DAY ONE – ANTANANARIVO
You will be met and welcomed on arrival off your flight at the international arrival hall. Please look out for a sign with your name after you exit the restricted area with your luggages. You will then be led to your vehicle for your private transfer to Maison Galliéni. Settle into your room and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight at Maison Galliéni (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY TWO – ANTANANARIVO – MORONDAVA
Visit the Old city and upper town of Antananarivo. The majestic Rova ( The Queen’s palace ) overlooks the capital from the highest point of the city. The Rova of Antananarivo is a royal palace complex that served as the home of the sovereigns of the Kingdom of Imerina in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as of the rulers of the Kingdom of Madagascar in the 19th century. The historic boroughs around the Rova ( The Queen’s palace) have nice panoramic views on downtown. You will drive or walk the neighbourhood with your guide to enjoy he picturesque ambience of the noblemen residence area, with both well-kept traditional houses, the colonial houses, palaces, cathedrals, the charm of the narrow, curved, upslope cobblestoned streets and ensemble of cute traditional Malagasy houses built entirely of wood. This whole package make the unforgettable ambiance of this borough.
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Morondava. Depending on the time of the tide, embark on a pirogue (traditional dhow boat) and pass through the port of Botry, arriving at a small coastal village of Vezo fishermen. The Vezo is the term the semi-nomadic coastal people of southern Madagascar used to refer to people that have become accustomed to live from sea fishing. They go as far as 50km away from the shores on their small pirogues without any navigation instruments. You may see them arriving from their fishing trip, with the locals bargaining for the freshest catch of the day, picking out fresh shrimps, mackerels and tuna.
Overnight at Palissandre Cote Ouest (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY THREE – MORONDAVA
Today you will head to the Kirindy reserve, home of the Fosa, the largest mammal carnivore in Madagascar. Kirindy is one of Madagascar’s most threatened ecosystems, a dry deciduous forest. It is famous for the giant jumping rat and home to seven species of lemur and a number of endemic reptiles. Spend a full day here to spot the wildlife and discover the flora, heading back to the world famous Baobab Alley to photograph the dramatic sunset over these endemic trees.
The Baobab Alley: The Avenue or Alley of the Baobabs is a prominent group of baobab trees lining the dirt road between Morondava and Belo sur Tsiribihina in the Menabe region in western Madagascar. Its striking landscape draws travelers from around the world, making it one of the most visited locations in the region. It has been a center of local conservation efforts, and was granted temporary protected status in July 2007 by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, the first step toward making it Madagascar’s first natural monument. Along the Avenue in some 260 m long segment are remaining some 20 – 25 trees about 30 meters in height, of the species Adansonia grandidieri, endemic to Madagascar. Some 20 – 25 more trees of this species grow in nearby rice paddies and meadows. Baobab trees, up to 800 years old, known locally as renala (Malagasy for “mother of the forest”), are a legacy of the dense tropical forests that once thrived on Madagascar. The trees did not originally tower in isolation over the sere landscape of scrub but stood in dense forest. Over the years, as the country’s population grew, the forests were cleared for agriculture, leaving only the baobab trees, which the locals preserved as much in respect as for their value as a food source and building material. The area is not a national park, and the trees are threatened by further deforestation, effluent from encroaching rice paddies and sugarcane plantations, and bush and forest fires. Despite its popularity as a tourist destination, the area has no visitor center or gate fees, and local residents receive little income from tourism.
Overnight at Palissandre Cote Ouest (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY FOUR – MORONDAVA – ANTSIRABE
The beginning of today’s drive will give you a first taste of the scenery of the Malagasy highlands : rice fields, mountains, typical villages. The numerous fruit and vegetable stalls will show that its a very fertile region and you will have the opportunity to witness locals working in their field. Take the time to stop at your leisure to interact with villagers.
You will reach about 1500 meters of altitude by the time you arrive in Antsirabe. Due to the altitude, the climate of the region is very cool and temperatures can drop to 0 degrees Celsius during the winter. The city was founded by Norwegian missionary T.G. Rosaas in 1872 as a hill station to serve as a retreat centre because of the much cooler climate, the thermal baths were opened in 1917. This is also the city where the Morrocan king Mohamed V was exhiled in 1955, you may make a quick stop at its former palace which is now the Hotel des Thermes. Today, Antsirabe is a major industrial center producing beer and cotton fabrics.
Overnight at Couleur Cafe Antsirabe (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY FIVE – ANTSIRABE – RANOMAFANA
Continue your journey heading south across the highlands to reach Ambositra, the Malagasy handicrafts’ capital located 105 km from Antsirabe. Stopping for lunch and for the opportunity to visit different hand-crafter workshops.
The Woodcrafting knowledge of the Zafimaniry is inscribed by the UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity ( 2008) . Today, approximately 25,000 Zafimaniry live in some one hundred villages and hamlets scattered in the highlands of this region.
