The lands of Madagascar are full of hidden treasures for which you sometimes have to think differently to discover and appreciate them. The majestic and mysterious mountain range of Makay makes you discover one of the most beautiful masterpieces of nature, shaped for thousands of years.
The dream destination for adventurers
A trekking in the mountain range of Makay will be filled with challenges and new discoveries for adventure lovers. For hiking, you have to prepare your legs … and especially your spirit because the road will not be easy. It will be long and made up of endless climbs and descents, as well as paths that are often difficult to navigate and filled with obstacles.
Just to access the canyons, you will already have to go through a whole bunch of rocks and a curtain of vegetation that you sometimes have to remove with a machete. A lot of agility and balance will be required for the crossing. Once in the canyon, you have to expect to travel through the heavily sandy soil. Some passages require a swim crossing, while others can only be traversed by crawling through narrow openings in the rocks.
Several days are required to discover the mountain range of Makay in all its beauty. During these days, you will have to trudge on extremely steep terrain, hang tightly on the rough walls of the rocks, and walk for hours. At nightfall, the sandbanks in the canyons are ideal for setting up a bivouac. The nearby water is drinkable and swimming is fearless.
During the adventure, you will have the chance to see Makay wildlife. In the forests live for example “Gidro” and “Sifaka” or even chameleons and harmless snakes. Giant fruit bats hide in the caves.
The only way to discover all that is to travel to Madagascar. There is a lot to discover for adventurers.
A biodiversity sanctuary
The Makay is a mountain barrier that stretches from north to south for almost 175 km in length, southwest of Madagascar. In the northern extension of the Isalo National Park, the Makay develops between the Tsiribihina River to the north and Mangoky River to the south.
Its particular geography consists of ruiniform sandstone trays crossed by deep canyons, which gives it a character difficult to penetrate. Constituted as a natural fortress, Makay retains a unique biotope and the richness of its flora and fauna is exceptional.
The lemur, an emblematic animal of Madagascar, found refuge in the forests of Makay. Perhaps more there than elsewhere on the island, the difficulty of access to the interior of the massif guaranteed the lemurs to have remained relatively calm there. Today there are no less than ten species of diurnal and nocturnal lemurs in the Makay, making it the Malagasy ecosystem home to the greatest diversity of species of this Prosimian. But the lemur is far from being the only one to inhabit the Makay.
It also has a unique flora. From the Canarium to the Pandanus via the Tapia, these plant species are the refuge of the animal species of the Makay. From the bottom of the wet canyons to the top of the crests, the flora has managed to adapt to very harsh conditions.