You will meet your tour guide during the day according to your arrival time. Tana is an enchanting collection of colourful houses, often clinging to the hillsides at a breathtaking angle. Windswept roofs, weathered brick walls and dilapidated wooden shacks slide daringly into and over each other, as if to prevent each other from slipping. This day is at leisure before your cycle tour begins the next day. (-)

Orchid Hotel 3

Bus route 3 km, duration 0.25 h

On the tour, you will travel through the island's fertile highlands. In addition to the rice terraces typical of the area and landscape, you will also discover many fruit and vegetable plantations. You stop here and there to talk to the locals or observe rural life. The area around Antsirabe is well worth discovering. The local agricultural produce is grown here and in Betafo. Most of the fruit and vegetables are transported from here to Tana, from where they are sold throughout the country. In the afternoon, we take care of the bikes. A first short ride is on the programme. The main aim is to familiarise ourselves with the bikes and the traffic. (F,M,A)

Des Thermes 3* / Hotel H1 Antsirabe 3*

Cycle route 16 km, 100 m elevation gain

Distance travelled by bus 160 km, duration 4 h

The first 22 kilometres are on tarmac. In Betafo, take a quick look around, visit the market and the grave of a local king. If you have enough time, you can add another 4 kilometres and take a dip in a hot spring. Continue on a good track to Lac Tritriva, the crater lake of a former volcano. You have a beautiful view of the villages and fields of the grain farmers working for the brewery in Antsirabe. On the onward journey, mostly on a good track, you pass through several villages. You stop here and there to talk to the locals, and you may also have the opportunity to visit a weekly market. You arrive at your destination for the day in the afternoon. You will visit a tree nursery and a pottery before checking into your hotel. (F,M,A)

Des Thermes 3* / Hotel H1 Antsirabe 3*

Cycle route 59 km, of which 37 km on the piste, 300 m elevation gain

Bus route 3 km, duration 0.25 h

You leave your hotel and cycle back to National Road 7 before continuing on your bike through the fertile high valley towards Ambositra. On the hilly road, you will come across zebu cattle and friendly shepherds time and again. In the capital of handicrafts, you will visit the Zafimaniry woodcarvers, whose traditional woodcarving art has been recognised by UNESCO as one of the 47 masterpieces of traditional world culture. (F,M,A)

La Piscine Escapade 3*

Cycle route 95 km, 550 m elevation gain

Bus route 0 km, duration 0 h

You travel to Vohiposa on a winding road. Continue by bike on a lonely track to Sahave. A scenic route beneath large granite mountains leads to Ambohimahasoa. After two ascents on tarmac, the route returns to a dirt track through a few villages and eucalyptus forest before the primeval forests of Ranomafana National Park become visible. The last few kilometres are a brisk descent on tarmac. (F,M,A)

Hotel Cristo 3*

Cycle route 70 km, 1000 m elevation gain, tarmac/track

Bus route 90 km, duration 3 h

Today you will rise very early so as not to miss the morning spectacle of animals that can only be observed at this time of day. Ranomafana is home to 12 species of primates, geckos, chameleons and frogs and no less than 96 species of birds, 68 of which are endemic. You will find the most beautiful orchids, tree ferns and giant bamboos. You hope to spot one or more of the many different primates, such as the Diadema sifaka. With a bit of luck, you may also spot the golden bamboo lemur in the wild. Back in the village, you have the opportunity to take a dip in the hot springs swimming pool. (F,M,A)

Hotel Cristo 3*

Hike 4-6 h

Bus route 18 km, duration 0,5 h

Your tour continues uphill on tarmac towards Fianarantsoa through the unknown world of the rainforest to Anjamba. On the way, you will see families selling river sand by the roadside and some basket weavers. We continue on a good track to the Lac Hotel. This is the Malagasy centre of tea cultivation. If you have time, you can visit the Sahambavy Tea Estate, the only tea plantation in the republic. (F,M,A)

