The Safari on the south west coast of Madagascar will enable you to discover wonderful dry forests and to enjoy the sea still in its natural state.You will also learn about fishermens' interesting life.
Itinerary: Tana - Miandrivazo - Morondava - Belo sur mer - Manja - Morombe - Ifaty via Salary - Isalo - Fianarantsoa - Tana via Antsirabe
Day 1 - Arrival in Tana Arrival at the airport welcome and transfer to the hotel. City-tour in Tana. Overnight in a Hotel
Day 2 Tana - Miandrivazo 410 km Early in the morning, transfer to Miandrivazo. Hotel Rasalimo HB
Day 3 Miandrivazo - Morondava « Allée de baobabs » 290 Km Transfer to Morondava., This town is known for its thousands of baobabs which can live up to 5000 years. Today you will see the famous "Allée de baobabs" with its wonderful sunset. Trecicogne BB
Day 4 Morondava - Belo sur Mer 75 km 4 h 20 Belo sur Mer is one of the best coasts of the south - western region of Madagascar. From today you will have the opportunity to get in contact with the Sakalava and vezo people, who are most of the time remaining traditional fishers. You will also enjoy magnificent sand beaches all along the sea of dream. Accommodation in a tent or in a simple Hotel FB
Day 5 - Belo sur Mer Today is completely devoted to nautical activities such as snorkeling, diving etc. If you are interested in seeing turtles, your driver will tell you the good place to observe them. Accommodation in a tent or in a simple Hotel FB
Day 6 Belo sur Mer - Manja Today you are leaving the coasts and driving inside the region. Accommodation in a tent or in a simple Hotel FB
Day 7 Manja - Morombe Your trip is bringing you back to the west coast to Morombe, an important administration centre for the population. Accommodation in a tent or in a simple Hotel FB
Day 8 Morombe - Andavadaoka Drive to Andavadaoka, a small Fishers' village you will enjoy an idyllic evening at sunset. Accommodation in tent FB
Day 9 Andavadoka - Ifaty via Salary 165 km You are still continuing your trip along the coasts. The entire afternoon is at your disposal to undertake any personal activities. Perhaps today you have time to think of the nice and strong impressions you have got till now. Drive to Ifaty, a quiet fishers' village you can relax from the long driving and sleep in comfortable bungalow with a view on the sea. Chez Cécile or Jardin de Beravy BB
Day 10 - Ifaty - Ranohira (Isalo) 267 km Traveling through Tuléar to Isalo. After a short city-tour in Tuléar, 27 km in the north of Ifaty you will see the famous big Mahafaly tombs on your way. These are particularly interesting because of the sceneries representing the daily life of the deceased. Continuation to the ruin-like massif of Isalo, home for lemurs and sapphire. Motel de l'Isalo Berny Hotel BB
Day 11 - Ranohira Walking in the National Park of Isalo, to the "natural swimming-pool"; a delightful oasis in the middle of the ruin-like massif. The tombs of the Bara people are placed between the rocks in the Park. Birds, snakes, lemurs. live there. Before getting dark you will enjoy the sunset at "la fenêtre de l'Isalo". Nice palm-trees remind you of the Arabian landscapes. Picnic in the Park. Motel de l'Isalo BB
Day 12 - Ranohira - Fianarantsoa 300 km Traveling towards Fianarantsoa through the grasslands of Horombe, Ihosy and Ambalavao, the wine-growing region and the biggest zebu-market of the island. Stop at the Antaimoro paper-manufacturing centre in Ambalavao; nice papers are made all by hand from plants similar to papyrus, the so-called "Avoha" and decorated with many flowers. Continuation to Faianarantsoa the administration centre of the Betsileo tribe. Zomatel*** BB
Day 13 - Fianarantsoa - Antsirabe 410 km Transfer to Antsirabe via Ambositra, capital of the Zafimaniry region, known for its sculpture and marquetery. Lunch at the restaurant "Motel Violette" Transfer to Antsirabe Continuation to Antsirabe, the town was built by the Norwegian missionaries and is famous for its rickshaws, thermal springs, semi-precious and precious stones. The visit of the stone cutter factory is a must. Hasina Hotel BB
Day 14 - Antsirabe - Tana - Europe 170 km Departure for Tana by car in the Highlands through the green rice fields. Shopping at an artisans' market. Flight back to Europe.
