Antananarivo * Andasibe (Eastern Highlands) * Anjajavy
Madagascar is a wonderfully unique destination for a romantic getaway or honeymoon. It has beautiful Indian Ocean islands with beaches which rival the Seychelles for their seclusion and allure. Plus the unique attraction of the rainforest wildlife. This Luxury Madagascar tour combines two of its two highlights: Andasibe National Park and Anjajavy. So it makes for a fascinating exploration. Here you can experience world-class snorkelling and diving; at others you can enjoy some of Madagascar’s own unique wildlife, including entrancing lemurs and tropical birdlife as well as more ususual endemic species.
The price below shows this itinerary with Anjajavy using their private charter flight. Note that this charter flight only operates on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. So you may need to adjust the routing.
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On arrival at Ivato (Antananarivo) Airport, you are met and transferred to your hotel in Tana. On your way you will see rice paddies, and a colourful patch-work of houses. Plus all the daily life in this city of about 2 million inhabitants. Tananarivians mostly live from day to day jobs. This is called “Ady Gasy”: tires repairing, selling Chinese-made products in the streets, selling scrap.
City Tour – Time Permitting (or enjoy the following morning)
Depending on your flight time, you will start with a tour of the city. We begin in the hills above the city with a visit to Ambohimangat, one of the 12 sacred hills of Tana. This is a World heritage site as classified by UNESCO. This historical place was where the King Andrianampoinimerina started to unify the different kingdoms into one Madagascar. It still holds a strong spiritual significance. People go there with offerings and ask the blessing from the holy king spirit. From the palace you have a panoramic view over Tana. We return to the city where we tour the high, low and middle parts of the city – both in elevation and in wealth.
Antananarivo
Tana, (as the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo, is conveniently called) is a brightly coloured mélange of French colonial architecture, multistoried houses and narrow alleys.
Tana must have been a beautiful city at one time. Today, the city is quite often a shock to first time visitors – throngs of people, buildings in a state of decay, street urchins, hooting and belching old French cars and the lively hustle and bustle of the street markets, all combine to make Antananarivo (Tana) a bit overwhelming at first. But Tana is quite a fascinating city to explore. The city sprawls over several hills with lots of narrow houses, cobblestone streets and stone staircases linking one street to another. Each street seems lined with traders and the array of merchandise on offer in the stalls and markets is in a class of its own. With Malagasy embroidery, semi-precious stones and local crafts all jumbled up together.
You are collected by your guide and drive to the Eastern Rainforests and Andasibe. This scenic transfer takes approx 3-3½ hours on a good but winding road with picturesque scenery en route. Along the way there are lovely views of rice paddies and the unique red-bricked houses of the Merina people, the dominant culture in this region.
You have the rest of the day to explore the forests at your own leisure. From late August to March you may be able to join an optional night walk into the park to see the nocturnal lemur species and tenrecs amongst others.
The eastern rainforests of Andasibe National Park in Madagascar are a must-see on any Madagascar lemur safari. The tropical montane rainforest is one of the densest in the world and its floral diversity is particularly rich. A big part of that attraction is the appeal of the Indri lemurs which have their own special protected part of the Andasibe park.
Today you have a morning expedition to explore the rainforest with the Park’s specialist guides. You set off early for a walking tour of the Mantadia National Park. Typically this is usually a morning tour of 4-5 hours but there are longer trails on offer. But if you don’t wish to walk so far or long, there are easier trails of two hours.
This is much wilder than the Indri Special Reserve and has a mix of terrain, with some steeper trails, so it’s best if you are reasonably fit. The forest is much thicker and more pristine but you are rewarded with varied wildlife sightings such as the diademed sifaka (the so-called dancing lemur), the black-and-white ruffed lemur, common brown lemur, red-bellied lemur and the grey bamboo lemur.
We recommend taking the very early morning walk into the most accessible part of Andasibe National Park, the Indri Special Reserve to see the lemurs whilst they are most active. The 810ha ‘reserve within a reserve’ has several well-maintained forest paths, which are mostly gentle in terrain.
The Indri Perinet Special Reserve protects the largest of all the lemurs, the Indri. Standing about a metre high, with a stump for a tail, black-and-white markings and a beguilingly startled expression, the Indri looks more like a bizarre panda than a lemur. You will see them relatively easily, even if you stay on the marked trails, but for longer sightings you must scramble after them through the forest, craning up to exclaim as they execute balletic leaps from tree to tree. Their long back legs are immensely powerful, and an indri can propel itself 10 metres (30ft), executing a turn in mid-air, to grab a new tree and then gaze down benevolently at you!
Walking through the rainforest, as its distinctive siren-like calls emanate from the mist-covered canopy is one of the most memorable experiences of your Madagascar lemur safari. As well as the amazing Indri you may also see the Eastern grey bamboo lemur, red-fronted brown lemur as well as impressive reptiles like Malagasy tree boa and two foot long Parson’s chameleon. You might even be fortunate to see the giraffe-necked Weevil or the golden Mantilla frog.
After lunch (for your own account), you return to Tana in the afternoon to stay overnight.
On arrival at Nosy Be (Fascene) Airport, you take the scheduled charter flight to Anjajavy where you stay for 4 nights.
Today you take the charter flight back to Tana in time for your onward flight arrangements.
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