Cycling Tours

Duration: 16 Days
Arriving: Antananarivo
Departing: Antananarivo
Cycle from the Malagasy highlands to the south coast of Madagascar and discover the fourth biggest island in the world. Meet local people, learn about their culture and customs, explore fauna and flora and, of course, enjoy your passion, cycling!

DAY 1: ANTANANARIVO

Today is an arrival day. You are free to arrive at any time. Upon arrival in Antananarivo, you will be greeted by your tour manager and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Antananarivo or Tana takes its name from an episode in Malagasy history.

Overnight: Hotel

DAY 2: ANTANANARIVO CITY TOUR AND CYCLING

On foot and with our tour vehicle we do an informative tour around the city. Later we take our bikes and cycle to Ambohimanga, the Blue Hill. The hill is classed as holy, due to the earlier presence of the holy capital of the Merina Kingdom and was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2001.

Continue to Ilafy. On the hill today you can see only the ruins of the priestly Rova.
Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 19 Kilometers
Difficulty: Easy asphalt road with some climbs
Type and conditions of trails: National road to the junction, North-East of the Antananarivo city

DAY 3: ANTANANARIVO -ANTSIRABE

Transfer along the national road to the village of Antanifotsy by car. On the way, we visit an aluminum pot-making factory in Ambatolampy. From Antanifotsy, we ride on the bicycle to continue our journey. Sometimes, the local bike enthusiasts wave to us. At the beginning of our bicycle journey, we drive on a track with fruit trees and rice fields at the edge.

After crossing the track, we will be on the national highway number 7 to reach Antsirabe. Because of its position in the highlands, Antsirabe, 4500ft. above sea level, during its French rule was also a favorite recuperation site.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 52, 9 kilometers
Difficulty: easy track and asphalt road, some easy climbs
Type and conditions of trails: National road from the junction to Antsirabe, North East from the city of Antsirabe

DAY 4: ANTSIRABE –ANDRAIKIBA LAKE - TRITRIVA LAKE -ANTSIRABE

Today we'll take a bike ride. First, we will visit the Andraikiba Lake located at 7 km from Antsirabe; it is a beautiful place to hang out. There are also sellers of semi-precious stones on this site. Lake Andraikiba was also an important center for water sports activities.
After we continued with our bike to reach another lake, more spectacular, and full of myth; it is Tritriva Lake located 11 km south of Andraikiba Lake.

This Crater Tritriva Lake is the most famous in Madagascar, whose water level rises during the dry season and decreases during the rainy season.

To return, after the visit to the two lakes, we will take the car. Arriving at Antsirabe, we'll do the city tour by car; we will also discover the artisans of the city with their finished products.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 18 kilometers
Difficulty: easy asphalt road, gravel path with many climbs
Type and conditions of trails: National road until the junction, West of Antsirabe town

DAY 5: ANTSIRABE-AMBOSITRA

After breakfast, we cycle further south on the hilly road to Ambositra. It is situated 93km from Fianarantsoa, the handicraft capital; the region is best known for its woodwork: sculpture, inlays, and engravings. The Zafimaniry villages, named for the tribe living in the dense, eastern forests, are especially distinctive. Their fine and delicate woodwork has achieved worldwide acclaim.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 93 kilometers
Difficulty: easy asphalt road, a lot of turns and climbs
Type and conditions of trails: National road from Antsirabe to Ambositra

DAY 6: AMBOSITRA - RANOMAFANA

A transfer by our vehicle takes us to the small village of Camp Robin. This is at the village of Camp Robin that we take the bicycle to reach the village of Ranomafana. This path is characterized by turns, climbs, and descents. Along the way, we will pass valleys, villages, and eucalyptus forests. From the village of Ambohimahasoa, there will be a climate change, it is a tropical humid climate. So it may rain on the way. It will be the end of this path there will be a long descent before arriving at our hotel.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 84 kilometers
Difficulty: easy track and asphalt road, some easy climbs and descents, 12 Kilometer descent at the end of the journey
Type and conditions of trails: Narrow national road between Camp Robin and Ranomafana

DAY 7: RANOMAFANA NATIONAL PARK

The national park of Ranomafana is a full forested park (41 601 Ha) classified World Natural Heritage of Atsinanana, located in the East of Fianarantsoa. You can find there the rare and endangered species of Lemurs. The Varibolomena, a diurnal lemur is the best species of the Park with the Grand Hapalemur. The water of the Thermal station of Ranomafana whose sulfur composition is a true therapy for some diseases takes its source in the Park. The relief is hilly and the forest is dense and cut by beautiful cascades.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: break
Difficulty: 2-5 hours walk in the park, depending on the ability of participants
Type and conditions of trails: Visit the Ranomafana National Park

DAY 8: RANOMAFANA –BIKE TOUR TO SAHAMBAVY

We cycle the first km mostly uphill to Andovaka. Then we leave the tarmac and continue off-road. During the trip, we see locals selling piles of sand, gained from the nearby river as well as women weaving baskets. On a good gravel road, we reach our hotel right in the center of a tea-growing area; a tea plantation covering 400 ha.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 70 Kilometers
Difficulty: 12 kilometer climbs in the first route, many turns, track and asphalt road
Type and conditions of trails: National road until the junction, the stony track between the junction to the hotel

DAY 9: SAHAMBAVY – FIANARANTSOA-BIKE TOUR IN AMBALAVAO

After breakfast, we leave our hotel. Possibly, we visit the Sahambavy Tea Estate, the only tea Plantation in Madagascar. After, we cycle through the city of Fianarantsoa which is situated approximately 410 km from Antananarivo before we continue southward to Ambalavao. Fianarantsoa is the capital of the Betsileo ethnic group. The landscape is beautiful with great views of vineyards, terraced rice paddies, and rocky outcrops.

