©
Servane Rigault
Madagascar Travel Guide
©
Servane Rigault
However beautiful it may be, few are those who attempt this adventure... Cape Masaola peninsula totally lacks any roads and is only accessible on foot - only athletic and motivated hikers (are you among them?) will dare defy the humid climate and undertake to cross it.
Yet, with a little-explored tropical forest which shelters unique wildlife, this is the opportunity to come across lemurs in their natural habitat and to discover a marine reserve which ensures not only the protection of the mangroves and lagoon, but also of all the animals that inhabit it (dolphins, turtles and whales).
A choice of several trekking routes are open to you, with guides and porters. With only three days of effort, you will visit the Bevontsira Falls and admire the forest landscapes and rice paddies. Or, by choosing the option that leads to Cap Est, make an incursion into the primary forest to observe the ecosystems of the park, on condition that you have an extra four days available (three days of walking and one day in a pirogue). Or better still, take the long route along the coast, for a 10-day trek with its promise of exotic encounters at world's end....
On this difficultly accessible peninsula, sometimes called the Vanilla, Rosewood, Cyclone or Pirate Coast, the Betsimsaraka coastal people live in harmony with the harvests, between the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean and the intense shades of green of the primary forest.
For the greater enjoyment of your senses, the terrain alternates between luxurious landscapes and unique encounters in a peaceful country setting, between the bush and the ocean. Sometimes the trail stops before a river or a sea inlet. Traditional pirogues are there to ferry you between the two shores.
A region that lacks any infrastructures but is gorged with exceptional natural resources, the coast which links Maroantsetra with Antalaha offers more than one stopover amid the island fragrances...
Follow the winding coastal trail, letting yourself be guided by the sweet scent of fruit and exotic smells to discover a jealously guarded secret. Through the clove trees and fields of pineapples, the bush landscape sometimes gives way to crops and plantations. The fruit trees form an endless, lush and generous hedge along the trail.
The trail also goes through many villages, multiplying the opportunities for new encounters. The general nonchalance will transport you to another time: "mora-mora", when the present time is king.
In these villages, the women are eternally busy weaving wicker or sorting vanilla in the shade of lush trees and verandas, while the children run in the footsteps of the occasional trekkers. Opportunities to participate in a ceremony are not lacking, be it for the visit of the Bishop of Diego - who ensures religious services in the bush in the southernmost point of north-east Madagascar - or the preparations for the turning of the bones ( the famadihana. )
The welcome is no less enthusiastic and spontaneous during the musical events and the "dust balls" improvised in the bush, bringing together a whole village in a hearty demonstration of conviviality. However, one of my most magical memories is the morning sighting of a ballet of whales, when the exceptional light gave the scene an almost unreal, timeless atmosphere!
At the approach of Antalaha, the end of the trek, the unique smell that exudes from the trails lined with fragrant plantations suddenly, alas, seems very distant. A page is turned and the adventure is well and truly over...
