separated from the ancient supercontinent Gondwanaland about 160 million years ago, facilitating the evolution of its flora and fauna in isolation from the rest of the world. As a result, the island is a biodiversity hotspot and home to some of the weirdest and rarest animals on Earth.

Madagascar is best known for its fabulous lemurs. Thirty-three species of lemurs, across five families and 14 genera (around 50 living lemurs, including all the subspecies), ranging in size from tiny Madame Berthe’s Birds Mouse Lemur, which averages 30 g in weight, to the tailless, baboon-sized Indri, inhabit the island. All these species are endemic to Madagascar giving the country the and second highest number of primate species after Brazil.

Of the 283 bird species recorded on the island, 111 lemurs are endemic and further 22 are semi-endemic. The endemics are represented by five families: mesites, ground-rollers, cuckoo-rollers, asities and vangas. With 36 endemic genera, Madagascar has more unique genera of than any other African country. More than 90% of over 360 reptile species are endemic. The island holds more than half of the world’s chameleons (about 60 species). Madagascar Ninety-nine percent of the frogs found on the island, are present nowhere else on Earth.

Madagascar is also a paradise for botanists. Relicts of species long extinct elsewhere still thrive on the island: massive and rainforest , giant tamarinds and aloes, baobabs of many sizes and shapes, orchids in a rainbow of colours or bizarre - resembling . Of over 12,000 species of , over 70% are confined only to this island. Six of the world’s eight species of baobabs and 85% of 1000 species of orchids known to the island, are endemic.

Sadly, the island's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife have been severely threatened by human settlement. Illegal logging, poaching and some traditional practices have left the island with only 10% of its original forest cover. Although wildlife finds now refuge in many national parks, they are still under threat. Currently, all lemurs are endangered species and at least 3 species of birds are on the brink of extinction.

Our carefully designed itinerary will introduce you to a large proportion of the island’s different ecosystems, The tour is designed to introduce you to from the dry deciduous forest in the west to the mountain all of the endemic families of bird. You rainforest in the east, from Palm savanna in the interior of can expect to see at least 150 species of the country to Tapia woodland and ‘spiny’ desert in the birds, about 25 species of lemurs, and a arid southwest. We will visit five of the island’s best great variety of geckos, chameleons, frogs wildlife reserves: Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park and snakes. On the top of it all, as all and Ranomafana National Park, Ankarafantsika ScotNature tours, we will sample island’s National Park (Ampijoroa) and Mantadia National delightful culture and cuisine. Park with Périnet (Analamazaotra) Special Reserve, to explore an amazing wildlife they support.

