Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English-speaking guide from MCC who will accompany you to your hotel in the upper town of Antananarivo. ‘Tana’ – as the locals call it has fascinating traditional architecture and a more Indonesian influence than the rest of Madagascar. Maison Gallieni is a restored colonial mansion with an elegant mix of modern and traditional décor. Take a dip in the pool and enjoy the lovely views over the city before dinner.
Overnight at Maison Gallieni in a standard room (Half board)
After an early breakfast, your guide will take you east to Andasibe, a stunning rainforest park, about 5 hours’ drive from the city. The park consists of two government managed areas, the Perinet Special Reserve and Mantadia National Park, and privately managed reserved such as Mitsinjo Reserve and the VOIMMA reserve. The area is world famous for its population of Indri lemurs, which are the largest living lemur species. The journey to Andasibe offers first time visitors to Madagascar an introduction to rural life with rice fields, redbrick houses and roadside stalls selling seasonal fruits and vegetables lining the route. Check into hotel for lunch. This afternoon, visit a private reserve operated by local NGO Mitsinjo. The NGO funds reforestation, community education and sensitization to conservation issues as well as running Madagascar’s first amphibian captive-breeding facility. Here you will see a fascinating array of wildlife including the indri and other lemur species, numerous chameleons and birds. Mitsinjo is an excellent location to see the same wildlife as the more well known Perinet Reserve but without the crowds. You can also plant an indigenous species along the reforestation trail (by prior arrangement).
Overnight at Mantadia Lodge in a standard room (Full board)
After breakfast you will head to Mantadia National Park (1.5 hour drive) with a picnic lunch. Look for some of the lemur species in this stunning park including the Indri indri, diademed sifaka, grey bamboo lemur, red-bellied lemur and white ruffed lemur. While the trails are slightly more difficult, the rewards are great as the forest is taller, wilder and less crowded than Perinet. There are an abundance of birds including the scaly ground roller, the pitta-like ground roller and the red-breasted coua. This is a naturalist’s goldmine with many seldom seen species of mammals, reptiles and birds. Enjoy a picnic by the Rianasoa Waterfall before hiking back to the vehicle and return to the lodge. A night walk will be organised in late evening in the forest surrounding the reserve with a local guide. You will see a variety of nocturnal lemurs: mouse lemurs, white footed sportive lemur, fat-tailed dwarf lemur, as well as the woolly lemur.
Overnight at Mantadia Lodge in a standard room (Full board)
After breakfast, enjoy a visit to the 810 ha Perinet Reserve with a local guide in search of the Indri indri. With a barely visible tail, black and white markings and a surprised teddy–bear face, this lemur is one of the few animals in the world that cannot survive in captivity. There are another 11 species of lemur to spot as you walk through the rainforest. You may find a troop of grey bamboo lemurs, common brown lemur, diademed sifaka and the black and white ruffed lemur. Birdwatchers should look out for the velvet asity, the blue coua and the Nuthatch vanga and many more endemic species. Perinet is home to many reptiles, invertebrates, and some of Madagascar’s over a thousand orchid species. Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon transfer 5 hours to Antananarivo by road. The hotel La Varangue is a charmingly restored colonial mansion in the heart of the old town with a newly built extension to house the accommodation. La Varangue is known as one of the top restaurants on the island combining the best of Malagasy ingredients with French inspired cuisine.
Overnight at La Varangue in a deluxe room (Half board + lunch in Andasibe)
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your private charter flight to Tsingy de Bemaraha (1hr 15 min). On arrival at Amborondia airstrip, you will be met by your English-speaking local guide, and then transferred by 4×4 vehicle to your hotel (1.5 hours). After lunch, visit the otherworldly pinnacles of the Petit Tsingy. You will take the Tantely circuit or the Andadoany forest trail depending on your level of fitness. You will spot some of the 53 bird species and 6 lemur species that make their home here and take in the fabulous views of the surrounding area.
Overnight at Le Soleil des Tsingy in a bungalow (Full board)
After breakfast, drive for a full day exploration of the “Grand Tsingy.”The walk itself is an adventure: on tiptoe over the sharp roof of the Tsingy, crossing the high roped-bridge, and meandering through pockets of dry deciduous forest. This unique site, a virtual forest of 50 meter high limestone peaks is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and located about 20km from the village of Bekopaka. The Tsingy are razor sharp pinnacles produced by the erosion of limestone massifs over millions of years. The Tsingy shelters a startling array of wildlife: 11 species of lemur (including Verreaux and Decken’s sifaka and the red-fronted brown lemurs), 103 species of terrestrial and aquatic birds, 15 species of bats, 22 species of amphibians and a variety of reptiles.
Overnight at Le Soleil des Tsingy in a bungalow (Full board)
This morning, visit the Manambolo gorge, home to many interesting rock formations. We travel by dug-out canoe to see the Tombs of the Vazimba tribe from the river. These ancient people were the original inhabitants of Madagascar and grew no more than one metre tall. After your visit transfer 1hr 30 min to the Amborodia airstrip in time for your private charter flight to Morondava (45 min).
On arrival you are met by your private English-speaking guide and transfer to your hotel (30 min). Morondava is situated in the heart of Sakalava territory and is known for its elaborately sculpted wooden royal tombs. These tombs are frequently decorated with well-executed, funerary carvings representing life and fertility. In the late afternoon, you will drive to the Avenue of the Baobabs to enjoy the gorgeous sunset.
Overnight at Palissandre Cote Ouest in a suite (Full board)
This morning, transfer 30 min to the airport in time for your private charter flight to Isalo (1hr 30 min). Upon arrival you will be met by a driver and transfer to your hotel. The combination of sandstone rocks cut by deep canyons and eroded into spectacular shapes and rare endemic plants, makes Isalo one of Madagascar’s most appreciated parks. For botanists there are Pachypodium plants and locally endemic Aloe; and for lemur lovers there are sifakas, brown lemurs and ring tails. Isalo is also sacred to the Bara tribe; for hundreds of years they have used caves in the canyon walls as burial sites. In the late afternoon, visit Giorgio’s window for the sunset.
Overnight at Le Jardin du Roy in a standard room (Full board)
A full day of guided walking in the park will allow you to explore one of Madagascar’s most diverse parks. Very different to the lush tropical vegetation in the east, Isalo’s attraction is its vast rolling plains interspersed with stunning rock formations. Wildlife is not as dense as in other parks but look out for ring-tailed lemurs, brown lemurs, sifakas and 14 nocturnal lemur species hiding in dense vegetation along the streams. There are also 80 species of bird (including the rare Benson’s rock-thrush, the knob-billed duck or the crested ibis), 35 species of reptiles and several endemic frogs. The park is 81,000 hectares and the focus here is on landscape photography, botany and hiking. Your guide will offer you a variety of possible trails depending on your interests and physical abilities. A popular trail is the ‘Canyon des Singes’ which winds through the dense foliage of the forest and brilliantly colored rock formations to reach a stunning rock pool called the ‘piscine naturelle’.
Overnight at Jardin du Roy in standard room (Full board)
This morning, board your private charter flight back to Antananarivo (3hrs). On arrival your English-speaking guide will accompany you to the international terminal to check in to your outbound flight.
The Cessna 206 on this itinerary has a weight allocation of 350kg for passengers + luggage.
