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.

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

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, ..

Hellooooo vrybody!

Just a few words from distant Madagascar red island.

Paddling really picked up around here, thanks to US paddlers who are definitely more adventurous than french boaters.

Over the past few years, we’ve had visits from the best american wild paddlers and their realisations are somehow outstanding

I will try to keep you updated about programs and feats all year long, but connections are loose around here and i’m often behind schedules, …

Please feel free to ask me as many questions as you want/need!

i will do my best to help you launching river trips with or without my logistical support.

infos are free and MUST flow freely!

Rain season definitely started out here and most rivers are runnable, despite access and pull out issues.

A classic sighting in this season, kayakers in Cameleon Land

Philippe Giors and Sylvain Lelong had a good session in Itasy area, just after their Betsileo trip and truly enjoyed both Lilly and Mazy rivers.

A clean shower to dust off from muddy Mazy

When the highest falls are portaged, those runs becomes very reasonnable goals in the class IV-V range.

One of the Mazy steep and high falls

Weather is rather gentle in this area apart from afternoon showers and storms. bearable when rains are as warm as the lake waters; …

Check out the small video from Mazy

Sly and Pilou two french kayakists + a german tourist named Gust went with Edmond (you remember the beat up guy from last year!) for a 4 day descent on the upper Mania.

They launched boats in Sandrandahy, north east of Ambositra.

They ended up breaking one of the boat on day 3 of the Mania and switched on to Manandona, a bit further north, for a cool ride on the cata raft and an exploration of the gorges

The gorges received a lapidary comment of Sylvain who fears that some could try it!…

Quite a bit going on these days.

Reco on one of the numerous rapids encountered.

A strong team of US kayakists + film crew (including madagascar veterans Brad Luebben and Rush Sturges) have just completed the first kayak descent of the upper Betsiboka river.

Brad swings around holes

The river had been paddled by Sobek old timers back in 85 but that implied a whole lot of portages around major drops.

This time the boys have paddled most of the 275 kms section excepted three very short portages.

Garden of boulders, a typical channel navigation on the Betsiboka

Water was fairly low the first day, then rains on the plateaux kept feeding the river till the last day and levels rised considerably over the 12 day trip.

They dropped over 3.000 feet somehow concentrated azround short sections and crocs were gentle to them.

Josh, Rush and Brad contemplating a small specimen in a remote village

Accidentally we also had a raft who struggled to follow and took considerable risks to paddle most of the rapids.

The team on a flat section on day 2

Numerous strenuous portages were necessary to keep up with the boys, leaving plenty of time for the film crew to document the expedition and plenty of work for Sylvain (a french kayakist from Lyon/Hawaî sur Rhone).