MADAGASCAR EAST, WEST & SOUTH

Meeting at Ivato international airport and transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, drive east by car, through a landscape characterized by its nested rice fields and wooded hills. In Marozevo visit the Exotic Park (also called Peyrieras Park after its founder), where you can see many chameleons from close up, as well as butterflies, frogs and other amphibians. Then on to Andasibe, the place looks more like a poor wooden shack village, it is the starting point for the visit of the national park, the realm of the legendary Indris. Once the only hotel in Andasibe was in the mighty train station building with a few bungalows opposite on the hillside.  But in the course of the years, thanks to the visitors from all over the world, numerous new hotel complexes were opened, in which a lot of jobs were created. Possibility to walk with a local guide along the road near the National Park Perinet-Analamazaotra in search of nocturnal animals before dinner. With a little luck you will see wool and mouse makis, chameleons etc. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Morning visit to the reserve of Analamazaotra on the trail "Indri II" with search of the largest lemur species of the island with its distinctive calls, and other lemur species, but you can also find here various species of birds, chameleons etc. This hike lasts about three hours and leads on paths, first uphill and then mostly flat. After lunch a slow drive back to Antananarivo. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Drive to Antsirabe, on mostly winding roads through the highlands. Sightseeing tour in Antsirabe, a city also called "City of Water", because of its many hot water springs, but also because of its two crater lakes: Lake Andraikiba and the legendary Lake Tritriva. Visit a workshop where miniatures are made from recycled materials and a studio where Zebu cow horn is used to make various objects. Continue through a rather barren hilly landscape to Miandrivazo, a small village situated in a basin on the Mahajilo River, which flows into the Tsiribihina. Overnight stay in a hotel.

Drive through the valley of the river, then through an area with a lot of bushes and if there’s some small creek with water around, there are trees too. You’ll then pass the village of Malaimbandy, and some other villages, and the closer you get to Morondava, the more you can see some baobab trees. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast drive directly through Baobab Avenue to the Kirindy dry forest reserve. By the way, the German Primate Center Göttingen operates a field station in Kirindy since 1993. The research of the scientists is mainly concerned with the behaviour and ecology of lemurs, but also cats of prey, birds and chameleons are studied. Despite the extraordinary biodiversity and massive destruction of the remaining dry forests, the Kirindy region was not protected until 2013 (Site de Consérvation Menabe-Antimena). Hike of about 1.5 to 3 hours in the Kirindy Dry Forest Reserve, on mostly flat trails to spot lemurs, snakes, iguanas, birds, fossas etc. Continue to Tsangajoly. Overnight stay in a lodge in the middle of a private reserve.

A whole day to discover the surroundings of the hotel. A tour of several hours is planned to see a great variety of baobabs, the "baobabs in love" and the "baobab boule". You can also discover the mangroves by canoe or on foot, all year round, the salt production of the local company Salinière du Delta, which owns the lodge. There are many birds to be seen here, including pink flamingos, the teal of Bernier, falcons etc., and the lodge is therefore also popular with "birdwatchers". Night hike on the stalk for the nocturnal mouse lemur. Overnight stay again in the lodge.

Quite a short drive until you reach the Tsiribihina river, then cross it on a ferry and you’ll arrive in Belo sur Tsiribihina. Continue and drive along dry plains with some bush, palm and baobab trees to Bekopaka, you and the car will have to cross the Manambolo river on a small local ferry before getting there. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, visit the impressive big Tsingys, which have only recently been opened to the public, the peaks are up to 50 m high there. This karst landscape is formed by closely spaced limestone needles forming a stone forest, these peaks are called tsingy. In the south the 72300 hectare reserve borders the Manambolo River, in the east it is bordered by cliffs up to 400 m high. An annual rainfall of about 1000 mm causes the gorges at the feet of the Tsingys to be extremely humid, while savannah-like conditions prevail on the karst areas. In deeper areas there are lakes and also mangroves. Most of the 650 plant species found in the park are endemic. The diversity of habitats leads to a great wealth of animal species, including predators such as the fossa and the ring-tailed mongoose, various species of lemurs (including sifakas, red lemurs, eastern bamboo lemurs, aye aye, grey mouse lemurs), almost a hundred species of birds (e.g. the Madagascan sea eagle), many species of bats, amphibians and reptiles (e.g. the Madagascan track turtle, leaf-tailed geckos and stump-tailed chameleons). The limestone cliffs were under water for millions of years, and were then washed away by rain and weather and formed into these limestone peaks. This hike takes about three to five hours and is quite strenuous as it is over rough and smooth, uphill and downhill, you sometimes climb ladders and wear a safety belt for safety reasons. The long tour in often very hot weather requires stamina, fitness and surefootedness. In the afternoon, if there is still time, visit the little Tsingys near the park entrance. Like the entire national park, they have been under UNESCO protection as a World Nature Site since 1990.  Overnight stay in a hotel.

