Field conditions

Standard schedule
It includes two one-day field excursions to Tsarafara and Ifasina. Hikes have low difficulty, with a maximum of three hours hiking per day. Transportation to the excursion site and back lasts one-and-a-half hour through all-terrain open-back trucks. The hiking track is of moderate to medium slope. Wading through shallow fords is a possibility. The weather is expected to be dry and temperatures to range from 5° in the early morning to 15° in the peak of the day, under strong sun. The vegetation is mainly composed by soft grass up to 50 cm high and scattered bushes.

Extended schedule
In addition to the excursions planned for the standard schedule, the extended schedule includes one three-days field excursion to the well renowned historical mine of Anjanabonoina. Transportation to the departing point of the hiking is through all-terrain open-back trucks and the driving time is around three hours. The hiking time for the first and the third day can vary between four and six hours, depending on the time spent in the observation of the relevant geological features visible along the way. The hiking track is of moderate to medium slope, passing through some rocky traits and a final one-kilometre steep slope to be climbed the first day. Wading through shallow to waist-level fords is necessary at several points along the route. The weather is expected to be dry and temperatures to range from 0° in the night to 15° in the peak of the day, under strong sun. The vegetation is mainly composed by soft grass up to 50 cm high and scattered bushes.

Equipement

Standard schedule
⁠We recommend all participants to the two one-day field excursions to Tsarafara and Ifasina to be equipped with hiking shoes and trousers, flipflops to go through fords, comfortable clothing, a warm sweater, a windproof jacket, and a sun hat; for people with sensitive skin, insect repellent and sunscreen lotion.

Extended schedule
For daily activities, we recommend all participants to the three-days field excursion to Anjanabonoina to be equipped with hiking shoes and trousers, flipflops to go through fords, comfortable clothing, a warm sweater, a windproof jacket, a sun hat, insect repellent and sunscreen lotion. For camping, participants are requested to have their own backpack, tent, sleeping bag, warm night clothes and hygienic necessities. Toilet paper is provided for by the conference’s logistics.

Food
Participants are requested to mention any food allergy or special need at the moment of reserving their seat for TUR2025, in order to timely ascertain whether those can be provided for by conference’s logistics.

⁠Standard schedule
For the one-day excursions to Tsarafara and Ifasina a traditional Malagasy meal is provided on-site, along with water.

Extended schedule
For the three-days excursion to Anjanabonoina, each participant is provided with a spartan but sufficient daily ration including canned fish, processed cheese wedges, peanuts, water. White rice is cooked on-site.
Participants are advised to provide for their own energy bars or any other food supplement they might deem appropriate.

Medications
Participants are requested to take along a sufficient quantity of their standard prescription medicines to cover the whole period of their anticipated stay in Madagascar. We strongly suggest to share medications into two separate sets to be located into two different pieces of baggage, including extra quantities in order to buffer possible losses or delays of all sorts. Malagasy pharmacies are fairly provided with most common medications; however, adequate replacement of lost prescription medicine may prove arduous.
Incubation times considered, during the time of the conference the insurgence of malaria symptoms is a relatively remote possibility; malaria medications are widely available in Madagascar and are part of TUR2025’s field equipment. However, while rare in the conference’s season, contracting malaria is always a possibility to be taken into account while travelling in sub-Saharan countries.
Malaria symptoms can be numerous and misleading. Upon your return home, at the insurgence of typical malaria symptoms or any other awkward symptom which is not irrefutably diagnosed otherwise, the possibility of malaria should always be mentioned to the attending physician and a test performed.

Extra services

Extended schedule
TUR2025 is conceived as a scientific conference, not an athletic challenge. In order to allow participants to concentrate on observations without excessive stress, during the three-days excursion to Anjanabonoina a modicum of comfort is represented by a ten-kilos weight allowance that each participant may hand over to a porter on the way to the mine and back. That should cover the whole weight of the participant’s food rations and possibly some extra items. Upon request, some additional allowance could be organised on the spot.
The group is followed by a medical doctor and two stretcher bearers. No specific danger is anticipated; while the first is there just as a precaution, the latter might be helpful in wading the rivers along the way.