Madagascar | Forests of Wonder and Cultural Delights

Depart in the evening from the U.S. toward Antananarivo, Madagascar.

En route.

Upon arrival at the Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo, after clearing customs, collecting your luggage, and exchanging money at the airport, meet your local guide and driver, and travel to the hotel. Early arrivals will be accommodated upon check-in. Have the remainder of the day for exploration on your own and/or rest after your journey.

Enjoy a leisurely morning before meeting for lunch and a program orientation at the hotel. Your guide will give an overview of Madagascar's politics, economy, and diverse natural environments, as well as speak to the cultural heart of its people. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Following breakfast and check-out, begin today's journey with a drive to Antsirabe. En route, visit the small town of Ambatolampy and its aluminum pot factory for a glimpse into Madagascan industry. Though this factory is small scale, one craftsman can make as many as 20 of these robust pots per day. Visit the local market where the guide will explain the seasonality of foods available and how commerce works in the area. Have lunch at the Rendezvous des Pêcheurs in town, and then continue to Antsirabe. After checking in, have dinner at the hotel. This evening, participate in a discussion on social work and projects with a representative from the Madalief Foundation, a non-profit that serves disadvantaged children. (Drive time without stops is around 4 hours.)

After breakfast, travel toward the mountainous Ranomafana National Park, situated on the edge of Madagascar's High Plateau and with elevations ranging from 1,640 to 4,921 feet. Ranomafana contains a variety of forest types and is part of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana World Heritage Site. It has served as a model for subsequent parks and reserves in Madagascar and abroad. En route, stop in Ambositra to visit a workshop and discuss local commerce in rural Madagascar. Check in at the lodge and have dinner. This evening, take a walk along the road bordering the national park in search of nocturnal species like chameleons and mouse lemurs. (Drive time without stops is around 7 hours.)

This morning, hike in the 102,000-acre Ranomafana National Park. Please note that hikes are moderately difficult and uphill on the way in, and they often include off-trail experiences. The pace of the hike will be based on the physical ability of the participants. Ranomafana's rainforest is home to the critically endangered greater bamboo lemur, golden bamboo lemur, and 11 other lemur species. Covered by dense humid forest of low and medium altitude, the vegetation is very rich and abundant. It contains orchids, Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, epiphytic plants, carnivorous plants, palm trees, hard and precious woods, and tree ferns. This abundance of flora is also due to the humid climate and the several tributaries of the Namorona River. Have lunch at Centre ValBio (CVB), a world-famous research station established in 2003 and managed by Stony Brook University. Run by Dr. Patricia Wright, the accomplished American primatologist and conservationist, the CVB focuses on biodiversity, community health, environmental arts, and reforestation. After lunch, receive a presentation on the flora, fauna, and research efforts at ValBio. Then, visit the local market in Ranomafana. Next, visit the village of the Tanala, a Malagasy ethnic group whose name means "people of the forest." Spend time with the king of the Tanala, and sing and dance with villagers to learn about the traditions of this community. This evening, have dinner at the hotel.

Today, begin the journey to the Great South and Madagascar's most-visited park: Isalo. The day's drive is along some of the best roads in the country, and the scenery is breathtaking. En route, stop at Anja Community Reserve, a 74-acre forest managed by the local community, and a vital example of sustainable tourism in Madagascar. The reserve boasts a diverse variety of endemic plant species, including several families of orchids and saxicolous plants. The target here is the ring-tailed lemur. Have lunch in a nearby restaurant, and then continue the journey south. After a long day of driving, check in at the hotel, have dinner, and relax in anticipation of Isalo and its beautiful landscapes of sandstone canyons, natural swimming pools, waterfalls, and fascinating fauna and flora. (Drive time is around 6 hours.)

Spend the day exploring Isalo National Park, a continental sandstone plateau dating back to the Jurassic period. This trek is across varied landscapes with different forms of sandstones, dotted with the famous dwarf baobab. After an hour walk with short climbs, stop to rest in a spectacular valley with beautiful views. The overlook shows miles of azure sky, rocky desert, and winding greenery. Trek to a white-sand natural pool. Go for a swim, and then hike back to the starting point. Later, travel back to the hotel for a refreshing drink, and then enjoy dinner.