ITINERARY

after year at the Day 1 You will be collected from Antananarivo forest edge on airport in the evening and transported to a Lake Ravelobe. nearby hotel, where we will spend one night. Other species likely to be Day 2 In the morning, if time allows, we will encountered here, explore Alarobia Lake, a private property in include the middle of the city with a big colony of ducks, Madagascar herons and egrets. Here, we will enjoy good views of Jacana, Allen’s White-faced Whistling Duck, Knob-billed Duck, Gallinule, White- Madagascar Squacco Heron, Dimorphic Egret, Swamp throated Rail, Warbler, Madagascar Coucal and Mascarene Martin White-faced amongst more familiar waterbirds. Whistling Duck, Later that day, we will fly to Majunga, on the Humblot’s Heron north west coast and drive to Ankarafantsika and many more. National Park (Ampijoroa), which encompasses the largest and last remaining sections of dense dry Day 4 After an early morning walk in the forest, we deciduous forest in Madagascar. We will stay for the will drive back to Majunga to take our flight next two nights in the lodge, conveniently situated on back to Antananarivo. the edge of the forest. Good birding will be in the immediate vicinity with chances to see Sickle-billed Day 5 After breakfast, we will undertake a long Vanga, White-headed Vanga, Blue Vanga, Grey- journey south through an attractive landscape headed Lovebird, Madagascar Hoopoe, Madagascar of terraced hillsides and broad Magpie Robin, Sakalava valleys cultivated by the Merina Weaver and more. Eight people. We will make several stops species of lemurs inhabit in search for birds, and these might the Ampijoroa Forest and include Madagascar Bush Lark, Coquerel’s Sifakas will be Madagascar Magpie Robin, our first lemur to be seen, Madagascar White-eye, the possibly at close range, delightful Souimanga Sunbird and because they are active Madagascar Wagtail. We will break during the day in the the journey for lunch at Antsirabe, vicinity of our lodge. a highland town famous for its At night, we will undertake craftwork, before continuing further a walk in search for south to Ranomafana. At 500m Western Scops Owl and altitude, we will enjoy Antsirabe’s numerous lemurs, including refreshing, almost continental Golden Mouse Lemur, Western Woolly Lemur, Fat- climate. Out journey will take us now through tailed Dwarf Lemur and Milne Edward's Sportive Madagascar’s central highlands, where the scenic Lemur. flooded rice paddies are carefully Day 3 We will spend the entire day exploring the terraced on the Ampijoroa Forest. In the morning, we will green slopes of the look for the rare and localised Shlegel’s Asity. Many valleys. We should other species will be seen, including White-breasted reach our hotel in Mesite, Van Dam’s Vanga, Rufous Vanga, Red- Ranomafana in time capped Coua, Madagascar Sparrow Hawk, for dinner. Madagascar Button Quail and Madagascar Green Sunbird. Reptiles are also numerous and impressive Day 6 We will Giant Hog-nosed Snake, Oustalet’s and Rhinoceros spend the Chameleons are amongst just a few that we should day exploring the encounter along the trails. Ranomafana We will return to the lodge for lunch and rest National Park, one before embarking in the afternoon for a boat trip on of Madagascar’s Lake Ravelobe. Madagascar Fish Eagle, with a best-known wildlife population of just over 200, is a critically endangered hot-spots. The park species, but fortunately, a breeding pair nests year received its worldwide attention when the and Madagascar Partridge Golden Bamboo Lemur was frequent the hotel grounds here discovered here in 1985. and might accompany us at our Apart from protecting this gourmet dinner. species, the park is home to Day 8 11 other species of lemurs. The journey today will Here, the lemurs have been take us through a rather studied for many years, monotonous grassy plateau, but resulting in the animals we will stop at Zombitse- becoming oblivious to the Vohibasia National Park. The presence of humans and park, constitutes one of the most giving us the privileged important remnant of dry opportunity of watching them deciduous forest of Madagascar at close range. We have a and acts as a transition zone good chance of encountering between the dry and the humid Golden Bamboo Lemur (the forests of the island, creating, at population size is only 60 and the same time, a most odd mix of known from only two bamboos, baobabs and orchids. localities), the Greater The number of animal species Bamboo Lemur, Grey living here is also remarkable, Bamboo Lemur, Red-bellied including 8 lemur species. It is Lemur, Milne-Edwards’s the only place where the Ring- Sifaka, and perhaps an tailed Lemur, Verraux´s Sifaka Eastern Woolly Lemur and and Brown Lemur occur together Black-and-white Ruffed naturally. Birds are also a park Lemur. Some family groups highlight and of the 85 recorded in will be present and watching the park, we will concentrate the interactions between mainly on searching for the most different family members will endangered bird, Appert’s be unforgettable experience. Greenbul, which is found nowhere However, perhaps the most else in the world. In order to exciting event here will be an enhance our chances, a park evening viewing. A bait of ranger will accompany us on the banana will be put out to walk. Other residents should also attract Brown Mouse Lemur be seen, including Giant Coua, and give us an opportunity to White-browed Owl, Madagascar watch these tiny primates at Cuckoo Roller, Madagascar close range. Here, we will also encounter numerous Partridge, M. Kestrel. chameleons and frogs. We should reach our hotel south of Tuléar by late The forest is also recognised as the best accessible afternoon. You will enjoy a close up view of the Littoral site for seeing Madagascar’s rainforest endemics and Rock-thrush in our hotel’s backyard. we will not be disappointed. In the early morning, the forest canopy is alive with singing jeries, sunbirds, and chattering greenbuls and newtonias. Knowledge of Day 9 Today, we will take a speed boat to the their calls is essential for identification and, once isolated islet of Nosy Ve to view a breeding again, to get the best benefit of our visit, a park ranger colony of the Red-tailed Tropicbird. At low tide, we will also accompany us. The forest is home to a will be able to get good views of Lesser and Greater number of fascinating creatures and encounters with Crested Terns, Saunder’s, Tern, Black Egret and many colourful Mantella frogs, -tailed Gecko, Giraffe- waders, including Crab Plover. necked Weevil or a Comet Moth (one of the largest moths in the world) will only add to the spectacle of this site. Day 10 After some birding on our doostep, we will drive west, along the coast to our seaside hotel at Ifaty. Day 7 We will continue south through the dramatic, En route, we will stop at several places to scan over desolate landscape created by sandstone marshes and mudflats where we will be familiar with gorges, gullies and cliffs to reach the Isalo Massif. many waders, such as Greater Sandplover, Whimbrel, We will spend one night here in upmarket Curlew Sandpiper, Turnstone, Grey, Ringed, Kittliz’s accommodation, set amongst a myriad of rocky and White-fronted Plovers. Here, we will also make an outcrops and pinnacles. The Benson’s Rock-Thrush effort to find the rare endemic, Madagascar Plover. Other endemics will also be the forest. Other lemurs will also possible, and those might include be seen here and these include Madagascar Kingfisher, Eastern Woolly, Greater Dwarf, Madagascar Swamp Warbler, Furry-eared and diminutive Madagascar Bee-eater, Goodman’s Mouse Lemurs. Madagascar Coucal, Madagascar Mantadia National Park, on the Cisticola, Madagascar Lark and other hand, provides the best M. Kestrel and Reunion Harrier. opportunity to view the attractive Around our hotel compound, as Diademed Sifaka and Black-and- the day comes to a close, we white Ruffed Lemur. Both might encounter the Madagascar reserves have breathtaking Nightjar. scenery and plethora of rare, brightly-patterned or bizarre frogs, geckos and chameleons, Day 11 The biggest attraction of Ifaty is the spiny forest. This is one of Madagascar's most including the giant Parson’s Chameleon. Périnet claims bizarre landscapes and is dominated by an a world record for number of frog species within a entanglement of cactus like multi-stemmed Octopus comparably sized rainforest. trees, bottle-shaped Baobabs and various thorny These two areas also offer the best chance to see . The forest is severely threatened by some of Madagascar’s finest rainforest birds that are deforestation and only three privately protected difficult to see elsewhere. Mantadia, for instance, is the pockets remain around Ifaty. best ground-roller reserve Two most attractive and in the country, being home localised endemics, the Sub- to four species: Pitta-like, desert Mesite and the elegant Rufous-headed, Short- Long-tailed Ground-Roller legged, and Scaly Ground- inhabit this forest and we will Rollers. The Madagascar be searching for them at Wood-rail, Madagascar dawn. Other birds will also Flufftail, Red-fronted and be present and those might Blue Couas, Madagascar include Running and Green- Blue-Pigeon, Madagascar capped Couas, Lafresnaye’s Pygmy-Kingfisher, Velvet Vanga, Hook-billed Vanga, Asity and the bizarre - Chabert's Vanga, Madagascar Cockoo-Hawk, Banded creeping Nuthatch Vanga might be just a few exciting Kestrel, Archbold’ Newtonia and Thamnornis birds added to our list here. At dusk, we will search for Warbler. We will also be able to see some reptiles and Rainforest Scops Owl and Madagascar Long-eared Owl. nocturnal lemurs such as the White-foot Sportive, asleep in the trees. The forest will also fascinate Day 15 In the morning, we will have another walk botanists, because 92 % of the species occurring in the into the rainforest, but will return to our forest are endemic to Madagascar. lodge for lunch. After lunch, we will take the three- We will return to the hotel for lunch, but in the hour drive back to Antananarivo, where we will have our afternoon, we will resume our activities in the spiny last dinner before the transfer to the airport for the forest. overnight flight.

Day 12 After breakfast, we will drive back to Tuléar to take a one-hour flight to Antananarivo. Later, we will undertake a three-hour drive eastward to Perinet, where we will spend three nights.

Days 13-14 The next two days will be devoted exploring the Périnet (Analamazaotra) Special Reserve and Mantadia National Park, which both protect some of the richest primary rainforest in Madagascar. The former is famous for its two human- habituated groups of Indri, the largest surviving lemur, the size of a large baboon. Indri does not survive in captivity, so the only chance to see this species is in its natural habitat. Its siren-like wailing cry is unmistakable and can be heard 2 miles (3 km) across