White water in Betsileo country!
That's where I should be based  The area offers a large potential and I've had few opportunities to try many of those rivers.
As usually in Madagascar, when you want a minimum of confort in those remote valleys, it implys relatively heavy logistics. the Matsiatra , near Fianarantsoa, is the only river to offer day excursions. Everything else means days of efforts. We enter an expedition logic with all the preparation and set up it involves.
The descents I propose today are the only ones I managed to raft on several occasions and are well suited to small scale 3-4 days expeditions.
Logistics are relatively easy to control and there are few compulsory portages. Both rivers offer nice rapid sections and superb remoteness, totally advisable, ... I had the project of establishing an Outdoors base in Ambositra but the 2002 crisis seems to have detered most investors. The small red earth colored village I had dreamed of will have to wait a little. In the meantime I present : - The Manandona, South of Antsirabe - The Mania, near Ambositra, my longest river trip, 21 days to join the tsiribihina delta near Miandrivazo, a great adventure. As a matter of fact where should I class this river, with the Betsileo ones, or the western ones??? The same logic is valid for the Mananjary who offers 2 days near Ambositra, but continues all the way to the coast? 
Rivers of Betsileo country: |