This morning, continue the final leg southward. Stop at Antsokay Arboretum, a 100-acre site established in 1980 by Swiss botanist Hermann Petignat and dedicated to conservation of the country's endemic flora. Then, continue to the seaside town of Toliara, near the Tropic of Capricorn. (Drive without stops is around 6 hours.)

Rise early to get in a full day at Reniala Private Reserve, a 148-acre protected site managed by a local environmental association working to develop ecotourism in the area. Begin with a visit at the Reniala Lemur Rescue Center. Meet the people who care for the animals, and then meet the lemurs themselves. The center aims to rehabilitate and return the lemurs to the wild after being rescued from illegal pet and bushmeat trades across Madagascar. After this visit, spend the remainder of the day on the trails to explore the spiny forest, a unique ecosystem that only occurs in the southwest of Madagascar. Spiny dry forests contain the highest percentage of endemic plant species in the country, with 45 percent of the genera and 95 percent of the species existing nowhere else on earth. The reserve boasts more than 2,000 plant species, including several species of impressively old baobabs, one being 41 feet in diameter. Additionally, look for the peculiar octopus tree, Didierea madagascariensis Baill. There are also 65 species of birds; rare endemics such as the Red-capped Coua and the Blue Vanga can easily be seen. In the evening, enjoy dinner under the baobab trees.

After an early breakfast and check-out, travel to the Aéroport de Tuléar for the morning flight back to Antananarivo from Toliara. Upon arrival, you will be met and transported to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon and evening exploring and having dinner on your own.

This morning, return to the airport for the flight to Antsiranana, formerly known as Diego Suárez and situated on the far north coast. On arrival, you will be taken to your hotel for check-in and relaxation. Enjoy dinner at the hotel this evening.

Wake early for a walk along Three Bays before breakfast, where it is possible to marvel at turquoise seas, white sand, and an endemic forest of baobabs. Return to the hotel for breakfast and check-out. The remainder of the day is filled with time in the Montagne d'Ambre National Park, which protects an isolated rainforest extending over approximately 44,500 acres and rising to a maximum altitude of around 5,000 feet. The mountains give rise to the wettest part of Madagascar, producing rivers, lakes, torrents, and waterfalls. Much of the flora and fauna of Montagne d'Ambre is endemic. The lush flora consists of tree ferns, palms, orchids, and other families of epiphytes. The park's name comes from the amber-colored resin that oozes from some of its trees. Some of the local Malagasy people use this medicinally. Look for Sanford's brown lemur and the giant leaf-tailed gecko, Uroplatus fimbriatus, on the walk to an incredible view of the Antomboka waterfall. Bird watching is very rewarding in Amber Mountain, with some 75 bird species, including the Madagascar Ibis and the Malagasy Kingfisher. Have a boxed lunch during the excursion today. Enjoy your lodging this evening on the doorstep of Amber Mountain at the beautiful Nature Lodge.

This morning, set out to the dry Montagne des Français Reserve to see the endemic dry-country flora. Here, it is possible to observe the northern "flat-top" baobab, Adansonia suarezensis, and the Aloe suarezensis, both of which are restricted to this area of northern Madagascar and found on the slopes along the sides of the dry mountainsides. Look for orchids Angraecum praestans and A. leonis in the crowns of the trees. Other pachycaul plants to be found include Adansonia madagascariensis, Pachypodium rutembergianum, P. decaryi, and the cone-shaped Cyphostemma pachypus, as well as "true" succulents such as the Aloe suarezensis and Euphorbia ankarensis. Near the top, on Pic des Orchidées, is the most famous of all Malagasy orchids, the comet orchid (Angraecum sesquipedale), which is generally in flower in late October and early November. This has the longest spur of any orchid, which, as Charles Darwin correctly predicted, is pollinated by a moth with a 12-inch-long tongue, the Xanthopan morgani praedicta. Other notable endemic plants include the flame tree, Delonix regia, the monotypic Diegodendron humbertii, and the Baudouinia sollyaeformis. More than 240 species from 58 families and 158 genera have been described from the Montagne des Français; the five most important families accounting for more than 40 percent of the species are the Rubiaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Sapindaceae.

This morning, return to Arrachart Airport for the flight from Antsiranana to Antananarivo. Upon arrival, you will be met and transported to your hotel. In the evening, enjoy a celebratory farewell dinner with your guide.

After a leisurely morning and check-out, enjoy lunch al fresco at La Table de Tydouce before being taken to the Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo for the late afternoon departure back to the U.S.

Welcome home!