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ACROSS AFRICA TOURS & TRAVEL 2035 Sunset lake Road Newark Delaware 19702 | (+1)800-205-5754 | Fax 1 (424) 333-0903 | [email protected]

Madagascar Signature 22Days /21Nights ( Comfort)

Embark on 22 days circuit for an in-depth breakthrough of western and south of Madagascar, from the capital and lulled by the rhythm of agricultural activity to the wild territories of the West. Walks and explorations in many parks, reserves, and beaches follow one another for total immersion in beautiful nature. Exceptional landscapes throughout the circuit. The Customs and Traditions of the different Ethnicities of Madagascar. Don`t forget the joining of two far-famed national parks (Tsingy of Bemaraha and Isalo).

Itinerary

Day 01 Arrival in Antananarivo Arrival at the international airport of Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, also called “the big island” or “the red island”. You will be given a warm welcome. Management of airport formalities and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation on Bed and Breakfast basis for at 3Metis Hotel.

Day 02 Antananarivo After breakfast, we set off to discover the capital of MADAGASCAR, ANTANANARIVO: a beautiful city tour: it begins in the avenue of Independence, proceed to the railway station with its history, passing through the ANOSY lake. Free lunch “, we recommend having lunch at a restaurant GRILL DE LA ROVA. After lunch, walk to ANTANINARENINA, where all the shops and the Bijouterie in gold and silver are located and old colonial houses, now they have become Banks, Il Palace of the President, etc. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation on Half Board basis at 3 Métis hotel or similar

Day 03 Antananarivo/ Ambatolampy/ Antsirabe(168 km +/- 3 hours) Breakfast at the hotel, then en route to Antsirabe. It is a journey through the Malagasy highlands characterized by rice fields and typical villages with houses made of red bricks like the color of the earth. On the way, stop in Ambatolampy, a typical city of the Merina ethnic group at the foot of the Ankaratra massif, famous for its cool and temperate climate and the artisanal production of aluminum tools, utensils and art objects. Short walk to visit the artisan shops. The visit will also be an excellent opportunity to connect the local population. Free lunch. Continue to Antsirabe, which is located about 1500 m above sea level in the middle of a volcanic landscape, and is considered the city of salt thanks to its various sources of mineral and thermal water. In this city, invaded by the colorful pousse pousse (typical local means of transport similar to the rickshaw) you can also have a first approach with the precious and semiprecious stones of Madagascar. Indeed, Antsirabe boasts the best stone carvers on the island. Visit the city of Antsirabe in Pousse Pousse, then transfer to the hotel. Accommodation on Half Board basis at PLUMERIA hotel or similar

Day 04 Antsirabe - Miandrivazo (246 Km- +/- 5 hours) After breakfast at the hotel, a nice visit to the VOLCANIC LAKE TRITRIVA, very famous for its history and existence, we found out about the program because it is worth a visit, all the details tell and explain the local guide, on the site, to respect everything, we avoid bringing something to eat based on pork which is forbidden. Free lunch, after lunch immediately continues to Miandrivazo, one of the hottest and driest cities on the island, where tobacco is grown and where the waters of the Tsiribihina river flow calmly, like those of an equatorial African river. Along the way, you cross the village of Betafo (“the many roofs”) located on the shore of the volcanic Lake Tatamarina and the capital of one of the ancient kingdoms of Madagascar. All around the landscape is specified by fascinating terraced rice paddies, so much so that in 1997 the rice and hydraulic cultural landscape of Betafo were included by UNESCO in the Candidature to the List of World Heritage Sites. Towards the evening we arrive in Miandrivazo. According to a legend, the name “Miandrivazo” would come from a statement by King Radama I called “The Great”, king of the Merina and first King of the United Kingdom of Madagascar. During a campaign against the Sakalava kingdom, he had agreed to marry the daughter of King Ramitraho and announced that in the place where the city of Miandrivazo was to rise, “he was expecting his wife” (“misandry valid” in the Malagasy language). Accommodation on a Half Board basis at LA PRINCESSE TSIRIBIHINA hotel or similar. Place at Accommodation: Pietraapital view. Remaining time of the day is free

Day 05 Miandrivazo - Masiakampy ( Tsiribihina River) -Nosy Ampela After breakfast at the hotel, a transfer with the car of the hotel to the place of boat, then the whole team (skipper, cook, etc. you probably know each other the day before) after starting the boat trip on the Tsiribihina river. During this first day of navigation, you can observe beautiful tree-lined savannas, the time to take photos as much as possible. Arrival in the first camp in the late afternoon Full board treatment and night in a tent.

