Matsiatra River Detailed Itenerary

Day 1: After your at the Antananarivo International Airport, you will be met by your Global Descents trip leader and transfer to your deluxe accommodation. Antananarivo, or simply ‘Tana’ has a crazy mix of African, Asian and French sights and can be noisy and crowded, or, in the early morning, sunlit, tranquil and picturesque. For the first time visitor just a stroll around the bustling streets and up and down the many tiers of steps, with their diverse collection of vendors and stalls, will be a never forgotten experience. Dinner tonight with a detailed briefing and introduction of the upcoming expedition.

Day 2: A long and fascinating drive on a good but winding road with lots of opportunities for great photo stops. The drive will take us through very diverse highland scenery, forested areas and rice paddies, plus lots of traditional villages and active rural life. Fianar is the academic and intellectual centre of Madagascar and lies at the heart of the country’s most productive agricultural region. The town is dominated by the 1374m Mount Kianjasoa and the city has a high country atmosphere and is Madagascar’s leading wine producing area with vineyards dotted around the surrounding hillsides. Overnight hotel with all meals.

Day 3: We set off early for the 160km of fairly good 4WD tracks to the start of the river expedition. Heading towards the village of Fitampito, we navigate a steep mountainous road for the first 100km and then onto an immense highland plain bordered by distant ranges. Heading further into the interior we should reach the river in time for lunch and then, after an initial briefing, we launch the rafts. During our first afternoon afloat we shall have rafting instruction, experience our first rapids and doubtlessly spot our first crocodile plus some exotic and unique vegetation, including baobabs, pachypodiums and succulents. We even have a short portage around some tricky rapids before setting up our first night’s campsite on the riverbanks.

Day 4-5: Continuing our descent of the Matsiatra, we shall pass through beautiful and ever changing scenery with a myriad of bird life and the occasional village along the shore. Locals living in this remote area are cut off from the rest of the country, being days away from the nearest village. We can see their traditional lifestyle and activities at the riverside.

Day 6-7: This next piece of the Matsiatra is quite possibly the most spectacular. A tight, committing canyon with opportunities to see amazing wildlife such as lemurs and chameleons as well some nice pool-drop whitewater to keep the adrenaline flowing. This is the most remote portion of the trip and we will see absolutely no human presence.

Days 8: This morning we set off early for a long but very scenic float. We reach the confluence with the Mangoky River first thing and find ourselves on the incredibly large volume river meandering its way toward the next canyon and off into the ocean.

Days 9-11: Two days of beautiful scenery in and out of the scenic gorges of the Mangoky River. During these two days, we find the largest concentration of baobab trees in the world in addition to more amazing wildlife. With the larger volume also comes huge, beautiful beached to pitch our tents as we approach the end of the river expedition.

Days 12: Our final day on the river is short before we arrive at our take-out. From here we start our drive to one of the most beautiful beaches in the country near Andavadoaka. Relax this afternoon at your beachside resort and go for an afternoon swim and shower.

Days 13: This is the reward of our weeklong exploratory rafting expedition. This part of the coast is teeming with one of the richest marine ecosystems on the west coast of Madagascar. The snorkeling and diving are unmatched with a beautiful beachside resort to use as a base. Enjoy a shade tree and a book in the afternoon or explore the surrounding countryside. The beach adventure culminates with our traditional, final night fiesta and talent show before heading off to peaceful rest.

Days 14: This morning we will take a short flight from Tulear to Antananarivo where you can connect with your international flight back home or on to the next destination of your holiday. Or simply relax, explore and shop in this very unique and vibrant capital city.