Highlights: Exotic Reptile Farm, Andasibe-Mantadia NP, Andranomena Special Reserve, Mangily village
Avenue of the Baobabs, Walks and Exploration of the baobab forest. Discounts for Groups available
Trip rating 10.0/10 from 2 trip reviews
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Overall operator rating 10.0/10 from 12 trip reviews
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This trip: Madagascar - Baobabs and National Parks
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
Madagascar lived up to its reputation as a unique island. The operator did a wonderful job in organising a tour to suit our requests & fit in with our dates. He also was the guide on the tour so the personal touch was much appreciated.
We would recommend Madagascar to anyone wanting to explore somewhere exciting & adventurous.
It was a most wonderful trip,thank you for referring us to this company.
2
Client:
Padre Fernando Felices - from Puerto Rico (US)
Trip:
This trip: Madagascar - Baobabs and National Parks
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
Our June 17 day experience in Madagascar was extraordinary.
The two German guides who reside in Madagascar were extremely helpful in all regards: they were always accomodating our needs, advising us as to where best to buy or to observe lemurs or chameleons, helping us with everything (including some lost luggage of 3 of our fellow travellers).
We got an excellent idea of the people, the customs, the bright and the not so bright aspects of modern Madagascar. We got to see very beautiful sights inthree of the four principal regions fo the huge island, sensing the diversity of the tribal traits, the architectural variations and even the hat designs that each tribe has. We tailored a tour that included many of the natural wonders of this unique island as well as very good prices for the costs involved.
Our visit to Madagascar would not have been as memorable as it was without this operator. We highly recommend them!
Itinerary
Our tour leads us to Andasibe to observe the biggest living lemur, the Indri as well as the smallest, the Mousemaki.
We will pass in Andranomena special reserve and we will weave baskets with the woman in Mangily. We will see lemurs in the Isalo NP, which is also well known for it's overwhelming landscape. We will have great seafood on the coast, in the highlands we may taste excellent filet of zebu (Malagasy beef) in Antananarivo or Ranohira.
And last not least: Antseranantsoa is a common project of Malagasy association NY HARY Madagasikara and German NGO NY HARY Deutschland e.V. Its aim is to give access to education for children living in rural regions of the mid-west of Madagascar. The centre provides housing, proper drinking water, healthy nutrition, hygienic conditions and medical surveillance. By satisfying the basic needs of the children they are enabled to study up to 200km afar from their home villages where the schools attended do not exist. The project Antseranantsoa wants to improve the living-conditions of these children. And they want to give school kids the possibility to continue their education after primary school as an alternative to child labour. And the name Antseranantsoa is as well the aim: to provide a save harbour where the children can become fit for live. Roadhouse donates 100 Euro per visitor coming with us to see their project.
day 1 - Touching down in Antananarivo, 'town of thousands' Today is an arrival day. You are free to arrive at any time. Upon arrival in Antananarivo you will be greeted by your tour manager and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Antananarivo, mostly cut to Tana, takes its name from an episode in Malagasy history. King Andrianjaka, who had his royal palace and stronghold erected here called '1000 warriors', quartered them there and he called this city Antananarivo. Included meals: no
DAY 2 - Atananarivo – Andasibe, 'into the country of the Betsimisaraka' This morning we start our 140 km drive eastward through the highlands to Andasibe. On the way we will stop off at a Exotic Reptile Park. Here you can see some of the endemic chameleons, snakes, insects and reptiles of Madagascar. Andasibe, a former logging village, is the base for exploring the Andasibe-Mantadia NP, also known by its pre-colonial French name, Perinet Special Reserve. After lunch, we drive past villages belonging to the Betsimisaraka ethnic group. This group, unified from rival groups into a single entity by the son of an English pirate and a Malagasy princess, was once the most powerful group on the east coast of Madagascar with a name meaning 'the many inseparable ethnic groups'. Tonight we take a night walk to look for night active lemurs and other night active animals. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 3 - Andasibe-Mantadia NP, 'the mythic Indri' The eastern rainforest NP of Andasibe-Mantadia is one of the last strongholds of the mythical Indri-Indri lemur, the largest of all lemurs. The animals and birds are most active in the early morning and there should be good opportunities to see and hear the lemurs. The black and white coated Indri-Indri is an extraordinary lemur, known for its wailing call. Indri's are active on and off throughout the day but are best seen in the morning. Later we visit Mantadia National Park that is as well in the region to see the Diadema Sifaka – a rare Lemur of the island. Mantadia also contains a wide variety of fauna and flora in the moist mountain forest, including beautiful and varied insects, spiders, butterflies, reptiles and many orchids. After searching for the lemurs and other fauna we walk into the orchid park to admire Madagascar's beautiful flora. