After visiting the king, we drove back to Fianarantsoa (2 hours) and then continued in the morning to Ambalavao (2 hours). Drive involved navigating the narrow, winding RN25 (often paved but damaged) from the rainforest to the highlands, followed by the paved, scenic RN7. The 118+ km...
In the morning, we went on a short three-hour hike in Ranomafana National Park (🎟️ 55,000 MGA, guide: 90,000 MGA, tax: 5,000 MGA), a 41,600-hectare protected tropical rainforest in southeastern Madagascar. The park’s geography is defined by steep, mountainous terrain ranging from 600 to...
Serene, terraced rice fields, red-earth homes, and the intricate woodcarving traditions of the Zafimaniry people define rural life around Ambositra. We hired a local guide (80,000 MGA) and set off on a hike to Rova d’Ambositra (🎟️10,000 MGA), the former residence of the last Betsileo...
We spent a day in Madagascar’s central highlands, in the historic heartland of the Betsileo people and a town often called the “Capital of Woodworking” for its renowned Zafimaniry art. Ambositra is a high-altitude city (1,342–1,422 m elevation) serving as the capital of...
Nosy Be is Madagascar’s premier island destination, renowned for its white-sand beaches, fragrant ylang-ylang plantations, and vibrant marine life. Highlights include snorkelling in the Nosy Tanikely Marine Reserve, hiking up Mont Passot for breathtaking 360-degree sunset views (🎟️15,000...
The drive from Toamasina to Mahajanga via Antananarivo is roughly 920 km in total, and it took us two full days’ drive with an overnight in Antananarivo and Beamilaka. The scenery shifted dramatically: we started with a lush, humid coastal rainforest, climbed into the cool highlands...
The evening before the visit, we did our research and spent two hours finding a reliable local tour operator in Nyeri. After some negotiation, we agreed on a safari van for 120 USD for a day in Aberdare National Park (🎟️70 USD). It is a diverse highland park in Kenya known for its...
The road from Chiro to Harar offers a mixed landscape with some beautiful scenery, but it is also marked by rough, chaotic traffic in the smaller towns along the way. The tarmac was good, with a few short, damaged sections, so driving through the Ethiopian Highlands was not so bad, with...
Today we did a rough off-road drive in a hired Toyota (200 USD) around the Gacan Libaax mountain range at 1,720 meters above sea level. The name “Gacan Libaax” translates to “The lion’s paw”. It is known for its unique juniper forests and ancient rock art...
Later, we slowly drove on perfect tarmac through the Sheikh Mountains, a part of the Golis Mountains that form the rugged northern edge of the Somali plateau and run parallel to the Gulf of Aden. The mountains have a significant range in elevation, with the highest peak in Somaliland...