Hi guys,
my girlfriend and me are going to drive the southern circuit of Madagascar during the last two weeks of this month (October) by motorbike (125cc). We are both working in Madagascar, speak fluently French and a bit Malagasy. We drove already about 1000km both on highways and dirt roads around the country.
For our circuit of the southern part of the country I have 5 specific questions concerning the roads and connections. I would very much appreciate if someone who experienced parts of the circuit, heard or read about, could give some advises on the conditions of road and possible circumstances/problems (e.g. weather, bandits etc.)
(1) After having passed already Fianarantsoa, Manakara, Farafangana and Vangaindrano we would like to go up to Fort Dauphin/Taolagnaro on Route Nationale 12 from VAGAINDRANO to FORT DAUPHIN. This seams to take a lot more time then the rest of RN 12 (from Fianrantsoa to Vangaindrano) as there are around 10 river crossings and a non-asphalted road. Can anyone advise/share experiences about this connection with us? How long does this take? I read in a couple of guide books about 2-3 days for the whole way?
(2) An alternative would be to cross the mountains from VAGAINDRANO to IHOSY on RN 27 via Vondrozo and Ivohibe. There are obviously taxi-brousses running from Vangaindrano up to Vondrozo and from Ivohibe to Ihosy. I read a couple of different opinions about that connection, from impassable to possible with 4x4 and motorbike. Can anyone share experiences about this route with us?
(3) After Fort Dauphin/Taolagnaro we plan to take RN 10 via Ambovombe, Tsihombe, Beloha, Ampanihy and Betioky up to TULEAR. The road seems to be not too bad and well possible by 4x4 and motorbike. Did anyone take this road recently or by 4x4/taxi-brousse or motorbike and can share experiences with us?
(4) There are smaller connections via dirt roads from Tsihombe (RN 10) to Faux-Cap as well as Beloha (RN 10) to Lavanono and Cap Sainte Marie where a couple of smaller bungalow hotels wait for guests. The roads seem to be quite scenic bit worse than RN 10. Did anyone travelled these parts and could give some advises?
(5) South of Tulear is the village of Anakao where we would like to stay for a couple of days. I read that riding by bike from Tulear to Anakao via again a dirt road is possible. Does someone have ideas/advises/experiences on that?
A big big thank you for any advise on these questions. We appreciate much any shared experience as this part of the country is within the least visited.
We are very curious and excited about the circuit.
Regards from Fianarantsoa,
Philipp