Route Nationale 7

Madagascar'S Classic Southbound Road, A Tarmac Highway Linking The Highlands To The Isalo Sandstone And The South West Coast, Through Terraced Rice Country, Betsileo Villages, Ambositra Woodcarving And The Zafimaniry Region · Antsirabe, Vakinankaratra

Route Nationale 7, known as the RN7, is the paved road that runs about 940 km from Antananarivo south through the highlands to Toliara on the south-west coast. It is the backbone of most first trips to Madagascar. The road climbs through terraced rice country and Merina and Betsileo villages, passes Antsirabe with its pousse-pousse rickshaws and thermal baths, Ambositra with its woodcarving shops, Fianarantsoa with its old hill town, and Ambalavao with its silk and paper workshops. South of Ranohira it drops onto the dry plain of Isalo and the sapphire town of Ilakaka, then runs on to the coast. The scenery is the reason to go, but the road is slow, narrow and shared with zebu carts, trucks and overloaded taxi-brousse. Tarmac quality varies and some sections have potholes. Plan on several days with overnight stops, not one long push. Fuel, food and cash are easy to find in the big towns and scarce in between, and a private car with a driver is the comfortable choice.

Antananarivo to Toliara, about 940 km through Antsirabe, Ambositra, Ambohimahasoa, Fianarantsoa, Ranohira and Ilakaka, Antsirabe, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar

The road is open all year and is free to use, with no gate or toll booth that we know of. It is a public highway, so there are no opening hours. Heavy rain from roughly December to March can cause potholes and damage, and cyclones occasionally cut sections - confirm current conditions with your driver or hotel. Fuel stations are thin south of Ranohira. After dark many stretches are unlit and dangerous, so most drivers stop by late afternoon.

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