March 30th to April 19th 2007
| Madagascar
March 30th to April 19th 2007
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Thanks are due to Gilles Gautier for
some of the rafting photos.
Here are details of the trip with photographs. If you wish to read a diary account made during the trip and used by the travel company (Pioneer Expeditions www.pioneerexpeditions.com ) for a similar trip the following year click here
Left London at 0605 hours for Marseille and then at 1735 took a flight to Antananarivo arriving at 0445 the next day.
On arrival we were met and transferred to Gilles home outside Antananarivo for breakfast before loading the vehicles for our departure.
We drove south along Rte 7 stopping for lunch at Antsirabe and to look at handicrafts at Ambositra. Late in the evening we arrived at Shambavy to stay at Hotel Lac.
Day 3
After a brief time to admire the location of the hotel we were off on the road once more.
Near Ambalavro we visited the Anjaha Lemur Reserve. Here we saw Ring-tailed Lemurs and a Hamercop by the water.
On the road once more and along a track for two hours to reach Antanifotsy where we camped. In the afternoon we walked up Chameleon Peak and arrived back in the dark for a good meal.
Day 4
Drove back to the main road and then on to |Ilakaka for lunch. This town has changed dramatically over the last ten years as Sapphires are being mined in the area. A short way off the main highway brought us to the river where we loaded the boats for our trip down the Benahy River. The water was low so we had to pull the boats for some way before camping on the sandy bank.
Day 5
A little rain during the night A hard day as the rafts had to be pulled for most of the day. Lunch stop brought a crowd of children.
The search for sapphires is either by using a water pump and mining but mostly by sieving the sand at the side of the river.
Day 6
Wind strong and about 40% floating and the rest walking to-day. Sand very soft and walking difficult. The canyon walls were very high, up to two or three hundred feet high.
Day 7
A lot more floating to-day as the water was deeper.
Day 8
Much more water to-day. We bought a piglet from a village but as the boys got 'lost' we had to wait another day for it to be cooked.
Day 9
After a short time of floating we met the Imalato River and started to meet some cataracts up to grade three.
Stopped to visit family smoking eels and bought some. More rapids with some long flat stretches. Storm as we put up the tents.Day 10Day 11
The early morning was misty after the rain.
We stopped to see some recent sapphire mining on the bank. It was run by a co-operative and was a hive of activity.
The raft flipped just before the junction with the Onilahy River on a Grade four cataract. We camped soon after.
Day 12
Soon after leaving this morning we again flipped on a relatively easy rapid (the last of the rapids!) After drifting for three to four hours we reached a beach near a village where Gilles left us while we continued and camped.
Day 13
We left early to-day and rowed for several hours to meet Harry on a beach where we left the boys to continue with the rafts while we drove to Tongobory and on to Belioky.
Day 14
After camping in the grounds of the Department of the Environment in Belioky we drove for 2½ hours through the bush to the Beza Mahafaly Reserve. Here we took a walk to see Ring-tailed lemurs and a nocturnal species, Lepilemur Leucopus or White-footed sportive lemur resting in holes in the trees, Verreaux's Sifakas (white), Paradise Flycatcher, Roller, Cardinals, and millipede amongst the identifiable animals. After driving back to Belioky and searching for diesel oil we continued back to the bridge over the Onilahy River. Here we met the boys and the rafts and camped for the night.
Day 15
It was decided that as the distance to the sea was long and would need much rowing because the flow was slow in places we would drive round to Saint Augustine. We drove via Toliara and along the coast near to a fresh water grotto to camp just before Saint Augustine.
Day 16
In the morning we walked around a peninsular before continuing into Saint Augustine where we met up with the boys and camped on the beach.
Day 17
There was a mix up regarding the transport to our beach resort at Anakao and we finally arrived early afternoon. A delightful place with supper food.
Days 18 to 20
These days were spent visiting an island, Nosy Ve for snorkeling and walking along the beach. Oh and eating far too much splendid fish!
Day 21
Left the beach at 0700 hours for Toliara where we had a long wait for our evening flight to Antananarivo. A short wait and we were off to Marseille. The next morning we had a short wait for our flight to London Gatwick where we arrived at 1030 hours.
