Taxi Brousse

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islandude
islandude

Hey Fellow explorers
I've been reading that taxi brousse can be a useful way to get around,
I've also heard sometimes the service is very unreliable and can take
ridiculously long especially to out of the way places ie. Fort Dauphin
Lonely Planet says it can take up to 60 hours.. something like that.

I consider myself a fairly hardy backpacker who doesnt mind being bumped
around a bit but can it really take that long?
How often do the pick ups fail to be where they're supposed to be?
You can hop off almost anywhere is this right?

Also I'm hoping to get to Mada some time this year, and thinking it'd be
great to bet here in a springish time when things are blooming into new life
would that be around Sept-Nov?

Cheers for any help

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pkh
pkh

Hi, friends of ours used a taxi brousse to get from Ft Dauphin 3 weeks ago, so in the dry season, 41hrs to Tana. A second Taxi Brousse left at the same time and broke down a few hours after leaving Ft Dauphin......that bus would have had waited for some one to come out and repair it or for another bus to come along and pick the passengers up.....! Do not underestimate the state of the roads in Madagascar, many of them would be considered dry river beds in other parts of the world! The single fare from Ft Dauphin is about £30 Sterling. You can get off where ever you like, but I think you'd need to buy another ticket to continue your trip. A single flight is around £110.
Taxi brousse are a wonderful way to see the country and meet the people but they are not something to be undertaken lightly on the really long trips!
Check Lonely Planet or Bradt Guide for the weather, it varies greatly depending where you are on the Island.
Madagascar is a fantastic country, whichever way you choose to travel I'm sure you will fall in love with it!

Cheers

Paul

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Laszlo
Laszlo

Taxi brousse rides can indeed take very long time due to Madagascar's horrible roads - among the worst I've seen anywhere!
I believe the east coast has the worst road - it took me 3 days from Tamatave to Maroantsetra, with 6 break-downs.
I would definitely break up a long journey like to one to Fort Dauphin with several stops along the way, though if you get off somewhere too remote/small, getting an onward ride can be hard.

The main highways from Tana to south Tulear and north to Mahajunga are much better and relatively painless.

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, Maluku, West Papua, Raja Ampat & Indonesian Visas
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, Kiribati & Tuvalu
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madaspirifer
madaspirifer

Are you planning to go to Fort Dauphin? During wet season it can be even impossible. During dry season there is no problem - only very low comfort. Road from Tana to Ihosy (RN7) is very good and it is about 10hours drive (also in rainy season). After crossroad and changing road to RN13 it's start problems. During rainy season it is depend on luck (how have rains were before). I think it is minimum 2 days, but if heavy rains occurred Taxi Bruss will wait to decreasing level of water in rivers (sometime 1-2 days). You can be sure about adventure ;-) You have to know that RN13 have not very spectacular landscapes and wildlife. But Fort Dauphin area is very nice, even peninsula with town.
I think that November can be too difficult - it's start really rainy than - September will be much better.
Good luck
Tom

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