If you think Madagascar is just another part of Africa – think again! Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, broke away from Africa millions of years ago and was uninhabited for millennia. With a coastline lined with coral beaches and lagoons the land rises sharply to a great central plateau that covers most of the island. From temperate highlands to tropical coasts the landscape and scenery is as rich and unique as it’s wildlife. Madagascar’s isolation has allowed many remarkable species to evolve, and there is not a single Madagascan mammal species which can be found in any other place in the world.
To explore it all would take months, so we have created our cycle tour to bring you up close to the essence of what makes Madagascar tick. Starting from the capital of Antananarivo we leave the busy city behind. We ride on remote back roads, visit small towns and rural villages, and discover lemurs, chameleons and more wildlife not found anywhere else on earth. We cross the central highlands, through endemic dry forests, past ancient towering baobab trees and out to the tropical coast overlooking the Mozambique Channel in Morondava. You’ll take a two day riverboat trip through sparsely populated gorges, remote villages and sleeping crocodiles, hike through the incredible Tsingy limestone formations and dine on a mouthwatering mix of Malagasy and French cuisine.
How about a Madagascar & Kenya & Tanzania Combo? Each year our second Madagascar cycle tour times in perfectly with our first Kenya & Tanzania cycle tour – making an awesome Two Trip Combo possible in one flight to Africa.
Start: Madagascar, Antananarivo
Finish: Madagascar, Morondava
Wow – what an incredible two weeks. To be honest we set off for Madagascar with a little bit of trepidation, not quite sure what to expect, suspecting the tour would be different to Kenya/Tanzania. Once we were on the road and after a couple of nights near Ampefy we started to realise there was no use comparing the trips – Madagascar is nothing like the KT tour. The accommodation choices were fantastic – staying two nights at some made it feel like we were on more of a vacation – eating breakfast/dinner at restaurants – all very different to KT and living off “The Beast”.
Though, despite the “luxury” the actual biking was harder than KT and we loved that about the trip too. The first week tends to be a mix of the heat and the “fundulating” rolling countryside making for a challenge (throw in the local traffic and trails to keep you alert while riding). The second week becomes more about the heat and the sandy nature of most roads making for some honest toil at times on the bike – not a complaint at all, we loved what each day threw at us.
Then to add to the enjoyment and the adventure we felt we were on there’s the river cruise, the hike to the bat caves, the ride to the crater lake for a swim, the campfire evenings, the geyser visit, the waterfall swimming and the Tuk-tuk ride to the waterfall outside Ampefy. On to this add the trips to Tsingy and Kirindy and a Michelin starred chef at “Mad Zebu” in Belo-Tsiribihina of all places – how good! Bruce and Clare were 11 out of 10 … superb in their work. Morning and evening briefings set us on our way, they both read the group dynamic well – responding to needs usually before a request or question was asked. Management of riding days (think heat and trail surfaces) was excellent and the admin of each day (think accommodation and meals) was handled with minimal fuss. They’re a great team and we loved getting to know them over the two weeks. The accommodation this trip blew us away – as mentioned earlier making it feel more like a vacation than a bike-packing trip. Obviously the route and off bike activities lend themselves to some two night stays along the way – again another positive for the tour. Hats off to the team driving support. A wonderful team of guys and the second week of the tour showed off their driving skills as they navigated RN8 with it’s mix of water hazards, sand and elephant sized potholes. Out from behind the wheel the guys were good company, chatty and great hosts for both EA and their country. Meals were brilliant – whether it was the lunches/snacks off the support vehicles or the restaurants from town to town. We never went without – always plentiful and so much fabulous local fruit on hand. Great work also on the treated water – much appreciated. Just quite simply we loved it – loved the biking challenges, loved the off-bike activities, the pace of the tour mixed in with the river cruise – and some absolutely mint accommodation along the way. Really hope Madagascar can continue to work for you guys as an offering – more people should go there and discover this epic adventure.
Fab experience, the riding was varied, the country was interesting, the food was good and the group supported each other. Highlights were the riverboat tour and campfire dances, the sunday ride with the local bike club, and learning to bike in sand. The 4WDs were essential, and it was good to have vehicles both in the front (to help with wayfinding and water) and in the back (for those who wanted to take a break). Restaurant food was generally very good (especially the croissants!). The salads at lunch were fantastic – particularly because we generally didn’t eat salads at restaurants. It was great that we treated our own water instead of buying bottles. The trip leaders were very conscious of the need to spread our tourist dollar, and bought fruit etc from small stalls where possible.
Great trip,excellent bikes and servicing,variety of accommodation,one of the wonderful places in the world,top rate leaders with all round ability.
Both guides Bruce and Clare really were outstanding.
Kind and understanding, coped well with plan changes, calm and reassuring.Fun to be with. The vehicles were suitable for the roads and the drivers were very good, both at driving and for giving us information about the country. Food provided by the guides was great and most local food was pretty good. I thought the support was all I needed and more. This extended to even when some of us stayed another day after the trip end.
My wife and I did a memorable cycling tour across Madagascar with Escape Adventures. The organisation was good, the itinerary was well thought out, the tour leaders were top notch and the local support crew terrific. It was fun from start to finish and really was a great adventure. I highly recommend Escape Adventures to anyone.
Well done to the Escape Adventures team! A perfect balance of physical adventure and personal challenge. I never thought I would learn a new sand biking skill at 65 years! Your attention to detail, from Mandy and her super prompt response to emails to Leigh saying ‘have a donut’ with your mid morning roadside coffee, to the reminder from Mushi to ride on the RIGHT side of the road! Ongoing information of the next step in our holiday, individual and team chat, delicious picnic lunches, along with lemur table cloth! Even after the tour was officially finished, Escape Adventures has organised a taxi for us!! Our tour leaders were so conscientious, however giving us independence at the the same time! I was impressed with their care and attention to each individual. I’ll keep spreading the work about you in my Escape Adventures bike shirt! Happy Days!