ACROSS AFRICA TOURS & TRAVEL 2035 Sunset lake Road Newark Delaware 19702 | (+1)800-205-5754 | Fax 1 (424) 333-0903 | [email protected]

Day 06 Nosy Ampela- Village Begidro- Berevo: (Discea of the Tsiribihina River) Breakfast at the camp then is sailing again. On this day you will pass from more gentle and calm waters to currents and rapid gorges where the river creeps with high vertical walls and lush vegetation where it will be easy to identify families of lemurs. During navigation, it will be possible to spot many species of birds such as herons, kingfisher, birds of prey, etc. Stop for a short hike to reach a waterfall on foot which originates from a large “natural pool” where you can swim. Arrival at the second camp at the end of the day. Meals on board (included) and overnight in bivouac.

Day 07 Berevo – Belo - Bekopaka (110 Km +/- 5 Hours) Breakfast at the camp, then sailing again. On this last day on the river, you will be able to observe tree-lined savannas and lush vegetation that will gradually give way to the Sakalava villages, located on the banks of the river, to the savannah and to the baobabs. Lunch on board. End of navigation and disembarkation in the early afternoon. Meet the driver and the off-road vehicle that takes you to BEKOPAKA, where you can have a first approach with the famous “Tsingy”. Accommodation on Half Board basis for 2 Nights at ORCHIDEE DE BEMARAHA hotel or similar

Day 08 Bekopaka After breakfast, departure to visit the Tsingy National Park of Bemaraha declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With its 152,000 hectares of surface, it continues to visit the Grand TSINGY, more difficult to reach but also more spectacular. In both areas, the big attraction is an immense karst forest (Tsingy means “needles” in Malagasy). Some of these pinnacles, whose shapes have been shaped by winds and water over the centuries, rise to the sky for several hundred meters. In the region, there is also the Manambolo gorge, where you can see waterfalls, dozens of species of lemurs, including the black-headed lemur and the Decken sifaka, as well as birds (so far identified a hundred species) and numerous reptiles. Free packed lunch. In the afternoon visit of Petit TSINGY or “Pic TSINGY” and Les Grands TSINGY or ” Grand Ttsingy” in the north. Visiting the small Tsingy will allow you to observe closely the slow erosive work of rainwater on limestone rocks. The place, inhabited since prehistoric times, has clear evidence of its past in the caves and caverns that open into the rocks. Over

Day 09 Bekopaka - Morondava (210 Km +/- 8 Hours) Breakfast at the hotel, then return to Morondava. Free lunch. Towards the end of the afternoon, we pass by the charming baobab sentinels, the famous “Avenue of the baobabs”. The Avenue of Baobab is one of the most photographed places in Madagascar. It is a splendid avenue about 15 km north of Morondava, flanked by imposing specimens of “Adansonia Grandidieri”. The most suggestive moments to admire it are sunset and sunrise when the colors of the trees change and their long shadows are accentuated. Morondava, located in the heart of the Sakalava territory, is known for the tombs of the Menabe ancestors (their erotic sculptures are famous). The city has one of the mildest climates in all of Madagascar: in fact, there are 10 months of hot and dry sunny days, tempered by the sea breeze. Accommodation on Half Board basis at KIMONY RESORT or similar.

