Description
A small-group guided tour through Madagascar, starting and ending in Antananarivo. 12 Days to discover the sights and sounds of this fascinating island off the east coast of Africa. From lemurs to chameleons, strange baobabs to some of the best beaches in the world. This inclusive and accommodated safari to Madagascar covers it all!
Tour Highlights:
Antananarivo – The capital city of Madagascar nd in realty the center of this beautiful island. In the 1700’s Antananarivo served as the capital city for the kingdom of the Merina people is a city for walking. Through time and colonial influence especially the French the city has morphed into a fascinating place to visit. Culture and markets are a plenty and discover this all on foot on your first day of your Madagascar safari.
Andasibe National Park – This forest region is located around 150km east of Antananarivo and is home to an incredible range of biodiversity of animals and plants. This includes eleven lemur species making it one of the best lemur experiences in the world! There are over a hundred bird and orchid species to be found here. Its a nature lovers paradise and you will be privileged to witness rare and endangered species on your time here.
Ranomafana National Park – With over four hundred square kilometers of tropical rainforest that is home to rare and endangered species of vegetation and wildlife. This is one of the highlights on this Madagascar package with over 40 mammal species and twelve species of chameleons. But maybe one of the beautiful highlights of visiting Ranomafana will be the over 90 species of butterflies that fill the air on your forest walks. The main tribal group in the area is the Tanala, who are known for the honey they produce, as well as for their ‘tavy’ (slash-and-burn) farming methods. Visiting the Ranomafana National Park is a great highlight of any Madagascar tour and safari.
Fianarantsoa – This old and established town oozes character, history and charm. It is an intellectual and cultural center for the whole island with strong roots in the Protestant and Lutheran churches. Explore their cathedrals whilst in Fianarantsoa on your Madagascar safari with some incredible local markets for you to discover. This is the real and authentic Madagascar that you have come to see. The city has a chilly high-country feel to it and can get quite cool in the evenings. To the west of Fianarantsoa is Mt Kianjasoa (1374 m).
Isalo National Park – This national park in the south west corner of the island is characterised by a beautifully eroded sandstone landscape. Park National de Isalo, also commonly known as Isalo National Park, was established in 1962 and covers 81,540 hectares of wildly eroded deep canyons and gorges. The vegetation rareness and un iqueness is incredible. From numerous and unique endemic vascular plants to some of the rarest lichens in the world. This is a nature lovers paradise. Secluded in the rocks are many of the Sakalava Tombs. This is a real highlight on this tour of Madagascar.
Annie Madsen –
1000 Views of Madagascar trip 2016
This was our second trip with Jenman. We booked this as a private tour for my husband & myself so that we could go at our own pace & were very happy that we did. We were able to add extra days at 3 different locations so that we had plenty of wildlife time. We also wanted to have a variety in the accommodations & upgraded at a couple of the parks. Grace’s Lodge had good food & an amazing staff. Our 80+ year old waitress made this place a delightful experience. Our driver Jimmy was excellent & was able to provide many details about the locals through all of the areas that we went through. We had excellent local guides for all of our hikes. Madagascar is an amazing country with spectacular scenery in addition to the lemurs, chameleons and birds. One of our unexpected highlights was our snorkeling tour via canoe to the reef near Ifaty. The staff at the Bellevue in Ifaty went above & beyond to make our stay perfect. They had the best food in all of Madagascar. I usually don’t like the stops for seeing how things are made but loved each stop we made in Madagascar. It makes you appreciate what an effort is for just basic living in such a poor country.