Madagascar Land of Lemurs

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Madagascar Land of Lemurs MADAGASCAR: LAND OF LEMURS Visit our website at www.AustinAdventures.com Itinerary Overview Follow an astonishing evolutionary path through one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots harboring an exotic array of fantastic creatures, epic landscapes, and a blended Malagasy culture of Malayo- Indonesian and African-Arab ancestry. Designed for intrepid wildlife enthusiasts, this active Madagascar adventure reveals dozens of lemur species, camouflaged chameleons, rare birds, and distinctive frogs as you traverse a cross-section of the “8th continent” through the rainforests of the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park and Perinet Reserve, to the endless beaches, baobabs, and spiny forests of the arid south. Accommodations are carefully selected for comfort, Malagasy charm, and access to nature reserves and native communities. Within this intense kaleidoscope of nature, pass through rural farmlands and small communities learning about Madagascar’s socio-economic and environmental challenges, and experience the daily life and customs of the indigenous Antandroy tribe, hardly touched by development. Throughout this adventure, you are accompanied by local naturalist guides in each region. DAY OVERNIGHT HOTELS MEALS HIGHLIGHTS 1 ANTANANARIVO Maison Gallieni D Arrive at Ivato Airport, transfer to hotel ANDASIBE – Drive to Mantadia, village visit in Andasibe, 2 MANTADIA Mantadia Lodge BLD night walk NATIONAL PARK ANDASIBE – Full day Mantadia NP with picnic lunch, 3 MANTADIA Mantadia Lodge BLD lemur island, night walk NATIONAL PARK Morning visit to Perinet Reserve, drive to 4 ANTANANARIVO Maison Gallieni BLD Tana, picnic lunch, visit to Queen’s Palace Mandrare River Fly to Fort Dauphin, drive to camp, night 5 ANOSY REGION BLD Camp walk Mandrare River Sacred gallery forest walk, spiny forest 6 ANOSY REGION BLD Camp wildlife walk Mandrare River Sunrise walk in spiny forest, village/market 7 ANOSY REGION BLD Camp visit, baobab sunset, dancing SAINTE LUCE Manafiafy Beach 8 RESERVE AND and Rainforest BLD Transfer to Manafiafy, evening wildlife walk RAINFOREST Lodge SAINTE LUCE Manafiafy Beach 9 RESERVE AND and Rainforest BLD Antanosy village and mangrove excursion RAINFOREST Lodge SAINTE LUCE Manafiafy Beach 10 RESERVE AND and Rainforest BLD Sunrise rainforest walk, afternoon at leisure RAINFOREST Lodge Transfer to Fort Dauphin, fly to Tana, visit 11 ANTANANARIVO Maison Gallieni BLD to King’s Palace Morning visit to craft market, transfer to 12 DEPART B airport and depart Austin Adventures | Madagascar | www.AustinAdventures.com -2- Itinerary in Detail DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN ANTANANARIVO Welcome to Madagascar! Upon arrival at Ivato Airport, you are met by your guide and accompanied to your hotel in Antananarivo, or ‘Tana’, as the locals call it. This urban hub has a captivating mix of traditional and French colonial architecture and an Indonesian influence. There is time to settle in and possibly explore the enormous Analakely Market, with its colored parasols and tiled roofs, before dinner. Overnight at Maison Gallieni. DAY 2: ANDASIBE AND MANTADIA NATIONAL PARK Head east to the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, a rainforest reserve, about four hours’ drive from the city. The journey is an introduction to rural life with scenes of farmers working in their rice fields, redbrick houses, and roadside stalls selling fruits and vegetables. Sample some “koba”, a traditional sweet made from ground peanuts, brown sugar and rice flour, wrapped and roasted in banana leaves. Passing through the bustling city of Moramanga, take a ride on a pousse-pousse (bicycle rickshaw). Andasibe encompasses two protected areas, the Analamazaotra (or Perinet) Special Reserve, and the much larger Mantadia National Park. Stroll through Andasibe village and visit a nearby private park run by the locals for close up views of indri indri, brown lemurs and diademed sifaka, as well as chameleons and birds. A night walk in the forest with a local guide reveals a variety of nocturnal species: mouse lemurs, white footed sportive lemur, fat-tailed dwarf lemur, woolly lemurs, chameleons and frogs. A gourmet dinner completes your day. Overnight at Mantadia Lodge. DAY 3: MANTADIA NATIONAL PARK A full day in the magnificent Mantadia National Park (1.5-hour-drive) provides the chance to see several lemur species such as the indri indri, diademed sifaka, grey bamboo lemur, red-bellied lemur, and white ruffed lemur. Hike through dense forest on primitive trails and marvel at the abundance of birds including the scaly ground roller, the pitta-like ground roller and the breasted coua. This is a naturalist’s goldmine with many seldom-seen species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Enjoy a memorable picnic by the Rianasoa Waterfall before visiting Lemur Island, a private reserve that protects rescued and habituated lemurs including bamboo lemur, black & white ruffed lemur, brown lemur, and diademed sifaka. In