Lac Hotel 3*

Cycle route 64 km, of which 44 km on the piste, 800 m elevation gain

Bus route 22 km, duration 0,75 h

One-hour transfer to Talata Ampano. Back on the bike, you cross several small valleys with rice and manioc plantations as well as some eucalyptus forests to Mahaditra. You stop at a tourmaline mine, where people dig up the earth with painstaking shovel work in the hope of finding the coveted precious stones. In Ambalavao, you will visit the traditional Antaimoro paper factory. The origins of the copper-coloured paper, which feels like fine, silky woodchip wallpaper, can be traced far back into the past. If the cycle route is too strenuous for you, you can continue cycling on tarmac in the high valley to Ambalavao. (F,M,A)

Hotel Aux Bougainvillées 3*

Cycle route 75 km, of which 15 km on the piste, 500 m elevation gain

Bus route 0 km, duration 0 h

Bizarre landscapes await you in Anja Park. This small park is a good example of village self-management and tourism development. A small information hut has been erected at the entrance to the small park, where you can find out more about the project. You will see many lemurs (Lemur catta) here. These lemurs love to be observed. You take a short tour of the area. South of Ambalavao, the area changes. You pass the border between the highlands and the south. Huge granite massifs alternate with a grassy steppe landscape. You turn off into the Tsaranoro Valley and cycle towards the Andringitra Mountains, the second highest and most beautiful mountain range in Madagascar. If you arrive early, you will take a walk to a natural swimming pool. (F,M,A)

Tsara Camp 2* / Camp Catta 2*

Cycle route 56 km, including 20 km on the piste, 600 m elevation gain

Bus route 0 km, duration 0 h

Today you will hike through the forests to traditional villages in secluded valleys. You may see lemurs. The mountain range is of volcanic origin and probably formed very suddenly. It consists of highly fissured granite. The altitude is between 650 and 2600 metres, Andringitra stretches over a length of 100 km. (F,M,A)

Tsara Camp 2* / Camp Catta 2*

Bus route 0 km, duration 0 h

You drive back to the tarmac road and on to Anamarena, a village known throughout the world for its numerous mangoes and papayas. The accompanying bus takes you past Mount Bischofsmütze to Ihosy and on to the Horombe Plateau in the direction of Ranohira. To get a more intense impression of this landscape, you cycle the last 15 kilometres to your lodge on the edge of Isalo National Park. The swimming pool invites you to take a dip. (F,M,A)

Hotel Orchidée Isalo 3* / Hotel H1 Isalo 3*

Cycle route 60 km, of which 20 km on the piste, 140 m elevation gain

Distance travelled by bus 120 km, duration 3 h

We cycle to the national park, first on tarmac and later on a beautiful, slightly sandy path. The national park is a mountainous landscape shaped by erosion into fantastic and bizarre rock formations with caves, deep gorges, streams and beautiful oases. The park covers the entire area of the Isalo Massif, a spectacular eroded sandstone mountain range and is the water reservoir of the area. You hope to see lemurs and enjoy the spectacular views of the region. Later you have the opportunity to swim in the 'Piscine Naturelle'. After the hike, you cycle back to your hotel. (F,M,A)

Hotel Orchidée Isalo 3* / Hotel H1 Isalo 3*

Cycle route 32 km, of which 20 km on the piste, 350 m elevation gain

Bus route 8 km, duration 0.5 h

You drive towards Toliara (Tuléar) at the end of National Road 7. On the way, you will see impressive baobabs that seem to be scattered wildly in this environment. You also stop at the graves of the Mahafaly and Antandroy. The area around Toliara is home to the Vezo ethnic group. They earn their living from fishing. After lunch, it's back on the bikes for the final stage. You cycle to Ifaty, Madiorano and Ambohimailaka. Here the warm Indian Ocean invites you to swim. In the evening, forget all your efforts and celebrate the end of your cycle tour. Your tour guide will also take this opportunity to say goodbye. (F,M,A)

Hotel La Mira de Madiorano 3*

Cycle route 38 km, all piste, 50 m elevation gain

Distance travelled by bus 240 km, duration 5 h

The beach holiday of the trip begins today. Ifaty is located in the country's largest lagoon and is protected by a coral reef. With water temperatures of around 25 °C, swimming is great. The offshore coral reef is ideal for snorkelling or diving. (F)

Hotel La Mira de Madiorano 3*

Bus route 0 km, duration 0 h

In the morning, transfer to the airport in Toliara (also known as Tulear). After a stopover in Antananarivo, the journey continues to Germany. (F)

Bus route 45 km, duration 2 h