Maroantsetra Antalaha trek around the Masoala peninsula

THIS WALK IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY

DAY 1

• start at 10am
• start at Tampolodge walking through secondary forest
• trail alternates between beach and trees
• trees form a constant green tunnel
• endless natural beaches: picture perfect unspoiled with virtually no interference of human activities
• after about 2 hours reaching the village... : about 400 people living there, school, small medical centre, inhabitants are fishermen and live stock as well as rice farmers, 2-3 shops (last shops before todays end of walk), had lunch there
• 1 hour walk continues to an eco lodge in a bay with yet another beautiful beach, lodge is completely isolated, starts at 150,000 Ariary (2015), sunset, aye aye in the night
• step counter at 20.89km (3 hrs / 17415 steps)

S 15°43.964'
E049°57.549'

S 15°44.573'
E049°58.068'

S 15°45.581'
E049°59.211'
15m elevation

Marofototra (name = many sticks)
10330 steps
S 15°45.920'
E049°59.779'

river crossing by foot
S 15°47.022'
E050°00.759'

lodge
S 15°47.133'
E050°01.044'
8m elevation

DAY 2

• start 5:15am
• walk along the bay until 2 bigger river crossings, thereafter starts the National Park
• endless partly steep up and down through the primary rain forest with countless small river crossings (minimum 7 hours in the forest)
• amazing soundkulisse: birds, water streams, rain, shouting lemurs
• we saw red ruffed lemur, brown lemur, short legged ground warbler
• after leaving the forest comes a very muddy 2 hours walk along rice fields until reaching Ratranavona (3:15pm)
• small village with a shop, bar with attached cinema (Saturday at 9pm, 300 Ariary)
• behind the bar are 2 rooms in a separate building for rent: very simple with a mattress straight on the floor and "not recommendable" shower/toilet (5,000 Ariary in 2015)

river crossing
S 15°47.684'
E050°01.125'

S 15°48.337'
E050°01.643'
17m elevation

7376 steps
S 15°48.779'
E050°02.102'
15m elevation

Isava river
8884 steps
S 15°49.154'
E050°02.216'

mountain top
12329 steps
S 15°49.824'
E050°02.784'
185m elevation

Manteraely (rest point)
13906 steps
S 15°50.055'
E050°03.082'
207m elevation

picnic
16440 steps
S 15°50.525'
E050°03.323'
107m elevation

mud trail (after forest?)
19210 steps
S 15°51.244'
E050°03.482'
98m elevation

21019 steps
S 15°51.656'
E050°03.600'
155m elevation

22837 steps
S 15°52.112'
E050°03.755'
118m elevation

rice field
23945 steps
S 15°52.337'
E050°03.812'
29m elevation

rice
26453 steps
S 15°52.347'
E050°03.823'
22m elevation

29230 steps
S 15°53.490'
E050°04.048'
21m elevation

30569 steps
S 15°53.824'
E050°03.962'
25m elevation

village
S 15°54.026'
E050°03.888'
22m elevation

Ratranavona
34004 steps
S 15°54.160'
E050°03.912'
22m elevation

DAY 3

• starting at 5:30am in Ratranavona with a river crossing behind the village
• passing several fishing villages
• many wonderful idyllic beaches with granite formations
• only two smaller mountains today
• arriving 4pm in Vinanivao (50376)
• long stretched village, private school, many small shops and market stalls selling all kind of needy things (food, cloth, mobile phones, hardware)
• very basic accommodation available directly at the harbour, but better choice is 10 min walk outside the village along the road to Antalaha: 10 bungalows, shared cold water shower/toilet, 10,000 Ariary (2015)
• from here transport via motorcycle available (moto rapid) - towards direction Antalaha, usually 3 people on one bike
• saying good bye to Claudio

houses next bay
S 15°54.925'
E050°04.440'

beach again
6038 steps
S 15°55.533'
E050°05.109'