Day 10 Morondava- Belo Sur Mer (100km +/- 5 Hours) Breakfast and departure for the typical fishing village of Belo Sur Mer overlooking a splendid slightly jagged bay. The village is famous for the presence of numerous artisans expert in the construction of elderberries and schooners (boats of Arab and Breton origin), thanks to which the economy of the west coast of the country has been able to develop. Visit Kirindy Mitea National Park before arriving in Belo/Mer . Possibility to visit also the salt pans, another important source of income for the local population. Free lunch. Accommodation on a Half Board basis at ECOLODGE DU MENABE or similar.

Day 11 Belo Sur Mer –Manja (105km +/- 6 Hours) Early in the morning departure for the village of Morombe through changing landscapes, initially characterized by the presence of large rice fields and fruit trees and then, along the sandy coastal path, dotted with the typical thorny forest and huge baobabs. Stop along the road for breakfast and continue to Manja, where you cross the Mangoky river at low tide, thus reaching the coast. Free lunch. Arrival in Manja for dinner and overnight at the KANTO HOTEL (SIMPLE, Spartan Hotel, without alternative)

Day 12 Manja- Andavadaoka (210 Km +/- 8 Hours) Breakfast and subsequent continuation along the track through the typical southern thorny forest until reaching Andavadaoka. ANDAVADAOKA is the most interesting place and point of this itinerary, we must not skip, a great sin of not passing ….), free lunch during the trip. Surrounded by a sea of intact beauty and an enchanting landscape characterized by the forest thorny, with local endemic plants that you will not have the opportunity to admire in any other country in the world Half board treatment in the resort’s blue lagoon.

ACROSS AFRICA TOURS & TRAVEL 2035 Sunset lake Road Newark Delaware 19702 | (+1)800-205-5754 | Fax 1 (424) 333-0903 | [email protected]

Day 13 Andavadaoka - Sally (110 Km +/- 3 Hours) Breakfast at the hotel. Then depart for Salary. Located north of Tulear, Salary is off the beaten track. On this day you will cross strips of land between the Mozambique Channel and the wild savannah, observing beautiful beaches. Free lunch. Accommodation on Half Board basis for 2 nights at SALY BAY or similar

Day 14 Saly Days dedicated to relaxation and discovery of the area. The south-western coast of the country is very arid and scarce of natural waterways, for this reason, even the inhabited centers are sometimes without running water. Possibility to choose on site between different excursions by land or by sea. For example trekking, canoe trips, boat trips, diving excursions, free lunch, dinner, and overnight at the SALY BAY hotel.

Day 15 Saly –Ifaty (100 Km - +/-3 hours) After breakfast, free morning. Then transfer by car to the hotel for Ifaty. Free lunch. Accommodation on Half Board basis at LA BELLA DONNA or similar

Day 16 Ifaty - Tulear -Ranohira (273 Km- +/-5 Hours) After breakfast, visit the Reniala reserve then depart for Tulear-Ranohira. Crossing the typical landscape of the IHorombé plateau, where the large baobabs announce the beginning of the dry forest of the southern Malagasy, characterized by surreal thorny forests and curiously twisted patches of baobabs. On the way, you will stop to take beautiful photos of the Landscapes, the Tombs, and the Villages. Free lunch. continues to Ranohira, leaving the south- west coast behind and entering the country along the RN7 (Route Nationale 7), through the classic savannah landscapes that characterize the south, dotted with baobabs and numerous Mahafaly stone tombs, tribes of the south devoted to agriculture and with a deep-rooted cult of the dead and the ancestors. The Isalo Park is an immense sandstone massif dating back to the Jurassic period and covers an area of approximately 82,000 hectares. It presents itself with landscapes of extraordinary charm and really deserves a few days of exploration on foot: the alternation of grassy plains and sandstone crests marked by wind and water, boulders of rock that hide ancient tombs push travelers to follow the paths already traced to discover its rare beauty. Half board accommodation for 2 nights at H1 Hotel or similar.

