Madagascar holidays, The lost continent

country:	Madagascar
departures:	2009: 30 Nov 2010: 1 Apr, 22 Jul, 5 Aug, 19 Aug, 16 Sep, 30 Sep, 14 Oct, 23 Dec 2011: 7 Apr, 21 Jul, 4 Aug, 18 Aug
price:	From £2530 - £2920 (13 days) including flights from the UK. Price includes 12 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 7 dinners. From £1505 - £1649 excluding flights
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

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Madagascar holidays here

Wildlife holidays here

the amazing things you'll be doing

The wildlife and isolation of this ancient island 'continent' make it one of the most fascinating yet least travelled areas of all Africa. Like a giant Noah's ark, it offered a life raft for numerous animals and plants found nowhere else on Earth. The Malagasy people are also culturally distinct, of Afro- Asian descent, bound together by a common belief in ancestral spirits.

Madagascar is a glimpse into a unique world. Travel is mainly by bus on surfaced roads through Southern Madagascar with an amazing diversity of scenery. Some accommodation within the National Parks is fairly basic and we also stay at a rural development centre. Lemur spotting is undertaken on foot with walks easy-paced and generally lasting around 2-3 hours. A local guide/interpreter and various National Park nature guides support our tour leader during the tour.

Special highlights:

Antananarivo. Tour of Malagasy capital.
Andasibe Reserve. Rainforest walks and Indri Indri.
Antsirabe. Excursion to Lake Tritriva.
Highland scenery. Rice paddies and villages.
Ranomafana N. Park. Rainforest walks and lemurs.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Join tour Antananarivo. Arrive at hotel and check-in. Cheerfully stacked on the sloping sides of the Highlands, the medieval capital of Antananarivo, affectionately known as 'Tana', enjoys a pleasant climate (1350m). This afternoon we plan to visit the Tsimbazaza botanical gardens and zoo. The zoo has a well planned breeding programme and houses many species of lemur, including rare ones such as the ayeaye. There is also an interesting museum here with exhibits ranging from dinosaur vertebrae and 'elephant bird' eggs found on the island, to displays of funerary art and tribal village life. Overnight hotel H+.
Day 2:	Visit Ambohimanga Palace; Drive to Andasibe. This morning we head to the oldest palace in Madagascar situated on Ambohimanga, a forested hill, north of Antananarivo. It was from this fortress that the Merina, a highland tribe, first established an effective administration and military command under the King Andrianampoinamerina. The fort includes the original king's hut and later European buildings. From here we have magnificent views over the fertile rice fields and the city below. We drive on to Andasibe village where we will make an evening walk in search of nocturnal wildlife. 2 nights forest lodge L+ (included meals: B, L, D).
Day 3:	Walks in Andasibe Reserve. Although only eight square kilometres, Andasibe Reserve boasts nine species of Lemur, including the largest, the indri indri, whose piercing voice can be heard throughout the forest. Colourful chameleons, tenrecs and many birds can also be seen as we spend the day walking trails in this beautiful forested reserve. There may also be a chance to walk round the local village outside the reserve. (Included meals: B, D).
Day 4:	Drive to Antsirabe. Heading south we reach the spa town of Antsirabe, the coolest place in Madagascar. Its climate made it a favourite spot with European missionaries and their influence can still be seen in the colonial architecture and churches. Antsirabe is also the agricultural and administrative centre of Madagascar and is also regarded as the 'pousse-pousse' capital. Overnight hotel H+ (included meals: B).
Day 5:	Drive to Ambositra. This morning we drive to the volcanic Lake of Tritriva. Local myths and taboos have grown up around this mysterious lake which seems to have many guises, changing colour from one day to the next. We have the opportunity to walk round the lake before driving to Ambositra in the afternoon. We’ll visit some of the craft shops, which produce carvings of Malagasy life, furniture and detailed marquetry work. We shall stay at a local development guest house, and there maybe the opportunity to see a folk dancing display this evening. This adds a fascinating insight into the local life and provides a unique chance to visit and learn from the local people. Overnight dormstyle guesthouse L (included meals: B, L, D).
Day 6:	Drive to Ranomafana N. Park. The drive to Ranomafana takes up most of the day, however the winding road passes varied landscapes of rugged ridges, huge boulders and rural villages surrounded by rice paddies. In 1987 a new species of lemur named the Golden Bamboo was found in Ranomafana National Park. There are many hidden waterfalls and the Namorona river flows through some impressive gorges, flanked on either side by tropical rainforest. 2 nights forest lodge L+ (included meals: B, L, D).