Departure after breakfast to Morondava, first again on the local ferry across the Manambolo River, then to Belo sur Tsiribihina. From there on the ferry across the Tsiribihina River, and then again through the Baobab Avenue, with a little luck you will experience there - surely with many other visitors - the sunset, a magical moment and photographic highlight! Then a good half hour's drive to Morondava and overnight stay in a hotel.

Day at leisure on the beach, where floods and storms have left their marks, for walks, or watch the fishermen coming home from fishing, or visit the market etc.

You first pass through some villages and past baobab trees, and then via Malaimbandy to Miandrivazo (112 km). From Miandrivazo the route then follows a winding road, mostly bare hills, up to the plateau via Betafo (big market on Mondays) to Antsirabe (220 km). Overnight stay in a hotel.

After breakfast departure to Ranomafana. A good 20 kilometres before the first stop in Ambositra we cross the new Fatihita Bridge and have a good view (right side) of the stone bridge over the river, which was blown up by supporters of the ex-dictator Didier Ratsiraka during political unrest in 2002 to separate the capital from the surrounding area. A short break in Ambositra to visit some of the studios and boutiques of the wood carvers of the local Zafimaniry tribe. They are specialists in marquetry work, wooden sculptures and figures of all kinds. You can also buy beautiful silk scarves from Soatanana and the surrounding area. Trading is common. The eye-catcher in the centre is a mighty Benedictine monastery opposite the cathedral. On Saturdays there is a big weekly market. Also the farmers from the surrounding area offer their goods here, mostly agricultural or from the village blacksmith. Here you can stroll peacefully without being disturbed. Drive on to Ranomafana (another 150 km, the name means "hot water"), then check into the hotel. Before dinner possibility for a walk with flashlights along the road to look for nocturnal animals. With a bit of luck you will discover fast moving brown mouse lemurs, sleeping chameleon species in all sizes, lively frogs etc.  Back to the hotel.

Breakfast, followed by a morning visit with a well-trained local nature guide to the 41'601 hectare national park on the Namorona River with its extraordinary flora and fauna up to 1400 metres above sea level, including the Red-bellied lemur, the Red-fronted lemur, and the Golden Bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus), which was only discovered in 1986. In this magnificent national park with mountain rainforest, founded in 1991, there are over 100 bird species, 68 of which only occur in Madagascar, then various species of ferns, mosses, orchids and giant bamboo. This hike takes about three to four hours and is quite strenuous as it goes over rough and smooth, up and downhill and on narrow forest paths. It requires endurance, fitness and surefootedness. Take your time for the trail and observations along the way.  Below the park is the Valbio International Training and Education Centre with its own laboratory for scientists, biologists and students from all over the world. Before continuing on, it is worth visiting the small market in the centre of Ranomafana and the hot springs with public swimming pool. On the way there, a suspension bridge has been built to replace the steel structure that was destroyed by a cyclone a few years ago. Then departure towards Fianarantsoa, with a small stop four kilometres above the park entrance, where on the left is the Andriamamovoka waterfall. Opposite on the wet rock face you can often see frogs. Then drive via Fianarantsoa, the capital of the Betsileo tribe, to Ambalavao. Overnight stay in a hotel.

