Madagascar Luxury tour, 12 days
Criss-cross the fascinating island of Madagascar, visit diverse national parks filled with unusual wildlife and get to grips with local culture, with private charter flights and luxury sleeps along the way
Antananarivo Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park Morondava avenue of baobabs Isalo National Park Mandrare River Sacred Gallery Forest Perinet Reserve
Price
£16865 excluding flights
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Duration
11 Days
Type
Tailor made
More info
Price per person based on 2 people sharing a double/twin room
All internal Scheduled & private charter flights are included.
Description of Madagascar Luxury tour, 12 days
Explore the wildlife and culture of Madagascar with experienced guides, stress free travel with private charter flights and stunning scenery.
Explore the architecture of Antananarivo
Spend time spotting an aray of wildlife among the unusual Tsingy
Experience a sunset at the Avenue of Baobabs
Take a walk in the stunning and very diverse national parks and discover the sacred burial sites of local tribes. Be guided through the forests at night and if you are lucky you may be able to see the elusive fossa, sifakas or sportive lemurs.
Dance along with the locals or just be enthralled with the beautifully performed traditional dances that demontrates the culture and is used to accompany the major rituals and events of everyday life.
There are so many types of lemur that are endemic to Madagascar that you may be able to see including the Indri Indri, Grey Bamboo lemurs and Common Brown lemurs. As well as primates there are may bird species such as the Blue Coua, Velvet Asity and the Nuthatch Vanga.
This holiday has everything you would possibly need to experience the true beauty and culture of Madagascar in a luxurious setting.
Itinerary
| Day 1 | Friday: Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English speaking guide who will accompany you to your hotel in the upper town of Antananarivo. ‘Tana’ – as the locals call it has fascinating traditional architecture and a more Indonesian influence than the rest of Madagascar. Maison Gallieni is a restored colonial mansion with an elegant mix of modern and traditional décor. Take a dip in the pool and enjoy the lovely views over the city before dinner. (L, D) |
| Day 2 | Saturday: After breakfast, meet with your guide and transfer to Ivato airport for your scheduled charter flight to the port town of Soalala. On arrival you are met by your guide and transfer to Namoroka Tsingy Camp by road (2hrs 30 min) with a stop along the way for a village walk among the mango trees. On arrival, settle into your tent. In the late afternoon, depart for a walk in the forest surrounding the camp. Along with birds, chameleons, Von der Deckens sifakas or red lemur, you may spot fossa or Aye Aye during your walk. In the evening, enjoy sundowners amongst the baobabs. (AI) |
| Day 3-4 | Sunday/Monday: Two days to explore the tsingy of Namoroka National Park and its surrounding areas. This national park welcomes just 50 visitors per year due to the challenges of accessing it by road. It is one of the more pristine protected areas on the island with an incredible abundance of birds (100 species) and other wildlife. There are 6 lemur species to see including the playful Von der Dicken’s Sifaka, Milne-Edwards Sportive lemur, the Red lemur and the incredibly secretive Aye Aye. Depart for an exploration of the unique cave system that stretches under the entire massif. Here, you will encounter rare fossil remains of species such as the Archaeolemur, a giant lemur species with a body mass of up to 26kg which went extinct, along with much of Madagascar’s megafuna about 1,000 years ago. Picnic lunch in the shade of the tsingy. (AI) |
| Day 4 | Tuesday: After an early breakfast, transfer by road to Soalala (2hrs 30 mins) in time for your scheduled charter flight to Antananarivo. Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English-speaking guide from MCC who will accompany you to your hotel. Ideally situated next to the airport, the Nosy Manga Hotel offers large comfortable ensuite bedrooms equipped with air-conditioning and satellite tv. The hotel is equipped with a roof-top pool, and a stylishly-decorated bar and restaurant area. In the afternoon, drive to Ambohimanga, 20 km north-east of Tana. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the ancestral home on the Merina kings and queens who united Madagascar under one rule. It is a fortified sacred hill with 16 gates leading to king Andrianampoinimerina’s house (ruled 1787 – 1810) and a series of elegant royal summer homes. (B, L, D) |
| Day 5 | Wednesday: After an early breakfast, transfer by road to Soalala (2h30) in time for your private charter flight to Morondava. Upon arrival you will meet with your guide and transfer to your hotel. Morondava is situated in the west of the country, on the delta of the river of the same name at the edge of the Mozambique Channel. Morondava was the centre of the Sakalava kingdom and is known for its elaborately sculpted wooden royal tombs. These tombs are frequently decorated with well-executed, often erotic, funerary carvings representing life and fertility. The afternoon is at your leisure or you can choose to have a tour around Morondava. In the evening drive about 20km to the Avenue of the Baobabs for a beautiful sunset and fantastic photo opportunities. This is the one of the most iconic views of Madagascar. (B, L, D) |
