Train tour in Madagascar

The train is about to arrive, and excited tourists have already gathered on the platform in anticipation of an intriguing journey. These are mainly tourists who choose the railroad to travel 160 kilometers from the southeast of Madagascar to the quiet city of Manakara, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. The entire path runs through fabulous rainforests, tea and banana plantations. These are amazing colorful landscapes that you can enjoy all the way.

And so, the loud voice of the station master is heard, who is impeccably dressed in black trousers, a white shirt, a cap and with a Bible in his hand. Which traditionally blesses passengers on a journey. This is very unusual, but in Madagascar it is a part of the culture that pleasantly surprises us tourists.

Looking through the large windows of the train, you will watch the real colorful world of Madagascar nature, which will leave delightful emotions from the unusual unique dense tropical forests dominated by giant trees with white trunks. The crowns of these trees are shrouded in thick fog, barely letting in sunlight, creating a ghostly image. All this resembles the scenery for a Hollywood mystery film and creates an incredible experience. In addition, the railway passes through 48 tunnels and 60 suspension bridges, which form a path connecting the isolated region with another world since 1936. On the right and left, as the vegetation curtain empties, you can see towering rocky mountains, meandering rivers and waterfalls.

At each stop, we recommend getting off the train, where you will be surrounded by local food vendors, as well as curious children who will sincerely give you their smiles. Dishes that can be offered to you to buy: fried zebu sausages, chicken pieces, nuts, bananas and pineapples, dishes with shrimp and crayfish.

After sunset, the most difficult part of the trip begins, as there are no more landscapes and at the stops you can hardly see anything, only the voice of children emerging from the shadows is heard.

The tourist train retains its colonial touch. Simple yet comfortable seats. Paintings with old photographs surround the car, and tiny wrought-iron trunks denote a stately style.

The train starts to leave the station and makes its way through the fog in the early morning, a typical picture of these lands, a slow awakening of the city. Along the paths there are houses where local people have already started their day. Men carry sacks of coal, children go to school in groups, and women carry their baskets on their heads and skillfully carry their children on their backs.

Leaving the city behind, the road begins to pass through rice fields and small villages. The train then gradually enters the mountainous terrain, crossing the fog and surrounding itself with dense tropical jungle, where disheveled palms cover the slopes. From time to time, opening the curtains, you will see green valleys, rivers, waterfalls that flow from the mountains. It is impossible not to want to photograph it! The platforms are overwhelmed by the flow of women selling local food, where they manage to offer as many products as possible. From sweet to savory, Malagasy will offer you, where you will learn national dishes and get acquainted with their way of life and culture.

A trip that lasts more than 15 hours will bring you closer to the city and the people of Madagascar, where you can get to know better about these wonderful, friendly people who live on this unique island. You will get hundreds of smiles, interesting conversations, amazing landscapes and get to know a culture that was completely unknown to you. This trip will leave a mark on your heart. This is a pure shake-up of feelings and emotions from the delightful nature, friendly people and extraordinary colorful views that you can see only here and nowhere else in the world!