Day 7:	In Ranomafana N. Park. Most lemur species are endangered, the last survivors of a once abundant family of primates, now confined to pockets of forest and bush throughout Madagascar. Deforestation has taken a heavy toll on these arboreal creatures – only 30 species remain. With luck we may see some of the species found in the park including Red-Bellied lemur, Grey Gentle lemur, Milne-Edwards’ sifaka and perhaps the Black and White Ruffed lemur and the extremely rare Golden Bamboo lemur. We may also spot the Malagasy boa constrictor, chameleons, the black parrot, cuckoo roller and many other birds. We also visit the park at dusk and walk through the rainforest to a viewing spot in the hope of seeing the nocturnal brown mouse lemur at close quarters as well as the Malagasy civet. The night silence is punctuated by the eerie sound of hundreds of frogs. (Included meals: B, L, D).
Day 8:	Drive to Isalo N. Park (Ranohira). Returning to the main road this morning, we continue south via the regional capital of Fianarantsoa, the academic centre of Madagascar. Leaving the highland plateau and descending through superb mountain scenery to the plains we pause at Ambalavao paper workshop before arriving at Anja Community Reserve. Here we have the chance to watch troupes of ring-tailed lemur coverting among the granite boulders. Continuing south the pine trees thin out and the fertile soil of the highlands gives way to drier savannah, cactus, termite mounds, and the dust of the midsouth. We finally reach our destination, Ranohira, situated on the edge of the Isalo National Park. 2 nights hotel H+ (included meals: B, L, D).
Day 9:	Exploring Isalo N. Park. One of the highlights of our trip is Madagascar’s ‘Grand Canyon’ in Isalo National Park. Dervla Murphy, in her book ‘Muddling through Madagascar’ describes it thus – “Landscapes that are literally incredible. You don’t believe it. You think you’re hallucinating. How can wind and water have done all this?”. Natural erosion has produced fantastic canyons and bizarre outcrops of wind-blasted sandstone. Sparse dry deciduous forest, including species of dwarf baobab and succulents, is found in the park. We plan to walk to a natural oasis pool known as ‘Piscine Naturelle’ and see tombs of the Bara people. Watching the sun set through the natural rock arch of ‘La Fenetre’ provides a memorable climax to our day. (Included meals: B, L, D).
Day 10:	Drive to Ifaty Beach. The temperature rises as we lose height and head for the coast, crossing the savannah plain, dotted with herds of Zebu cattle. The south of Madagascar is largely desert, and weird cactus-like plants unique to the island smother the land and make up the vast areas of so called ‘spiny desert’. Close to Sakaraha is the Zombitse National Park. Here we will walk near the remarkable dry forest which is home to many birds, including black parrots, the Madagascar buzzard and the cuckoo roller. The very rare Appeits’ Greenbull is also here. As we continue our drive, the desert gives way to cotton fields and lush vegetation. We’ll pass by a number of fascinating Mahafaly Tombs before reaching the town of Toliara and taking a sandy track to the beach at Ifaty. 3 nights bungalow/chalets L+ (included meals: B).
Day 11-12:	At Ifaty Beach. We have two full days at this beautiful spot with white sandy beaches and a stunning coral reef offshore. A glass-bottom boat may be available to see the reef in dry comfort. You may also like to take a walk into the spiny forest with a local guide (optional) to try and spot some of Madagascar’s rare and endermic birds and baobab trees. (Included meals: Bx2).
Day 13:	Fly to Antananarivo; tour ends. We fly back to the capital where our tour ends at the airport. (Included meals: B).

small group adventure holiday

Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

award winner

This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.

Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.

how this holiday makes a difference

During our journey through Madagascar we stay predominantly locally-owned accommodation and employ the services of local guides within the parks as well as private areas we visit. In addition, park fees we pay are used by the Malagasy authorities to fund and benefit the protected areas we visit. On one night of the tour we stay at a development centre close to the town of Ambositra in the highlands. The centre is part of the FJKM (Fiangonariny Jesosy Kristy eto Madagascar) church, established in 1973, and aims to educate the local population in practical topics from sex education to farming skills. As well as financial support from our stay, there is the opportunity during our time at the centre to interact and learn more about the everyday lives of the local people.

We limit the group size on this tour to 16 to assist in reducing both the potential negative cultural and environmental impact of our visit.

As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide, which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation and Send a Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies, which promote best practice in responsible tourism such as the Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy.

We offset the emissions of all our customer and staff flights through Climate Care.

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