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Before travelling | During your journey

Cycling


Madagascar is a great place to tour by bike and staying in small towns and villages along the way gives a real sense of what the country is all about. A mountain bike or heavy duty tourer at least is required as the roads can be in poor to terrible condition. In rainy season on the East coast the main North-south road can become impassable. Generally there is little to no traffic which makes cruising around a great pleasure. The people are amazingly friendly and you'll be greeted with crowds of kids shouting 'Vazaha' in every village. There are little or no facilities for cyclists, so be prepared to camp rough or sleep in very basic guesthouses. Likely you will be invited to stay in people's houses. Bring a spare tyre, puncture kit, chain, brake/gear cable, derailleur and all the tools you need.

If you require the assistance of a local operator, these addresses might be helpful:

Nosy Velo, based in Hell-Ville in the island of Nosy Be, offers several circuits along the northwest coast of Madagascar, like the Sambirano valley, Ankarana Massif or even up to Diego Suarez for the fittest. The circuits can take from 3 to 12 days.

VTT Trekking - Nosy Velo
Cour de Hell - Hell Ville Nosy be 204 - Madagascar
Phone: 032 04 611 21 / 020 86 614 15
Fax: 020 86 614 15
Web: http://www.vtt-trekking.com


Florent and Jean Claude of the hotel “Le Relais des Pistards” offer vehicle assistantship for bikers' groups and organize trips from Tuléar to Fort-Dauphin. Contact at: Rue F. Kasanga Tsimbazaza – Tana, Phone: 22 291 34 Fax 22 629 56.