Hidden Wonders of Madagascar

Arrive into the quirky Malagasy capital Antananarivo and transfer to your hotel, a restored colonial mansion.

Maison Gallieni | Meals: D

Head east out of the city today to Andasibe through a panorama of rice fields, redbrick houses and roadside stalls selling seasonal fruits and vegetables. Andasibe is a stunning rainforest park comprising two protected areas — the Perinet Special Reserve and Mantadia National Park.

After settling into your lodge, visit Mitsinjo Forest Reserve, a private reserve operated by a local NGO funding reforestation, community education and Madagascar’s first amphibian captive-breeding facility. Enjoy a guided night walk, keeping an eye out for the endemic lemur species, spectacular insects, floral marvels and other natural wonders.

Mantadia Lodge | Meals: BLD

Visit the nearby Mantadia National Park known for its rare orchids, waterfalls and wildlife including the indri, considered to be the largest lemur in the world. There are another 10 species of lemur to spot as you walk along the forest trails, as well as an abundance of birds including the scaly ground roller, the pitta-like ground roller and the red-breasted coua amongst other diverse flora and fauna. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the park and see the Rianasoa waterfall.

Mantadia Lodge | Meals: BLD

Spend a day in the 810-hectare Perinet Reserve in search of the numerous species of lemur, including the indri, grey bamboo lemur, common brown lemur, diademed sifaka and black and white ruffed lemur. Birdwatchers should look out for the velvet asity, blue coua and nuthatch vanga and many more endemic species. Perinet is also home to many reptiles, invertebrates, and some of Madagascar’s thousand orchid species.

Return to the lodge for lunch before your afternoon transfer by road back to the capital.

Novotel Convention & Spa Antananarivo | Meals: BLD

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your private charter flight to Amborodia airstrip where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Following lunch, visit the limestone pinnacles of the Petit Tsingy. Keep an eye out for some of the 53 bird species and 6 lemur species that make this unique area their home and take in the fabulous views of the spectacular surrounding landscape.

Le Soleil des Tsingy

After breakfast, head out for a full day exploration of the Grand Tsingy, an extraordinary forest of giant 50-metre-high limestone spires and pinnacles. Enjoy panoramic views of the park as you cross a 60-foot suspension bridge hanging 70 metres over the ground below, as well as an exploration through pockets of dry deciduous forest. The Tsingy shelters a startling array of wildlife including 11 species of lemur, as well as numerous species of terrestrial and aquatic birds, bats, amphibians and reptiles.

Le Soleil des Tsingy | Meals: BLD

This morning, visit the Manambolo Gorge, a gorgeous, broad canyon walled by red limestone cliffs before travelling by dug-out canoe along Manambolo River to see the Tombs of the Vazimba tribe. These ancient people were the original inhabitants of Madagascar and grew no more than one metre tall.

Afterwards you will be transferred to the airstrip for your private charter flight to Morondava. Situated in the heart of Sakalava territory, Morondava is well known for its elaborately sculpted wooden royal tombs that are frequently decorated with well-executed, funerary carvings representing life and fertility. In the late afternoon, you will drive to Avenue of the Baobabs where massive baobab trees tower over the landscape to enjoy a gorgeous sunset.

Palissandre Côte Ouest Hotel | Meals: BD

Transfer to the airport for a private charter flight to Isalo, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Sandstone rock cut into deep canyons and eroded into spectacular shapes, along with rare endemic plants, make Isalo one of Madagascar’s most appreciated parks. For botanists there are native spine-bearing palm trees and locally endemic aloe; and for lemur lovers there are sifakas, brown lemurs and ring tails. Isalo is also sacred to the Bara tribe who for hundreds of years have used caves in the canyon walls as burial sites. This afternoon, visit Giorgio’s Window for a fantastic sunset photo opportunity.

Jardin Du Roy | Meals: BLD

After breakfast, set out on a full-day guided walk to explore one of Madagascar's most diverse parks. Observe the lush, diverse tropical vegetation in the east as well as vast rolling plains interspersed with stunning rock formations. Keep your camera at the ready for possible sightings of ring-tailed lemurs, brown lemurs, sifakas and 14 nocturnal lemur species hiding in dense vegetation along the streams. Look up for a glimpse of some of the 80 species of bird (including the rare Benson’s rock-thrush, the knob-billed duck or the crested ibis) living here, and down to see any of the 35 species of reptiles and endemic frogs. Choose from a variety of possible trails depending on your interests and physical abilities, including the Canyon des Singes, which winds through the dense forest foliage brilliantly coloured rock formations to reach a stunning rock pool called the ‘piscine naturelle’.

Jardin Du Roy | Meals: BLD

Transfer to the airstrip for your morning charter flight to back to Antananarivo where your Madagascan adventure ends.

Meals: B