Dhows
- 2 dhows available
- 1 to 16 people per dhow
Malagasy dhows are traditional sailing transport boats. Of Arab origin, they are found in Madagascar only in the north-west region, covering 400 km of coastline. The history of dhows goes back more than 600 years, and the absence of road access in our region has undoubtedly preserved the traditional use of these sailing boats straight from the depths of Indian Ocean history. Made entirely of wood, dhows are wide boats with a shallow draught, enabling them to squeeze in almost anywhere on this extremely varied coastline. The most distinctive feature of dhows, however, is the triangular shape of their sails, supported by a mast that slopes steeply forward. They are majestic and impressive cargo boats, effortlessly transporting us into the world of Scheherazade.
Alefa works with two large dhows, 14 and 16 meters long. They were built entirely with traditional tools by Sakalava carpenters (a coastal people from northwest Madagascar), and each dhow took several years to build. Everything on board has been designed to take dreams of exotic travel far beyond the norm. Six-man crew, enormous space, Arab wool carpets, chiselled trays, copper teapots, comfortable cushions, thick ropes, large wooden pulleys, and thick cotton sails.
A small motorized tender capable of safely carrying a ton of cargo also allows us to get even closer to anything. A large deck shade canopy provides generous shade at all times.
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Dhows are boats of Arab origin. Their extraordinary history goes back over a thousand years, and the realm of these boats from the mists of time stretches from southern India to north-western Madagascar, via Yemen, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania and, finally, the Comoros.
Pirogues
- 1 pirogue available
- 1 to 4 people per pirogue
In northwest Madagascar, pirogues are outrigger canoes. They are traditional multihulls whose Austronesian origins (a geographical arc including Indonesia, Malaysia, Bali and Borneo) date back more than 2800 years. It was these extraordinary pirogues that brought in the migrations from Malaysia and Indonesia so many centuries ago, and were at the origin of Madagascar's first settlements.
Today, on our coast, pirogues are everywhere and come in all sizes. From the smallest, barely able to support the weight of one or two people, to the largest, a veritable "travel pirogue" that can reach a dozen meters and carry several tons. Built entirely of wood, their sophisticated construction uses a wide variety of local species, specific to the mechanical characteristics required.
Their bird-wing-shaped sails are very large (up to 80 M2 of fabric for an 11-meter pirogue weighing 2 tons), enabling them to reach astonishing speeds very quickly. These boats are very gentle on the waves, combining flexibility and sturdiness. On board, you often have the impression of being in a sort of glider, as you glide silently over the water.
Alefa's new pirogue is called OHAZALA and is 11 m long. That's what we call a big travel pirogue here. We've taken nothing away from tradition on this pirogue, apart from the addition of a 25 HP outboard motor. It's colorful, cheerful and lively, and offers an even more direct approach to the sea and land than dhows. Surrounded by simplicity, you have the water right under your feet and your head in the sky. At once the multihull of Malagasy origins, a flying carpet, and the magic sled of our childhood dreams, it offers an incredible sense of freedom. It's capable of slipping in and out of very little water, and allows us to land directly, without the need for a dinghy.
The all-Malagasy crew consists of a French-speaking guide and three extremely versatile sailors, equally adept on land and at sea....
On land, bivouac equipment and services are exactly the same as on a dhow trip.
We accept up to 4 passengers on this new pirogue.
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Did you know?
Madagascar cruises examples
Our "à la carte" cruises
Dhow cruises in Madagascar
Alefa works with two large Sakalava dhows: Karakory and Mahatsara. These two dhows were built entirely with traditional tools by Sakalava carpenters. Their construction, without any prior plans, took several years, during which nothing was spared to make them the two most beautiful dhows in the region. Everything on board was designed to take exotic dreams of discovery beyond the norm. Six crewmen, an enormous space, African wool carpets, chiselled trays and copper teapots, comfortable cushions, huge wooden pulleys and thick ropes make up the daily décor of a dhow voyage, in the generous shade of an immense cotton canvas.
Our dhows, while offering the same services on land as in a pirogue, will plunge you even deeper into a universe of another time, another world.
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