fishermen beach
10931 steps
S 15°55.920'
E050°06.284'
11m elevation

best football field
S 15°56.185'
E050°06.969'
4m elevation

Namantoana
13928 steps
S 15°56.197'
E050°07.116'
12m elevation

Fambotape oder Fampotabe
17621 steps
9am
S 15°56.205
E050°08.328
8m elevation

Antezampafana
crossing Masoala peninsula
S 15°56.757
E050°09.125'
15m elevation

Ambodikily
25201 steps
S 15°57.257'
E050°10.638'
37m elevation

Beankora
lots os shells
29259 steps S 15°57.245' E050°11.973' 16m elevation

National Park area (walk through) S 15°57.267' E050°12.800' 26m elevation

mangroves 32555 steps S 15°57.275' E050°12.918' 24m elevation

small village 35558 steps S 15°56.462' E050°13.778' 12m elevation

Antanambo 37300 steps S 15°56.132' E050°14.348' 12m elevation

??? S 15°54.910' E050°14.600' 12m elevation

??? S 15°53.323 ' E050°15.845' 19m elevation

46083 steps S 15°53.322' E050°15.847' 19m elevation

home of Claudio's uncle S 15°53.203' E050°16.020' 17m elevation

hotel in Vinanivao 50376 steps S 15°52.618' E050°16.517' 17m elevation

DAY 4

• start at 7.05
• first day on our own
• river crossing with less than seaworthy pair of pirogues nailed together with planks
• trail leads through mostly deforested landscapes dominated by cloves trees and palmtrees
• motorcycle taxis pass with passangers as this is the only possible mode of fast transport
• ocean visible towards end of walk
• second last village has basic bungalows
• last village is reached after crossing big river double pirogue pulled across by rope
• cost of bigger pirogue 1000 ariary p/person
• hotel plus food 25,000 Ariary (simple bungalows, surprisingly clean shower/toilet)
• air strip behind hotel
• police chef asked us to come to his office and to show passports, strangely or funnily he was staying at the bungalow opposite from us
• 37436 steps

some houses 4335 steps S 15°51.064' E050°16.882' 6m elevation

village 8966 steps S 15°49.351' E050°16.900' 16m elevation

Anovandrano 10438 steps S 15°48.912' E050°17.186' 21m elevation

Faleovan 13100 steps S 15°48.065' E050°17.142' 21m elevation

17719 steps S 15°46.457' E050°17.865' 27m elevation

houses S 15°45.866' E050°18.094' 19m elevation

19950 steps S 15°45.143' E050°18.143' 13m elevation

Antanzana 20909 steps S 15°45.481' E050°18.220' 17m elevation

Ambodisatrana hospital S 15°45.240' E050°18.267' 21m elevation

ocean view 24638 steps S 15°44.149' E050°19.149' 24m elevation

Ambodipont 29216 steps S 15°43.884' E050°20.298' 20m elevation

panorama view 33293 steps S 15°42.495' E050°20.999' 24m elevation

Marofinaritra 35871 steps S 15°42.112' E050°21.173' 17m elevation

??? hotel S 15°41.194' E050°21.722' 37436 steps

DAY 5

• start 5:45am
• pleasant breakfast with tea, muffins, mofo gasy and fried manjok
• visited traditional Malagasy ship building
• we walked too far direction Antalaha because the road splits going more inland
• ended up in a small fishing village Ratsiaranana, very poor with a very basic hotel (not sure if that was the village we wanted to go to)
• hosts Clemenc and Pascaline prepared us a delicious dinner and made the best out of the room (room plus food 12,000)
• 49386 steps

7347 steps S 15°38.823' E050°22.695' 9m elevation

ship building 12072 steps S 15°37.379' E050°23.527' 4m elevation

16572 steps S 15°36.123' E050°23.868' 12m elevation

Fampotakely S 15°35.673' E050°24.093' 12m elevation

21999 steps S 15°34.593' E050°24.953' 13m elevation

Libertalia Village 24508 village S 15°33.707' E050°25.329' 12m elevation

Antsahambavy 30212 steps S 15°31.710' E050°25.410' 13m elevation

hotel with nice bungalows just on the road 37889 steps S 15°28.924' E050°25.736' 19m elevation

village from where trail leads 4km down to Ratsiananana S 15°27.678' E050°25.589' 22m elevation

graveyard 43838 steps S 15°27.438' E050°25.894' 21m elevation

45242 steps S 15°27.367' E050°26.401' 16m elevation

Ratsianarana hotel 49386 steps S 15°27.849' E050°27.248'

