Overview

• AVAILABLE ALL YEAR
• BEST TIME: From July to September

DAY1: WELCOMING (TRANSFER)

Arrival at Ivato International Airport. You will be welcomed by HT Agency Tours Staff. Once you have passed customs formalities, our Guide will smooth through the rest of the arrivals process - changing money, setting up your phone with the new SIM card, and anything else you need. We will provide 2 (two) SIM cards with Data + National Call + 5mn International call for your stay in Madagascar; it will make our contact easier. Transfer directly to the hotel in town for check-in “Antananarivo”.

Night at Grand Hotel Urban (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 02 : TANA – SAINTE MARIE

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to the Sainte Marie Isle (In the East of Madagascar). Flight program: Departure TNR 09:15AM, Arrival SMS 10:10AM. This day is dedicated to relax on the beach with enjoying the wonderful landscape of the area. According to one’s endurance and speed, opportunity to go to mountain by bike from the hotel to the Capital Ambodifotatra going through the pirates cemetery, the islet Madame (the former Palace of Queen Betty and Aquarium) and first church of Madagascar (1837).

Night at the Princesses Bora (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 03 : SAINTE MARIE - MAHAMBO

After breakfast, transfer directly to the place for embarkation on the big ferry to go to Mahambo. The transfer will take around 2h30. On your arrival, check-in at the hotel, and then prepare oneself to start the surf activity, your guide will show you which place is better to do it. After surfing, you could walk around to discover this beautiful area. 

Night at the La Pirogue (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 04 : MAHAMBO – PALMARIUM

This day is dedicated to transfer you up to the capital of betsimisaraka Tamatave by car and then follow the Pangalane Chanel up to Palmarium by motor Boat. On this boulevard, we will cross barges, "bush-boats" (taxis-bush fluvial), canoes ..., local transport ... Spontaneous greetings between sailors ... The shouts of joy of the children on the banks accompany us all along our navigation. We are spectators of unusual and unforgettable scenes of life.

Night at PALMARIUM BEACH (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 05:  PALMARIUM

In the morning, you will start a guided day walk at the Palmarium Reserve. It is a little island where inhabit ten species of lemur as Indri, Sifaka, Coronatus, Varécia, variegata, Propithèques, particularly the wellknown Aye-Aye. There is also the best and endemic Madagascar palm tree as Dypsis, Ravenea, Orania, Voanioala and Lemurophoenix). Around 6:30PM, you will start a guided night walk.

Night at PALMARIUM BEACH (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 06: PALMARIUM – ANDASIBE

After breakfast, you will reach Andasibe by following the pangalane channel up to Manambato, then continue by car up to Andasibe.  On your arrival, check-in at the hotel and then relax for the rest of the afternoon.

Night at the Mantadia Lodge (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 07 : ANDASIBE (PERINET)

After breakfast, Guided visit to Analamazaotra National Park (It is better to leave the hotel at 7:30AM). This morning you need an early start to catch the Indri-Indri and the Diademed Sifaka in their forest home. The visit takes about 4 hours. Within a mile of the park you can hear the peculiar call of the indri very early in the morning until noon and again in the late afternoon. Indris (called Babakoto in Malagasy) are the largest living lemurs at all reaching up to 1 meter. Andasibe is the best place to observe the Indris given that there are a couple of families habituated to humans. It lives in small groups and cannot survive in captivity. There are several legends trying to explain its origins since it is considered a sacred animal in the whole Madagascar. Apart from the Indri, another 13 lemur species inhabit these forests, such as woody lemur, grey bamboo lemur, diademed sifaka, brown lemur, red mouse-lemur, red-bellied lemur, black and white ruffed lemur and even aye-aye.

Lunch.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy an amazing up close and personal experience with lemurs on the private Lemurs Island and then on to view many other species in the Vakona Reserve Zoo, where you will see many crocodiles in the huge river enclosure, native birds, and other wildlife in well-kept surroundings..

Around 6:30PM, beginning of the Guided night visits, the visit will take 1hour and half, and then drive back to the hotel.

Night at the Mantadia lodge (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 08 : ANDASIBE (PERINET) - ANTSIRABE

After breakfast, on rout to go to Antsirabe with some stops to enjoy the landscape, for photos and for some little breaks if it is necessary. One special stop in the Pereiras park. The fascinating park owned by the Peyrieras family, to see Cocquerel's Sifaka, and chameleons and many other reptiles, and some other Malagasy animals such as butterflies, moths (the giant Atlas Moth) and tenrecs. Continue to the town of “Fois Gras” for lunch. On the way, as you head out of the city into the country side, you will pass through the beautiful landscapes of the Merina people, witnessing along the way the everyday life of the these people, who were (and really still are) the ruling class in Madagascar. Stop briefly at Ambatolampy and visit the manufacturers of pots and decorative items from aluminium. This is a really important local industry and the artisan forgers now make, as well as the pots and pans used every day by all Malagasy, beautiful polished trinkets made from aluminium, and then reach directly Antsirabe.

Night at the Royal Palace (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 09 : ANTSIRABE - RANOMAFANA

Today we continue to wind our way through the Highlands' scenic landscapes, where the houses are made with ornately-carved wooden balconies and shutters with bright colours. Further on we pass the 'le col de tapia', a type of tree resistant to bush fires. The landscape is still dominated by very photogenic rice fields, pine forests, eucalyptus trees and rocky hills. At the Malagasy arts and crafts capital, Ambositra, we stroll through the city visitting workshops of Zafimaniry artisans – skilled sculptors working on marquetry rosewood and ebony. We also see the Zafimaniry weavers of "landikely" and "landibe" silks.

