MADAGASCAR EXPEDITION

MADAGASCAR

TOUR CODE: ETA1M234

13 Days 12 Nights

Itinerary At Glance

Arrival at Ivato International Airport. Once you have cleared customs formalities, our Guide will smooth through the rest of the arrivals process – currency exchange, setting up your phone with a new SIM card, and anything else you need. We will provide 1 SIM cards with Data + National Call + 5mn International call during your stay in Madagascar. It will make our contact easier. Check in at the hotel.

PLACE: ANTANANARIVO

ACCOMMODATION: NOVOTEL

OPTION: HALF BOARD

DRIVE: 20mn from the airport

DAY 2: ANTANANARIVO – ANDASIBE (PERINET)

After breakfast, we explore Madagascar’s capital, known simply as “Tana”. We drive to the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consisting of a royal city and an ensemble of sacred places. The Queen’s Palace here is a symbol of the Merina Kingdom, the dynasty that made Madagascar a modern state. This is a place of pilgrimage and the burial ground for its sovereigns since 1817. Sitting atop the highest hill in Antananarivo, it offers spectacular views of the surroundings. We then drive down to Independence Avenue and Anosy Lake. Here we get a good picture of the diverse communities that come together from all over the island in the capital, before we take a scenic drive to Marozevo. We visit the famous exotic animal breeding centre owned by naturalist Andre Pereyras, where we see almost all the chameleon species of Madagascar – as well as butterflies, leaf tailed geckos, lemurs and other interesting animals. On the RN2 east we enjoy panoramic views of the stepped rice fields of the Highlands of Madagascar. We see villages of the Merina tribe in the rocky hills and then continue east through green and luxuriant vegetation, with stops along the scenic rainforest route in world-renowned Andasibe-Perinet National Park, seeing primary forests and lakes.

PLACE: ANTANANARIVO
ACCOMMODATION: MANJARANO LODGE AND SPA
OPTION: HALF BOARD
DRIVE: About 4h

DAY 3 : ANDASIBE (Mantadia)

To enjoy the real wildlife, we spend the day exploring Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, home to an extraordinary diversity of plant and animal life, including more than a hundred species of birds. As you hike through the dense, fern-filled forest, keep an eye out for the resident lemurs—such as the bamboo and ring-tailed lemur—as well the blue coua and the Malagasy green sunbird. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure, then join your guide for another nighttime jaunt in the jungle.

PLACE: ANTANANARIVO
ACCOMMODATION: MANJARANO LODGE AND SPA

OPTION: HALF BOARD

DRIVE: About 45mn drive

DAY 4 : ANDASIBE (PERINET)

After breakfast, you start with a guided visit at Analamazaotra National Park. It is better to leave the hotel early (about 7:30AM) to meet easily the Indri-Indri and the Diademed Sifaka in their forest home. The visit takes about 3 hours. Within a mile of the park you can hear the peculiar call of the indri very early in the morning until noon and again in the late afternoon. Indris (called Babakoto in Malagasy) are the largest living lemurs at all reaching up to 1 meter. Andasibe is the best place to observe the Indris given that there are a couple of families habituated to humans. It lives in small groups and cannot survive in captivity. There are several legends trying to explain its origins since it is considered a sacred animal in the whole Madagascar. Apart from the Indri, another 13 lemur species inhabit these forests, such as woody lemur, grey bamboo lemur, diademed sifaka, brown lemur, red mouse-lemur, red-bellied lemur, black and white ruffed lemur. In the afternoon we visit Andasibe village, known as “the City of Waters”, and stroll through the local market to see some Malagasy craftspeople working. Then, you will enjoy an amazing up close and personal experience with lemurs on the private Lemurs Island and then on to view many other species in the Vakona Reserve Zoo, where you will see many crocodiles in the huge river enclosure, native birds, and other wildlife in well-kept surroundings. Around 6:30PM, you end this day with a guided night visits which will take 1 hour and half, and then drive back to the hotel.

PLACE: ANTANANARIVO
ACCOMMODATION: MANJARANO LODGE AND SPA

OPTION: HALF BOARD

DAY 5: ANDASIBE – ANTANANARIVO

After breakfast, return to Antananarivo. Upon arrival, transfer to the famous Lemur’s Park for a guided visit. This 5-hectare estate, bordered by the Katsaoka River, currently hosts 7 species of lemurs from different regions of Madagascar, but also other key representatives of Malagasy fauna and flora. After the visit, back to the town for lunch (we recommend a restaurant “La marée”, near the Tzimbazaza botanical garden). Enjoy the visit at the lemur’s park with a private guide, and relax at your hotel this evening.

