Sample itinerary - Forests and Beaches of Madagascar 12 nts

Day notes

Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English-speaking guide who will accompany you to your hotel in the upper town of Antananarivo. ‘Tana’ – as the locals call it has fascinating traditional architecture and a more Indonesian influence than the rest of Madagascar. Maison Gallieni is a restored colonial mansion with an elegant mix of modern and traditional décor. Take a dip in the pool and enjoy the lovely views over the city before dinner.

Day notes

After an early breakfast, your guide will take you east to Andasibe, a stunning rainforest park, about 5 hours’ drive from the city.

The park consists of two government managed areas, the Perinet Special Reserve and Mantadia National Park, and privately managed reserved such as Mitsinjo Reserve and the VOIMMA reserve. The area is world famous for its population of Indri lemurs, which are the largest living lemur species.  The journey to Andasibe offers first time visitors to Madagascar an introduction to rural life with rice fields, redbrick houses and roadside stalls selling seasonal fruits and vegetables lining the route.

Check into hotel for lunch. 

This afternoon, visit a private reserve operated by local NGO Mitsinjo. The NGO funds reforestation, community education and sensitization to conservation issues as well as running Madagascar’s first amphibian captive-breeding facility. Here you will see a fascinating array of wildlife including the indri and other lemur species, numerous chameleons and birds. Mitsinjo is an excellent location to see the same wildlife as the more well knownPerinet Reserve but without the crowds. You can also plant an indigenous species along the reforestation trail (by prior arrangement).

Day notes

After breakfast, enjoy a visit to the 810 ha Perinet Reserve with a local guide in search of the Indri indri. With a barely visible tail, black and white markings and a surprised teddy–bear face, this lemur is one of the few animals in the world that cannot survive in captivity. There are another 11 species of lemur to spot as you walk through the rainforest. You may find a troop of grey bamboo lemurs, common brown lemur, diademed sifaka and the black and white ruffed lemur. Birdwatchers should look out for the velvet asity, the blue coua and the Nuthatch vanga and many more endemic species. Perinet is home to many reptiles, invertebrates, and some of Madagascar’s over a thousand orchid species. 

Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon transfer of 5 hours to Antananarivo by road. 

Ideally situated next to the airport, the Nosy Manga Hotel offers large comfortable ensuite bedrooms equipped with air-conditioning and satellite tv. The hotel is equipped with a roof-top pool, and a stylishly-decorated bar and restaurant area.  

Day notes

After breakfast, drive back to Ivato Airport in time for your scheduled charter flight to Ifotaka (2hrs 30 min). Upon arrival you will be met by your guide and vehicle and transfer to the camp (5min). Settle into your tent and enjoy the majestic views over the Mandrare River. 

Around 5pm you will depart for a night walk in the Forest of Zenavo. This is a fantastic way to see diurnal lemurs bedding down, and the nocturnal lemurs begin to wake in the eerie and prehistoric spiny forest. You will spot sifakas and sleeping white-foot sportive lemurs, then once the sun has set, two mouse lemur species, sleeping birds, chameleons, owls and now active sportive lemurs.

Day notes

This morning, transfer to the airstrip (5 min) in time for your scheduled charter flight to Antananarivo (20 min Mandrare – Fort Dauphin / 30 min refuelling in Fort Dauphin / 2hrs 30 min Fort Dauphin – Antananarivo). 

Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English-speaking guide who will accompany you to your hotel. Ideally situated next to the airport, the Nosy Manga Hotel offers large comfortable ensuite bedrooms equipped with air-conditioning and satellite tv. The hotel is equipped with a roof-top pool, and a stylishly-decorated bar and restaurant area.   

In the afternoon, drive to Ambohimanga, 20 km north-east of Tana. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the ancestral home on the Merina kings and queens who united Madagascar under one rule. It is a fortified sacred hill with 16 gates leading to king Andrianampoinimerina’s house (ruled 1787 – 1810) and a series of elegant royal summer homes.  

Day notes

After an early breakfast, transfer to Ivato Airport in time for your scheduled charter to Anjajavy. Upon arrival you will be greeted by a hotel staff member and transferred to the lodge.

Anjajavy Lodge is located within a 450 hectare nature reserve on Madagascar’s north-west coast. The lodge’s 25 duplex, rosewood villas all have private decks overlooking the ocean. Meals can be served in an enclosed oasis in the hotel grounds or on the beach. The surrounding forest is alive with lemurs, chameleons and malachite kingfishers. 

At 5:30 pm you will depart for a night walk in the reserve to spot a variety of nocturnal lemurs. While the reserve’s show-stoppers are undoubtedly the charismatic coquerel’s sifakas, the hours of darkness also have their star performers. Weighing a mere 63 grams, danfoss mouse lemurs scamper about in the shrubbery around the reserve just after nightfall, springing from branch to branch, quick as a flash, in search of food. If you hear a strange squeal coming from the tree tops, then you have probably found a Grewcock’s sportive lemur. Other mammals to spot are the endemic tsingy tuft-tailed rat, Commerson’s leaf-nosed bat, or Madagascar’s largest predator - the rare and elusive fossa.

Day notes

At 9:30 am, transfer to the airstrip for your morning flight to Tana by scheduled charter. Upon arrival at Tana airport, you will be met by one of our team , who will assist you in checking in for your outbound flight.