DAY 6

• leaving Ratsianarana at 5:30am
• crossing river via pirogue behind village
• then another river crossing with pirogue
• walk through mangroves along an old disused road, many small bridges, road made of rough stones
• thereafter joining regular unpaved road
• a couple of kilometres before reaching Cap Est the landscape is dominated by many Ravelana palms
• first sign of Cap Est is light tower and radio antennas- make sure not to miss the opportunity to visit the light house and ask to visit the top of the light for a panoramic view in all directions
• thereafter only short walk to village
• Hotel Residence du Cap (30,000 opening price, thereafter 50,000, dinner about 10,000), best accommodation in the area
• another hotel with basic bungalows

S 15°27.154' E050°27.323' 9m elevation

Nosy island 4707 steps S 15°26.438' E050°27.212'

Ankiana 6735 steps S 15°25.619' E050°26.942'

cinema village 9347 steps S 15°24.963' E050°27.296' 10m elevation

Maharavo 12996 steps S 15°23.951' E050°27.878' 15m elevation

Analalava S 15°23.057' E050°27.682' 17m elevation

Ambohimahery 20806 steps lunch, recharging batterie S 15°21.569' E050°28.418' 14m elevation

vanilla man 25778 steps S 15°20.042' E050°28.653' 20m elevation

Sahanjahana S 15°19.908' E050°28.736' 20m elevation

industrial oven 30083 steps S 15°18.689' E050°28.404' 21m elevation

33562 steps S 15°17.433' E050°28.165' 20m elevation

view onto Cap Est S 15°17.118' E050°28.256' 46m elevation

road up to light tower S 15°16.685' E050°28.279' 19m elevation

Le Residence de Cap Cap Est 43686 steps S 15°15.782' E050°28.860'

DAY 7

• start 5am
• after 4km walk to Ambohitralanana along a sandy road first river crossing
• scenery with plenty of Ravenala trees
• another river crossing by pirogue, all other smaller rivers have bridges
• landscape changes from wilder open terrain to farmland
• road changes from sand road to hart red-coloured dirt road
• various villages along the way
• arriving at Ocean Momo in Antalaha early evening about 7pm

Ambohimandroso priest Bernard, catholic church college, primary school hospital, pharmacy village moved to a higher location after flood couple of years ago 5028 steps S 15°14.676' E050°27.314' 5m elevation

Ambohitralanana river crossing (1,000 per person) 6567 steps S 15°14.380' E050°26.804' 7m elevation

Anjahamarina S 15°14.049' E050°26.544' 22m elevation

Marambo long stretched village 14802 steps S 15°11.358' E050°25.996' 11m elevation

river crossing 16354 steps S 15°10.883' E050°26.011' 6m elevation

road splits to Ambalabe some shops and market stalls at turn 20690 steps S 15°09.393' E050°25.709' 15m elevation

23796 steps S 15°08.522' E050°25.113' 11m elevation

mountains of dried empty coconuts 25560 steps S 15°07.969' E050°24.752' 12m elevation

Andratany very small village production of char coal 26582 steps S 15°07.720' E050°24.466' 14m elevation

Andasibe 30774 steps S 15°06.479' E050°23.679' 15m elevation

Andingozabe ? 35972 steps S 15°04.927' E050°22.349' 23m elevation

Andongozabe ? 40390 steps S 15°03.683' E050°21.484' 20m elevation

Sahantaha 43688 steps S 15°02.561' E050°20.738' 17m elevation

Mahatsara S 15°00.397' E050°18.733' 21m elevation

Antalaha 70... steps