Madagascar - The Red Island

Top gorge of the Biasse

Since Norway I have had other adventures.  I got out to Corsica for the first time.  Levels were low but it was a brilliant trip; sleeping on the beach, driving over sketchy mountain passes looking down at the clouds over the edge of the cliff, remote paddling deep in inescapable gorges.  I have also been up to Scotland a few times and enjoyed wet weekends in Wales.  I even got on some new things in the French Alps where I paddled a short section of the Biasse higher than the usual put in.  Emerging from the narrow gorge I was greeted by the cheers of a coach full of people who had stopped their tour to gaze at the waterfalls.

Toms Excellent Corsica 2012 edit of our trip.  Tom Laws on Vimeo.

That’s my super quick whistlestop tour of 18 years of kayaking.  Now the history is done, what next?  At the end of the week I will be flying out to Madagascar.  There have only been a few expeditions to the island so unlike the journeys so far this one is very different.  I have no idea what lies ahead, other than it’s going to be intense.

View Larger Map

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, so there is plenty to explore.  Were going in the Madagascan winter, so the paddling is likely to be the big volume type.  The steep creeks will be mostly dry, but the dirt track roads should be dusty rather than muddy allowing us to get to rivers that have not yet been explored.  Another advantage of going in the winter is that the crocodiles will be less active!

There are other worries too.  The Rabies virus is carried by the mammals of the island including Vampire Bats.  There are waterborne flesh eating parasites, the Plague, and other tropical diseases.  Last year’s cyclone left significant devastation, and was quickly followed by a locust swarm which decimated crops.  Most of the population live in poverty, with 90% of the population living on less than $2 per day.  On top of that there is political unrest, excaserbated by the government having postponed elections.

We're hiring kayaks from Gilles Gautier, a French raft guide living on the Island.  We're flying out paddles (and spares, because replacing broken ones in Madagascar will be impossible) and kayaking kit.  We’re going to be carrying everything in our kayaks, food, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, water purification pills.

So, in a few days, our team of 6 will be on the Red Island starting our expedition...