PLACE: ANTANANARIVO

ACCOMMODATION: NOVOTEL

OPTION: HALF BOARD

DRIVE: About 4h

DAY 6 : ANTANANARIVO – TULEAR – ISALO

Fly to the coastal town of Toliara and travel overland to our hotel in Isalo, overlooking the dramatic sandstone cliffs of Isalo National Park. Spend the afternoon hiking the trails around the hotel and seek out the unique Pachypodiums—spine-covered succulents endemic to Madagascar. At the end of your hike, cool off with a dip in an emerald-hued natural pool. Opt to continue exploring the park on horseback, or unwind at the hotel’s spa.

PLACE: ANTANANARIVO

ACCOMMODATION: ROCK LODGE

OPTION: HALF BOARD

DRIVE: 55mn flight + 4h drive

DAY 7: ISALO

Today we explore the stunning desert plains, deep canyons, sandstone formations, grasslands and palm-lined oases of Isalo National Park. We hope to encounter the 3 lemur species that are found here – Red-fronted Brown Lemurs, Ring-tailed Lemurs and the loping, bipedal Verreaux’s Sifaka. We will also see vegetation such as Uapaca bojeri, Pachypodium rosulatum or ‘elephant’s foot’ and Aloe isaloensis, a native species of aloe endemic to Isalo. The eroded mountains also served as a place where the Bara people kept their dead before they could bury them in their actual tombs. This day includes strenuous walks. “Picnic lunch in the park”. In the evening, drive back to the hotel with one stop at the famous window of Isalo to appreciate a breathtaking and spectacular sunset.

PLACE: ANTANANARIVO

ACCOMMODATION: ROCK LODGE

OPTION: HALF BOARD

DAY 8: ISALO – TULEAR – ANTANANARIVO

This part of our journey continues down the paved RN7 to its end in Tulear on the Southwest coast, introducing us to new scenery among the dry forests of the west and the spiny desert of the south. We pass through the sapphire mining boom town of Ilakaka, a frontier town vaguely reminiscent of the Wild West. En-route today we see the locations of different ornate hillside ‘Mahafaly Tombs’, which were built for chiefs and kings and are covered in stones, sculptures and horns. The more important the deceased, the more horns and statues the with. One of the largest tombs has over 700 horns of zebu cattle! As this is a sacred site we will just be passing by. tomb is adorned Photography is not permitted. We also pass the area of the ‘Antandroy Tombs’. This is the driest part of the country – called the “Deep South” – where the landscape is dominated by cactus-like, spiny forests of different euphorbias. In this area giant baobab trees, which can be hundreds of years old, grow. For most of the year these hardy trees have no leaves, so their bare branches look like roots – giving them the name “upside-down trees.” This is an area of dry and sandy soil where the local people battle to find drinking water. When we reach Tuléar (also known as “Toliara”), transfer directly up to the airport and fly back to the Antananarivo, where we transfer to our hotel.

PLACE: ANTANANARIVO

ACCOMMODATION: NOVOTEL

OPTION: HALF BOARD

DRIVE: 55mn flight + 4h drive

DAY 9: ANTANANARIVO – NOSY BE

Catch a flight to the Nosy Be archipelago this morning. Upon arrival, embarkation on a speed motor boat, direction to Nosy Be (the transfer takes around 45mn). Then, you could enjoy the luxury ecolodge nestled in the heart of the Mitiso archipelago, and whose luxury villas have ecological thatched roofs. Isolated 80 km from the northwest coast of Madagascar, the place promises a unique experience in a real private paradise still preserved, and unforgettable memories. Surrounded by a beautiful coral reef, the place is perfect for water activities, such as scuba diving and sea trips.

PLACE: NOSY BE

ACCOMMODATION: CONSTANCE TSARABANJINA

OPTION: ALL EXCLUSIVE
DRIVE: 20mn drive + 45mn boat

DAY 10 – 11 – 12 : NOSY BE

A luxury stay with the oportunity to discover the fauna and flora that symbolize Madagascar. Your stay allows you to visit the famous Vanilla Plantation, the Ylang ylang and so many other spicies. Tsarabanjina is one of the islets of the Mitsio archipelago. Still considered sacred today, the inhabitants of the Mitsio Islands revere this place. They come with their offerings (money, honey, rum,…). Bordered by three white sand beaches with extraordinary bird colonies, lush vegetation and surrounded by a coral reef, the region enjoys constant sunshine throughout the year.The islets of the Four Brothers, opposite Tsarabanjina, are well known for the diving and nesting of many birds (gannets, straw tailed, frigates, etc.)

PLACE: NOSY BE
ACCOMMODATION: CONSTANCE TSARABANJINA

OPTION: ALL EXCLUSIVE

DAY 13 : NOSY BE – ANTANANARIVO

For this last day, you will be transferred to the Fascene airport for flight back to the capital Antananarivo. On arrival, transfer in town followed by a shopping and purchase some souvenirs at the craft market of La Digue (Depending on our time of arrival in Tana, there may be time for last-minute). And then transfer directly to the international airport for your external flight.

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