Going directly from Mahajanga to Morombe

hi this track definitely exists—I did it from Majunga to Morondava in 2015 in a 4x4, and you can do it by motorbike too. For both modes of transport, only attempt it from July/August to early November. There are two river crossings, one of which is pretty tough. If you're in a 4x4, do it north to south. For cycling, you’ll need to be completely self-sufficient for sleeping—there are stretches of over 100 km where you won’t see a soul!! Water is essential! From Morondava to Morombe, no problem, but plan for the same dates for the river crossings!! Also, from Manja to Morombe, the roads are being completely redone. Soon there’ll be a bridge over the Mangoky at Bevoay. Of course, only travel during the day, as always!! For the river crossings, don’t trust the young guys hanging around who’ll promise you a safe passage—you’ll end up stuck or risk drowning your vehicle. Instead, be upfront and offer "vola" (money) if things go well, and negotiate! happy travels

Hi there, Of course this track exists—I did it from Mahajanga to Morondava in 2015 in a 4x4. You can also do it by motorbike. For these two modes of transport, only attempt it from July/August to early November. There are two river crossings at "gué," one of which is pretty tough. Do it north to south if you're in a 4x4. For cycling, you’ll need to be completely self-sufficient for sleeping—there are stretches of over 100 km where you won’t see a soul!! Water is essential! From Morondava to Morombe [...] Have a great trip!

Thanks a lot for this info! How long did it take you to do the Mahajanga–Morondava route? I’ll be there at the end of June/early July: by bike, you can get through even with lots of mud, same for the river crossings. I’ll be going north to south too (oh well, the headwinds [;)] ). I’ve got gear to sleep independently, but preferably in villages. Water: thanks for the tip (haha!). 100 km means you’ve got to plan ahead... I should be able to find fresh water, and at worst, I’ve got a straw and elderberry. I know the Morondava–Morombe route well—I’ve already taken the new road between Tulear and Bevoay, and I’ve done it several times by boat and 4x4. Too bad we can’t edit messages—I made a mistake, it’s really the Mahajanga–Morondava route that interests me. Thanks again! Later!

Forgot: what are the two tricky fords?

hi The trickiest part is the Mananboho, but with a bike there’s no problem—you just take a pirogue. It’s for motorbikes and cars that it’s the trickiest. For a car, the best time to do it is between September and early November. I know a *vazaha* who lived in Madagascar around 2013 and left his car in that river—luckily, he managed to get it out with a truck two days later, though it was in pretty rough shape. Between Besalempa and Tamborano, there aren’t many villages, but there’s a lot to discover—fossilized trees, and we even saw a fossa cross right in front of us. It was the only one I’ve seen in the wild in Madagascar in 40 years! But the stretch from Maintirano to Bekopaka has issues with the number of tracks—hard to pick the right one—and be careful, there were several *dahalo* problems between 2014 and 2020. I don’t know what the situation is like now, but I always travel with locals (*gasy*)! And only during the day, of course. In Mahajanga, several locals (*gasy*), *zanatany*, and resident *vazaha* told me it was practically impossible. There’s also a ferry in Soalala. Good night

By car, 4 days with a night in Soalala, 2 nights in Besalampy, but we drove at least from 5 AM to 4 PM each time—except from Soalala, we arrived in Besalampy at 8 PM because of the ferry that only left at 6:30 AM and a few wrong turns since there are lots of false tracks. For you, not much sand—mostly laterite, except near the river, of course!!

and from Maintirano to Morondava, it takes 3 days and two nights by car, of course. After that, you know

The track between the tsingy and Maintirano isn't obvious. Riding solo on a motorbike, I struggled a bit because there are little trails everywhere and you don’t know which one to take—I must’ve done double the kilometers. This was a few years ago, so it’ll be easier now with phone GPS; at least it can tell you where you are!