Madamax

Julien was about to leave madagascar and I seized the opportunity to send him on a small river we paddled occasionally south of Antananarivo.

With low waters, it’s rather gentle.

Well, that wasn’t exactly low tide!

Julien, Joe and Liva boarded near Behenjy for what was supposed to be a cool day and an half with a few amusing rapids.

They encountered furious lines of challenging rapids for most of the section they paddled and were quite impressed by its potential with high waters.

You can see that the rapids look quite nice for thrill seekers and they left a few lines to be opened by strong groups of dedicated paddlers, …

We caught them at the pull out the next day all excited by this great descent and decided to return there again, …

Julien took the loaded Pyranha through really nice lines all along those two days.

Everybody convinced that Liva was to take the plunge!

Waoow, that was a fun one. Those Ark boats (Made in South Africa) behave very well in this kind of rapids.

Joe and Liva, proud of their performances, and raging Andromba overflowing in the background.

Local shuttle buddy, a seemingly constant of malagasy white waters, …

A cool good bye trip to Imerina rivers for Julien. He had the opportunity of exploring quite a lot of them during those few months spent with us.

The largest group we ever managed on the Lilly.

4 fully loaded rafts for a fairly large group of local residents and nationals.

Water was high over the week end and sections at a challenging level

We bailed out at “La langue”, a nasty looking drop which keeps boats and flush down swimmers past the hole!
Everything else went more or less smoothly with quite a few swims from unstable passengers, …

2 rafts capsized + 3 swims! That’s the very first rapid 200ms after launching, …

Wish we had more week ends like those, they’re great fun and everybody enjoyed the day.

Le portefeuille, just above “La Lola”, with so much water, the hole is full and it doen’t fold the boats that much!.

We took some time on the river for a cool lunch in the gorges and finished the descent in the afternoon.
Next week again with a smaller group of residents, but I won’t be there for the pictures!

Possibly the best drop of the section. First swimmed by “accident” by Lola, an epic weekend souvenir,

Last rapids before the pull out 50 meters above “Les Chutes de la Lilly” a classic tourist attraction.

Despite a moderate rain season, we keep on looking and opening new rivers to paddlers.

Local polishituation has killed the tourism trade and although we’re surviving, in urgent needs of travelers!
Mada is safe! Well, as safe as you decide!!!

Even through the worst periods of riots and protests, we managed to move around the countryside without any concerns about local troubles.

It’s even a perfect period to travel out here as everything can be bargained and hotels very empty.

Julien Pernot, Joe and Arthur were sent on a reco trip, northwest of Tana.

I dropped them right in Ankazobe, 100 kms on the road to Majunga.

What was supposed to be a reasonnable goal offered lines of challenging rapids and falls.

The boys stated bluntly that it was a river for the Young Guns, not themselves.

They left one Piranha kayak and one Ark inflatable canoe and I was supposed to pick them up on the fourth day.

Well, they maintained the schedule, but they had to work hard through rocky canyons, steep falls and remote backcountry.

It is now awaiting for bold yakers to open all the lines and drops.

There were quite a few portages and lining boats as well.

Being only 2 crafts on the river didn’t encourage Julien to dare too much.

Occasional croco sighting also tempered their boldness and interfered with decision process, …

Drive back is only 50 kms on an almost decent track during dry season. Not so advisable in case of rain.

75 personnes sur l’Ikopa.

Super excursion organisée par l’Office régional du Tourisme d’Antananarivo.

Journée splendide, pleine de soleil, d’eau et de bonne humeur.

Une expérience nouvelle pour la plupart des participants et une surprise pour les professionels du tourisme qui ignorent encore le potentiel ludique des rivières de l’Imerina.

Egalement l’occasion de reboiser un peu sur notre passage.

250 arbres d’essences diverses ont été plantées autour du spot de pique nique que nous aimerions développer sur ce parcours.

Un flanc de colline encadré par deux étangs très picturesques, en bordure de l’Ikopa et quasiment dénudé de toute végétation.

Arbres forestiers (mantaly, melia, flamboyant) mais aussi fruitiers (avocat, mangue, bais rose, janblon, kaki, ananambo) pour réapprendre l’agro foresterie à ces paysans rustiques qui ont perdus leurs forêts il y a bien longtemps.

Aprés cette journée totalement réussie, nous prenons rendez vous pour le mois de Janvier avec une opération similaire programmée sur la Katsaoka

A fun week end on the Ikopa river, south of Antananarivo.

Typical male dominant attitude and usual maried couple set-up!

Good flow, very average weather with a last gust of winter trade winds plus a light rain.

Saturday night camp under grey sky!!!

Ikopa actually flowing through Tana is a cool weekenders favorite spot.

A fun loving group celebrating a 40th birthday.

Typical Ikopa's riverside scene.

Being that close from city and that isolated is sheer luxury.

Super crew to handle the logistics and crates of beer, …

Heads feels heavy as lead.

Sunny sunday morning to heal hangovers from a very late lasting bonefire and Three Horses Beer (the local brew) carnage!

Crisis in the boat industry

2009 political troubles led to a change in Madamax boat renewal policy, …

We even took the time and the energy to do a bit of reforestation. With the beginning of rain season, it’s time to start planting.

Locals planting new trees

Fruit trees are our favorites for this kind of pico action.

And that’s what we do with our guests. Every day out during wet season is an occasion to put in a few more trees to develop agroforestry ideas and help locals (more info on our actions on woodenstock.org , In french only, sorry!)

Outsiders do their share!

Visitors always enjoy the chance to do their little bit of work towards a not so gloomy future.

I love those hours spent in peaceful Imerina countryside, away from city noises and troubles, 45′ away from downtown!!!

