Highlights of Madagascar

There are no included activities today so you are free to arrive at any time.
The group flights usually arrive in the early afternoon. This evening's
welcome briefing is the perfect opportunity to meet your guide and get to
know your fellow travellers.

This morning we drive to Andasibe through the green and luxuriant vegetation
of the east. This first step brings us to the humid part of the country with
many primary forests and lakes. Along the way we will see Merina villages in
the rocky mountains. Arrive in Andasibe around 3pm and the rest of the
afternoon is free to relax. In the early evening we take a twilight/nocturnal
walk along the road, close to the Andasibe Nature Reserve, looking out for
the nocturnal species of lemur as the torchlights pass their eyes.

Discover Andasibe National Park (also known as Perinet) and its wildlife on a
4 hour walk. The park is home to the teddy bear-like Indri, the largest of
Madagascar's lemur species, as well as other forms of flora and fauna and a
wide array of bird life. Listening to the piercing yet melancholy cry of the
Indri in the morning is an evocative sound and for those who are prepared to
follow them through the thick rainforest, the reward is often a close-up view
of these beautiful creatures. A group of five Diademed sifaka have recently
been re-introduced to Andasibe from Mantadia, and if we are lucky, we may
spot one of these unusual creatures.

In the afternoon we visit the Vondron’olona Miaro Mitia Ala Reserve. This
is a community run reserve where you are able to see several species of
lemurs and birds. The reserve is an untouched paradise for endemic animals
and plants. There are groups of Indris which we hope to see here in their
natural habitat, and their white-headed relatives, the Diademed sifakas, jump
between the tree tops.  For reptiles and amphibian lovers, the reserve
offers countless frogs along its crystal clear river and several amazing
chameleons can be found in the forest.

We drive back to Tana, and head south to Antsirabe, across the highland
landscape with its beautiful rice fields on stage. The spectacular eroded
hills called ‘lavaka’ remind us of the Far East with its rice fields and
green landscape with vegetables and fruit trees. 
Antsirabe, or ‘the place of salt’, is an elegant city well known as the
centre of the beer industry and we can smell the Star Brewery as we enter the
town. Founded by the Norwegians in 1856, it is the only place which really
feels and looks like a European city. It has a temperate climate and all
fruits and vegetable, which grow in cold climates, are found in Antsirabe.

After breakfast we drive to Ambositra, the centre of Madagascar's wood
carving industry. We are still in the highlands, which are characterized by
their architecture: the houses are made with ornately carved wooden balconies
and shutters with bright colours. Further on we pass the ‘le col de
tapia’, a type of tree, which is resistant to the bush fires of the area.
The landscape is still dominated by rice fields on stage, pine forests and
eucalyptus trees and rocky mountains. Our destination for the day: Ranomafana
National Park.

Parc National de Ranomafana (approximately 40,000ha), with its rain forested
hills and abundant wildlife, has long been considered one of Madagascar’s
highlights, and is one of the most heavily visited of the country’s
national parks. Its entrance lies about 7km from Ranomafana village.
Altitudes in the park range from 800m to 1200m. In addition to its densely
forested hills, Ranomafana’s terrain is characterised by numerous small
streams, which plummet down to the beautiful Namorona River. Although much of
the region has been logged, the easternmost part of the park retains
relatively large areas of primary forest.

We go for a walk in the national park for approximately five hours in the
hopes of spotting some of the lemurs, chameleons and other animals found
here. We hope to see Golden bamboo lemurs who are unique to this park, as
well as other lemurs such as the Eastern woolly lemur, the Red bellied lemur,
the Grey bamboo lemur, and the Red-fronted brown lemur. This park is also
home to other mammals including tenrecs, bats and some of the carnivores such
as mongoose and the Malagasy striped civet.

An early start as we leave Ranomafana National Park behind us. The scenery
changes dramatically as we head to the small town of Ranohira, a journey of
approximately 9 hours. We stop near Ambalavao to visit Anja National Park
along the way - a small reserve where several families of Ring-tailed lemurs
can be seen amongst the vegetation.

After an early start, we spend our day exploring Isalo National Park. Isalo
is a vast region of wind-polished and water-scoured rock towers, deep
canyons, gorges and oases often described as Eden. We go walking in the
magnificent Canyon des Makis in search of cheeky Ring-tailed lemurs and the
Verreaux Sifaka. We also visit the 'Piscine Naturelle' (natural swimming
pool), a beautifully lush spot in such an arid landscape where we can swim
and relax. Perhaps the magic is just to soak up the sheer beauty of the park,
the combination of coloured eroded rock formations, strange plants and
enveloping silence make this one of the most captivating places in
Madagascar.

After breakfast, we continue to Tulear. This brings us new scenery, among the
dry forests of the west and the spiny desert of the south. On the way admire
the different ‘Mahafaly tombs and the ‘Antandroy tombs’ from the road
and visit Zombitse National Park for a few hours. The Zombitse National Park
forest is of particular interest to birdwatchers, as it is home to one of
Madagascar's rarest endemics, Appert's greenbul, as well as other species
such as Giant coua, Crested ibis and Cuckoo roller. Verreaux's Sifakas,
Red-fronted Brown lemurs and Sportive lemurs are also seen here.

This morning we take a boat transfer to Anakao arriving at around 9.00 am.
This Vezo (meaning 'the people who fish') fishing village lies on the south
west coast of Madagascar and boasts white sandy beaches.The rest of the day
is free for optional activities, including snorkelling, diving, pirogue
(small boat similar to a canoe) excursions, swimming and more.

An early 4x4 transfer of approximately two hours takes us to Tsimanampetsotse
for a full day visit of the national park. The large, shallow soda lake is
the focus for this terrific 43,200ha national park. The large limestone
plateau here has some of the most striking spiny forest vegetation in
Madagascar with countless endemic species. The park sits on a large
underground aquifer that runs north, evidenced by the numerous sinkholes and
caves. The lake is renowned for its waterfowl, notably flamingoes and other
rare endemic birds including the Madagascar plover. We may even be lucky and
spot the emblem of the park, the very rare Grandidier’s mongoose! In the
afternoon we return to Anakao.

Today we take a boat excursion to Nosy Ve to see the world's most
southernmost all-year breeding colony of Red-tailed tropic birds, stunning
all-white seabirds with red bills and long, thin, red tails, nesting in this
small island. If we are lucky we may see the females roosting under small
shrubs, well hidden from any airborne predators such as hawks or eagles. A
stroll around Nosy Ve’s shoreline including a long white sand beach takes
about one hour. After our exploration we will return to Anakao, usually
around lunchtime. The rest of the afternoon is free for optional activities.

Today we transfer to Tulear airport for our flight to Antananarivo. Depending
on the flight schedule, you may have some time in the afternoon free to
explore Antananarivo on your own.

This morning we embark on a city tour of Tana, the picturesque capital of
Madagascar. With its bustling markets, friendly people and ancient town on a
hill with freestone churches and ancient royal places, it is unique among the
world’s other capitals. We visit Ambohimanga, the fortified village and its
Royal palace. Ambohimanga, otherwise known as Blue Hills, was for a long time
forbidden to Europeans. The kings and queens returned here for rest and
relaxation on top the forested slopes of this hill-top village. From here
began the line of kings and queens who united Madagascar into one country.
Ambohimanga still remains of spiritual significance for the Malagasy people
with ceremonies and rituals still taking place.

Our adventure ends this afternoon after a city tour. Those on the group
flights will be transferred to the airport in the evening for the very early
flight the next morning.