(cc) Garry- www.visionandimagination.com

I once asked Madafan readers about making Madagascar a destination for extreme sports, not only have I found answers from my internet-wanderings and from the discussions I had with few of them, but one exciting experience is soon going to happen in the south region of Madagascar. In that previous article, I was mentioning the Camel trophy raid that happened in Madagascar 30 years ago, this time some four wheel drive passionates are going to ride from Morondava to Taolagnaro via off-beaten track.

From July 31st to august 18th, the participants of the 4WD raid will fly from Antananarivo to Morondava, drive to Taolagnaro, then fly back to Antananarivo. They will drive a Toyota HDJ80 for 1800km, 80% off-road.

As soon as the first day of the trip, they will discover the now-famous “allée des baobabs” in Morondava, then they will head-up to the Tsingy de Bemaraha. Along the way, they will cross rivers (Tsiribihina, Kabatomena, Mangoky). Once they are tired, they will rest in Andavadoaka fine beach, . In fact, participants will either sleep in nice hotels ( salary bay) or under tents … Sounds to be a trip full of contrasts.

You can find detailed descriptions of the circuit here [in French though]

IMHO, this is a great illustration of how one can address the fact that Madagascar lacks infrastructure in order to develop its tourism. The price of the circuit ain’t cheap (3800 € for two persons + 1500€ of caution+ airfare + personal expenses + 300€ of fuel), but anyway, Madagascar is already an expensive destination

I just hope the organising team will practice responsible tourism so as not to screw everything on their way, nor scare people. I have asked for more informations from the organising team and hope we’ll have more to share with Madafan readers later on.

In the meantime, enjoy your vacations …