MADAGASCAR JOURNEYS
Outstanding, unforgettable adventures for nature lovers.
MADAGASCAR DISCOVERY JOURNEY
ITINERARY (18 days)
Day 1: Arrive at Ivato International Airport (TNR) in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital city. Our staff will welcome you, and we'll head directly to Andasibe in eastern Madagascar. We'll drive approximately 152 kilometers (95 miles) through villages, countryside, and the highlands of Madagascar.
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Day 2: This morning we go to "Lemur Island" to see our first lemurs. There will also be an evening outing to look for the nocturnal species of lemurs, chameleons, frogs, and other creatures.
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Day 3: We'll begin the day with a morning car ride (125 km or 78 miles) and continue our travels in eastern Madagascar. At the Pangalanes Canal, we'll board our boat and transfer 24 kilometers (15 miles) to reach our hotel for the evening. The lemurs will be waiting for us here. We have the option to visit the aye-ayes this evening, or we can save it for tomorrow night.
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Day 4: Today we'll spend the entire day in the park with a variety of playful and entertaining lemurs, especially the largest living lemur of all, the Indri lemur.
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Day 5: Early morning boat transfer and drive back to Antananarivo. On the way, we'll stop and visit a reptile reserve to see rare chameleons, frogs, and geckos.
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Day 6: Today we make our way toward the south part of the country (170 km or 105 miles), through Madagascar's mountains and rice fields until Antsirabe, a cozy town built by Norwegian missionaries in 1872.
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Day 7: It will be a relatively short distance today to reach Ambositra (93 km or 58 miles). We will go to the capital of the woodcarving in the Zafimaniry tribe which was added in 2003 to UNESCO's list of the world's Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Day 8: We leave the central part of the highland to the rainforest of Ranomafana (135 km or 84 miles). Here we can see many different species of lemurs, most notably the newly discovered (1986) golden bamboo lemur. Evening walk tonight to search for nocturnal species of lemurs, chameleons, frogs ...
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Day 9: Spend time with the lemurs in the morning, and take some leisure time on your own in the afternoon.
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Day 10: Depart Ranomafana and make our way to Ambalavao, about 117 kilometers (73 miles). Here we can spend the entire afternoon with the playful ring-tailed lemurs. We can also take the opportunity to visit the town's paper manufactory which produces the beautiful Antemoro paper. This technique for paper-making was brought by Arab immigrants and the "wild silk" manufactory, an endemic silk to Madagascar.
Day 11: Today, we'll venture through the savannah of southern Madagascar, inside Bara tribe territory, until we reach the canyon of Isalo, our destination for today (224 km or 139 miles).
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Day 12: Spend the day in Isalo National Park where you can hike or take a swim in the "Natural Swimming Pool" and "Black and Blue Pools." The "Black and Blue Pools" are located inside the gorge of the canyon. There is a possibility to spot ring-tailed lemurs and the red-fronted brown lemur in this park as well.
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Day 13: We leave the canyon today and join the southwest coast passing through Ilakaka—the largest sapphire quarry in the world! Then, we'll reach the Mozambique (or Madagascar) Channel in Toliary (222 kilometers or 138 miles), the largest town in the southern part of Madagascar, before going north to IFATY where we end our day's journey (around 29 km or 18 miles).
Here we will see the renowned, impressive baobab trees. In Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, we'll get up close and personal with a millennium baobab tree, medicinal plants, the white dancing lemur called Verreaux's sifaka, and a few species of endemic birds. In Ifaty, we also encounter the specific vegetation of this dry, deciduous area of Madagascar called "spiny forest" with its octopus trees, forest of baobab, and animals like lemurs and birds. We make 265 kilometers (165 miles) today.
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Day 14: Spend your day at leisure. Visit a 'spiny forest' with baobab trees (a different species than in Zombitse Vohibasia), or enjoy some activities in the sea. Look out for humpback whales along the coast, usually spotted between mid-June and September.
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Day 15: Spend your day at leisure.
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Day 16: Spend your day at leisure.
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Day 17: Ifaty to Toliary and fly back to Antananarivo. If time permits (depending on flight time schedule), we'll take a city tour of Antananarivo before we head to the market for souvenirs.
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Day 18: Transfer to Ivato International Airport (TNR) for your return flight home.
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JOURNEY COST: Please, send a request on the e-mail link below.
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INCLUDED
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Accommodations for 17 nights, the best for Premium option
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All activities listed in the itinerary
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Private vehicle/transportation
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English-speaking guide
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17 breakfasts
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Premium option: 1 picnic lunch and 2 dinners
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Classic option: 1 picnic lunch
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A bottle of mineral water per day per person throughout the trip
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Park entrance fees
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Local guide and spotter fees
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Tourist levy
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VAT
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Airport transfer on scheduled itinerary days
NOT INCLUDED
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International flight
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Travel insurance
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Domestic flight Toliary to Antananarivo (purchase online from Tsaradia - Madagascar Airlines)
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Lunches, dinners, beverages and mineral water
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Miscellaneous personal expenses
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Banking fees incurred
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Visas (35 Euros to be paid at airport, good for stays of less than 30 days)
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Gratuities for services on tour itinerary (porters, waiters, local guides)
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WHAT TO BRING
Fleece or jacket, poncho or raincoat, headlamp or torch, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, swimming suit, close-toed shoes or walking shoes, long-sleeved shirt and trousers, personal medications, camera, and phone, laptop, or tablet for Internet (most of the lodges we stay at have connection)
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Your passport should have at least two blank pages for the entry stamp and a validity of six months.
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