Some time in late 2023, Janet and I are thinking of where to spend Christmas and the New Year. We wanted to stay somewhere in the region around Kenya but to a country where neither of us has been before.
Fast forward. Some days before Christmas and we arrive in the capital of the country we finally decided to visit: Antananarivo. It almost took until the end of the trip to pronounce the name of Madagascar’s biggest city with confidence. Luckily, just saying ‘Tana’ would also always be understood. With Kenya Airways providing a direct 3-hour flight connection from Nairobi, Madagascar seems to be so close, yet the differences to Kenya feel huge. Arriving at the airport, our guide for the next 10 days picks us up: Paul. The next day we start early to get to our first destination, Antsirabe. We drive through vast valleys, mostly covered in leveled rice plantation, it is raining and we spend most of the time staring out of the window, admiring the many tones of green and the colorful brick houses.
The next day we visit the volcanic crater lake Tritriva. After a beautiful hike, we continue the journey to the Ranomafana National Park. We enjoy the thermal pools and – located just below a Lychee tree – also get very fresh snacks from just above. The next day we see the two types of animals Madagascar is most famous for: Lemurs and Chameleons. During a long hike in the park we spotted different varieties of Lemurs and got very excited seeing the first ones. Similar to Kenya and seeing the first Zebras – while after a while you just get used to them. Later that day we find the Parsons chameleon, the biggest of all chameleons.
After two nights, we have another day of drive ahead, going to the Tsaranoro valley. We are well equipped with a basket full of Lychees that we eat in the days to come. During a stop at the Anja Community Reserve, we find (and feed) many more chameleons and get very close to Lemurs. The Tsaranoro valley is impressive, we do some long hikes in the mountains and spend the Christmas days far away from everything.
The next destination is the Canyon of Isalo where we stay in the wonderful Jardin du Roy. We spend some time hiking through the valleys and just enjoying the peace and good food of the Jardin.
After two nights we get back on the road and soon see the first Baobab trees, of which we see more and more the closer we get to the coast and our next destination – Ifaty. We say goodbye to our guide and driver and stay some days enjoying the beach – swimming, snorkeling and eating a lot of fresh fish. The second last day of 2023 we take a flight back to ‘Tana where we find the city very much in a festive state with thousands of people in the streets. We do a bit of sightseeing mostly walking around and enjoying some incredibly good food. After sleeping into the first day of the new year we pack our bags the next morning – just to learn after breakfast that our flight back to Nairobi with Kenya Airways got cancelled. Classic. Luckily we got an alternative with Ethiopian Airlines and find ourselves many hours later finally back home.
Magadascar was an impressive country to travel. We spend roughly 10 days following the Route National 7, leading from the capital to Toliara and the beach. We saw but just a small piece of the country and yet felt like exploring so much. The food with its French influence, the omnipresent agricultural systems, the vast biodiversity, the beautiful landscapes, green rice fields and painted brick buildings, the quickly changing environments with rainforests, valleys, mountains, deserts and coastal regions, the friendliness of the Malagasy people and their super diverse looks – all left us stunned and amazed. The driving obviously takes a good time – but with good company, enough Lychees and the joy of watching out of the window – it wouldnt even feel that long.
kikilian. 