Spot lemurs and get dreaming on the beaches of this southern African gem. Create your own wildlife-filled jungle jaunt through Madagascar on a 14-day adventure to the island’s hotspots. You’ll be on white-sand beaches, exploring tropical rainforests and spending time with a huge variety of local wildlife, including the lemur which is the island’s most popular animal inhabitants. Dig a little deeper throughout your journey and interact with local communities, getting an insight into the day-to-day life of Malagasy and Betsileo peoples. Discover the French colonial influences in Antananarivo and Antsirabe, and get the chance to chill out in your own time.
Day 1: Antananarivo
Welcome to the country’s capital Antananarivo a fun, hilly place to explore. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting and afterwards head to Analakey to visit the street markets or perhaps seek out a cafe to soak up the atmosphere.
Day 2: Andasibe National Park
Leave Antananarivo in your dust after breakfast, heading for Andasibe National Park. Stop en route at Pereyras Nature Farm – a private reserve that’s home to chameleons, frogs, snakes and so much more wildlife. This evening, you’ll have an opportunity to take night walk through the forest at Mitsinjo – a privately-owned reserve, where you’ll encounter nocturnal species including endemic butterflies and lemurs.
Day 3: Andasibe National Park
Andasibe is the most visited park in Madagascar and famous for the 11 species of lemur that call it home. Aside from lemurs, you’ll find endemic birds including the long-eared owl and the rufous headed ground roller, as well as the smallest living chameleon many times types of reptiles, insects and frogs. This region is popular thanks to an abundance of unique wildlife, and you’ll have an opportunity to discover them during a guided walk through the national park.
Day 4: Antsirabe
Drive to Antisrabe which is approximately 6-7 hours’ drive. Antsirabe maintains a Malagasy touch with all the tranquillity of a small European town, thanks to the contrast of its bustling street markets and Colonial style, it’s a popular spa town thanks to the hot springs and thermal baths, and the colorful rickshaws known as ‘pousse-pousse’ are a popular form of transport. On arrival check into your hotel and enjoy a group dinner in the Gazebo within the grounds of the Guest House.
Day 5: Ambositra
Make the short journey to Ambositra this morning, home to the third-largest ethnic group in Madagascar, the Betsileo people. Take a visit to the nearby Sandrandahy villages and explore the process of silk production, which is an important part of Malagasy culture. The use of silk was once reserved exclusively for royalty, but now everyone is free to wear it though its use is more often used for the dead. Enjoy a local lunch before spending a free evening in Ambositra.
Day 6: Ranomafana
Travel this morning to Ranomafa National Park located in the southeastern part of Madagascar and is a home to a number of rare species. Ranomafana means ‘hot water’ in the Malagasy language and the area is haven for small mammals, birds, reptiles and insects, as well as palms, bamboo, orchids and carnivorous plants. Its home to 13 species of lemur, including the famous golden bamboo lemur, which was first reported in the area in 1985 and is one of the reasons why the government decided to protect this forest. Perhaps consider visiting the thermal springs after which the town is named located across the Namorona River.
Day 7: Ranomafana
Continue exploring Ranomafana, this time on a guided walk. Keep your eyes peeled for lemurs, striped civets, mongooses, goshawks, geckos, frogs and butterflies. You may even spot an incredible net-casting spider or the world’s smallest chameleon. Relax into the day, and once again spend the night within the park.
Day 8: Fianarantsoa
Travel this morning to Fianarantsoa, a colorful town known for its markets and handicrafts. This heritage site is a must-see, with its long, paved roads, labyrinths of small paths and old houses with flower-studded balconies and tiled roofs. Take a day visit to a typical Malagasy village for an insight into how the majority of the island’s population live, then take a local walk to explore the surrounding countryside, which is dotted with rice paddies and vineyards that produce Fianarantsoa’s famous wine. You’ll get a chance to sample local cuisine with a lunch stop in the villages then, in the afternoon, visit the historical old city of Fianarantsoa on foot.
Days 9-10: Isalo National Park
Drive approximately 8 hours west toward Isalo National Park. You’ll stop at the Anja Community Reserve on your way, a great spot to observe lemurs and learn a little more about the local culture. The local villagers will be your guide on this excursion, and your leader will be able to translate all the knowledge they can pass on to you. Isalo is known for its variety of landscapes, from rainforests and rolling plains teeming with life to strange geological formations and deep-cut canyons. And of course, there are a variety of lemur species roaming around the place. Spend a couple of days exploring the park, which is home to over 80 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and 14 species of mammals including three lemur species ring-tailed, red-fronted and Verreaux’s sifakas lemur.
Day 11: Anakao
You’ll be up early today to travel to Toliara Harbor from where the group will take a boat to Anakao. Imagine perfect white sandy beaches beside turquoise waters, and that’s Anakao a small, laid-back town in which fishing is the main occupation. Enjoy a free day taking it easy on the beach, soaking up some sun and swimming in the clear waters of the Mozambique Channel. You’re on island time now so chill out and bask in the golden glow of Anakao.
Day 12: Anakao
Today is another free day of leisure in this paradise. Consider taking a full-day tour of Tsimanampetsotse National Park a birder’s paradise named for its spectacular lake. More than 100 species of bird can be found here, including pink, greater and dwarf flamingos, as well as the gray-brown mouse and white-footed sportive lemurs. Maybe paddle a canoe out to the mirage of Nosy Be instead and check out the beaches and reef, or just hang out in Anakao town and make the most of its convenient beaches.
Day 13: Antananarivo
This morning, transfer to Toliara by boat for the flight back to Antananarivo. Flights in Madagascar can be delayed and often experience late schedule changes. You need to be prepared that there may be some waiting time in Tulear today depending on the scheduled flight time for the day and your scheduled boat transfers, but this is all part of the fun. Back in Antananarivo this evening, enjoy a celebratory night with your new travel companions.
Day 14: Antananarivo – Departure Day
With no activities planned for today, your adventure ends today after breakfast and you are free to leave at any time, provided you comply with the hotel’s internal check-out policy.
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