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Betafo, Antsirabe circuit

Hiking

Publié le 3 June 2018 |

South of the Ankaratra massif, west of Antsirabe and starting from the small town of Betafo, the route mapped out for the 1st stage of the Trail de l'Ile Rouge 2018 offers a pretty loop on the north side, with splendid views over the high plateaus and the surprisingly colorful rice paddies. With a moderate gradient, the trek is without real difficulty. A possible stopover on the way to Morondava and the Tsiribihina. For us, the 1st stage of the Red Island Trail before the transfer to Miandrivazo.

Technical summary

Type ✦ Randonnée / Trail de l'Île Rouge, Stage 1

Location ✦ Betafo

Region ✦ Antsirabe

Country ✦ Madagascar

Length ✦ 16kms

Elevation gain ✦ 335m

Difficulty ✦ MD

Duration ✦ 4h to 5h

Interest ✦ ★

Access to the place

From Antananarivo, take the RN7 due south to Antsirabe. From there. Turn left due west for 20 km of asphalt to Betafo. Park above the lake, near the church.

Itinerary description

Hiking to the start 0'

The trek starts from there.

Course

The route is not signposted, but continually follows paths and tracks used by the villagers. Not much of a climb, but a considerable distance.

On leaving Betafo, the track leads to the 1st village, which you must cross before gradually climbing up to large terraced hills. The loop then begins to the left. It goes downhill, uphill and through more villages. Then there's a slightly steeper climb to dominate the valley above Betafo.

At the highest point, the road back to Betafo takes you over another slope and gradually descends on a wide stony track. We return on the other side of Betafo. A tour of the lake before returning to the starting point.