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 4 - Andasibe – Antananarivo, 'views on a big city' Antananarivo is the capital of Madagascar. It is located quite in the centre of the island and it is built on a sloppy rocky ridge of some kilometres length and a maximum 1400 m altitude. It is the biggest city of the country and. Madagascar´s capital image is dominated by a mass of buildings, built with very little urban plans. Depending on our arrival time in town and regarding afternoons traffic jam we try to visit a viewpoint in upper town with a complete panoramic view of the city. For our hotel we go once more to the outskirts. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 5 - Antananarivo – Morondava, 'laid back atmosphere in a coastal region' Flight In according to our flight schedule we are transferred to the airport. On arrival we meet the west of Madagascar. We are now in Morondava. The laid back atmosphere of this coastal town is felt all over the city. We start our exploration of the city at the airport, whose name, Anstakoameloky, has a weird origin and means 'angry tree' (apparently an European pilot could not manage well the landing of his aircraft and crashed onto a tree, that was awaken to life and reacted in an aggrieved manner...) The city centre is a lively, streets full of merchants and street vendors. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 6 - Excursion to Andranomena and Mangily We travel north by 4x4 vehicles to the Andranomena Special Reserve. The Reserve is a wonderland of baobabs, like a triple baobab, a manlike baobab and a womanlike baobab as well as lemurs and lakes. The vegetation is composed of dense dry deciduous forest of the West with three species of baobab tree. It shelters a large number of endemic species of local, regional and national fauna. We enjoy a picnic lunch in the forest and walking in the Reserve. In the village of Mangily, where we pass later a man from the village will present us his village, traditions, daily life. Then we spend some time with women weaving baskets with natural material such as straw, or raphia. On the way back to Morondava, visit of the sites en route like Baobab in love, Sakalava tombs and the avenue of the baobabs. Here more than a dozen majestic old giant baobabs (Adansonia grandidieri) growing next to the track. The day's last golden rays strike the bloated trunks from the west. Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
DAY 7 - Morondava – Toliara (Tuléar), 'the white city' Flight Transfer to the airport and flight form Morondava to Toliara (Tuléar), transfer the hotel. Close to the Mozambique Canal, Toliara is built on the Tropic of Capricorn. The town is painted in light colours. That is the reason why the people from the highlands call it the white city. The approach to the city is exceptional: you can see large sand dunes, which run, along the coast. According to the ancestors of Toliara, the first inhabitants of this area were called Antandavaka which means the men who live in caves. Depending on arrival time of our flight we stroll around in Toliara. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 8 - Toliara – Ranohira – Fenêtre de l'Isalo Early morning we take the way north direction to Ranohira for visiting the Isalo NP. We pass the village of Ilakaka. Huge parts of the world’s sapphire is exploited here, which converts Madagascar into the number one sapphire exporter in the world. The discovery of sapphire transformed the area drastically. The once sleepy tiny village with merely a pack of wooden huts changed rapidly into a constantly growing boom town with wild west character. Men from all over the country and from as far as Sri Lanka and Thailand gather to seek their fortune in the feverish sapphire rush. This is a great place to glimpse into the nostalgy of the gold rush of the last past century. or we try to catch sunset on the 'Fenêtre d'Isalo'. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 9 - Isalo NP, 'cradle of a particular wild nature' This park is fiercely beautiful with golden plains punctuated by craggy pinnacles of terracotta rock, valleys, canyons and waterfalls. The Isalo National Park comprises the entire stretch of the Isalo massif. This huge mountain is spectacular with its eroded sandstone mountain. Our adventure begins with a trek in the Park. We trek through landscapes formed by centuries of erosion and fascinating sandstone formations. We walk to the 'canyon des singes' and the 'canyon des rats' to look for ring-tailed and other lemurs. After lunch we return in the Isalo NP, to the 'piscine naturelle' for a bath. