Climbing Madagascar

MADAGASCAR - Nosy Andatsara, Vallee des Perroquets, Tsaranoro

General Access: Madagascar has a very limited supply of those things called roads. So getting around is somewhat of a challenge. Options are: flying, renting a 4x4 (with driver...don't attempt to drive yourself around, you WILL die), taxi brousse (local public transportation...similar to a minivan crammed with 35 people for 36 hours). Any way you slice it, getting around is complicated in this country and also near-impossible to do independently. Solution? Give yourself ample time to visit this beautiful island nation.

Language: French (or Malagasy). If you don't speak French then you'd better learn fast.

Cost: around 40 euros per day. It's kind of expensive but worth it. See below for explanation

Important to consider: Madagascar is poor and isolated. This means certain commodities are impossible to find. So make sure you bring enough of everything climbing related to last you the duration of your stay (you can't find chalk here, let alone a replacement pair of shoes or a rope).

Comments: There are basically two main climbing spots in Madagascar. In the north, out of Diego Suarez, there's Nosy Andatsara and the Vallee des Perroquets. There's also the Montagne des Francais, but a lot of the sectors are closed and we didn't end up climbing here.

In the south, there's Tsaranoro. We didn't actually make it down there because it was going to be too hot. However we met a bunch of climbers coming from there, so the comments I've included here are based on information they gave me. Hence why there's not much information (sorry!)

Diego Suarez - (New Sea Roc Adventure Camp)

location: 1, 125km north of Antananarivo. Also known as 1.5 hours on the plane, or 22-25 hours in a rented 4x4, or 36-48 hours in a taxi brousse. Far.
accomodation: lots of little guesthouses and hotels all over Diego. no camping.

comments: this is the jumping off point for the climbing in the north. There are two main camps - Camp Corail in the islands near Nosy Hara, and the Vallee des Perroquets near Montagne des Francais. You have to go through New Sea Roc in order to access the climbing.

The reason that this is good is that New SeaRoc is making a huge effort to conserve the natural ecosystems where we climb. Which means limiting the amount of people who come to climb. Organized camps make this possible. Also in a place where the roads are non existent and supplies are not easy to come by, paying for someone else to be hauling all your water and feeding you and lodging you in sweet accomodation is kind of worth it.

From Diego you then move out to either of the following locations:

Nosy Andatsara
location: 2.5 hours in a 4x4 followed by about an hour in a fishing boat
accomodation: 3 options (all part of the package) - tents on the beach, thatched roof huts, or troglodyte rooms built into the rock.

type of climbing: sport and a few boulders
type of rock: limestone

comments:
Camp Corail is a slice of paradise. Private tropical island, clear aquamarine water, in the middle of a national park so the animals are protected (aka the most fish and sea life you have ever seen, as soon as you step into the water), and the max capacity of place is about 20 people. So no lineups, nothing but you and the rock and a bit of rum at night. The booze is part of the package.

2 islands to climb on, with a total of about 100 bolted routes ranging from 3a all the way up to 8b. Most of the climbs are in the moderate range - lots of 6's and 'low' 7s. Beautiful lines, most of which have a decent overhang to them. It's limestone, so huge pockets, toufas, stalactites...featured and fantastic.

You can sign up on for a three or a six day stay on the island, or multiple 3/6 day packages (we went back twice). National park means protected area, means limiting the amount of people who enter. NSR is allowed a total of 1000 units (1 unit = 1 person for 1 night) per year. Hence the restriction on your stay here. A shame because there are so many beautiful climbs to choose from....rest as little as possible in order to make the most of the climbing.

Vallee Des Perroquets

location: 1 hour outside of Diego Suarez

accomodation: tents or treehouses (literally!)

type of climbing: sport

type of rock: limestone

comments:

Due to it's proximity to Diego Suarez and the lack of quotas for visitors, this is a slightly more accessible camp. It remains an all inclusive deal - one fee gets you transportation, a LOT of food, water, rum and accommodation.

There is about a 20 minute approach to get to the crags - keep an eye out for butterflies, lemurs babobabs and other amazing wildlife on the way. Two crags to choose from: Perroquets Sector has some the longer easier climbs, while Bloc Age has the short (15m or less sometimes) routes of a higher grade. You can climb at Perroquets in the morning, Bloc Age all day. Bloc Age is essentially a big roof - you don't see overhangs like this very often.

There are other sectors in this area but at present they are closed for rebolting.

Everything in these sectors is OVERHANGING. Hella overhanging. But there are great holds everywhere you look (we love limestone), and the lines are beautiful.

Watch your bags here - my backpack was stolen (with all kinds of important stuff inside it...I'll spare you the details) at Perroquets Sector. Camp is safe though so just leave anything of value in your tent and you should be fine.

No maximum duration of stay here. Lots of sweet hikes/treks (what the heck is the difference between hiking and trekking anyways?!?) to do on a rest day. There is also the opportunity to do some volunteer work in the village nearby for those feeling generous.

Tsaranoro (note: all information below is second hand from people we met in the North)

location: southern Madagascar. Taxi brousse will take you a couple days to get down there from the capital. Anticipate the need for a rest day or two upon arrival (the journey is supposedly highly exhausting)

accomodation: Camp Catta - bungalows or tents. A package deal, somewhat like how NSR runs their camps.

type of climbing: bouldering, single pitch sport but mostly BIG walls (300 -1000m climbs)

type of rock: granite

comments:

As mentioned previously we didn't make it here. There is a good reason for this: in November it is freaking hot in Madagascar and all of the routes at Tsaranoro are in the sun all day. Plus it's at least a 45 minute approach, so you are generally waking up around 4:30 or 5:00 am in order to get to the rock and get at least one pitch in before the sun starts to hit you.

To us, this did not sound like a vacation. So we opted to stay in the north.

Those who visited informed us that some of the big wall stuff is super slabby as well - so your calves HURT by the time you get to the top. Allegedly one day of climbing earns you a minimum of two rest days to recover - spend rest days hanging out in the camp with the lemurs or enjoying some of the other outdoor adventure alternatives this camp offers (base jumping, anyone?)

To me, this place sounds hardcore...

Bottom line: Madagascar is an as yet relatively undiscovered area for climbing. The people are wonderful and the climbing is beautiful. It's a journey to get here, but that makes it all the more worth it when you finally arrive.

HAVE FUN!!!!

http://www.newsearoc.com

http://www.campcatta.com