the evening there’s an option for another guided night walk. Overnight at Mantadia Lodge. Austin Adventures | Madagascar | www.AustinAdventures.com -3- DAY 4: PERINET RESERVE TO ANTANANARIVO A morning visit to the popular Perinet Reserve offers another opportunity to go in search of the rare indri indri, Madagascar’s largest lemur, whose unforgettable, loud wail can be heard emanating from the misty forest. With a barely visible tail, black and white markings and a surprised teddy-bear face, this lemur is one of the few animals in the world that cannot survive in captivity. There are another 11 species of lemur to spot as you walk through the rainforest. Birdwatchers should look for the velvet asity, the blue coua, the nuthatch vanga and plenty more endemic species. Perinet is also home to many reptiles, invertebrates, and some of Madagascar’s thousand-plus orchid species. Return to Antananarivo, with a picnic lunch en route. Explore the historical ‘la haute ville’ (upper town) with its noble brick mansions and their colonnades, sculpted balconies and large verandas, and visit the massive Rovan’i Manjakamiadana (Queen’s Palace) – a sacred place containing royal tombstones, where traditional rites still take place today. Overnight at Maison Gallieni. DAY 5: FORT DAUPHIN TO MANDRARE RIVER CAMP Fly south to Fort Dauphin (3 hours – see flight notes) where you are met by your guide and escorted to a local restaurant for lunch. Embark on a four-hour drive along a very rough road to Mandrare River Camp, settle into your tent and savor the majestic views over the Mandrare River. Just before sunset, depart for a night walk in the Forest of Zenavo to watch diurnal lemurs bedding down and the nocturnal lemurs beginning to wake up in the eerie and prehistoric spiny forest. If you’re keen-eyed and lucky, you may spot sifakas and white-footed sportive lemurs, both species of mouse lemur, sleeping birds, chameleons, owls, and nocturnal sportive lemurs. Overnight at Mandrare River Camp. DAY 6: GALLERY FOREST AND SPINY FOREST Enjoy breakfast and coffee to the sounds of Madagascar birdcalls as the sun rises over the Mandrare River before you head out for the spectacular sacred gallery forest to the south of the camp. Depending on the river depth, you may walk or take a boat across the Mandrare River to reach this largely deciduous forest. One of the most famous inhabitants is the beautiful and entertaining Verreaux’s sifaka, an endangered lemur species sustained by moisture in succulent leaves; inquisitive groups of ring-tailed lemurs are also encountered on this walking excursion. Return to camp for lunch and a relaxed afternoon beside the pool. An indigenous tracker from the local community introduces you to the Antandroy culture and customs on an extraordinary walk through the sacred spiny forest among ancestral tombs of the local Antandroy tribe and an array of desert-adapted flora and fauna unique to this arid biome. Your naturalist guide and a tracker from the local community is on hand to give you an introduction. Cool down with sundowners on the Mandrare River bank. Overnight at Mandrare River Camp. Austin Adventures | Madagascar | www.AustinAdventures.com -4- DAY 7: SUNRISE WALK IN SPINY FOREST AND VILLAGE VISIT After a pre-dawn tea or coffee and a quick bite to eat, head to the spiny forest for a sunrise walk. Witness the sunlight break through the octopus trees while looking out for endemic birds such as crested coua, vangas, and the running coua. As the lemurs warm up in the sun, you might even catch them leaping up to nine meters between spiny plants seemingly immune to the sharp thorns. Return to the camp for breakfast before a visit to the local market or the local village to meet the fascinating Antandroy tribe. A leisurely lunch at camp is followed by a relaxed afternoon watching life along the river from your tent terrace. Sundowner cocktails are served amid the towering baobabs. Watching the sun set and the moon rise with a view across these other-worldly trees is a magical experience. The local villagers may come to perform traditional dances. Storytelling, song, music, and dance is at the heart of Antandroy culture to accompany the major rituals and events of everyday life. Overnight at Mandrare River Camp. DAY 8: MANAFIAFY BEACH AND RAINFOREST Bid farewell to Mandrare on a four-hour, rough-road return journey to Fort Dauphin for lunch. Meet your next guide and continue on to Saint Luce (2.5 hours – more rough roads). This idyllic retreat is set on an exclusive sandy bay, fringed with forest-covered mountains and wildlife-rich mangroves. Explore this last untouched patch of coastal rainforest in southern Madagascar. Keep your eyes open for the five species and three sub-species of lemur, over 80 bird species, most of which are endemic, and an abundance of geckos, chameleons, and reptiles. Watch for nocturnal lemurs leaping through the trees, Madagascar scops owl, leaf-tailed geckos, and other masters of camouflage. Return to the lodge for dinner with local seafood as the centerpiece of the menu.
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