1000 Views of Madagascar

Itinerary

Day 1: Antananarivo – Andasibe Arrival in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Welcome and assistance at the airport. After a short briefing, 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 at Andasibe around 18h00. Check-in hotel. Later this evening at approximately 19h00 we have a night walk in the area of Andasibe to observe night active lemurs and other nocturnal animals. Day 2: Natural Reserve of Andasibe A morning visit to the Special Reserve of Andasibe, to see the Indri Indri, the largest lemurs on the island. This 810 ha reserve is unique with its endemic fauna and flora. It contains a wide variety of orchids, canopy, and endemic animals like chameleons, tenrecs, and many birds. After the visit we walk through the orchid park to admire all the nice flowers. In the afternoon, we visit Andasibe village, a typical Betsimisaraka (The-Many-inseparable) village, and the second largest tribe on the island. They cultivate rice and live mainly off the forest. This small visit helps us to have contact with the local people, to see how they live and what they eat.

Day 3: Andasibe – Antsirabe
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. A stop in Ambatolampy for a short visit of this huge agricultural city, which is also known as a source of aluminium. Arrival in Antsirabe - or ‘the place of salt’ - an elegant city.

Day 4: Antsirabe to Ranomafana National Park
After breakfast we drive to Ambositra, the centre of Madagascar's wood carving industry. We are still in the highland, which is characterized by its architecture: The houses are made with ornately carved wooden balconies and shutters with bright colours.

Day 5: Ranomafana National Park
Parc National de Ranomafana, with its rain forested hills and abundant wildlife, has long been considered one of Madagascar’s highlights. You will go for walks in the National Park for several hours spotting some of the lemurs, chameleons and other animals.

Day 6: Fianarantsoa – Isalo
We leave Ranomafana and head south. Stop in Ambalavao to visit a wine estate for wine tasting and the ‘Anteimoro Paper Factory’. Continue to Ihosy the capital of the Bara tribes, who are the shepherds of Zebu, and pass through the mountain chain of Andringitra. Along the way we will see a spectacular huge granite dome with twin rock towers called ‘the gate of the south’. Then pass through the huge ‘Plateaux de Horombe’ where with its very deep red soil reminds us of ‘the no man's land’. Arrive in Isalo.

Day 7: Isalo Visit to Isalo National Park. We will walk to the ‘Natural swimming pool’, spectacular views of the huge sandstone mountains with its beautiful colours and its strange and eroded forms. Along the way, for lemur lovers, there may be sifakas, brown lemurs and ringtaild lemurs, as well as fifty-five species of birds, lizards and snakes. Day 8: Isalo to Ifaty Continue to Tuléar, the terminal of the National Road N° 7. On the way, we admire the different ‘Mahafaly tombs’ and the ‘Antandroy tombs’. After our short visit of Tuléar we drive to Ifaty. , which lies about 27 km from Tuléar. Due to the bad condition of the road, it will take us about 2½ hours to reach Ifaty. The landscape is dominated by the spiny forest like the cactus, different euphorbiacea and didieracea.

Day 9: Ifaty
Day at leisure. Ifaty lies in the beach - it is an ideal place for diving and snorkelling and a popular place for birdwatchers. Here you can also experience the Vezo Fishermen's life. Many excursions are possible. Visit the ‘Reserve Domergue’, a communal reserve where one will see two kinds of baobabs, spiny bush, reptiles like ‘boa madagascariensis’, ‘geckos’ and ‘chameleon parsoni’ (the largest one). Take a boat trip to see the whales. From July to mid September, whales come to the cool seas off Madagascar to give birth to their young.

Day 10: Ifaty - Tulear - Tana
Early morning flight back to Tana. Afternoon free.

Day 11: Tana
Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.

2011 Departures: 22 Apr, 27 May, 24 Jun, 22 Jul, 26 Aug, 23 Sept, 21 Oct, 25 Nov

All prices in Australian Dollars

Price includes: Accommodation based on Bed and Breakfast basis in twin sharing room, all transfers and transport mentioned in the program, all entrance fees, specialist local guides in the national park as per program, all excursions mentioned in the program and an English-speaking driver.

Price excludes: Flights - Tulear to Tana: approx. $230 per person.

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