Monday, October 17: West Ankarana to Bekopaka
We were feeling a little better, but not yet back to normal this morning. So I rummaged around in my bag of tricks and found our bottle of Cipro. We had another early breakfast today, then packed up and settled the bill. It was my turn to pay today, and luckily I could use some of my leftover Euros, because that huge stack of Ariary was shrinking. The six of us owed about 100 Euros for extras over the two-day stay which wasn't bad at all.
Our ride left Iharana around 7AM for the drive to Ambilobe airport, where our charter flight would meet us for the flight to Bekopaka, and the Tsingy de Bemaraha.
If you're wondering why we did a charter, here is the reason. The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is a larger and wilder version of the "baby" tsingy that we've been hiking the past few days, and we all decided that it would be worth trying to see.
That said, the standard way to get to Bekopaka is by an Air Madagascar flight from Antananarivo to Morondava, followed by an 8-hour car ride over terrible roads to Bekopaka. The car trip includes several river ferries, just to make it interesting. The whole trip may take just a day, if you can get an early flight from Antananarivo, and if you can time the river crossings correctly, but that is seemingly not very likely. You probably don't want to get stuck out there in the dark.
But, we were starting from West Ankarana. To get to Bekopaka, we'd have to drive all the way back to Diego Suarez (probably 5+ hours) and then fly to Antananarivo. Then we'd have to overnight in Tana, fly to Morondova the next day, and make the 8 hour drive. It would be at least two solid days of traveling, more likely three, and we didn't want to waste that much time. So, we had our tour company book a charter flight instead.
The "airport' at Ambilobe ended up being a lonely airstrip, with no buildings, no security, nothing at all. We drove onto the tarmac, hopped out, and our plane was waiting for us. About 30 villagers had turned out to see us off, which was quite amazing. They lined up along the edge of the runway and waved at us as we taxied, which didn't take long, as we were number one for departure!
Off we go, getting a great birds-eye view from 10,000 feet as we flew along the west coast of Madagascar.
It started out arid but once we reached the coast, it was much greener.
We did this flight in two legs, stopping off at Mahajanga halfway through the journey to refuel. We had a half hour to stretch our legs and use the facilities. This was a real airport, complete with international service to Cormoros and Mayotte.
After refueling, we walked through the terminal (no security, no lines, no waiting) and hopped back on the plane to continue our journey.
We completed the journey to the airstrip at Amborodia, which was a very rustic, red dirt strip in the middle of nowhere. A rather surprisingly smooth landing, and we were off the plane quickly and met our drivers.
There were three jeeps here so we each had one to ourselves. After the introductions, and the unloading and loading of luggage, we were off.
From the airstrip, it was only 18km to the hotel, but it took 1h10 to get there over rutted and rocky dirt roads. We also had to ford a small stream which ran across the road. Amazingly enough, our jeep stalled out within 1/2 km of the hotel and there was a bit of a delay while the other two drivers got out to help push start it! Amazing that the jeep had made it through the hard part of the drive unscathed, but conked out at the end!
When we arrived at Soleil de Tsingy, though, it was really an oasis. The rooms were beautiful, with finely detailed stone and tile work, the bathroom was nicely done, and the shower was huge. The dining room was an open air second floor balcony overlooking a gorgeous infinity edge pool.
We reviewed the lunch menu (as always) and ordered, then freshened up and met for drinks at the bar. There was a slightly better wine list here, though the selections by the glass were quite limited, as they had one white, one rose, and they were out of the red selection. No worries; I had a THB and Chris tried the white wine. They had a fair selection of bottles considering how hard it must be to ship them here, but the prices were mostly >100,000 Ariary, so they reflected the shipping cost I guess.
As was the pattern, lunch was very late and very filling, so we didn’t finish eating until after 3:30 and we set out to start our afternoon hike a little after 4:00.
Due to the late hour, everyone bailed on the hike except the two of us. Chris was feeling better and wanted to make up for the lost hike yesterday!
There had been an issue with our local guide, however. Somehow, his credentials hadn't been verified by the National Park authorities here, so we had to get another local guide when we arrived at the park. Luckily, he was very good.