Included - Full board during the accommodation in tent - Picnic on the way to Ifaty - Tent - Bed and breakfast in the Hotels and Bungalows - Car with an English speaking driver including fuel according to the program - Transfers from Airports to Hotels - Local guides and entrance fees for the parks and reserves according to the program. - Flight from Tana to Morondava with taxes
Not included - International flights - Mattress and sleep-bag - English speaking guide during the trip (can be arranged) - Drinks - Personal expenses - Any Insurances
Our unique relationship with our tour operators ensures only people who have participated in a trip after making an enquiry for it at The Africa Guide can leave a review.
The email we send you when you make an enquiry has full instructions for registering a booking and leaving a review - both are free services.
Feel free to read through the reviews for any trip you like the look of.
Trips with no reviews are usually new to the The Africa Guide but are normally operated by a tour operator who is established here. Most tour operators listing here will usually have gained reviews about other trips they have listed here.
Thanks for visiting, happy travels and don't forget to send us your reviews...
My god daughter and I had a most amazing time in Madagascar. We thank the tour operator who helped us put together the trip and Aro who was very patient and was able to reroute us when we were rained out.
I don't recommend that any traveler spend a Sunday or other holiday in Antananrivo as the city haslittle to offer other than the museums which were all closed.
Thanks again for your hospitality and great service.
I just completed a 5 day trip to Anatananarivo and Andasibe National Park. We just had a few days to spend, but the tour operator made it possible for us to see and do quite a bit.
They met us at the airport and checked in with us twice more during the trip. We had a wonderful driver who was pleasant, informative and accommodating. Our wildlife guides were excellent!
Accommodations in Tana were very nice. Our bungalow at the National Park was a little more rustic than expected (broken toilets and shower heads), but the people were very nice.
Overall, it was a great experience and I would recommend working with this company.
With great sense of satisfaction, we would Like to say that our first trip to Madagascar was fantastic.
All Credit to the tour operator, who has stretched herself beyond to make the group comfortable. The tour Guide Mr Jean Jaques with his unparalleled knowledge of flora and fauna made our trip a super success.
We honour both of them and thank them from the bottom of our Hearts. We would be doing this trip Regularly.
If you want to be in the caring hands of someone who meets you at the beginning, explains everything line by line, sends you off with the English speaking driver, meets you again upon your return to debrief you on how things went, sign up NOW with this tour operator, with Fanja as your manager.
Think of a mother sending her children off to camp with love and concern for her dependents. She was every bit as stellar as all the other recommendations stated and leaves nothing to chance. She truly wants to ensure your trip is fantastic and settles only for the best for you.
Before I begin, I must say............it is impossible to capsulate our experience in a brief paragraph.
We would be most happy to provide you our thoughts on one of the most pleasurable trips we have ever taken. And, thank you, Africa Guide, for providing this most appreciated referral.
First of all, a little background on us. We are certainly globetrotters, seeking to see as much of the world as we can in a lifetime! We have been to 132 countries, and have made a pact with ourselves to not return to any........unless it is passing through, or in conjunction with another "new" itinerary. However.......that may now change!
In 2004, we had watched an episode of "Lonely Planet", now known as "Globetrekkers", on the country of Madagascar. Since seeing that one episode, Madagascar has been on our "short list"! Only now, have we found the time to go and complete our dream!
We love to customize our own tours to each our destinations, thus controlling lost time that might be spent on something we are not interested in seeing. So when we received Africa Guide's referral, that was one of the first issues we discussed with the tour operator. Fanja was every traveler's dream of a tour operator! She truly represents the epitome of "grace"! She began a supportive dialogue with us upon our first contact, and it has continued until this day.
Fanja was diligent in her effort to ensure that we were able to include each of the destinations on our checklist; and that they could realistically be covered in a 10-day itinerary. Ten days, however, was just an appetizer in a land with main courses spread out in so many directions. And, Madagascar just may be the first country in which we break our pact to "not return" to a destination we had previously visited!
We began our tour the minute we were picked up from the airport, heading south to Antsirabe, where we arrived at nightfall. Our driver and English-speaking guide, Mr. Romance, was as positive as his name! He stuck with us the entire trip, and did a superb job of introducing us to his country. He stopped when we needed, or when we asked for a "photo stop". He openly discussed the culture and lifestyle of the country. He was attentive, and strived to keep us comfortable and informed.
One of our most dubious side trips, proved to be the most adventurous and fun! We longed to take a drive into the back country somewhere in Madagascar, and we chose Andringrita National Park! Fanja knew it would be a difficult journey, and was always upfront about this. But, it only intrigued us more! She did not question our enthusiasm, and cheerfully agreed to work with contacts in Ambalavo to arrange a 4Xwheel drive vehicle and driver for us. We set off on a 27 mile see-saw ride, which took 3.5 hours to complete, due to poor road conditions! We spent a few hours enjoying the beauty of the park, trekking the trails, and enjoying a picnic lunch at a view point before turning around to repeat the 3.5 hours in our return.
