Kayak the Mangoky follows two men from source to sea along Madagascar’s longest river. Friends Oscar Scafidi and Ben Ziehm Stephen set out in the spring of 2022 with a collapsible kayak to complete the first recorded source-to-sea expedition of the Mangoky River.
Ben and Oscar on the quiet Mangoky, immediately before running into a spate of rapids. Photo: Screenshot
The film begins with their training in Tunisia, where they lived at the time. Rather than practicing with their kayak, they focused on hiking, running, and backpacking. As Oscar’s voiceover foreshadows, this turned out to be a good idea.
Finally, it’s time to start the expedition. They fly into Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, and load up their gear. Things go wrong before they even begin the trek to the source of the Mangoky, when the 4×4 breaks down in the middle of the night. Flat tires and more complications follow. It’s vehicle number four, a massive truck, which finally brings them close to their destination. The next morning dawns, the official day one of kayaking the Mangoky.
The tire-shredding track along the route to the source. Photo: Screenshot
Carrying their gear (kayak included) on their backs, Oscar and Ben begin hiking along a path that fades in and out. But finding the exact source turns out to be trickier than anticipated. Dense foliage prevents satellite navigation, and the locals give conflicting directions and are generally unenthused by the prospect of guiding them.
Finally, they manage to stumble on a muddy little stream, the source of the Mangoky. Now, the expedition can officially start.
Not far from the source, Ben spots their first wild lemur. Photo: Screenshot
Source to sea
The next day, they trek back to the village where the river is enough like an actual river to support a kayak and assemble their vessel for the first time. For several days, the pair make a good pace, but outside the city of Fianaransota, they have to pack the kayak back up.
From here to Ikalamavony, it’s nothing but punishing portaging for 135km. The scenery is beautiful, but the unwieldy, heavy packs and rumors of dangerous local rattle rustlers weigh down every step. Friendly passersby tempt Oscar and Ben with offers of rides, but they push through.
The pair is rewarded with more portaging. In Ikalamavony, they learn that crocodiles and rapids make the next section impassible. Instead, they’ll have to trek an untested path through the mountains. Along with four guides, they set out west. But on the second day, they reach the fun-to-try-to-pronounce Mananantanana, a tributary of the Mangoky, running swift and clear.
Sure, the packs are heavy, but the scenery is nice. Photo: Screenshot
There ends up being a lot of portaging anyway, as they dodge rapids that locals upriver had assured them did not exist. Got ’em with the old “navigable river” trick. In between portaging and kayaking, they manage to get completely lost.
The four guides eventually arrive to rescue them, and between the six men and helpful, curious locals everywhere they stop, they manage to get Oscar, Ben, and the kayak into the Mangoky proper. From there, it’s smooth going, other than the non-functional camp stove, broken steering mechanism, and constant threat of crocodiles.
Even these can’t prevent Oscar, Ben, and a whole cadre of guides from slipping into the Mozambique channel, completing the journey from the source of the Mangoky to the sea.
