Focus on Nature of Madagascar

Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean, some 100km’s from the Southern African east coast. Over millions of years, Madagascar developed a unique flora and fauna. This is the place where evolution has run wild and it has such a high degree of endemism, that it is truly a place like nowhere else on earth. Madagascar is famous for their remarkable selection of lemurs, primate’s endemic to the island, birds, brilliantly coloured chameleons and lizards, tenrecs, bats and rodents. Several early evening walks are also planned for this tour, in order to experience the ’darker ‘side of nocturnal life. While itinerary is scheduled there is some flexibility and you’ll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as experiencing new cultures, doing some great photos. You will enjoy the exceptional and outstanding Malagasy wildlife on this trip. It is fantastic.

Highlights

Exotic Reptile Park , Indri Reserve – Andasibe-Mantadia NP , lemurs island of vakona private park, Tritriva lake, Antsirabe region, Ranomafana NP , Anja Villagers Park , Andringitra region, Fenêtre de l’Isalo – Isalo NP, Arboretum d’Antsokay, Ifaty forest and beach – Baobabs – Ifaty beaches.

The optimal time for this amazing tour is from March to November, it is designed for all nature lovers for all age who prefers to explore the wild and make great photos. The mega biodiversity in our unique country with the exiting landscape in different areas makes this tour unforgettable.

Day 1

Touching down in Antananarivo, “town of thousands”

Today is an arrival day. You are free to arrive at any time. Upon arrival in Antananarivo you will be greeted by your tour manager and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. In the evening, you will have the first tour briefing and you will hear more about how to handle and enjoy the tour

Day 2

Antananarivo – Andasibe, ‘into the country of the Betsimisaraka’

This morning we start our 145 km drive eastward through the highlands to Andasibe. On the way we will stop off at Exotic Reptile Park. The park is well known for its colourful chameleons and more reptiles as leaf tailed geckos, snack and many other. Most of the best chameleon photos you have seen in different guide book are taken here. After the visit we forward east to the small busy town of Moramanga for lunch. After lunch, we drive past villages belonging to the Betsimisaraka ethnic group. This group, unified from rival groups into a single entity by the son of an English pirate and a Malagasy princess, was once the most powerful group on the east coast of Madagascar with a name meaning ‘the many inseparable ethnic groups’. Tonight we take a night walk to look for night active lemurs and other night active animals.

Day 3

Andasibe-Mantadia NP and Vakona private reserve

Full day to explore the flora and fauna in the park, the animals and birds are most active in the early morning and there should be good opportunities to see and hear the lemurs. The black and white coated Indri-Indri is an extraordinary Lemur, known for its wailing call. Indri’s are active on and off throughout the day but are best seen in the morning. In the afternoon we may visit Vakona private park well known for its island of lemurs, we crass small river with a canoe and will be able to see more lemur species up closer. Great opportunity to get nice picture with lemurs.

Day 4

Andasibe – Antsirabe

Drive to our next destination Antsirabe. Antsirabe known as the city where we can find many minerals, across the highland landscape with its beautiful rice fields and its spectacular eroded hills called lavaka. The drive takes in lush green landscape where vegetables and fruits are farmed. En-route we stop in Ambatolampy for a short visit, a huge agricultural city and very well known as capital bay-foot production. Antsirabe, founded by Norwegian missionaries as a health retreat, is an industrial and agricultural centre. Also we find here the Star brewery, the only brewery in Madagascar. We stay for the night in centre town; our hotel is surrounded by an elegant garden

Day 5

Antsirabe sightseeing

The lakes should not be missed when you pass to Antsirabe, the two most known crater lakes make this area extraordinary mysterious, that are Andraikiba and Tritriva. On the ways we have the chance to enjoy the typical landscape of the Merina ethnic group. We back in the city for lunch and in the afternoon we plan city tour by car or rickshaw or easy walk, this walk we will visit and discover more the historical back ground of the city and its active people in their daily life. We will learn about precious and half precious stone, make some colorful picture of vegetable and fruit in Antsenakely market and see demonstration of zebu horn and miniature handy craft