The operator offers services with a high degree of ethics, cooperative spirit, and an intent to please their clients. Fanja responded to all our pre-trip questions within 24 hours! If we had a lodging preference, she agreed to arrange it. She was there at the airport to meet us when we arrived, she came to the hotel prior to our departure home, and she followed up with us once we returned home. Should we decide to return to Madagascar, Fanja and her agency will be our first contact!
And one final note: One of the most magical places on earth has to be in the area of I'Isalo National Park! The park is studded with rock formations that seem to grow out of the land! Perhaps our most awesome experience within these dramatic "rock stars", occurred during our dusk-time visit to La Fenetre de I'Isalo; a "must do" stop after a day of trekking, to watch the sun set through a natural opening in a large lichen-covered rock. There, we......... by pure happenchance.......... caught a glimpse of the rising full moon, perfectly centered, as we gazed through the opposite side of this interesting geological oddity! What a photo; what a memory! Only timing and luck.......or by good "Grace"??? And the Le Jardin du Roy Hotel, which was just a few miles away, and where we stayed, continued to carry on the spirit of this land. Our room was literally surrounded on two sides by big, beautiful boulders! Waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the moonlight reflecting off the stone boulders, kept this magical park alive! A footnote to the note: Hotel Le Jardin surpasses many 5 star hotels in the US! It is castle-like, built with tons of stone, each placed in an almost artistic pattern. Huge cathedral ceilings. And all the amenities of the finest of hotels; including the food and its presentation!!!
We did see the lemurs, chameleons, zebu, and other endemic animals, but it was the landscapes, the spiky plantlife, and the peoples and their cultures that held the most interest and intrigue for us. Madagascar has something for everyone! But one can't wait too long. Forests are being replaced with rice fields. Natural habitats to wildlife are being lost. But the people and their lifestyle remain largely unaffected by Western influence, for now. It remains a country that is still on the frontier of tourism. And now is the best time to go! The vanilla is the best! And Dzama's Coco Punch.....is to die for!!!
Our tour exceeded our expectations, and it was all made possible by the assistance, the patience, and the expertise of this operator and Fanja!
A friendly and very attentive tour company run by lovely and multilingual Ms. Fanja and conducted by Mr. Romance, the extraordinary driver-guide-translator and my newest friend.
We had a really great trip through Madagascar. The tour was well organised, the driver was excellent and the itinerary gave us a great introduction to the sights of the island.
Fanja was really helpful throughout, from the initial briefing session to dealing with the chaos at Tuliar airport!
The real downside of the trip was the overbooking of our return flight from Tuliar to Tana. This completely disrupted our holiday and meant that we missed the connecting flight to Mauritius. When we checked in to fly back to Antananarivo on Air Madagascar, we were told that the plane was full (even though we HAD tickets), and there were no other flights back for 30 hours. We believe that there is widespread corruption by Air Madagascar staff at Tuliar airport who take bribes from passengers to ensure their seat on the plane.
The tour operator worked really hard to sort out this problem. The driver came back to the airport to try to help, and they re-scheduled our flights, organised additional accommodation and took us to the Head Office of Air Madagascar (with little result).
Overall a great place to visit, so different and interesting, the operator is a great travel company, would recommend them to anyone, but beware of flying Air Madagascar who have the monopoly for internal flights.
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Madagascar. The arrangements all worked well and, although there were one or two aspects of the trip where improvements to the itinerary could be made, all in all we thought that our trip was the perfect introduction to an incredibly diverse and interesting country.
We loved seeing all the wonderful animals on our trips into the National Parks, and the guides and in particular our driver were excellent.
We certainly hope to return to see different parts of the island and would definitely use the same travel company again.
the trip we took to Madagascar was based on a standard tour. The operator was very willing to tailor the tour exactly to our requirements. The party consisted of myself and my wife. We had 2 English speaking drivers during the tour and their English was very good, so we could have interesting conversations with them. The trip length was 15 days.
We started our trip by spending a few days in Isle Sainte Marie off the northeast coast. Then from Tana we were driven to the Andasibe, Ranomafana, and Isalo National Parks, ending the trip by spending a couple of days at Ifaty on the southwest coast, and then flying back to Tana.
The National Parks were wonderful with knowledgeable guides at each Park. We saw many lemurs, chameleons, birds, and other animals and plants. Not being a beach lover I found the resorts at the beginning and end of our trip less interesting.
Except for a couple of minor problems, they did a great job.