Day 17 Ranohira (Visit National Park) Breakfast at the hotel, then departure to discover the Isalo National Park is characterized by an alternation of grassy plains and bizarrely shaped sandstone ridges. It is a particularly fascinating place full of mysteries thanks to its extraordinary suggestive landscapes. Inside this park, the most visited in Madagascar, it is possible to observe large rock formations shaped by the wind, steep canyons overhanging large valleys covered with yellowish grass typical of the savannah, where water flows which gives life to lush forest oases. The rocky structures host various endemic species both from a flora and fauna point of view. You will have the opportunity to walk inside the “namaza” canyon or to immerse yourself in an idyllic place: “the natural swimming pool”. Free packed lunch. In the late afternoon, accompanied by the warm colors of the sun that gently caress the landscape, departure for the famous “window on the Isalo”, from where you can admire the landscape cloaked in the warm shades of the sunset. In the evening we return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 18 Ranohira- Ambalavao- Andringitra (285km +/- 8 Hours) After breakfast, departure by car for ANDRINGITRA. Free lunch. Half board accommodation for 2 nights at TSARA CAMP or similar

Day 19 Andringitra After breakfast, departure for the TREKKING to be chosen on-site, one for half a day or one for a whole day, during these Trekking, there are villages to visit and meetings with peoples, we see the famous Catta lemur, the different plants, animals, etc. For lunch we recommend having a picnic (for TREKKING for the PIC BOBY mountains, it’s just another organization, for 5 days / 4 nights.) In the evening we return to Camp. Overnight and dinner at TSARA CAMP.

Day 20 Andringitra-Vohitsaoka-Ambalavao-Fianarantsoa (100km +/- 4 Hours) After breakfast, a moment to admire this place right inside nature, with incredible silence. Free lunch. Continuation to Fianarantsoa, high in Ambalavao to visit the Anja reserve and the famous Antemoro Paper Factory, visit the village of Ambalavao; Continuation of the journey, arrived in Fianarantsoa, luggage storage in the hotel then a tour of the city if time allowed. Half board accommodation at ZOMATEL or similar.

ACROSS AFRICA TOURS & TRAVEL 2035 Sunset lake Road Newark Delaware 19702 | (+1)800-205-5754 | Fax 1 (424) 333-0903 | [email protected]

Day 21 Fianarantsoa-Ambositra-Antsirabe (240 Km +/- 6 Hours) After breakfast, Continue to Antsirabe through the typical Betsileo villages (the ethnic group of central Madagascar) characterized by typical red earth houses and surrounded by rice paddies along the way stop in Ambositra, the city nestled in the center of a large valley surrounded by peaks covered with lush vegetation that occupies a place of honor in the field of craftsmanship. The Zafimaniry people are famous for their skill in woodworking. Called “the city of roses”, in the past it has been able to use its forest resources to make a name for itself in the Malagasy inlay sector. Craftsmanship is visible primarily in the city center, where the balconies of the houses are sculpted with an extreme skill. Visit one of the workshops of the artisans who work the precious wood, including ebony, rosewood, and rosewood. Arrival towards the end of the day in Antsirabe, Half board accommodation at PLUMERIA or similar

Day 22 Antsirabe - Antananarivo- (170 Km- +/- 3hours) After breakfast, continuation to the capital (Antananarivo). : “Free lunch during the road, to be chosen with the Guide. Upon arrival in the Capital, check in to ROVAHOTEL for day use. Before, to go to the airport, stop to make the handicraft market, a long market, which we find all the local handicrafts of all the 6 Province of Madagascar, are all handmade objects; it must be said that here is the time that we can get to know the COUNTRY well, because we all find it there. Transfer to the airport for departure with our agent.

Rates : $4105 Per Person

Price Includes

• Accommodation on half board basis throughout the trip except day1, 5 and 6( meals ) • Full board during 2 nights on the Chaland of Tsiribihina river • All transfers from/to the airport. • Entrance fees and local guide services in all parks and reserves mentioned in the program • Private transportation and English speaking guide/ driver throughout the trip • A bottle of mineral water per day per person. • All visits and excursions mentioned in the program. • Picnic lunch or barbecue at Isalo National park and Andringitra • A gift from Across Africa Tours at the end at the trip.

Price Excludes

• The international and domestic flights • The meals not indicated to the program • Optional activities in Ifaty, • Tips and drinks • Personal insurances. • The price of the visa: +/-35 €/person.