We had a warmup this afternoon, hiking a short circuit through the Petit Tsingy, and it looked beautiful in the late afternoon sunshine.
The hike was a challenge, as we negotiated narrow passages at times.
Some interesting flora and fauna too. Well-adapted to the climate.
This tree is an "Elephant's Foot Plant" AKA Pachypodium rosulatum. It stores water in the swollen part of its trunk, so it stays well-hydrated in the dry season.
The iguanas are pretty cool. They were enjoying the sunshine too. We really became fond of them. You will understand why in a later post.
Nice bird sightings. The cinnamon roller on the right is one that we've seen before.
The Malagasy spotted kestrel also put in an appearance.
Luckily, there were ladders and boardwalks to help negotiate the sharp rock surfaces.
Not the kind of area you can just easily walk through.
Everything is made up of uneven rock surfaces. You have to be careful where you sit!
We made it to a nice spot as the sun started to set, then hightailed it out of the park before it got too dark.
As we were ready to exit, we had to wait as a herd of zebu crossed the trail. Then we had to walk slowly, so that we stayed behind them on the way out! I wasn't going to challenge their right-of-way.
Despite the very dry climate, the mosquitos came out in force a little after sunset, so we had to bathe in DEET before going to dinner.
The appetizers were tasty. There was a nice vegetable soup, or salad.
The main course was a little disappointing. We saw duck on the menu, and both ordered it. Unfortunately it was very overcooked and not too flavorful, which was a real shame.
Dessert was called "Baked Alaska" which was good, but mostly cake under the meringue and not ice cream.
Since the red wine by the glass was not available, we had a bottle of Loire red from Anjou which went well with the meal, despite the cost.
We retired promptly after dinner, as we were heading out very early tomorrow for the Grand Tsingy circuit. This was the reason that we came here, and we wanted to make the most of it. Since it was an hour plus car ride to the hike, we decided to leave at 6:30, so we could be hiking by 8:00 and beat the afternoon heat.
It was a little hard to sleep tonight though, because of the heat. No AC here. But we managed, despite the excitement about tomorrow.
We were feeling a little better, but not yet back to normal this morning. So I rummaged around in my bag of tricks and found our bottle of Cipro. We had another early breakfast today, then packed up and settled the bill. It was my turn to pay today, and luckily I could use some of my leftover Euros, because that huge stack of Ariary was shrinking. The six of us owed about 100 Euros for extras over the two-day stay which wasn't bad at all.
 |
| Crossing the Mahavavy River, Ambilobe |
If you're wondering why we did a charter, here is the reason. The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is a larger and wilder version of the "baby" tsingy that we've been hiking the past few days, and we all decided that it would be worth trying to see.
That said, the standard way to get to Bekopaka is by an Air Madagascar flight from Antananarivo to Morondava, followed by an 8-hour car ride over terrible roads to Bekopaka. The car trip includes several river ferries, just to make it interesting. The whole trip may take just a day, if you can get an early flight from Antananarivo, and if you can time the river crossings correctly, but that is seemingly not very likely. You probably don't want to get stuck out there in the dark.
But, we were starting from West Ankarana. To get to Bekopaka, we'd have to drive all the way back to Diego Suarez (probably 5+ hours) and then fly to Antananarivo. Then we'd have to overnight in Tana, fly to Morondova the next day, and make the 8 hour drive. It would be at least two solid days of traveling, more likely three, and we didn't want to waste that much time. So, we had our tour company book a charter flight instead.
 |
| Boarding at Ambilobe Airstrip |
 |
| Ambilobe Region, Madagascar. |
Off we go, getting a great birds-eye view from 10,000 feet as we flew along the west coast of Madagascar.
 |
| Madagascar coast, by Beramanja |
It started out arid but once we reached the coast, it was much greener.
We did this flight in two legs, stopping off at Mahajanga halfway through the journey to refuel. We had a half hour to stretch our legs and use the facilities. This was a real airport, complete with international service to Cormoros and Mayotte.
 |
| Final approach to Amborodia Airstrip |
After refueling, we walked through the terminal (no security, no lines, no waiting) and hopped back on the plane to continue our journey.
