On arrival in Antananarivo (Tana) airport, you are met and transferred to your hotel.
Tana, (as the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo, is called) is a brightly coloured melange of French colonial architecture, multi-storeyed houses and narrow alleys. A city with unique architecture, oodles of charm and bustling streets, it overlooks the rolling central highlands of Madagascar surrounded by fields of rice paddies.
You are collected by your guide and drive to the Eastern Rainforests and Andasibe. This scenic transfer takes approx 3-3½ hours on a good but winding road with picturesque scenery en route. Along the way there are lovely views of rice paddies and the unique red-bricked houses of the Merina people, the dominant culture in this region.
You have the rest of the day to explore the forests at your own leisure. From late August to March you may be able to join an optional night walk into the park to see the nocturnal lemur species and tenrecs amongst others.
On the following 2 days you have time to do guided walking tours in the Mantadia and Andasibe National parks.
Enjoy an early morning walk into the most accessible part of Andasibe National Park, the Indri Special Reserve to see the lemurs whilst they are most active. The 810ha ‘reserve within a reserve’ has several well-maintained forest paths, which are mostly gentle in terrain.
The Indri or Perinet Special Reserve protects the largest of all the lemurs, the Indri. Standing about a metre high, with a stump for a tail, black-and-white markings and a beguilingly startled expression, the Indri looks more like a bizarre panda than a lemur. You will see them relatively easily, even if you stay on the marked trails, but for longer sightings you must scramble after them through the forest, craning up to exclaim as they execute balletic leaps from tree to tree. Their long back legs are immensely powerful, and an indri can propel itself 10 metres (30ft), executing a turn in mid-air, to grab a new tree and then gaze down benevolently at you!
Typically you visit Indri Special Reserve at dawn to see the Indri lemurs when they are most active. Walking through the rainforest, as its distinctive siren-like calls emanate from the mist-covered canopy is one of the most memorable experiences of your Madagascar lemur safari.
After lunch (for your own account), you return to Tana in the afternoon to stay a second night at the Royal Palissandre.
Today you have a road transfer back to Ivato Airpport and take the scheduled flight from Tana to Fort Dauphin in the south.
On arrival you are met by your guide from Mandrare River Camp. The three hour road journey offers a marked change of landscapes going from the rice paddies of the tropical south-eastern coast to the drier arid region of sisal plantations and ‘spiny forest’ arriving at Mandrare River Camp on the banks of the impressive Mandrare River. This will be the base camp for the next three days from which to explore the natural wonders of this unique part of the world.
Enjoy morning and afternoon walks or nature drives in search of the unique wildlife of this area, visit the baobab trees and unique spiny forest vegetation. Another interesting excursion is to visit the markets in one of the nearby Antandroy villages where complex network of taboos and tradition rule every area of life. Perhaps even take an excursion to Lac Anony with its azure blue waters and dune surrounds.
Today you have a pretty long transfer day as you return to Fort Dauphin, where you break the journey for lunch before continuing onto Manafiafy where you spend 4 nights.
Indeed Manafiafy Beach Lodge, with just six private bungalows is an intriguing combination of rain forest lodge and barefoot luxury beach property all rolled into one. As such it is perfect for people who don’t just want a beach stay.
Today you are transferred back to Fort Dauphin in time for your return flight to Tana. On arrival you return to Lokanga Boutique Hotel for a final night.
Morning at leisure and then transfer back to Ivato Airport.
Sightseeing tours in Tana (Antananarivo) are a great way to spend the morning and usually include the Queen’s Palace (rova), the artisans’ market outside town and also climbing the steep steps between the newer part of the city around Independence Avenue and the more chi-chi ‘haute ville’ or high town. (Optional – not included in tour price at this stage)