In the afternoon, you will drive to the rainforest of Ranomafana. The road to Ranomafana offers beautiful scenery: Tapias forest, beautiful hills, typical villages, terrace rice fields, and exceptional views.
Overnight at Hotel Thermal Ranomafana (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY SIX – RANOMAFANA
Today you have the opportunity to explore the Ranomafana National Park. With more than 41,600 hectares (161 square miles) of tropical rainforest, the park is home to several rare species of flora and fauna including the golden bamboo lemur, the greater bamboo lemur, black and white ruffed lemur and Milne Edwards sifaka, and over 120 species of frogs. Pitta like ground rollers, blue vangas, short-legged ground rollers and brown mesites can be seen.
The park was established in 1991 with the purpose of conserving the unique biodiversity of the local ecosystem and reducing the human pressures on the protected area. It is part of the World Heritage Site Rainforests of the Atsinanana. The flora and fauna of Ranomafana have been subject to extensive scientific research. Various scientific publications have been published about this protected area.
Overnight at Hotel Thermal Ranomafana (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY SEVEN – RANOMAFANA – RANOHIRA
After breakfast, continue your road trip and drive through Fianarantsoa perched onto the hills with its beautiful traditional architecture reflecting the different stages of colonization.
Its Old City was placed by the World Monuments Fund on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites. The Fianarantsoa Old City occupies a dramatic hilltop setting once topped with a palace used by the Merina royal family during state visits. While the palace is no longer there, some 500 homes built between 1870 and 1900 by those affiliated with the royal retinue still line the city’s picturesque cobblestone streets. Buildings dating from this period survived because a royal edict forbidding commoners from using durable building materials was lifted in 1868. Moreover, the Old City is the only place in Madagascar where nineteenth-century buildings form a coherent architectural ensemble.
After leaving Fianarantsoa, you will have the majestic Andringitra mountains in the background. You now leave the highlands of Madagascar and enter a new microclimate: the dry bush and semi desert of southern Madagascar. The first stop of the day is in the small town of Ambalavao, one of the cultural treasures with its architectural houses with verandas. There, you will visit the entirely natural Paper Factory Antemoro, an inlaid paper made from plants and flowers which is exported nowadays everywhere to make beautiful greeting cards. We will visit these traditional mills.
After lunch in Ambalavao, continue South with its semi-dry landscape arriving in Ranohira later in the afternoon.
Overnight at Isalo Rock Lodge (Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)
DAY EIGHT – RANOHIRA
A full day to explore this intriguing area.
Isalo National Park: Accompanied by a park ranger, hike through the canyons and oases of Isalo and its lunar landscape to reach some waterfalls. This environment was formed during the Jurassic age and where the unique flora has evolved adapting to the existing conditions. There are 77 species of birds live in Isalo among which the rare and famous Benson rock-thrush ( Pseudocossyphus bensoni ). During that hike, you will see different species of lemurs, including the world famous ring tailed lemur. There is an opportunity to relax in this environment and swim in the natural pools.
Ilakaka: Since the discovery of sapphires in 1998 in this town in Madagascar the population of Ilakaka has swelled. The locals quickly found a thriving market with Thai and Malagasy merchants. Within months, miners from around the island settled near the bridge on the Ilakaka River, and a boomtown was born. Ilakaka is a much quieter place today but Sri Lankan, Thai, and Malagasy gem traders still conduct business. Ilakaka-Sakaraha probably still surpasses Sri Lanka as the world’s main source for blue and pink sapphires.
In association with the company Color Line led by a Swiss gemologist, if you wish, you have the chance to visit a spectacular open pit sapphire mine. You will be able to witness the harsh and archaic conditions in which the miners accomplish their work. After the mine visit, if you wish, you can stop at Color Line showroom, located at the heart of the town of Ilakaka. This shop presents a broad range of gemstones extracted in the region and locally designed jewelry
Overnight at Isalo Rock Lodge (Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)
DAY NINE – RANOHIRA – TOLIARA
Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park: Today you will visit the Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park which constitutes the most important remnant of dry deciduous forest of Madagascar. Zombitse-Vohibasia acts as a transition zone between the dry and the humid forests of Madagascar. Therefore the flora is especially rich within the protected area. Baobabs and several orchids are particulary common.
The number of animal species living here is also remarkable. 15 small mammals, 2 carnivorous and 8 lemur species, such as the Verraux´s sifaka, red-fronted brown lemur, ring-tailed lemur, pale fork-marked lemur and the Hubbard´s sportive lemur can be observed here. Birds are also a park highlight. There are 85 species, most of them endemic like the rare Appert´s greenbul, which only lives in this forest. 33 reptile and 8 amphibian species have been reported in Zombitse, such as the Standing´s day gecko, which is also local endemic to the Park.