Heading south, Ambalavao is the town by some as “the Southern Gateway”; Betsileo and Bara ethnic groups work together to make “Antaimoro paper”. Overnight stay in Ambalavao, the wine region of Madagascar.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 77 Kilometers
Difficulty: easy asphalt road full of holes from the hotel to the junction, easy asphalt road from the junction until Ambalavao,
Type and conditions of trails: Narrow national road between the junction until Ambalavao with many turns and climbs

DAY 10: AMBALAVAO – ANDRINGITRA

Today we drive bike Ambalavao until Andringitra. Andringitra is situated 47 kilometers south of Ambalavao along the main road n°7, in the Region of Haute Matsiatra. The park shelters the peak at 2658 meters, one of the highest accessible summits of Madagascar. This area is well known for its biodiversity, and endemism.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 47 kilometers
Difficulty: Difficult closely stony track with many ascents, descents, and turns
Type and conditions of trails: stony track between Ambalavao to Andringitra

DAY 11: HIKE IN ANDRINGITRA

For today we let the bicycle. We will do a circuit called "Asaramanitra»; this is a long hike 6-kilometer loop. This circuit can be done in 4 hours with a picnic break; it depends on the physical ability of participants. The Asaramanitra circuit takes you to the foot of the sacred fall Riandahy, 300 meters high.

You will discover its "half" the Riambavy under mist and brilliant water pearls.
You will find the grotto Ijajofo which was a former shelter of dahalo (robber’s zebu).
This tour is ideal for finding more extraordinary species and rare birds, the Lophotibus Cristata.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: break
Difficulty: 4 hours walk in the park, depending on the ability of participants
Type and conditions of trails: Visit the Andringitra National Park

DAY 12: ANDRINGITRA- BIKE TO ANKARAMENA –IHOSY -RANOHIRA

After breakfast, we return by bicycle to Ambalavao to join the national highway going south. With gray mountains and red laterite, the landscape of West America begins to appear. Everything becomes dry. There are many tombs and standing stones on the summits. Discovery of vast steppes conducive to zebu cattle. Small Houses, dry yellow grass, and frequent bushfires appear. The road becomes right. The air becomes hot and dry. We descend to Ankaramena.

After Ankaramena, we take the car to reach Ihosy.

The city serves as a transition between the green highlands of central Madagascar and the dry south. In the afternoon, we cross the vast plate of Horombe to go to Ranohira; those who want to bike can ride the last kilometers to our hotel situated at the foot of the National Park of Isalo.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 187 kilometers
Difficulty: Difficult narrow stony track with many ascents, descents and turns between Andringitra and Ambalavao; easy wide tarred road and straight between Ambalavao and Ranohira with many ascents and descents
Type and conditions of trails: Runway to the first part, wide national road from Ambalavao to Ranohira

DAY 13: RANOHIRA ISALO NATIONAL PARK

Is located in the region of Ihorombe, the massif of Isalo is a plateau of continental sandstone dated Jurassic. With our bike, we'll discover some sites of Isalo National Park with its bizarre rock formations and interesting flora. Strongly eroded and cut by deep canyons of many kilometers in length, the park is an extraordinary ecosystem. It is endemic rupicola vegetation made of aloes, euphorbias, pachypodes, and kalanchoe and grows on exposed sandstone. We also can find there the Maki and the small bird…

We must not forget also the swimwear because we'll visit the natural swimming pool of the National Park of Isalo. It was after this visit that the car was expected at the parking lot to take us to the hotel.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 21 Kilometers
Difficulty: Easy rocky trail with some slopes, turns and descents
Type and conditions of trails: Runway passing in small streams

DAY 14: RANOHIRA-TOLIARA-IFATY

After breakfast, we continue our bike trip until lunchtime, then the rest of the day by car. In the afternoon, we arrive at Toliara, the capital of the southwestern region of Madagascar. The South offers striking images of light and shadows, of people and their villages, of landscape, of plants, of spiny forests, of pale colors and dry smell. Stay 2 nights in Ifaty for relaxing and swimming, on the beach.

Overnight: Hotel
Km of cycling: 108 Kilometer
Difficulty: Easy wide tarred road and straight with slight ascents and descents.
Type and conditions of trails: National Road

DAY 15: IFATY

Free day
Overnight: Hotel

DAYS 16: IFATY –TULEAR AIRPORT- ANTANANARIVO

Transfer to Toliara Airport and return flight to Antananarivo. Our agent with the car will wait for you at the airport in Antananarivo. It will take you back to your hotel for the day's use. Depending on the arrival time of the flight from Tulear, it will be possible to go to the craft village: the big traditional market of Antananarivo. You will find all gathered Malagasy crafts. And at the end of the afternoon, you'll have time to prepare your luggage at the hotel restaurant quietly. You will be able to have a shower and change to be more comfortable for your journey home.

You'll also take your dinner before your transfer to the airport provided by our agent who will assist you until your registration is completed.

And it's the end of our services. Our team wishes you a pleasant journey and hopes to see you soon discover another facet of Madagascar.
Day use: Hotel Veloma!