Tsaranoro Valley

The Tsaranoro valley lies below the western escarpment of the Andringitra massif, and its centrepiece is the Tsaranoro Be face, a sheer granite wall around 800 metres high that has drawn big-wall climbers since the 1990s and carries some of the hardest long routes in Africa. For non-climbers there is walking to a sacred forest, waterfalls, a viewpoint over the valley, and the crossing into Andringitra proper. Betsileo villages farm the valley floor and the granite domes around it hold burial sites that are forbidden to enter. A handful of camps provide accommodation and arrange guides. The valley is quieter and warmer than the high plateau above it and works either as a base for the Andringitra trek or as a destination on its own.

What you actually see

• The Tsaranoro wall - an 800-metre granite face rising from the valley.
• Village farmland - Betsileo settlements and rice on the valley floor.
• The sacred forest - a protected grove with burial associations.
• Granite domes - rounded rock hills enclosing the valley.

When to go

April to November for the track and for climbing; the climbing season runs through the dry months. Afternoons are hot on the rock. December to March closes the access track in places.

Honest expectations

The access track is rough and takes about three hours from Ambalavao. Climbing here is serious and unbolted in places, not a beginner venue. Sacred sites in the valley carry prohibitions that are taken seriously. Facilities are camps with basic services and no shops.

Nearby

Andringitra National Park is directly east; Ambalavao lies north.