Dates: 21 October to 06 November 2008

 

Visiting Lac Tsimanampetsotsa, Ifaty, Kirindy, Bemeraha, and Andasibe-Mantadia National Parks.

Briefly - 17 days - the south

Day 1: Arrive Fort Dauphin and connect to Tulear. Overnight Paille-en-Queue (DBB).
Day 2: Drive to Lac Tsimanampetsotsa. Overnight Domaine d'Ambola. 
Day 3: Day Tsimanampetsotsa. Overnight Domaine d'Ambola.
Day 4: Day Tsimanampetsotsa. Overnight Domaine d'Ambola.
Day 5: Drive to Tulear and to Ifaty. Overnight Paradisier. 
Day 6: Day Ifaty. Overnight Paradisier.
Day 7: Drive to Tulear. Flight to Morondava. Drive to Kirindy for overnight. 
Day 8: Drive to Bekopaka. Overnight Camp Croco. 
Day 9: Day Bekopaka. Overnight Camp Croco. 
Day 10: Day Bekopaka. Overnight Camp Croco. 
Day 11: Drive to Morondava. Overnight Baobab Cafe.
Day 12: Flight to Tana. Drive Perinet. Overnight Vakona/Feony/Eulophiella.
Day 13 - 15: Day Perinet. Overnight Vakona/Feony/Eulophiella.
Day 16: Drive to Tana for overnight Pallisandre.
Day 17: Flight outbound.

Price (2008) [subject to any airline ticket/fuel surcharges, availability]
Minimum 4, Maximum 6 passengers.
Per person double room sharing: EUR5445 ex Johannesburg
Per person double room sharing: EUR5390 ex Tana
Single room supplement : EUR410

PRICES INCLUDE
International flights Johannesburg to Anatananarivo return (economy class), ex Joburg costing only.

All domestic Malagasy flights as per itinerary; all airport assistance and transfers between airports and hotels; all excursions to reserves and other places of interest, with vehicles, fuel, drivers, entry fees and local reserve guide fees, all hotel nights with all meals throughout the tour. Services of English speaking Malagasy guide throughout the tour.

NOT INCLUDED
Personal expenses, drinks in hotels/restaurants including bottled water, coffee and tea with meals, tips, and travel insurance, visas, excursions not mentioned.

PLEASE NOTE: Costing subject to hotel/flight availability and currency fluctuations.

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FULL ITINERARYBirds and Wildlife of Southern Madagascar

Dates: 21 October to 6 November 2008

Madagascar evolved in isolation from other landmasses, giving rise to a large number of birds and mammals not found in any other parts of the world. Ninety per cent of Madagascar's forest birds are endemic, as are about half of the island's 260 recorded birds. In addition, most of the land mammals are unique to the island and include 30 species of lemur. Lemurs, being primates, might be described as distant relatives of Man, and we shall see several species, from the tiny nocturnal Mouse Lemurs to the impressive black and white Indri.

Five families of bird are only found here; the rail-like Mesite that superficially resemble some Asiatic babblers; Madagascar Cuckoo-Roller that sweeps over the forests in elegant display-flight; the widely differing but beautiful ground-Rollers that nest in burrows; the Asities or 'false sunbirds' and the Vangas, which are allied to the shrikes.

Other wildlife is equally impressive with inordinate numbers of chameleon, geckoes, lizard, over 3000 species of butterfly (97% of which are endemic), and many weird and fascinating insects and plants.

Man arrived in Madagascar between 500 and 900 AD, and since then 14 species of lemur and four species of ostrich have been extirpated. Forests are continually under pressure from slash-and-burn peasant farmers and the rapidly growing human population.

Fortunately there are now many excellent, albeit small, reserves that look after Madagascar's unique treasures. This tour visits the rich eastern rainforest reserves of Andasibe - Mantadia National Park, the absorbing dry forests of  Tulear, Ifaty and Tsimanampetsotsa, and the exciting dry deciduous forests of Kirindy and the the amazing limestone karsts of Bemeraha.  

Day 1 (Tuesday): We take the scheduled flight from Johannesburg to Fort Dauphin. From here we will transfer to our scheduled internal flight to Tulear from where we will transfer to our hotel Paille-en-Queue (DBB).

Day 2, 3, 4: Today it is along drive through the coral rag spiny forest to Lac Tsimampetsotse National Park. Lake Tsimanampetsotsa, near to the coast south of Tulear, is a large body of saline water that has no outlet. Birds here include Littoral Rock Thrush, Lafresnaye's Vanga, Madagascar Sandgrouse, Lesser Flamingo and many others. The surrounding forest is also important for significant populations of several bird species, including the near threatened Verreaux's Coua and Littoral Rock-thrush, as well as vulnerable lemurs such as Verreaux's Sifaka and Ring-tailed Lemur. There are also large populations of two of Madagascar's endemic species of vulnerable land tortoises - Radiated and Malagasy Spider Tortoise. Overnights at the rustic Domaine d'Ambola.

Day 5, 6: Today we transfer from Lake Tsimanampetsotsa to Anakao for our return boat trip to Tulear. From Tulear we take the coastal track to Ifaty and beyond. We pass into the tall Androy woods; the condition of the road varies but on average one makes slow progress. Here, the original vegetation is the bizarre sub-arid thorn thicket - a tangled mass of thorny and drought resistant plants, which includes many impressive species such as bottle baobabs, large Pachypodiums and Moringas. Marooned in the south-western spiny desert are a select band of endemic birds, which are generally found during a good morning's excursion, these are the Sub-desert Mesite, Long-tailed Ground Roller, Running and Olive-capped couas, Lafresnaye's Vanga and Archbold's Newtonia. We have two nights in this area where we stay at the hotel Paradisier.

