From 2 to 12 persons.
In Madagascar, wildlife is everywhere! From North to South, from East to West… mammals, reptiles, batrachians, fish, butterflies and birds inhabit this nature sanctuary. Madagascar National Parks manages 43 parks, but there are nearly 120 protected areas which are distributed across the country under various categories.
It is difficult not to forget anything as this fauna, whose rate of endemism reaches 80%, is rich and diversified.
It is present all over the island, in the heart of the dry or humid forest, in the savannah and the thorny bush, at the bottom of the canyons, at the edge of the lakes and rivers… and of course, in the magnificent seabed of the Indian Ocean.
We are going to meet this unique heritage in the heart of some of the most renowned reserves and national parks in Madagascar.
Highlights
- An experienced and passionate guide
- The exploration of emblematic parks and reserves of Madagascar
- The richness of an astonishing and endemic diurnal and nocturnal fauna
- Unique and exceptional biotopes
- A deliberately slow pace of travel
Travel identity card
- Duration: 15 days
- Participant: From 2 persons
- Guiding: Malagasy naturalist guide
- Accommodation: Standard or superior hotel
- Transport: 4×4 or bus
- Period: all year
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Effort = 1
“Easy”This trip is accessible to all. However, we ask you to be healthy.
It is a journey of discovery and short hikes are scheduled for site visits.
Madagascar is large, the steps in a vehicle can sometimes be a little long. -
Confort = 4
“Standard”All nights are in hotels. The accommodations and/or the hotel are good categories and equivalent to 2 or 3 stars international standards.
Dinner in restaurant, lunch at the restaurant and / or picnic.
Travel take place in comfortable vehicle on roads and/or on relatively good tracks.
Day 1: Antananarivo > Morondava > Kirindy
Flight to Morondava in the west of Madagascar.
Your guide welcomes you at the airport. Walk in town and along the seafront. Road to the Kirindy reserve. We pass here by the famous Avenue des Baobabs. Arrival in Kirindy, installation and night visit in the forest.
NB: Depending on the domestic flight schedule, the program for this day may be modified.
- Duration: 1h flight and 2h driving
- Distance: 70 km
Day 2: Reserve Kirindy
by a guide from the reserve, we set off to explore Kirindy. It is a private reserve in one of the most threatened dry forest ecosystems. The reserve is renowned because it is here that one can quite easily observe Madagascar’s largest predator: the Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), an astonishing animal, often compared to a puma.
The reserve being private, night visits are authorized there, whereas in the parks managed by Madagascar National Parks (MNP) they are prohibited. You will see microcebus and cheirogaleus, but also bats and with luck, tenrecs.
- Duration: Full day
- We organize your picnic lunch
Day 3: Kirindy & Baobabs Avenue > Morondava
We continue to get to know the rich fauna of Madagascar. One of the residents of Kirindy that makes it interesting is the Verreaux’s Sifaka, commonly called the Dancer.
There are 8 species of lemurs almost all endemic in Kirindy, 6 of which are nocturnal, most of which are threatened, 68 species of birds, 2 species of turtles and many species of reptiles, chameleons, lizards and snakes.
At the end of the day we return to Morondava. It is before arriving at our destination that we cross the famous Alley of the Baobabs. We are there at the right time, the sun is low, the raking light, the smooth trunks reflect the orange rays of the sun. Great perspective photos.
- Duration: Full day
- We organize your picnic lunch
Day 4: Morondava > Miandrivazo > Antsirabe
Long road today. We leave for the East and the Central Highlands. We cross the characteristic savannas of the Menabe region. Before arriving in Antsirabe, the rice fields draw the landscape. Arrival in the afternoon in Antsirabe. We take the time for a short visit of the city and if you feel like it, a rickshaw ride, The mode of transport of the Antsirabiens
- Duration: +/- 8h
- Distance: 490 km
Day 5: Antsirabe > Ambositra > Ranomafana
We continue our route on the National 7 in the heart of the rural life of this region, with the villagers on their carts and the small markets installed on the side of the road. After Ambositra, we enter Betsileo country and continue to the entrance of Ranomafana Park. On the way, we make a few stops in search of an amazing insect: the giraffe weevil found in melastoma, a shrub whose leaves the animal feeds on.
After our installation at the hotel and a little rest, we leave for a first nocturnal discovery of the park, in the heart of a humid tropical forest. We may be lucky enough to see the magnificent Comet-Moth, also called Moon-Moth (nocturne), it is the largest known in the world.
NB: Provide a rain cape for the night visit along the road.
Fauna info:
This park with an area of 41,600 ha is a real concentrate of biodiversity and the rate of endemism is exceptional! A few figures to give you an idea: 12 species of lemurs, 115 species of birds, 90 species of butterflies, 62 species of reptiles, 98 species of amphibians, 8 species of bats and 350 species of spiders.
- Duration: +/- 5h
- Distance: 250 km
Day 6: Discovery of the fauna of Ranomafana
We leave early in the morning with our guide, for a day of exploration of this forest with its luxuriant vegetation. We walk surrounded by huge trees, a tangle of vines, mosses and tree ferns. It is a sanctuary for many varieties of orchids. The park, located on an ancient volcano, also hides hot springs.
Our picnic lunch will be held in the heart of the park.
Small selection of fauna present:
Lemurs: Diademed Sifaka, Golden Bamboo Lemur, Microcèbe Rufus, Red-bellied Lemur, Gray Bamboo Lemur, Woolly Avahi, Lepilemur Microdon, Greater Cheirogale, Aye-Aye, Belted Vari or Black and White Lemur, Large Bamboo lemur.
Reptiles: Calumma brevicorne and Calumma nasutum chameleons, Day gecko, Flat-tailed gecko, Uroplatus phantasticus.
