Trekking from Maroantsetra to Cap Est with Masoala Nature Guide
Trekking from Maroantsetra to Cap Est with the final destination Antalaha.
Contents
Tour description
Day 1: Maroantsetra - Fizono
(8-hour walk, partly with canoe)
After breakfast at your hotel in Maroantsetra we make a canoe trip for 1 hour 20 minutes up the river to Andranofotsy, where we begin our trekking through the private Farankaraina Tropical Park. Thereafter we continue to several villages, where locals live from farming vanilla, cloves, pepper and rice. After 1/2 hours of walk we stop for lunch at Mahalevona and enjoy a picnic our porters carried from Maroantsetra. In the afternoon we walk until Fizono, the village where we stop for our first night.
Day 2: Fizono - Ampokafo
(8-hour walk, including searching for Red ruffed lemurs at the forest coridores of Ambatolaidama, part of Masoala National Park)
After an early morning breackfast we leave the little bungalows owned by the village and continue the trek by crossing several streams and climbing some steep, muddy hills. After 3 hours we come to Ambatolaidama at the border of Masoala National Park. The forest is ideal to see Red ruffed lemurs and there is also a park rangers base where they take care of a tree-nursery. We take a lunch picnic and wait for the sounds of the Red ruffed lemurs. After lunch we go and look for them in the forest. In the afternoon we continue the trek until the village of Ampokafo where we will camp for overnight. The porters will help us in anything they know, from setting up our tents to cooking our meals at night.
Day 3: Ampokafo - Tsararapaka
(6.5-hour walk)
After breakfast and the picnic preparation by the staff we start our trek. Today is the hardest part with 2 hours of mountain climbing in Anjiro. From the top you can see the two villages Ampokafo and Manakambahiny and very impressive views onto the landscape under you. We continue the walk through the forest inside the Masoala park and will have the opportunity to observe several birds and always hear the sounds of the Red ruffed lemur. You will feel and see a lot of nature! Here is also where we turn direction Cap Est. At night we camp at Tsararapaka which is really in the heart of Masaola National Park. The team is very experienced in setting up a camp for the 3rd night in almost no time. In the evening or at night we can spot wildlife just a few metres from our tens: Fossa, Masoala woolly lemur, Mouse lemur.
Day 4: Tsararapaka - Marivorano:
(7-hour walk)
Breakfast in the camp. We continue our trek which is less hard over a mountain today, but the first 3 hours we are totally in the forest until we reach the Befilipo fields. Thereafter we are again in the tuff forest of Masoala National Park. We may see several typical wildlifes, such as: Red ruffed lemur, Red-breasted coua, Blue coua and Madagascar wood-rail. Since Befilipo we follow the riverside. This path will be wet with lots of slippery rocks in the water and we will cross the river countless times. Picnic lunch along the way. Before we eat you can take a bath in the river near Betsirebika. Throughout our afternoon walk we will see people working in the fields. At night we camp near the small village
Marivorano.
Day 5: Marivorano - Antanandavahely
7-hour walk
After breakfast we will walk for 7 hours. To reach Antanandavahely we follow the main stream now and then until he enters into a big river and gets much stronger. You have the opportunity to see birds and chameleons. Muddy picnic along the way at Ambalavy. There are many camping areas in the park, but the national park organisation tries to convince the people to stay at one place and to form a village. The forest already decreased and the villagers perform tavy, a slash-and-burn system to plant rice. At the Antalaha district there are many NGO's, for example Grain de Vie with the slogan "Time to plant the tree nursery", regenerating the forest. At Cap Est we camp in the small village Antanandavahely. To reach the village we go by canoe for 3.5 hours to see the wild crocodiles. Also our porters will stop here, as the rest of the tour is sitting in a canoe and taking taxi-moto or taxi-brousse.
Day 6: Antanandavahely - Cap Est - Ambohitralanana
3.5 to 4 hours of canoeing along the Onive river. 3 to 4-hour drive by taxi-moto or taxi-brousse to Antalaha.
This day is just sitting in a canoe and paddling down the river to the big Ambohitralanana communitiy. Along the way you can see crocodiles taking a sunbath at the Onive river. After 3.5 hours we arrive at Ambohitralanana. This same day we drive by taxi-moto or taxi-brousse to Antalaha. From Ambohitralanana to Antalaha we follow the coastline and pass a planting vanilla association and a NGO's tree nursery.
Included in the package 2019
Porters, guide fee, food, park permit, tent, bungalow or room along the way, taxi in Ambohitralanana, canoe in Andranofotsy and Antanandavahely. The porters drop off in Antanandavahely, but the guide continues until Antalaha.
Price 2019
1 PAX: 3 148 200 Ariary (if solo in the group)
2 PAX: 4 525 200 Ariary (if you are 2 persons)
3 PAX: 6 462 504 Ariary (if you are 3 persons)
4 PAX: 7 581 600 Ariary (if you are 4 persons)
Ask for price if you are more than 4 people.
Excluded in the package 2019
All kind of drinks, hotel in Maroantsetra or Antalaha.
Masoala Nature Guide
If you are a scientist or enthusiast about a special species, we can help you organising your tour by offering: Ornithologists, botanists, lemur tours or simply anything you will need, such as informations about tours in the parks of north-east Madagascar, guide (for trekking), camping equipment and bivouac, information about lodges. Our team of guides is fluent in English, French and German.
Contact
Masoala Nature Guide
Contact person: Jean Emile
Maroantsetra (512)
Madagascar
Email: masoalanatureguide@gmail.com or contact@masoala-trips.com
Whatsapp: +261 (0)32 44 039 28
Tel: +261 (0)32 44 039 28 or +261 (0)34 92 412 65
Website: www.masoala-trips.com and www.masoalanatureguide.wordpress.com