Boat's garage

Playful day on Ikopa's beach

Will be back on it with 100 paddlers in two weeks, stay posted, …

Despite the desesperatingly gloomy touristic scene in these troubled days, we managed to launch a mini expedition in the Isalo canyons at the southern tip of central highlands.

Pioneer expeditions had sent a couple of Brit girls for a 10 day expedition down Benahy, Imaloto and Onilahy from Isalo range to Tulear.

titi, my daughter!

I talked a few friends in it and we all threw in handfuls of kids to end up with a large group of 16, 8 adults and 8 kids.

muddy waters

Rowdy crowd down this calm river.

the river guard

Low waters of the dry season ends up in a lot of walking, towing canoes through sandbars and maze of dams erected by local saphire diggers.

camp 2

This stretch of wilderness remains an exceptionnal trip, taking passengers to spectacular canyons and sceneries.

Floating at last

We parted with the Pioneer people at the end of the canyon and let them row for survival on definitely more serious Onilahy rapids.

kakou the crazy pirat

The locals pulled out after 5 days deep down Gondwanaland, eyes sparkling with high walls and blue skies.

Saphire search

Can’t wait for the next buddies trip,

Geoffroy n'est plus à la barre.

I got to love them too much, …

I love those canyons and hope to be back there as often as possible.

Nady, our local river guide

One of my very favorite playground around the island.

I had forgotten to tell you about this river trip!

Mark Holcomb, Sylvain Lelong and cedric left for Ranomafana area.

They originally intended to try a new line combining train and kayak but in the end, they paddled the Namorona from Ranomafana, and even a little bit upstream.

The river is one of the very few to be considered without logistical support.

Put in is easy from the road side, kind of, …

Pull out is at a decent 8-9 kms from main road on a reasonnably drivable track.

Oax carts, porters or even cars can be rented for the ride back home!

Most of the rapids range from class III to IV with a few more serious drops.

A short section has to be portaged , the river disappearing in sieves to pop out 50 meters further down.

Probably not recommended late in the season as levels could be too low with boulder gardens growing everywhere.

As usual in Madagascar, locals are enthousiasts and curious.

An other proof of very probable mental desequilibrium from those strange foreigners, …

One goes, others land !

That

Simon Osborne and Sylvain Lelong just arrived from their last paddling/driving trip which ended up in Majunga.

For Simon, it was in a way, completing its malagasy venture started in 2007 and finishing up where it started, was something he really wanted to complete.

Miles wide overflown river

He didn’t paddled round the country as originally planned but that was a serious attempt with close to 2/3 of the distance paddled over 2 seasons.

Incidentally he managed to rack the first Zomandao kayak descent and although he didn’t found Majunga changed in any way, he, himself felt totally different as traveling through all those remote places had given him an other vision of the surrounding world.

Check his blog for indepth feelings and details on seakayakingcornwall.com

Sylvain had a different goal in mind and also a strong motivation. He is now the very first visitor to have paddled a local river, from head to spill.

Near Maevatanana, narrower than elsewhere

After his expedition with Brad, Rush and friends on the upper betsiboka, he has, now, completed the descent. Congratulations.

Along Ankarafantsika National Park forests

Leaving Tana was hectic, caught a full day at the bus station, only to get out of bus at 2 am in Sleeping and rainy Maevatanana. That meant a night in the rain, again!!!

The shuttle cart to Betsiboka, …

The river was largely spread all around.

Most land was covered for miles around the villages and finding the actual river bed was one of the challenge of this 240 kms stretch.

Camp on an isolated family dryland!!!

Current was strong and they averaged over 100 kms on the first and second days, with relatively little effort.

Muddy take off at low tide. Just pray you don’t step on one of those huge crabs, …

They landed in Majunga on day three having paddled the whole length in a record time close to 20 hours on the river, …

The highlights of the descent was floating down along Ankarafantsika National Park and overall, the rescue of a chameleon swimming miles away from land, …

Flamingoes  flight over a cuckoo paddler

More original than a mermaid, a chameleon at prow, …

Although they do swim quite well, this one was really far away from anywhere.

Unusual water movements and waves maintained the necessary pressure to paddle in scorching 41°C

Madagascar is going through a great rain season.

Cyclons hits alternatively west and east coast while politicians raised hell in the cities as well.

Rainbow over an insane looking slide, at the put-in

Simon is still around and after hidding through the city riots of last weeks in my mountain retreat and reforestation camp (www.woodenstock.org).

Their last ray of sun on the portage to put-in

As we drove down there with sylvain the french paddler and potential son in law, they both left for a 2 day river trip.

We had rafted the section with many portages and at low waters back in 95 or 96; the profile was impressive.

Last year Sylvain and friends treked along the Zomandao and he was terribly appealed by this first descent.

One of the very many slide of the section.

Well, they left the same day as a cyclone flushed down the east coast.

Simon hadn’t been on white water for many years, a bit dubious about what he had seen so forth, …

Waters went overnight way over reasonnable levels and the rapids were sometimes too powerful for them.

Sylvain showing off before a crowd of young locals quite impressed!

That’s a potential future Young Guns mission next rain season, …

Just a nice view of a central section they paddled.

Waters were so high that crocs weren’t an issue. those sharp lads are too busy not being flushed down the drain to hunt seriously.

Simon, all excited to be back on white waters and part of a first kayak descent!!!

We then returned to Tana and they left yesterday to paddle the lower Betsiboka, 250 kms of the largest malagasy river.

Bridge over troubled Zomandao waters

it’s supposed to be totally flat, but waters, already high, keep rising.

issues might be to find dry ground to sleep!!!

It has been raining constant since they left and they should definitely move on pretty fast till estuary

keep posted, ..