Butterflies: Madagascar Comet Butterfly.
Carnivores: Madagascar Civet.
Birds: Pollen Vanga (passerine), Henst’s Goshawk (raptor), Grey-headed Bulbul…
Others: Darwin Spider, frogs, beetles…
- Duration: Full day
- We organize your picnic lunch
Day 7: Ranomafana > Ambalavao
We continue our visit of the park in the morning.
In the company of our guides, we refine our research and take the time necessary to “go around the question” knowing full well that it would take weeks, months to have an in-depth knowledge of such a site.
At the end of the day we leave the region to reach the city of Fianarantsoa then Ambalavao.
- Duration: +/- 2h
- Distance: 80 km
Day 8: The Anja reserve – Ambalavao
Day dedicated to lemurs. Located about twenty kilometers from Ambalavao, the Anja reserve is nestled against an immense granite monolith, a gallery forest has developed between the spectacular rocky chaos. Beautiful colonies of ring-tailed lemurs live in this green paradise, the Catta or Makis lemurs. The revenue from the Anja reserve is managed by the Anja Miray association and donated to socio-economic projects in favor of the villagers.
Return to Fianarantsoa at the end of the day.
- Duration: Full day
- We organize your picnic lunch
Day 9: Ambalavao > Antsirabe
We follow the RN7 and return north.
We are now leaving Betsileo country. Here the road is more and more sinuous, we are towards the highest points of the High Plateaux of Madagascar. In the village of Ambositra we go antiquing in the shops of the Zafimaniry craftsmen, in search of the piece of carved wood or the square of marquetry so finely worked.
Walk in the village and on the side of the market. We continue our journey to Antsirabe where we arrive at the end of the afternoon.
- Duration: +/- 6h
- Distance: 270 km
Day 10: Antsirabe > Antananarivo > Andasibe
At Ambatolampy we take a break and discover the work, rather surprising, of the manufacturers of aluminum casserole dishes, those found throughout Madagascar.
Continuation to Antananarivo then in the afternoon road to the East and the village of Andasibe at the gates of the Perinet / Analamazoatra park.
- Duration: 7h
- Distance: 320 km
Day 11 & 12: Analamazoatra parks and Mitsinjo
Two days of in-depth discovery of the fauna of this part of the “Rainforest” of Madagascar. Early departure to first visit the Analamazaotra reserve, then the Mitsinjo reserve located not far away.
We are here in the rain forest, surrounded by lush tropical-like vegetation made up of many species of ferns, sacred lianas, orchids and dwarf palms.
These reserves are home to abundant wildlife including the famous Indri Indri. It is the largest of the lemurs and its very particular cry can be heard for several kilometers.
NB: Provide a rain cape for the visit.
Small selection of fauna present:
Lemurs: Indri-Indri, Vari black and white, Tiara sifaka. Nocturnal lemurs: the Microcèbe (the smallest of the lemurs), the Golden Bamboo Lemur or Bamboo Lemur., Aye Aye.
Reptiles: The Do or Boa of Madagascar (the largest snake on the island), turtles, Parson’s chameleons, geckos.
Amphibians: Tomato frog, Mantella aurantiaca frog.
Birds: Blue Vanga, crested ibis, parrots, coucals, rollers, owls, buzzards, starlings, weavers, kingfishers, egrets, ombrettes, Madagascan Drongo……
- Duration: Two full days
- We organize your picnic lunchs
Day 13: Andasibe > Canal des Pangalanes
We continue our advance towards the east.
It is by the Ravinala road (the traveller’s tree) that we drive to Mananbato on the shores of Lake Rasoabe. We suggest you have lunch in one of the small hotels on the shore. We then take a speedboat which takes us on the Canal des Pangalanes to Ankany’ny Nofy. We are here between lagoons and ocean. The Pangalanes canal was built at the end of the last century, it runs along the east coast for more than 400 km from Manakara to Tamatave, it connects the lakes to each other. Nowadays, this waterway is unfortunately a little forgotten…
- Duration: 2h driving + 1h by boat
- Distance: 130 km
Day 14: Ankanin’ny nofy – Palmarium
Visit to the Palmarium Reserve. Our morning is devoted to the discovery and encounter with the Malagasy fauna. many lemurs populate the site.
Most of the lemurs present here are not native to this region. The advantage of such a concentration is to be able to observe their mores at leisure in freedom.
At the end of the day, we take a boat to go to a small island where we meet one of the rarest lemurs and therefore the most difficult to surprise in its natural habitat, the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis). Its strange appearance has given it a bad reputation among local people. His manners are also rather strange. Our guide will tell us in detail about this animal among the most endangered on the planet.
- Duration: Fulll day
Day 15: Ankanin’ny nofy > Antananarivo
We take the boat back to reach Manambato, then our vehicle to return to Tana.
Arriving late in the day.
- Duration: 1h by boat + 6h driving
- Distance: 300 km
Included:
- The driver/guide throughout the trip,
- A vehicle throughout the trip,
- The accommodation of your choice (Standard or Superior),
- The boat on the Canal des Pangalanes,
- Entrances to the parks and the sites indicated,
- Local guides in the parks,
- All transfers.
Not included:
- International and domestic flights,
- Tips and drinks,
- Your personal insurance.
- The visa: +/- 35 €
RESERVATION – CONFIRMATION
Reservation: Please use the form below to book your trip or change this itinerary. We will respond within 24 hours.
Confirmation: It will be effective upon receipt of the completed registration form that we will send you, as well as a deposit of 30% of the total amount of the price of the travel.
Confirm a trip with SENSE OF OCEANS MADAGASCAR involves having read and accepted the Terms and Conditions.
The general sales terms and conditions can be found here : Terms & conditions
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