Travelling in Madagascar sucks. Travelling alone in Madagascar really sucks… But I wasn’t about to let a little suckiness stop me from seeing some of the most magnificent parts of the country.

After a few days in Antananarivo I was ready to leave. Anywhere. I have mentioned this before but there is really nothing worse than being stuck in Tana.

I had been flipping through the ‘ancient 2012 Lonely Planet and came across the ’10 Top Experiences’ (featuring coloured photographs – very fancy LP ‘12). There were two that caught my eye… ‘Sunset at Allee des Baobabs’ and ‘Tsingy de Bemaraha’…

I did some googling, I asked some fellow hostel friends and my heart was set. I was heading west.

But travelling in Madagascar is never quiet as simple as ‘I am going do do this’ and then ‘actually doing that thing I said I was going to do’. Because in Madagascar you decide to do something and then realise how much effort doing ANYTHING actually is.
As far as travelling in the west coast goes you either suffer through a day (or more) on a taxi-brousee or you get the awesome staff at Madagascar Underground Hostel to sort out your life for you and find a slightly nicer mini bus which might actually make the 700km journey.

Ryan, one of the Underground owners (who happens to be an Aussie), recommended Loic Tours. As far as travelling on Madagascan roads go, travelling with Loic is pure luxury.

I desperately tried to get some fellow hostel friends to join me for the journey but no one had the time (or desire) to make the journey west. It looked like I would be exploring this corner of the country solo.

To make it to Morondava, the gateway to the western Madagascan highlights, You leave early… 5.30am early. And after I managed to find my shoes and dignity I dragged myself into a cab and made my way to Solihotel where the journey begins.

After an included coffee and basic breakfast we packed onto the Loic bus and we were off. It was going to be a long day.

It’s a long journey. And it feels even longer when the lady behind you is vomiting for 13 out of the 14 hours (she fell asleep for the last hour).

The journey is beautiful and served by a once-good road. The drive can apparently take anywhere between 12 and 17 hours, depending on road conditions. As you look out the window contemplating your life for 14 hours or so hours you will see the breathtaking sights of fluorescent Madagascan rice paddies interspersed with grand baobabs, glowing as the sunsets over the country.

It was late when we arrived but as we made our way through Morondava’s main town our driver yelled out to lingering taxis to follow us to the station, local ‘tuk tuks’ also surround the beachside town giving you cheap (1,000 ariairy or less) rides around. I jumped on a Tuk Tuk and headed to the first budget-y (but nice-looking) beachside hotel I recognised from the guide book. I had been told that Les Borgainvilliers had reasonably priced private bungalows and some extremely helpful staff that would get me to the Tsingy. I was not disappointed.

In the first 30 minutes of arriving in Morondava I had a bungalow, a great meal, a long shower and a driver with travel plans for the next 3 days. It was too dark to admire the true beauty of the West Coast but I was about to wake up to a beautiful coast and the start of a wildlly western Madagascan adventure…

Loic Tours (+261 34 20 009 89) run their service from Antananarivo to Morodava twice a week- If you don’t speak French get a French speaker to book for you