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 10 - Ranohira – Ilakaka 'wild west atmosphere sapphire rush' – Toliara-Ifaty, 'finishing point of National Road N° 7' We return to Toliara, the finishing point of National Road N° 7. We experience the scenery which comprises of dry forests to the west and spiny deserts to the south and spectacular baobabs in between. Here is in the driest area in Madagascar, with landscape dominated by spiny forest like cactus and various euphorbia plants. We see elaborate tombs belonging to the Mahafaly people of southern Madagascar. These tombs, which measure up to 15 square metres, are works of art constructed by the community to honour the deceased. The building of these tombs can take up to a year and the different stages of construction are marked by ceremonies, some involving the sacrifice of zebu (cattle). The final result is a huge monolith, adorned with painted scenes from the life of the deceased, and also sometimes by wooden posts carved with curved geometric figures (aloalo). Amazingly you can count the number of sacrificed zebus by the number of its horns decorated on each tomb. On arrival in Toliara we take a drive north along the coast to Ifaty and our beach front accommodation for the next three nights. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 11 - Ifaty, 'forest and beaches' Ifaty. This is our base to enjoy time at leisure. Here we have a break. The coral reef represents an exceptional spot. In the western area we can find the local fauna and flora like baobabs, birds… The crystal clear water of the ocean attracts a range of wonderful coloured fish. Later we visit the ‘village des tortues’ an observation station for tortoises. In a natural park east of the lagoon of Ranobe this village develops, among other activities, reproduction programs. Another highlight on this excursion is the opportunity to admire and photograph the strange looking Baobab Trees of Madagascar as well as some succulents. We visit also the small museum that is attached to the centre where you may get some more information about the project... Or just simply take a day off on the beach. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 12 - Ifaty, 'relaxation and beautiful beaches' This place stands for relaxation and beautiful beaches, mostly welcomed after a long tour. Indeed the beaches are beautiful and make Ifaty well worth to lay down on the beach and do some snorkelling – or nothing. Free day to either relax or explore the area. It’s also possible to take a walk to the nearby village where we can get a good insight into the life of the local Vezo fishing community. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
DAY 13 - Toliara – Antananarivo, 'quite in the centre of this huge island' Flight Most of the day is at leisure, either in Ifaty or Antananarivo. After being transferred to the airport of Toliara we take a flight to Antananarivo, where we check in our hotel. Included meals: breakfast. dinner
DAY 14Antananarivo – Miarinarivo, 'Ny Hary, a save harbour' – Antananarivo – Flight out, 'Good Bye Madagascar'
Flight to your next destination
Excursion to Miarinarivo. Here we visit the Ny Hary NGO. Their project, Antseranantsoa – a save harbour. Its aim is to give access to education for children living in rural regions of the mid-west of Madagascar. The centre provides housing, proper drinking water, healthy nutrition, hygienic conditions and medical surveillance. By satisfying the basic needs of the children they are enabled to study up to 200km afar from their home villages where the schools attended do not exist. The centre is placed on a hillside and is in short reach from all schools and the central marketplace. It is 148-acre surface contents rice-fields, fruit- and vegetable gardens, a basketball- and volleyball court and several fishponds. roadhouse donates 100 Euro per visitor coming with us to see their project. Later we drive back to Antananarivo, where our tour ends on arrival at Antananarivo's Ivato Airport. Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Complementary information:
Any international flights out of Antananarivo on this day should not be booked to depart prior to late evening. Spending an extra night in Antananarivo is highly recommended, as there can sometimes be unexpected delays to local flights. If necessary we may propose and book a hotel for an additional overnight for you.
DISCOUNTS FOR GROUPS Prices in Euro per person sharing. 2 persons / 2800 3 persons / 2650 4 persons / 2350 5 persons / 2100 6 persons / 1990 7 or 8 persons / 1900 9 or 10 persons / 1800 11 or 12 persons / 1800
Single room surcharge: 550 Euro
Duration of the tour: 14 days Car or minibus: 4,5 day 4WD: 1 days Trekking: 1 day plus two tours of two hours
INCLUDED IN PRICE overnight in the mentioned or similar hotels in double room, meals like mentioned (including 1 ½ l of mineral water per person per day), going by car or minibus, all transfers, all entrance fees, English speaking tour manager, local guides in all visited parks, tip for local guides, waiters, porters. The tour can be changed according to circumstances.
EXCLUDED FROM PRICE flights, drinks except mentioned, additional activities in Ifaty, private expenses.
Please note: for this tour is an domestic flight required, that are not included in the price. This tour is customisable.
