Conditions on the road to Morondava

Anyone wanting to travel by road to Morondava or to return by road after doing the Tsiribihina trip will be glad to know that the notorious 125 km stretch of road between Miandrivazo and Malaimbandy which could take anything from 12 to 16 hours has now been upgraded and is blacktop in top condition all the way.

In August, it took me a straight two hours to drive – a dream in comparison to the twelve or thirteen hours I needed when I last went by taxi brousse.

That of course made it all the more frustrating when for the final 50 km or so from Mahabo into Morondava we were faced with a badly degraded blacktop which reduced speed to an uncomfortable crawl.

However, there is hope – in Morondava I watched a ship unloading heavy earth-moving machinery onto the beach (!) and the hotel manager said that this was the equipment for upgrading the final stretch of road into Morondava, which was planned for this month. Let's wait and see.

Wow!!!I did the Tana-Morondava stretch in 16 hours back in 2002!!But it was all part of the fun!I was sandwiched at the back of the taxi-brousse and my body ached all the way but it was really enjoyable!!( do I sound a bit masochistic??!!))