We completed the journey to the airstrip at Amborodia, which was a very rustic, red dirt strip in the middle of nowhere. A rather surprisingly smooth landing, and we were off the plane quickly and met our drivers.
There were three jeeps here so we each had one to ourselves. After the introductions, and the unloading and loading of luggage, we were off.
From the airstrip, it was only 18km to the hotel, but it took 1h10 to get there over rutted and rocky dirt roads. We also had to ford a small stream which ran across the road. Amazingly enough, our jeep stalled out within 1/2 km of the hotel and there was a bit of a delay while the other two drivers got out to help push start it! Amazing that the jeep had made it through the hard part of the drive unscathed, but conked out at the end!
 |
| Room 15, Soleil des Tsingy |
When we arrived at Soleil de Tsingy, though, it was really an oasis. The rooms were beautiful, with finely detailed stone and tile work, the bathroom was nicely done, and the shower was huge. The dining room was an open air second floor balcony overlooking a gorgeous infinity edge pool.
We reviewed the lunch menu (as always) and ordered, then freshened up and met for drinks at the bar. There was a slightly better wine list here, though the selections by the glass were quite limited, as they had one white, one rose, and they were out of the red selection. No worries; I had a THB and Chris tried the white wine. They had a fair selection of bottles considering how hard it must be to ship them here, but the prices were mostly >100,000 Ariary, so they reflected the shipping cost I guess.
 |
| Tilapia Malagasy Style, Soleil des Tsingy |
As was the pattern, lunch was very late and very filling, so we didn’t finish eating until after 3:30 and we set out to start our afternoon hike a little after 4:00.
 |
| Zebu Ramazavy, Soleil des Tsingy |
Due to the late hour, everyone bailed on the hike except the two of us. Chris was feeling better and wanted to make up for the lost hike yesterday!
There had been an issue with our local guide, however. Somehow, his credentials hadn't been verified by the National Park authorities here, so we had to get another local guide when we arrived at the park. Luckily, he was very good.
We had a warmup this afternoon, hiking a short circuit through the Petit Tsingy, and it looked beautiful in the late afternoon sunshine.
The hike was a challenge, as we negotiated narrow passages at times.
Some interesting flora and fauna too. Well-adapted to the climate.
 |
| Pachypodium |
 |
| Madagascan collared iguana - AKA Oplurus lizard |
The iguanas are pretty cool. They were enjoying the sunshine too. We really became fond of them. You will understand why in a later post.
Nice bird sightings. The cinnamon roller on the right is one that we've seen before.
The Malagasy spotted kestrel also put in an appearance.
Luckily, there were ladders and boardwalks to help negotiate the sharp rock surfaces.
Not the kind of area you can just easily walk through.
Everything is made up of uneven rock surfaces. You have to be careful where you sit!
 |
| Another Sunset Belvedere, Petit Tsingy Hike |
We made it to a nice spot as the sun started to set, then hightailed it out of the park before it got too dark.
As we were ready to exit, we had to wait as a herd of zebu crossed the trail. Then we had to walk slowly, so that we stayed behind them on the way out! I wasn't going to challenge their right-of-way.
 |
| Salad de Tsingy. It was a huge appetizer! |
Despite the very dry climate, the mosquitos came out in force a little after sunset, so we had to bathe in DEET before going to dinner.
The appetizers were tasty. There was a nice vegetable soup, or salad.
The main course was a little disappointing. We saw duck on the menu, and both ordered it. Unfortunately it was very overcooked and not too flavorful, which was a real shame.
Dessert was called "Baked Alaska" which was good, but mostly cake under the meringue and not ice cream.
Since the red wine by the glass was not available, we had a bottle of Loire red from Anjou which went well with the meal, despite the cost.
We retired promptly after dinner, as we were heading out very early tomorrow for the Grand Tsingy circuit. This was the reason that we came here, and we wanted to make the most of it. Since it was an hour plus car ride to the hike, we decided to leave at 6:30, so we could be hiking by 8:00 and beat the afternoon heat.
It was a little hard to sleep tonight though, because of the heat. No AC here. But we managed, despite the excitement about tomorrow.
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