Day 7: Today we drive from Ifaty to Tulear airport for our flight to Morondava. From Morondava we will transfer to Kirindy about 2 hours away. We will stop to admire the baobab avenue – an amazing spectacle of giant Adansonia grandidieri. A night walk here is usually very rewarding with Red-tailed Sportive Lemur, Grey Mouse Lemur, Pale Fork-marked Lemur, Greater Dwarf Lemur and perhaps a Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur. If we are lucky this is a good location for Fosa, Madagascar’s carnivore, and the Giant Jumping Rat. We overnight at the rustic Kirindy research camp.

Day 8: Today we head northwards after an early morning walk at Kirindy. Here we’ll be looking for the sought after White-breasted Mesite, Torotoroka Scops Owl, Giant and Coquerel’s Coua, Greater Vasa, etc. after a late breakfast we will head northwards again toward thje town of Belo for lunch. Before we must crops the mighty Tsiribihina riover, a ferry crossing of about 30 minutes. After lunch it is another 3 tom 4 hours to the town of Bekopaka, base camp for the spectacular Bemeraha tsingy. We overnight at Camp Croco.

Day 9, 10: There are two circuits here, the Ranotsaola (a 3 hour circuit) and Andamozavaky (about 5 hours).  This is dry deciduous forest still with spectacular limestone karsts. Here we should encounter Giant Coua and Coquerel’s Coua too.  Decken’s Sifaka, the all white race of Verreaux’s Sifaka, occurs here. One climbs up into the tsingy with the help of carabinas.  Once on the “roof” the views are amazing.  This trail is not for the claustrophobic, overweight, or infirm. There are some very narrow passageways where if wearing a backpack one has to take it off and feed it through in front or behind one. It is here, too that a rock-thrush, hitherto undescribed can be found.  Around Bekopaka and the petite tsingy we should find lots of Guineafowl , Crested Coua, good examples of pachypodiums growing out of the rocks. Broad-billed Rollers abound as do Mad Kestrels and at Lake Bemeraha and along the river Mad Fish-eagle can be seen as well as Mad Pratincoles. We overnight at Camp Croco.

Day 11 : A long travel day returning along our incoming route to the town of Morondava where we overnight at the seaside Chez Maggie.

Day 12 : Today we transfer to Morondava airport for our flight to Tana. From Tana we will transfer to Perinet - we drive eastwards to the world-renowned upland rain-forest reserve of Andasibe-Mantadia - three hours east on a good road. Our time here will be spent in the Perinet reserve and the Mantadia National. This protected rain forest here exceeds 10,000 hectares and is vital for the survival of many of the island's unique species. The forest is characterised by humid climate, huge trees, and a lush, dense understorey, but there is good access along a number of footpaths.  At Perinet the main attraction is the Indri, the world's largest (and noisiest) lemur, a tailless lemur found in family groups and often heard moaning and wailing. Among others, we may also see Grey Bamboo Lemur and Brown Lemur, as well as many birds - specials here include Madagascar Woodrail and Coral-billed Nuthatch Vanga. The bird-life includes six species of Vangas : Red-tailed, Hook-billed, White-headed, Chabert's, Blue and Nuthatch. Also likely to be encountered species include Madagascar Little Grebe, Madagascar Buzzard, Madagascar Blue Pigeon, Blue Coua, Madagascar Spine-tailed Swift, Broad-billed Roller, Madagascar Bulbul, Ward's and Madagascar Paradise Flycatchers, Souimanga and Madagascar Green Sunbirds, Madagascar White-eye, Crested Drongo, Madagascar Starling and Nelicourvi Weaver. Reptiles abound, including Parson's chameleon and Madagascar Tree Boa. A night walk [a flashlight is essential] usually reveals four species of nocturnal lemur, as well as a plethora of reptiles and frogs - including chameleons galore. Trails into the forest are easy to negotiate and because the wildlife in Perinet is highly habituated, animals tend to allow close approach. In Mantadia, which is primary rain forest and home to many species not found at Perinet, the wildlife is more reclusive and the trails are more difficult. Star mammal attractions in Mantadia include the Diadem Sifaka and Ruffed Lemur, while sought-after birds include Pitta-like Ground-roller, Short-legged Ground-roller, Forest Rock-thrush, Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asity and Pollen's Vanga - among others.

Day 13, 14, 15 : Today we have some final time in the Perinet area before returning toward Tana. We may spend some time visiting marshes on the way back to Tana or alternatively we may have time in Tana to visit Lake Alarobia.
This lake, on private land offers sanctuary to myriads of waterfowl, egrets, and some passerines. It is an ideal place to get to grips with Mad Pond Heron, Common Squacco Heron, Black-crowned Night-herons, and with luck the now very elusive Meller's Duck. Here we should also find Madagascar Kestrel, Madagascar Coucal, Madagascar Kingfisher, Madagascar Green Sunbird and Madagascar Red Fody. We overnight in Tana at the Pallisandre Hotel & Spa.

Day 17 (Thursday) : Transfer to the airport for your onward travel arrangements (or flight to Johannesburg).

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