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Bike and Hike Wild Madagascar

DestinationsMadagascar
Tour MeetsAntananarivo, Madagascar
Tour EndsToliara, Madagascar
Fly in toIvato International Airport (TNR)
Fly out ofToliara Airport (TLE)
Group Size2-16 riders
Minimum Age18 (on scheduled departures)
497kmTotal cycling distance
55kmAvg distance / day
610mAvg climbing / day

Trip Profile

This journey is a multi-activity tour consisting of 500 km of riding and up to 50 km of hiking. This trip is recommended for confident and physically fit riders looking for a challenging experience with a variety of off-road activities.

Although for some riders the journey may at first seem overwhelming, the rewards for your effort are priceless. It will also have lasting memories once you have made up your mind to get in the saddle, and those adventurous minds are sure to make the most of their time on this one-of-a-lifetime expedition.

Your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way. A support vehicle accompanies us for the whole trip and weary cyclists can take a rest anytime (though the vehicle won't always be directly following us when we are off-roading).

Suitability: A large portion of this trip takes place off-road, so we recommend that participants be physically fit and confident riding on rough terrain. In addition, as this cycling adventure is complimented by two days of hiking through rugged terrain, a moderate level of physical fitness will be an asset.

Biking Conditions: The off-road portions of this trip are offset by flat tarmac and hard-packed roads. Overall on this tour about 60% off the road surfaces are paved/hard-packed and 40% are off-road. While the trails are generally smooth, some sections have loose gravel and sandy patches that could prove hazardous to riders. Additionally, as some of the descents can be rocky, extra caution is recommended.

What's Included

  • SpiceRoads jersey
  • Water bottle
  • Support vehicle
  • Guide(s)
  • Meals (as indicated)
  • Accommodation
  • Snacks and drinks

What's Excluded

  • International flights
  • Domestic flights
  • Airport pick up
  • Airport drop off
  • Visa fees
  • Alcohol
  • Tips

Nuts & Bolts

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section.

If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a mountain bike, preferably with front suspension in good mechanical order.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

The Nitty Gritty

Passports and Visas

Visa requirements for Madagascar are straight forward depending on your total length of stay in the country:

  • A stay less than 15 days: No visa is required. However, you must pay an administrative fee of $10 USD upon arrival at Ivato International Airport.
  • 15 - 30 days: Visa-On-Arrival obtainable for $37 USD.
  • 30 - 60 days: Visa-On-Arrival obtainable for $45 USD.
  • For visas covering a longer period of stay please contact the Madagascar embassy closest to you as you will need to procure a visa in advance.

Make sure you have the exact amount in cash ready to pay.

Important: Your passport must be valid for 6 months from the date you arrive, and with at least 2 blank visa pages. You must be able to show confirmation of your travel dates (i.e. have a return flight confirmation).

For more information please visit here.

Health

No vaccinations are required. However, it is encouraged to consult your physician if you need any preventive medication before you travel.

Weather

Dominated by the southern trade winds from the Indian Ocean Madagascar has two seasons, a warm, wet season (November – April); and a dry, cool season (May – October). However, due to its geographic setting this island country has a variety of climatic patterns – tropical in the north, temperate in the central, and arid in the south. Although the western and southwestern parts are hot in the summer, the weather is warm, with blue skies and a lot of sunshine during the winter months. Also note that in the central highlands the weather can get fairly chilly in the day and cold at night, so warm clothing is highly recommended.

Food

Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Malagasy cuisine incorporates many ingredients and culinary techniques in its dishes that reflect Southeast Asian, African and European influences. With rice as the main staple most meals consist of local dishes that include curries, soups, and salads, and we will make sure you sample as much variety as possible. Be sure to try Akoho Sy Voanio, a chicken dish made juicy and aromatic with coconut, tomato, onion, garlic and ginger. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.

Drink

Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere in Madagascar, but is NOT included in the price.

Solo Travelers

SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for travelling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveller of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.

Extra Expenses

We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$20, for incidentals. It is customary to tip local tour guides and drivers, however, the amount you give should be dependent on the level of service you receive.

Money

Madagascar's currency is the Malagasy ariary (AR) and is used throughout the country. Euros are also widely accepted, with US dollars occasionally accepted in the capital, major cities and tourist attractions. However, while ATMs are available in Antananarivo and other major towns, you are allowed to draw only around €150 per transaction. In addition, as credit cards are not widely accepted except at a few luxury hotels, upscale restaurants, Air Madagascar offices and travel agencies, it is recommended you have enough cash on hand. The most useful card is Visa, with MasterCard welcomed only in some stores. Visa and MasterCard can also be used to get cash advances (in ariary) at the banks which also change travellers cheques and cash in major currencies. Ivato Airport also has a foreign-exchange counter offering exchange rates as good as those at the banks, and is quite convenient for tourists upon their arrival to the country, but be sure to count your money immediately so that you haven’t been short changed as there have been a number of reports of fraud committed by its staff.

General booking info

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

Booking a SpiceRoads cycling adventure is easy and we try to do everything possible to make sure you have full flexibility and peace of mind. We do not require a deposit to hold your place on a tour and once full payment has been made your money is protected in our client account and you have the flexibility to cancel or change your booking if needed.

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

Loyalty Riders Club

For those who have been on several long tours with us, we reward customer loyalty by offering repeat customers a special discount off the tour price (excludes single supplement and bike rental). If this is your fourth scheduled tour or more you will receive a 5% discount. If this is your eighth scheduled tour or more we will extend a 10% discount. The discount will be reflected in your online booking, but please contact us if any questions. Loyalty discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Note: Only tours of 7 days or more will be applicable for a loyalty discount.

International Flights

International flights, to and from the start and finish points are not included in the tour price. Once your tour is Guaranteed to Depart you can book your flight. Please contact us for advice before arranging flights for the best arrival and departure times. We would only cancel a trip for an extreme circumstance, but in that case, where we cancel your trip, we cannot be liable for losses incurred relating to any flight booking you have made. Please claim any losses from your travel insurance that you acquired when you booked your holiday.

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