The train to Fianarantsoa is part of the touristic tour. You must deal with the rare days it circulates: Tuesday and Thursday up, Wednesday and Saturday down in May 2015. First class is mandatory for tourists, which can make a dedicated car on the descent to Manakara. But I chose to get the train up to Fiana, since I cycled down to Manakara! And we are only 2 French guys and the rest are only Malagasy. The train takes about 14h for 160km, with a real start around 7:30am and an arrival around 9pm on the day I was there. In fact, it spends more time off (loading / unloading / wagon changes) than circulating! A great opportunity to see a slice of life in some villages crossed, some only accessible by this train (no road)!
