On arrival in Antananarivo (Tana) airport, you proceed to the Arrivals Hall, where you are met by our English-speaking Malagasy agent. You are transferred to the Royal Palissandre for your overnight stay.
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.
Night Walk
If you travel in spring or summer (late August to March), pack a headtorch as you can join a night stroll to see nocturnal wildlife such as tenrecs (spiny hedgehog like creatures) with the Périnet guides. At night another world emerges in the forest, making night walks especially interesting. Nocturnal lemurs include the Eastern woolly lemur, Goodman’s mouse lemur and the furry-eared dwarf lemur.
You have the whole day to explore the rainforest with the Park’s specialist guides. You set off early for a walking tour of the Mantadia National Park. Typically this is usually a morning tour of 4-5 hours but there are longer trails on offer.
This is much wilder than the Indri Special Reserve and has a mix of terrain, with some steeper trails, so it’s best if you are reasonably fit. (However there are also some shorter and easier trails on offer if you prefer.)
The forest is thicker and you are rewarded with varied wildlife sightings such as the diademed sifaka (the so-called dancing lemur), the black-and-white ruffed lemur, common brown lemur, red-bellied lemur and the grey bamboo lemur.
Birding in Mantadia is especially good with the likes of the rare Brown mesite, Pitta-like ground-roller, Brown emutail and the velvet asity all to be seen. (Your chances of good birding increases on the longer trails.)
Périnet Special Reserve visit
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 Périnet 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.
As well as the amazing Indri you may also see the Eastern grey bamboo lemur, red-fronted brown lemur as well as impressive reptiles like Malagasy tree boa and two foot long Parson’s chameleon. You might even be fortunate to see the giraffe-necked Weevil or the golden Mantilla frog.
After lunch (for your own account), you return to Tana in the afternoon to stay overnight.
You are transferred back to the airport for your flight to Nosy Be. On arrival at Nosy Be, you are met and transferred to your choice of hotel for 5 nights.
Important Note: Depending on your departure flight times and dates, you may need to spend the final night in Tana.
Choice of Hotels
At leisure - variety of optional tours
Today you are transferred back to Nosy Be airport and fly back to Tana.
Note: Flight schedules change regularly in Madagascar. In order to connect with your homeward flight, you may have to spend the final night in Tana as well. This will be adjusted in our quote.
