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| Viewing: The Culture of the Menabe region |
Package ID: 1110 |
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| The Culture of the Menabe region |
Highlights: Canoeing down the Tsiribihina River in a traditional wooden boat – Tsingy de Bemaraha NP –
Andranomena Special Reserve – Avenue of the Baobabs – Walks and Exploration of the baobabs
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Discounted Special Offer:
Small group adventures, 1150 Euro sharing: every Monday from 17th May to 11th October 2010
Menabe region literally means very red is located in the Middle West part of Madagascar and has its capital Morondava. Like the other part of our Island, it’s rich of culture as well even though there are few people live in there. This is due to bad state of some roads and most of areas are uninhabited. Otherwise, the canoeing down the river is one of the means to keep in touch with people. Vegetation beside the river is great. We get to know the area by a traditional wooden boat tour and we visit the Tsingy of Bemaraha, the limestone needles. The west is also well known for its fabulous Avenue of the Baobabs near Morondava for sunset and its nice beaches. It is our interest as visitor to have a contact with the people.
Day 1
Pick-up at Antananarivo airport or your hotel. Drive to Antsirabe. The drive takes us across the highland landscape with its beautiful rice fields and its spectacular eroded hills called ‘lavaka’ and through a lush green landscape where vegetables and fruits are farmed. We will take a tour of the city, wandering through wide, palm-lined boulevards. Also we visit some artisan production. Night in colonial style des Thermes hotel where, in earlier years, farmers from the East coast relaxed.
Included meals: dinner
Day 2
Antsirabe, from where we start, is a lovely town and a stroll around its streets will bring you in contact with some fantastic little shops selling Malagasy artefacts and handicrafts. It is a very peculiar town because of its charming characteristics. Industrial town – agricultural town – tourist town. After a short visit of the town we drive to Miandrivazo, about 220 km. We pass a moonlike landscape. Here is the starting point of the pirogue tour. Hotel Le Gîte de la Tsiribihina.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3
We begin our calm water river journey on the majestic Tsiribihina River. We travel approximately 160 km’s on the river, using traditional boats made out of one trunk of wood. Those trees are endemic to Madagascar or the region. Nowadays pirogue builders are rare as more and more motorboats are coming up. The trip is slow and you can relax and enjoy calls of birds such as bee-eater, coucal, pied crow… We will occasionally work together to lift the boat over high sand banks. Our trip will take us about 160km along the river, finally arriving in Belo sur Tsiribihina, a city 100 km north of Morondava. Three nights in tent, meals are served on the shore; campsites on the Tsiribihina River are usually large sandbars with smooth and clean tent sites.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4
On the river we pass several ranges of wooded hills on our way. Today we continue passing the Gorge of Bemaraha with its steep rocks before we stop at Anosin' Ampela, a wonderful waterfall where we can refresh ourselves. Also cloth washing is fast done. We will see dense vegetation along the riverbanks, towering cliffs and baobab forests. Water birds, fruit bats and lemurs will accompany our journey.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5
This morning we rise early for our relaxing boat trip downstream along the Tsiribihina River. Passing through diverse landscapes, isolated natural wilderness beside the Tsiribihina River, reminding us how far away we are from home. We continue to pass by some villages where on the way long the river kids wave their hands with their smiles saying: hello.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6
A last day on the Tsiribihina before we say ‘Good bye’ to the Tsiribihina. Also this last part of the pirogue trip leads us to beautiful landscapes with rice fields on banks. We arrive at Belo sur Tsiribihina in the afternoon. We have a 10-minutes walk to the hotel after an oxcart loaded of our luggage. Once arrived we enjoy a welcome drink in the hotel du Menabe, where we also stay the night.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7
By 4WD in direction of Tsingy de Bemaraha, which is classified as one of the world wonders by UNESCO. The fascinating raised limestone plateau is decorated with sharp pinnacles. Areas of deciduous forest also provide the chance to see brown lemurs as well as sifaka lemurs and a variety of birds. Bemaraha contains an original flora. The dry dense forest has several types of vegetable formations. First walk out in the afternoon for landscape and to look for lemurs and birds. We stay two nights in a private campground, or Orchidée du Bemaraha hotel room.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 8
Bemaraha is a plate of moderate altitude, with the shredded relief, consists of a limestone deposit massive Covered by the dense and dry forest, the erosion of water carved there a tight network of deep cracks separated by grooved blades and acute points. Today we have a full day trek with a local guide in the park. There are some different ways to the valleys. The limestone needles are up to 60 m where we can probably find once more sifaka lemurs (propithecus verreauxi).
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 9
After we crossing the Manambolo River by ferry we travel south by 4x4 vehicles to the Belo sur
Tsiribihina. We enjoy a lunch there. We try to catch sunset at the ‘Avenue of the Baobab’ between Belo sur Tsiribihina and Morondava. 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. Night in Morondava Beach hotel.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 10
After the strain of the last days,you may relax. – End of service. –
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
This module ends in Morondava on the west coast of Madagascar. From here we may continue to visit another part of the country or to stay some days on the beach before travelling back to Antananarivo.
Complementary information:
Duration of tour: 10 days
Car or minibus: 2 day
4WD: 2-½ days
Pirogue tour: 4 days
Trekking: 1 ½ days
The pirogue or ‘lakana’ how it is called in Madagascar is a wooden boat made out of one trunk. They are made out of endemic hard wood like Soarafo or Arofy. They are 9 to 11 metres long and 50 to 60 cm large. Mostly are two persons in a pirogue. Of course there is a boatman who rows and navigates the pirogue.
Campsites on the Tsiribihina River are usually large sandbars with smooth and clean tent sites. In the Tsingy de Bemaraha we stay on an official campground. All camping equipment is provided (spacious tents, 3-cm self-inflating mattress, blanket, sleeping bag, pillow).
Included services: overnight in the mentioned or similar hotels in double room, during the river tour and in the Tsingy in tent, meals as mentioned, including 1 ½ l of mineral water per person per day, going by traditional pirogue, car or 4WD, all transfers, all entrance fees, English speaking tour leader, local guides at the visited parks, tip for drivers, local guides, porters, waiters etc. The tour can be changed according to circumstances.
Not included: flights, drinks except mentioned, private expenses.
Requirements: you should like camping, teamgeist.
Please note: inbound flights are not included in the tour price.
This tour is customisable.
Prices per person in Euro sharing:
The two nights in Tsingy de Bemaraha (Day 7 – 9) you may choose between tent and a hotel room depending on your preferences.
Tsingy de Bemaraha in tent
2 persons 1950 Euro
3 persons 1780 Euro
4 persons 1330 Euro
5 persons 1300 Euro
6 persons 1260 Euro
7 or 8 persons 1240 Euro
9 or 10 persons1160 Euro
11 or 12 persons 1150 Euro
Single surcharge 100 Euro
Tsingy de Bemaraha in hotel
2 persons 1990 Euro
3 persons 1820 Euro
4 persons 1350 Euro
5 persons 1340 Euro
6 persons 1300 Euro
7 or 8 persons 1280 Euro
9 or 10 persons1200 Euro
11 or 12 persons 1190 Euro
Single surcharge 140 Euro
Small group adventures, 1150 Euro sharing: every Monday from 17th May to 11th October 2010
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