Night at Thermal Hotel (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 10: RANOMAFANA

This morning we search Ranomafana National Park's rainforest for lemurs, accompanied by our local naturalist guide. This is a high-altitude rainforest reserve where the Golden Bamboo Lemur was discovered in 1986. The forest is home to 11 other lemur species, endemic chameleons, Leaf-tailed Geckos, Mantella Frogs and a myriad of birds. We embark on a quest to see the fabled "Hapalemur aureus" – the Golden Bamboo Lemur – which is only found in Ranomafana. We will also see many different species of birds, such as Ground Rollers. The park is particularly rich in flora and features many plant varieties unknown elsewhere, including different types of orchids and ferns. The approximately 40,000 ha of Parc National de Ranomafana, with its rain forest-covered hills and abundant wildlife, has long been considered one of Madagascar's highlights. Altitudes in the park range from 800 to 1,200 metres above sea level. In addition to its densely-forested hills, Ranomafana's terrain is characterised by numerous small streams which plummet down to the beautiful Namorona River. Although much of the region has been logged, the park retains relatively large areas of primary forest. This day includes strenuous walks in the rainforest.

In the afternoon we visit the orchid arboretum located near the village. Here we find many orchid species, but also reptiles such as chameleons and geckos. We also visit a village of the Tanala ethnic group, the forest people of southeastern Madagascar. After dinner you can join us on an included night walk in the area around our hotel to try and spot the Rufous Mouse Lemur, the Greater Dwarf Lemur and some of the other nocturnal wildlife.

Night at Thermal Hotel (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 11 : RANOMAFANA – ISALO

Early departure to drive via Fianarantsoa, cultural capital of the Central Highlands, to the pleasant rural town of Ambalavao. This is the site of one of the largest livestock markets in the South (Wednesday mornings only.) We visit a local winery and a workshop making the unique Antemoro paper, which is hand made from the bark of a local tree using a method is inherited from Arab culture. We also visit a silk factory in town and learn about the local way of making fabric from silk thread and the process of dyeing it with natural dyes. We then continue to Anjar Community Reserve for a short walk, during which we have the chance to see Madagascar's iconic animal – ring-tailed lemurs (Lemurian Catta.) In the past, visitors fed the lemurs, so the majority of the animals are unafraid to come near us to pose for photographs. We continue to Ihosy, capital of the Bara tribes, who are herders of Zebu cattle. Further on we pass the volcanic peaks of the Andringitra massif, which serves as a transition between the green Highlands with its very spectacular granite rock formations and the dry south. Our journey south takes us through a landscape of rock formations typical of the dry Grand South, some of which are sacred. We pass through the legendary 'Porte du Sud' and cross the desolate expanse of the Plateau de Horombe with its deep red soil, arriving late afternoon in Ranohira, gateway to Isalo National Park.

Night at Isalo Rock lodge (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 12: ISALO

Today we explore the stunning desert plains, deep canyons, sandstone formations, grasslands and palm-lined oases of Isalo National Park. We hope to encounter the 3 lemur species that are found here – Red-fronted Brown Lemurs, Ring-tailed Lemurs and the loping, bipedal Verreaux's Sifaka. We will also see vegetation such as Uapaca bojeri, Pachypodium rosulatum or 'elephant's foot' and Aloe isaloensis, a native species of aloe endemic to Isalo. The eroded mountains also served as a place where the Bara people kept their dead before they could bury them in their actual tombs. This day includes strenuous walks. “Picnic lunch in the park”. In the evening, drive back to the hotel with one stop at the famous window of Isalo to appreciate a breathtaking and spectacular sunset.

Night at Isalo Rock lodge (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 13 : ISALO – TULEAR – IFATY

This part of our journey continues down the paved RN7 to its end in Tulear on the Southwest coast, introducing us to new scenery among the dry forests of the west and the spiny desert of the south. We pass through the sapphire mining boom town of Ilakaka, a frontier town vaguely reminiscent of the Wild West. En-route today we see the locations of different ornate hillside 'Mahafaly Tombs', which were built for chiefs and kings and are covered in stones, sculptures and horns. The more important the deceased, the more horns and statues the tomb is adorned with. One of the largest tombs has over 700 horns of zebu cattle! As this is a sacred site we will just be passing by. Photography is not permitted. We also pass the area of the 'Antandroy Tombs'. This is the driest part of the country - called the "Deep South" – where the landscape is dominated by cactus-like, spiny forests of different euphorbias. In this area giant baobab trees, which can be hundreds of years old, grow. For most of the year these hardy trees have no leaves, so their bare branches look like roots – giving them the name "upside-down trees." This is an area of dry and sandy soil where the local people battle to find drinking water.

Night at Paradisier (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 14 :  IFATY (Relax)

This day is dedicated to relax and enjoy the kite-surfing. In the afternoon, guided visit in the Reniala reserve (Visit of the baobas forest, spiny forest, …), a dry forest typical of the dry south, meeting the diversity of fauna and flora of the region, including the varieties of Baobab. Relax on the beach for the rest of the day.

Night at Paradisier (Bed and Breakfast)

DAY 15 : IFATY – ANTANANARIVO (Domestic flight)

After breakfast, transfer directly to the Airport of Tulear for your flight to Antananarivo. On your arrival, you will be transferred in town for shopping and purchase some souvenirs at the craft market. And then, transfer directly to the airport for your international flight, according to your flight timming.