Visit to the production of Antemoro paper: a paper made from the bark of the Havoha tree, according to a method probably left behind by Arabs (on weekends it is often not possible to visit, but sometimes a woman works for demonstration purposes). Wednesday and Thursday morning is the island-wide known big market day for zebu cattle at the southern edge of the village. Ambalavao lies at the foot of the Andringitra massif. Its highest peak is the 2658 meter high Pic Boby, it is also the second highest peak of Madagascar, and you can climb it in a three day tour. About 12 km after Ambalavao there is another stop to visit the small reserve Anja, which was founded in 1999 by more than one hundred inhabitants and surrounding villages. It lies at the foot of the rock formation called "Three Sisters". Several hundred catta lemurs can be observed there in numerous family groups in their natural environment while resting, climbing or feeding. Finally we continue on a quite good road via Ihosy, the centre of the Bara tribe, and the plateau of Horombe, which is an endless pasture for cattle, to Ranohira. Grass steppes are interrupted by gigantic granite rocks and river courses, in which villages surrounded by greenery spread out under mango trees. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Morning hike of about 3 to 5 hours (on mostly rocky paths, sometimes a bit steep) with a local guide in the 81,540 hectare Isalo National Park: rugged sandstone rock massifs, an exceptional flora and fauna, including Pachypodium - which translates as elephant paw, gorges, various endemic plants, but also lemurs (kattas, sifakas, brown lemurs) are among the attractions. Visit of the " natural swimming pool", where you can cool down and refresh yourself, if it is not filled with sand after heavy rainfalls. There are numerous hiking and trekking possibilities in the valley of the monkeys and rats and around it. In a part of the park there are also trails that are also passable by mountain bike, and camping is possible, but the infrastructure is very simple. The office of Madagascar National Parks for tour registration and ticket purchase is in the centre of Ranohira next to the police. Also a side trip to the "Window of Isalo (la fenêtre)" at sunset, when the last light makes everything look golden, should not be missed. The rock face with the opening in the centre is a popular photo motif. Not far away is a geological museum with information on the evolution of the entire region.

After breakfast, drive along a mostly straight road, past tall bushes and small cactus forests, interrupted by typical Mahafali tombs, partly decorated with motifs and wooden steles, and mighty baobab trees. In Ilakaka you can still get an impression of the lively and also dangerous life of a once huge sapphire digger city. The Colorline company offers a visit to a mine. 20 km before Sakaraha you cross the remains of the protected dry forest areas of Zombitse and Vohibasia. Visit of the Arboretum of Antsokay, a collection of endemic plants of Madagascar, especially many succulents, which was established decades ago by a Swiss man named Petignat. The son continues to run the 40 hectare site with 1000 species of the south. In Tuléar maybe a short break, then transfer to Ifaty, a beautiful, gently sloping beach, which lies about 26 km north of Tulear and is protected by a coral reef. On the way you can see various endemic thorn bush species and mangroves. Overnight stay in a hotel.

Resting on the beach, possibility of water sports (diving and snorkeling excursions on the coral reef, surfing, etc.) or walks in the surroundings; there are many interesting plants (didiera madagascariensis, euphorbiacées, jujubiers, cactus...) and also birds to see. Optionally, you can also visit the 60 hectare Reniala reserve with its mighty baobabs in the immediate vicinity of the turtle sanctuary. There are two hiking trails of 1.5 and 2.5 hours length. The park is open daily from 5.30 a.m. (for ornithologists) to 4.30 p.m. Overnight stay again in the same hotel.

Relax on the beach then transfer to the airport and flight to the capital city of Madagascar. Meeting at the airport, Transfer to the hotel and overnight.

Depending on the departure time of your international flight, you may be able to visit the historical sites of Ambohimanga (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001). It is the holy city of Merina, and was once the residence of the most powerful of all Merina princes, King Andrianampoinimerina. Until the conquest and final subjugation by the French in 1896, no foreigner was allowed to enter it. It had seven city gates, and the most powerful of them still serves as the entrance gate to the place today. Next to the gate there is a huge, smoothly polished and almost circular stone slab. In former times it was rolled every evening in front of the entrance gate. From the top of the "Blue Hill" - that is the translation of Ambohimanga – at 1468 meters of altitude, you have a beautiful view of Tana and the surrounding area.

Afterwards visit a market with Malagasy handicrafts to buy last souvenirs and, if the flight is late in the evening, day use of a room in the hotel. Afterwards transfer to the airport and check-in for departure for departure for the flight home.