User:Masoala-Madagascar-Tourguide

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Here's my 20-day itinerary with focus on the Southwest and West and Far East. [[File:]]

Day 1: Arrival in Tana – Antsirabe

Meet and welcome at Tana airport. Transfer to Antsirabe, south of Tana, by a comfortable 4x4 with your English-speaking driver-guide. Recoup from the long trip from the States before dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Overnight at Royal Palace Hotel. All meals included. 
 Day 2: Antsirabe – Ranomafana

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning drive to Ranomafana. Optional quick stop at Ambositra, Madagascar’s handicrafts capital. Late afternoon arrival in Ranomafana. Opening night walk in the park with your English-speaking naturalist guide in search of endemic chameleons, frogs, insects, and mouse lemurs and luckily dwarf lemurs. Overnight at Centrest Hotel. All meals included. 
 Day 3: Ranomafana National Park

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning visit of Ranomafana National Park teeming with endemics, such as the critically endangered greater bamboo lemur, and other species namely Golden Bamboo lemur, Milne Edward’s sifaka and endemic chameleons, frogs, birds and plant species…Another night walk to look for more endemics here.

                              Overnight at Centrest Hotel. All meals included. 
             

Day 4: Ranomafana – Anja Park – Isalo Breakfast at the hotel. Early morning departure to Ambalavao, south of Fianarantsoa. Visit Anja Park, a community-run nature reserve, home of hundreds of happy-looking ringtail lemurs of different groups, for a unique wildlife photo-ops with your local naturalist guide and spotters. Chameleons like Oustalet’s chameleons, etc. Drive on to Ranohira, the gateway to Isalo National Park.

                              Overnight at Isalo Ranch. All meals included. 
                    

Day 5: Isalo National Park Early breakfast and morning visit of the famous La Piscine Naturelle and Namaza canyon to discover interesting landscape characterized by amazing rock formations and to learn about Bara tribe’s culture. Ringtail lemurs and endemic birds may be encountered along the way. Lunch at the hotel and early afternoon drive to Toliara. Baobabs and painted Mahafaly tombs are the highlights of this 4-hour road trip. Overnight at Isalo Ranch. All meals included. Day 6: Isalo – Zombitse - Toliara

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning drive to Isalo National Park on National Road 7. Amazing photo-ops include colorful Mahafaly tombs, baobabs. Stop for a wildlife walk into Zombitse National Park to look for endemics including lemurs (Verreaux sifaka, Hubbard’s sportive lemurs...), and reptiles, such as chameleons…

Overnight at Victory Hotel . LDB

Day 7: Toliara – Fort Dauphin – Berenty

Meet your early morning flight to Fort-Dauphin. Upon arrival, you'll be met by your English- speaking naturalist guide and driver for the roughly 3-hour transfer to Berenty Private Reserve on a comfortable SUV. Enjoy the road trip with picturesque landscapes characterized by montane rainforests, transitional forests, and spiny forests. You’ll also discover animated colorful local markets, namely a crowded zebu market, a peaceful fruit market. Lunch in Berenty. Rest of the afternoon at leisure to view troops of ringtails and dancing lemurs across from your newly-renovated bungalow. Continue on a night walk in the spiny forest to look for white-footed sportive lemurs, the reddish gray mouse lemurs, etc.

Overnight at Berenty Lodge. All meals included

Day 8: Berenty Reserve

Full day explore this small private natural reserve of Berenty to discover 3 diurnal lemur species, namely ringtails, red-fronted brown lemurs, and Verreaux sifaka known as the dancing sifaka. Among many animal species found in Berenty Reserve are flying foxes are. Visit an amazing cultural museum rich of information about the Antandroy tribe. Afternoon visit of the fantastic remaining spiny forest in the area where lemurs, endemic tortoises, birds, scorpions can be observed. Enjoy observing troops of ringtails and sifaka dancing in family across from your newly-renovated bungalow. Enjoy another guided night walk in the spiny forest or the gallery forest.

Overnight at Berenty Lodge. All meals included

Day 9: Berenty to Fort-Dauphin

After breakfast at Berenty Lodge, start your journey back to Fort-Dauphin, an attractive small old colonial port city. Check in at your upscale hotel, Croix du Sud. After lunch at Le Dauphin restaurant, transfer to Nampohana Reserve, a gorgeous nature reserve that used to a colonial garden where 3 lemur species, including brown lemurs, dancing sifaka and ringtails live happily. Birds and chameleons can be observed here.

Overnight at Le Dauphin Hotel. All meals included

Day 10: Fort-Dauphin to Tana (flight).

After breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the airport for your flight to Tana (#MD...) scheduled at.....Upon arrival in Tana, you’ll be met at the airport and escorted to the Lemurs’ Park outside Tana to discover 9 lemur species in half captivity here in this picturesque nature reserve.

Overnight at Ivato Hotel. All meals included

Day 11: Tana – Mahajanga (flight) – Ankarafantsika

Early this morning breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your morning flight to Mahajanga. