Antananarivo – East Coast
Exploring Madagascar by Motorcycle
Motorcycle Tours in Madagascar, a blog post by Georg Jaster
Author of Vaovao. I was fortunate to live in Madagascar for three years from 2013 to 2016 for professional reasons. Out of old passion and also for practical reasons, I moved around the island during those years.
Madagascar Motorcycle Tours: Explore the East Coast
Madagascar is a dream destination for motorcycle enthusiasts, with its narrow, winding roads and stunning landscapes. In April 2016, I embarked on a motorcycle tour with friends, starting from Antananarivo (Tana) and heading towards the coastal town of Ambila-Lemaitso, covering a total of 600 km round trip.
The roads in Madagascar are perfect for motorcycling, offering scenic views of rice fields, charming villages, and lush tropical forests. The weather is always beautiful, with the sun shining brightly. Join us on an unforgettable adventure through this unique and picturesque country.
Well, almost always. Actually, always, except for – yes, except for that Friday. The day started in Tana with light, harmless drizzle. Unlike in my home region of the Rhineland, fortunately, drizzle in Madagascar never lasts long. Even on Friday, the drizzle quickly passed. It actually got stronger. Significantly stronger. And then even stronger.
Later in the day, as we had to tackle a 25 km stretch of mud and sand track, it turned into torrents. But I’ll come back to that later.
We set off in high spirits. After about an hour, we left behind the traffic jams, smog, and chaos of Madagascar’s capital city. Ahead of us lay the winding, grey asphalt road of Route Nationale 2 to Toamasina/Tamatave. The group of motorcycles quickly spread out. Some of us, eager to lean into the curves with enthusiasm, raced ahead, while others took it easy.
The rain was hardly worth mentioning. The rain suits stayed in the luggage compartment.
We had our lunch break at “Las Vegas” sorry: “Lasy Ve? Gasy”, a kind of trucker bar à la Malagasy of selected shabbiness. My life partner, who had acquired impressive language skills during our years in Madagascar, interpreted the pun roughly as follows: “Do you want to set up your Malagasy camp here?” As befits hardcore bikers around the world, there was beer and grilled meat. Zebu skewers were our vegetables. As we paused, the rain increased. The road was now really wet. Were we worried? Oh, no. Soon the. Luggage cart during our motorcycle tour in Madagascar, don’t forget your rain gear.
A mobile phone rang. Worry lines appeared on Irina’s forehead, the organizer of the entire outing. Houston, or Lasy Ve? Gasy had a problem! Our luggage cart had overturned and was in the roadside ditch. The driver was luckily unharmed, but it needed to be fixed. Now departing from Tana in a replacement car, picking up the damaged car, the driver, and our belongings. This would take some time. So, let’s continue without rain gear.
The rain was warm, and when it really pours, the road isn’t slippery at all. Once the film of dirt, dust, and water is washed away, it’s smooth sailing. The rain fell, the spray splashed. Life was beautiful. And so we rolled on until Brickaville, where we were supposed to leave the paved RN 2.
As I got off for a refueling stop during our motorcycle tour in Madagascar, I realized I had about 10 I had gained a few pounds. My jacket, my pants, my shoes, everything was saturated with water and had become heavy as lead. I had never been so wet in my life. With every step, it made a “squish” sound, everything stuck to my body. We, about 25 bikers soaked to the skin, decided to grab a bite to eat and entered the small bar room of a roadside bistro. The lonely hostess turned pale with shock and concern at our sight, because wherever one of us stood or sat, puddles and small ponds immediately formed. We would soak her chairs, her floor, and her tables. Completely ruined. We couldn’t ease her worries, as they were justified. We chatted and spilled everything, thanking her after the meal with a hefty bill and a generous tip for her brave hospitality. After that, we left the restaurant wet but strengthened, while the landlady turned her attention to the upcoming renovation work.
We were almost there, or so we thought. We were only about 25 kilometers away from our destination. However, these 25 kilometers were now to be covered not on asphalt, but on a dirt track. The horror began. The track was deeply rutted and worn out. It was a challenge even for a good off-road vehicle. We tackled it with ordinary street motorcycles.
The track was initially made of the typical red laterite soil of Madagascar. It was deeply worn on the sides by narrow zebu cart wheels and erosion channels, and woe to anyone who got their front wheel stuck in such a rut. The heavy rain had turned the track into a difficult and muddy path. A muddy and slippery slide transformed. Do any of you remember the TV show “Games Without Borders” from the 70s? The recurring joke in the games on this show was that the contestants had to navigate some oversized, silly object through a slippery course covered in soap. As the contestants struggled in the funniest contortions, they were further hindered by the opposing team shooting them with water cannons. As a child, I loved this show. Now I was in the middle of it: I had to maneuver through slippery mud on an unsuitable motorcycle, plow through deep puddles, and slide over mirror-smooth bumps. At some point, we. Approaching the sea, the terrain changed. The red mud gave way to soggy sand. This didn’t make things any better. The advantage of both mud and sand was that those who fell did so softly. No one got hurt, but by the time we finally arrived at the small ferry on the Canal des Pangalanes, most of us looked like pigs.
However, the atmosphere was excellent. The question we asked ourselves was: Would the replacement luggage trolley with our dry clothes still come, or not? Late, very late in the evening, it finally arrived.
The next day was our day of rest by the sea, between the Indian Ocean and the Pangalanes Canal. It is a wonderful spot on earth. The weather was fantastic. We swam, took walks, and relaxed. Some of the participants enjoyed a motorcycle tour in Madagascar, with a cross bike brought by the organizer. I took some photos.
Madagaskar: Motorcycle Tour with Stunning Views
During our motorcycle tour in Madagascar, we encountered breathtaking views and stunning landscapes. One day, we found ourselves alone on a beach with only one other swimmer. The peaceful atmosphere allowed us to enjoy the beauty of the Pangalanes Canal at sunset, creating perfect postcard moments.
I was particularly fascinated by the traditional pirogue boats. After spending a night by the sea, we boarded a small ferry on Sunday to begin our journey back. Our motorcycle adventure in Madagascar had been filled with unforgettable experiences and unforgettable sights.
Tana. It was raining again. Of course. But this time we were prepared with our rain gear. It was a wonderful trip. Madagascar is a dream destination for a motorcycle tour in Madagascar. Especially the always beautiful weather on the east coast is worth mentioning.
Antananarivo, 17.04.2016
