Last leg of the 4-day trek on the Tsaranoro trail, with a truly splendid stage! A plunging approach to the marvellous valley on an aerial path which, from the heights of the Andringitra, winds its way down to the valley floor at Morarano to climb the slopes of the Langela (Chameleon) and this time get up close to the Tsaranoro cliffs: almost 800m of grey-green granite speckled with yellow, sculpted into an exceptional panorama. Once again, there's a big negative gradient and a steep climb to negotiate just behind, but it's a real eye-opener! The Tsaranoro lives up to all its promises, and we're still coming back for more...
Technical summary
Type ✦ Hiking
Location ✦ Tsaranoro Valley
Region ✦ Ambalavao
Country ✦ Madagascar
Length ✦ 17,5kms
Elevation gain ✦ 900m
Negative vertical drop ✦ 1500m
Altitude ✦ +2500m
Difficulty ✦ D
Duration ✦ 7h to 8h
Interest ✦ ★★★
Access to the place
Departure from Camp 4 in the park, located in the Andringitra massif on the Tsaranoro valley side. See post stage 3.
Map & topo
Stage 4 is marked in yellow on the map.
Itinerary description
From Camp 4, heading north towards Morarano.
Part 1: Dive to Morarano (1h45)
From Camp 4, the trail climbs a little before dropping down into the Tsaranoro valley. An initial landing in a savannah basin. Then a steep, winding descent to the bottom of the valley. We then cross a hamlet and rice fields to climb up to Morarano, at the foot of the Langela (Chameleon). A permanent, splendid view of the Tsaranoro's great walls!
Part 2: Ascent of the Langela or Caméléon peak (2h15)
The route starts as soon as you leave Morarano, with a path leading almost directly to a pass on a steep ascent. At the top, you can see the Tsaranoro peaks in a magnificent setting. The route then forks right across the savannah to reach a ridge that leads to the Langela peak, which lies due north, hidden from view as you approach. The route ends on an airy ridge and a descent into the fairly exposed III to reach the head of the chameleon and a breathtaking view over the valley.
Section 3: between Chameleon and Tsaranoro (3h)
From the summit, we retrace our steps before branching off onto the official Tour du Caméléon trail, which switches to the Tsaranoro side. Incredible views of the colorful cliffs. The trail gradually descends before continuing northwards to pass between Langela and Tsaranoro. We then reach the sacred forest and, with a bit of luck, we can see Catta lemurs with their long, variegated tails wandering on branches or granite boulders. Loop through the villages to return to Tsaratsoa, the camp on the side of the chameleon.
Back
A choice of camps/logde in the valley. For our part, we put our bags down at Tsaratsoa, run by Gilles Gautier, a beautiful spot at the foot of Langela with a splendid view of Tsaranoro and Karambony.
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