Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
attract me much, but most readers report it to be an enjoyable trek with plenty of friendly
people to meet along the way.
This is the route - Day 1: Maroantsetra to Mahalevona, the village beyond Navana,
which is described under
Local excursions
on
Click Here
. A pleasant 5km walk. Day 2:
MahalevonatoAnkovona.Thetrackclimbsintothemountainsandthereareriverstocross.
Day 3: Ankovona to Ampokafo. A long trek to Ampokafo which marks the halfway point.
Very hilly and very beautiful, with lots of streams and orchids. The village has a small
shop. Day 4: Ampokafo to Analampontsy. Less wild, but still orchids along the way. Most
villages
en route
have shops. Day 5: Analampontsy to Antalaha. You emerge onto the road
at the village of Marofinaritra, about 30km from Antalaha. From here you can get a
taxi-
brousse
to Antalaha.
ViaCapEst
A more scenic (but equally tough) route to Antalaha from Maroantsetra is via
Cap Est. The route is the same as Maroantsetra-Antalaha as far as Ampokafo, then you
turn east and climb 600m up a muddy slope into Masoala National Park.
Jeremy Sabel 'went in the dry season but it was raining constantly. If you don't mind
leeches, slipping, falling, getting muddy and crossing rivers up to your chest, then this is
the hike for you. It's definitely not the option for those who just want a stroll and I recom-
mend taking porters. You must have camping equipment, bring food and be prepared to
hike for up to eight hours per day. I really enjoyed the experience, and even got to see the
elusive fossa. The final day of the trip is a four-hour pirogue ride down the Ankavanana
River to the village of Ambohitralalana. From here it is a 5km walk to the village of Am-
bodirafia which is on Cap Est. Here I visited a small portion of the national park which is
separated from the rest and just 1km from Ambodirafia. I also saw freshwater turtles and
many birds. The 40km north to Antalaha should only take three hours.'
ILLEGAL LOGGING
Derek Schuurman
The 2009 coup left a political vacuum which was swiftly exploited by loggers who
beganplunderingprotectedareasforpreciouswood.Themajorityofthisillegalactiv-
ity took place in Masoala and Marojejy. In just a few months, at least 100,000 rose-
wood and ebony trees worth hundreds of millions of dollars were felled.
Thelogs,mostlydestinedtobeshippedtoChina,begintheirjourneytotheportsby
being floated down rivers, but the density of the wood is such that every tree needs to
be strapped to half a dozen lighter-weight species to prevent it from sinking. Further
trees are cut just so the loggers can get access to the precious timber. Consequently
total losses to the forests over the year must be in excess of a million trees.
