are not certain where and how permits should be obtained. Zombitse has no facilities at the time of writing, so can only be visited as a stop by people travelling between Isalo and Tulear.

Two hours' drive after Zombitse, you'll arrive at Andranovory village, near which are some of Madagascar's most impressive and accessible burial tombs. The tombs built by the Southern tribes (Mahafaly, Antandroy and Masikoro) are the most ornate and, if culture is what you're keen on, Andranovory is the place to see. On the tombs, colourful paintings depict memorable scenes from the lives of those interred there. Topping the tombs are wooden stelae called aloalo, along with horns of the near-sacred Zebu cattle.

Balmy breezes wafting distinctly salty air mean you're about to reach the south-west coast, an hour after leaving Andanovory. Tulear, although a dilapidated, dusty and seemingly drab settlement, is intriguing. I can't think of any other place in Madagascar where so many tribes are aggregated - besides the Antandroy and Mahafaly, there are Veso people, Masikoro and. to the north, the mysterious bush-dwelling Mikea. The people of the dry south or androy differ from all other Malagasy in that they do not cultivate rice. Instead, they plant meagre crops of melons, maize, cassava and millet. For a fascinating glimpse into the lives of these people, try to visit the little cultural museum run by the University of Tulear. Here you can see rare artifacts, like rather grizzly black magic fetishes used by the Mikea; masks with real human teeth and hair; erotic carvings of the Menabe Sakalava and tomb replicas.

Active travellers spending a night in Tulear can visit Madagascar's best-known nightclub, the 'Zaza Club'. Getting there is part of the fun: taxis cannot operate after 10pm in Tulear, but the club only opens after 11 pm. So, you have to use rickshaws, or pousse-pousse as these are called in Madagascar. (The rickshaw pilots know this, so they hang around outside the hotels, hawking business).

Most people come to Tulear for the beach and reef areas 30 km to the north, Ifaty and 30 km to the south, St Augustin Bay. At these places - both accessed by rough dirt roads - seaside hotels offer marvellous scuba diving and snorkelling excursions. One of the world's largest barrier reefs runs all the way around the south-west Malagasy coastline. At both Ifaty and St Augustin Bay, the bizarre local bush, known as the 'spiny forest', offers superb birding. (Both places are included in all birding tour itineraries for Madagascar).

Most hotels in Ifaty and St Augustin Bay, arrange day trips to Nosy Ve, a marine reserve islet where snorkelling is simply phenomenal. (But divers should stick to Ifaty, as there one finds much more in the way of larger fish.) On scrub-covered and sun-baked Nosy Ve, a breeding colony of graceful red-tailed tropic-birds attracts many visitors. These beautiful seabirds are protected by a strong local fady or taboo, because when the islet was set alight once, the ground-nesting tropic-birds were mysteriously left unscathed.

While my companions were snorkelling, I searched for the tropic-bird nesting sites. I couldn't believe it when I found one of them, sitting quite still on its eggs under a small bush. For about 5 minutes, I stood staring at the bird, which actually features a delicate salmon-pink wash over its white plumage. Its mate, however, was not impressed. The slut dive-bombed me persistently, until I beat a hasty retreat into the sea. Nosy Ve proved to be the perfect end to our overland trip and the reasons for the long-standing popularity of the RN7 became quite clear after having experienced it first-hand.