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| Viewing: Madagascar : an adventure on a forgotten island |
Package ID: 1112 |
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| Madagascar : an adventure on a forgotten island |
Highlights:
Ibity Mountains –
Zafimaniry woodcarving –
Anja Private Park –
Isalo NP –
The Jungle express – Railway to the East coast –
Ranomafana NP –
Canoeing down the Tsiribihina River in a traditional wooden boat –
Andranomena Special
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Sometimes we have simple accommodation or tent but where it is possible we take good and comfortable hotels. We go to less common parks and places like Kirindy-Mitea, Ibity Mountains or Ifasina. We take the Jungle express to Manakara on the sunny East coast and get to know the West by a pirogue tour. We will look for lemurs in the Andranomena Reserve. 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. It seems to be time has come to stop. Madagascar is a great country with friendly and patient 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 Chinese run Diamant hotel.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 2
We start our tour to the Mount Ibity to meet the gem prospector. Night in the small village of Manandona in a Gîte d'etappe on the countryside.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3
We pass several small villages to get an impression of the rural life in the Malagasy highlands. We visit para-agriculture silk production and miners looking for their chance. In the afternoon we go to Ambositra, Angelino hotel for two nights.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4
Starting from Ambositra we join the village of Antoetra. Deep in the heart of the Tanala forest in southeast Madagascar, Antoetra lives in drizzle and fog for much of the year. Antoetra is the main gateway to Zafimaniry country, an area of about 100 villages. This community is the last to practice woodcraft, previously widespread on the island. Antoetra is linked by forest tracks to the other villages. We continue to Ifasina. Later in the afternoon we come back to Ambositra.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5
Ambositra is the capital of the art Zafimaniry. In the morning we visit some ateliers. We continue to Ambalavao, with its brightly painted buildings, is a beautiful town. We visit nearby Soavita vineyard for wine tasting as well as the Antaimoro Paper factory. The paper factory is a vestige of the Arabian civilisation in the island. Here paper is made from scratch using the bark of the avoha bush. After a series of steps, fresh flowers are pressed into the paper to make attractive cards, envelopes and picture frames. Night aux Bougainvillées.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 6
Continuing on we stop south of Ambalavao at Anja Private Park with superb scenery, plants, Betsileo history, caves and tombs and ring-tailed lemurs. We take a one-hour walk into the park before continuing along the road to Ranohira. Late this afternoon we will dry to catch sunset at the 'fenêtre de l’Isalo'. This natural rock window offers the opportunity for a great sunset photo. Night in Le Joyau de l’Isalo.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 7
Today we visit to Isalo National Park, taking a day hike in this surreal park. 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. On our trek we can refresh ourselves on the way at a waterfall or the blue and the black lake. In the afternoon drive to Toliara. Two nights Chez Alain.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 8
From Tuléar we take a drive north along the coast to Ifaty. The coral reef represents an exceptional spot. It attracts a range of fish. We take a tour in a sailing pirogue for snorkeling. After lunch we visit a breeding station for tortoises. In this area we can find the local fauna and flora like baobabs, birds…
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 9
Driving north to Fianarantsoa. Here is the capital of Betsileo ethnic group. The landscape is again superb with great views of vineyards, terraced rice paddies and rocky outcrops. Here we stay in Soafia hotel, a good example for chines architecture.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 10
Going by train from Fianarantsoa to Manakara. We pass 56 tunnels. Two nights in Sidi hotel.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 11
Relax day on the Beach of Manakara on the sunny East Coast.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 12
Going to Ranomafana to see the Ranomafana rainforest. In the afternoon we visit the thermal bath. Two nights in Tropic village.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 13
Visit of the Ranomafana rainforest. Probably we will find lots of birds, frogs, lemurs and other species. We hope to see red-bellied lemurs, red-fronted lemurs, and diadema sifakas. Although present, the golden bamboo Lemur and the broad-nosed gentle Lemur, are more difficult to find. The park is also flora rich with orchids, tree ferns, palms mosses, trumpet flowers and stands of giant bamboo. Here we will enjoy a day walk in the park. Later we embark on a trek in the Reserve, coming across many nocturnal rainforest species, for example the tiny Mousemaki, or Fossa, a predator about the size of a cat.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 14
From Ranomafana we are going to Antsirabe. This time we stay in des Thermes hotel, where in earlier years planters from the East coast relaxed
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 15
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 16
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 17
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 18
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 19
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 20
We travel south 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. We enjoy a picnic lunch in the forest and walking in the Reserve. 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.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 21
After breakfast in Morondava we continue to Belo sur mer. Belo sur mer is a small fisher village and most inhabitants are Vezo fisherman. The picturesque village is home the Vezo boat builders. The boats found under the coconut trees near the harbour. In the evening we will have some seafood at its best. Three nights at Menabe plongée.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 22
In the morning we visit a salt exploitation and a baobab forest where we can find the bottle baobab. Later we take an excursion to the National park Kirindy-Mitea. The park is located in the heart of the ancient kingdom of Menabe and along the Mozambique Channel, on the border of the ecosystems of the west and the south. We pass dry dense forests, dunes, mangroves…
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 23
Early morning we board a sailing pirogue. We visit an island, exploring, snorkelling, and relaxing. We can also get an impression from the way of life in this region.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 24
Morning free to relax on the beach. After an early lunch we drive back to Morondava, night once more in Morondava Beach.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 25
After the strain of the last days, depending on your flight schedule, you can relax in at Morondava Beach hotel in Morondava. Transfer to the airport of Morondava, pick-up at Antananarivo airport, transfer to Le Relais des Plateaux hotel, overnight.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 26
Transfer to Antananarivo Airport. – End of service. –
Included meals: breakfast
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 above 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, additional beach activities, private expenses.
Requirements:
you should like camping, teamgeist.
Please note:
for this tour is one inbound flight required that is not included in the tour price.
This tour is customisable.
Prices:
best price you can get if you go with one of our groups. Price is 2720 Euro per person. Our groups are small, with a maximum of 12. We will be pleased organise a group on your preferred departure date or book for an already existing departure.
2 persons 4295
3 persons 4150
4 persons 3400
5 persons 3200
6 persons 2975
7 or 8 persons 2775
9 or 10 persons 2695
11 or 12 persons 2650
Supplement single room / tent (except Mount Ibity, dormitory) 600
Prices in Euro per person.
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