Four different short and pretty easy circuits (from one to five hours walk) are offered by the park authorities in order to allow visitors to discover the richness and diversity of this last natural refuge.
The Antsokay Arboretum was established around 1980. Located 12km from the city of Toliara, 2 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn and 3 km from the Mozambique Canal waters, the Antsokay Arboretum means a small nearby hamlet of limestone found which are used to make quicklime.
The guided tour through the botanical trail will open your eyes to the ingenuity of a diverse flora that has adapted, sometimes in extraordinary ways, to the heat and drought of this region. You will also discover the relationship that has developed between mankind and the plant kingdom, through the use of medicinal plants.
The arboretum has a collection of over 900 plant species from the southwest of Madagascar, 90% are endemic to the region and 80% have medicinal properties. Among these many succulent species are recognized as endangered.
More than 25 species of reptiles and mammals are found there. Among the most common are the: Furcifer verrucosus, oplurus cyclurus and Phelsuma mutabilis.
The arboretum is also home to several species of mammals including the lemur Microcebus griseorufus and tenrec Echinops telfairi, both nocturnal. The lemurs are the smallest lemurs of Madagascar, measuring only 12cm long and can be apreçus asleep in tree holes during the day, they eat insects and fruit.
Overnight at Bakuba (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY TEN – TOLIARA – ANAKAO
Today is a transfer to Anakao: The safest and fastest way to reach Anakao, 45km South from Tulear is by speedboat. Anakao is not an island, a huge river, Onilahy, blocks the path at the level of Saint Agustin. Before 9:30am at the port, you embark on a powerful speed boat which will take you comfortably, in less than one hour, to Anakao. After going along Sarodrano’s sand bank and leaving the lagoon, the route crosses the Tropic of Capricorn at the mouth of the Onilahy river. This is where you can see whales (June to September), dolphins and flying fish. Finally, you will go along the coast between Soalara and Anakao, seaside or lagoon side, depending on the tides. Your skilled skipper will drop you off right in front your hotel on Anakao’s beach.
Anakao is a small fishermen village located 45km south and only easily accessible by boat. You will reach your hotel before lunch time and have the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight at Anakao Ocean Lodge (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY ELEVEN – ANAKAO
A full day to enjoy and explore.
Tsimanampetsotsa visit: Embark on one of the quad bikes or one of the trucks and go towards the Tsimanampetsotsa National Park, named after its spectacular lake.This huge lake which lenght measures 17km is one the largest lake in Madagascar and lies in the most arid zone of the island, which receives only around 300 mm rain each year. There are two main landscapes inside the park: a calcareous plateau covered with dense xerophilous thickets (a locally endemic spiny forest), huge baobabs and banyan trees, and the sand dunes along the coast covered by a grassy blanket. The park also has numerous caves and sinkholes, which are the result of an underground stream. This is where scientists recently discovered remains of giant lemurs during an underwater search expedition. Tsimanampetsotsa is a birders paradise. More than 100 species are found here, including pink, greater and dwarf flamingos forming big colonies on the lake, 5 coua species, Archbold´s newtonia, Madagascar plover, red-shouldered vanga or Lafresnaye´s vanga. Apart from birds, there are 12 species of mammals, among them the extremely rare and local endemic Grandidier´s mongoose and 4 lemur species: ring-tailed lemur, Verreaux´s sifaka, Gray-brown mouse lemur and white-footed sportive lemur. Among the 39 reptile species, the most significant one is the radiated turtle, which is endemic to this region and extremely endangered to extinction.
After the park visit and a picnic, spend some time on the beautiful beach of Ambola before returning to your hotel.
Overnight at Anakao Ocean Lodge (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY TWELVE – ANAKAO
Today you have the opportunity to sail to Nosy Ve, a small 1km long inhabited island. It is a sacred place for people of Anakao. The crossing takes less than 1 hour to go depending on the winds. The island is one of the few places in the world known as a place of reproduction of red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda). We can observe adults nesting with baby birds. This island is also a good snorkeling spot and has an amazing beach. For once in your life, you may feel like you are Robinson Crusoe. Return to Anakao early afternoon before the wind gets too gusty.
Overnight at Anakao Ocean Lodge (Bed & Breakfast)
DAY THIRTEEN – ANAKAO – ANTANANARIVO
The return boat trip to Toliara from Anakao usually leaves early, no later than 7:30am. Upon arriving in Toliara, a driver will wait for you at the port, where you will be transferred by air to the Antananarivo. On arrival you will be met at the domestic arrivals hall. Once you have collected your luggage, you will then be led to your vehicle for your private transfer to the international airport for your departing flight or we can arrange overnight accommodation in Antananarivo.
Tel: +1-877-710-3014 (Julie Roggow) or +1-519-686-4776 (Rick McIntyre)
Tel: +44 (0)7986-978985 (Wayne Hammond)
Tel: +254 (0)774-136523