Day 6

Ranomafana NP

This national park is one of Madagascar’s best-known rainforest wildlife hot spots. We will enjoy a day walk in the park embarking on a trek in the Ranomafana rainforest. Probably we will find lots of birds, frogs, lemurs and other species. We hope to see Red-bellied lemurs, Red-fronted lemurs, and Diadema Sifakas. Although present, the Golden bamboo Lemur and the Broad-nosed gentle Lemur, are more difficult to find. The park is also rich in flora with orchids, tree ferns, palms mosses, trumpet flowers and stands of giant bamboo.

Day 7

Ranomafana – Anja Park – Andringitra

We will leave the rainforest this morning; we drive through different landscape before we reach the great wall rock formation of Tsaranoro valley. We pass Fianarantsoa the capital city of the Betsileo during the drive, then continuous south and arrive in Ambalavao; we plan lunch here and have some visit of different handy craft. About 15 km south of the city is the local managed park Anja, here we stop of course for a visit and have fun in the nature. Cattas, chameleons, astonished rock formation and many species of plant are to explore here. After the visit we forward south to reach our camp

Day 8

Tsaranoro Valley Trekking

To have more fun of the visit of Tsaranoro massif, we have to start early to enjoy the morning sunshine into the big rock wall, or reflected in the small lake and river nearby. We start the trek from our camp, go through first in the forest to spot the ring tailed lemurs before we start the tracks lead through open savannah and higher altitude. As soon as we are higher, we start have great view of the valley. Many different level of trek or climb are possible here. Various species of bird, snakes, lizards, chameleons, orchids and plenty of other plants can be found. If the time allows us we may visit villages and the basic health center.

Day 9

Andringitra – Ranohira

After the full day hike in Andringitra region, we forwards south west direction national park of Isalo. We have first our 20Km off road until we reach the national seven again. The architecture change from the Betsileo village to the Bara, for them house has no much value, so we will see lots of small village. The Bara is the tribe breeding more zebu, so we have also good chance for great photos of these sacred animal for the Malagasy before we reach Isalo national park

Day 10

Isalo National Park

This park is fiercely beautiful with golden plains punctuated by craggy pinnacles of terracotta rock, valleys, canyons and waterfalls. The Isalo National Park comprises the entire stretch of the Isalo massif. This huge mountain is spectacular with its eroded sandstone mountain. Our adventure begins with a trek in the Park. In this surreal park we trek through landscapes formed by centuries of erosion and fascinating sandstone formations. This massive uniform of the Jurassic era is the cradle of a particular wild nature and an exceptional landscape. We walk to the canyons, we look for ring-tailed and other lemurs. We can refresh ourselves on the way at a waterfall or a natural pool.

Day 11

Ranohira – Arboretum d’Antsokay – Toliara (Tuléar) – Ifaty

Today we drive to Toliara (Tuléar), the terminal of the National road N° 7. On the way we stop at the Arboretum d’Antsokay for endemic plants of Madagascar, collected by a Swiss biologist over decades. On the road we experience new scenery that is comprised of the dry forest of the west, the spiny desert of the south and the spectacular baobabs. The region here is the driest part of the country. The landscape is dominated by spiny forest-like cactus and different Euphorbia plants. We stop at the Mahafaly and Antandroy tombs. These tombs are works of art, constructed by the community, to honour the deceased. From Toliara we drive north along the coast to Ifaty where our accommodation for the next two nights is.

Day 12

Swimming and relaxing

The ocean has temperatures that we may appreciate. We relax and swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. At the coral reef up front discover colourful plant and fish life while snorkelling.

Day 13

Ifaty – Toliara – Antananarivo

Depending in your domestic flight scheduled, it can be free morning to enjoy the beach in your Won and after lunch we have transfer to Toliara for our domestic flight to the capital of Antananarivo, or have morning flight to Antananarivo and have good chance for your last day of souvenir shopping before your on time transfer for your fly Home.

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