Madamax

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, ..