| Day 6 | Thursday: After an early breakfast drive 50km to the north-east of Morondava to the Kirindy Reserve. This is a privately managed forest that is known as the best place in Madagascar to see the elusive fossa. It is also home to the very cute Madagascar Giant Jumping Rat, endemic to this forest, and 8 lemur species including Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur which is endemic to Kirindy. Birdwatchers will enjoy the 70 bird species including the rare White-Breasted Mesite. The landscape is dry deciduous forest interspersed with towering baobab trees. Three out of the island’s seven baobab species are found here. After a leisurely picnic lunch, you will drive back to Morondava. (B, L, D) |
| Day 7 | Friday: Today, transfer to the airport in time for the private charter flight to Ifotaka. Upon arrival you will be met by our guide and vehicle and transfer to the camp. Settle into your tent and enjoy the majestic views over the Mandrare River. Around 5pm depart for a night walk in the Forest of Analoalo or Ambovo. This is a fantastic way to see diurnal lemurs bedding down, and the nocturnal lemurs begin to wake in the eerie and prehistoric Spiny Forest. You will spot sifakas and sleeping white-foot sportive lemurs, then once the sun has set, two mouse lemur species, sleeping birds, chameleons, owls and now active sportive lemurs. (AI) |
| Day 8 | Saturday: After breakfast you will head out to the stunning sacred gallery forest to the south of the camp. Depending on the river depth, you will walk or take a boat across the Mandrare River to reach this largely deciduous forest. Inquisitive groups of ring tailed lemurs and the always entertaining Verreaux sifaka are the highlight of this excursion. Return to camp for lunch and a relaxed afternoon by the pool. In late afternoon, head for a walk through the sacred spiny forest filled with the ancestral tombs of the local Antandroy tribe, as well as an extraordinary array of flora and fauna, unique to the spiny forest. Your English speaking guide and a tracker from the local community will give you an introduction to Antandroy culture and customs. Your visit is followed by sundowners on the Mandrare River banks. (AI) |
| Day 9 | Sunday: After a cup of tea or coffee head to the Spiny Forest for an early morning walk. Witness the sunlight break through the octopus trees while looking out for the many endemic birds such as crested coua, a variety of vangas and the running coua. Head back to camp for a sumptuous breakfast followed by a visit to the local market or the local village to meet the fascinating Antandroy tribe. Lunch will be served at the camp followed by a relaxed afternoon watching life along the river from your tent terrace. At 5pm, depart for a sundowner amidst the baobabs. Watching the sun set and moon rise with a view across the baobabs to the mountains beyond is a magical experience. In the evening the local village may come to perform beautiful traditional dances, accompanied by singing and music. Song and dance is at the heart of Antandroy culture and is used to accompany the major rituals and events of everyday life. (AI) |
| Day 10 | Monday: After breakfast, transfer to Ifotaka airstrip in time for your private charter flight to Antananarivo. Upon arrival, you will be met by an MCC staff member, who will assist you in checking in for your outbound international flight. |
Price information
£16865 excluding flights
Convert currency:
Price per person based on 2 people sharing a double/twin room
All internal Scheduled & private charter flights are included.
Departure information
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Travel guides
Every country is unique, but Madagascar is more unique than most.
The perfect introduction to getting your head around the extraordinary life on earth, and where to go to find it.
Holiday information
Dietary requirements:
We can cater for vegetarian and vegan diets.
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.
Planet
In a fragile environment, with traditional cultures and values, eco-tourism is an essential tool to sustainably manage our impact we choose only to work with those that are equally as committed. The properties are small and deliberately isolated from the local community to reduce the social and environmental impact from tourism.River Camp is fully solar-powered, drawing all its electric and hot water needs from the sun. This helps to contribute to the protection of the environment by reducing the carbon footprint and not adding to the pressure of deforestation in Madagascar.
Beach Lodge – meets all its electricity needs through 100% solar sources. There are ongoing tree planning projects and the staff at the facility work very hard to ensure the environmental impact is kept to a minimum.
Both properties are kept small to limit the carbon footprint, while modern amenities are available such as electric points to charge phones to meet the expectations of western travellers.
People
River Camp: As the camp is based in the heart of the Antandroy area it has a very close relationship with the local community. All the guided walks are in community forests and the camp has helped the local community build a school for the youngsters and help with supplies of satchels, pens, books etc. With an area like this which is so steeped in tradition the staff are very careful about what they do to help retain the traditions but help the community in every way possible benefit from tourism.Beach Lodge: It has been involved with the village building class rooms for the school and maintaining the buildings to keep them leak free and usable all year long. The lodge has also supplied satchels, pens and books to the students. Through a kind donation from one of the guests the lodge supplied the local fishermen with life jackets and have seen a dramatic drop in lives lost at sea (0 in the last 3 years since the jackets were supplied). An ongoing project - working on building some toilet facilities in the local village.
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