Vohemar to Mazava by bike

Vohemar to Mazava is a part of one of the best bike routes in the country with indescribably scenery along the whole way. With the exception of a few hills, it's mostly flat and straight biking along tarred road in excellent condition but with the odd small potholes which is more a problem for cars than for bikes. Every few kilometres there's a small village with friendly locals greeting bypassers.

The traffic is minimal especially, during the rainy season from December until June, with only a few crowded taxi-brousses and freight trucks throughout the day making it relatively safe for even the odd reptile to cross the road without being flattened.

There are no tourists, although this will likely change in a few years as the infamous RN5 route between Ambilobe and Vohemar is being completed. Meanwhile, the area remains relatively isolated and without the odd tourist couples wastefully spacing out in chauffeur-driven 4x4 cars.

Mazava is an unknown and even unmapped village four kilometres south of Ampanefena halfway between Vohemar and Sambava. However, as none of the four hotels in Ampanefena offer particularly good value accommodation, the best option is always to stay at Maison Zaza in Mazava where Mr and Mrs Zaza who are vanilla farmers, rents out five bungalows on their property, two of them with a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.

The adjacent restaurant and bar serves zebu brochette and special meals if pre-ordered. The location is a regular meeting place for locals with karaoke on weekends and sporting events shown on a large TV screen.

Tour data
Distance: 48.5 miles
Duration: 8 hours, 1 minutes, and 12 seconds
Average Speed: 6.0 mph
Minimum Elevation: 32 feet
Maximum Elevation: 237 feet
Total climb: 845 feet
Total descent: 961 feet

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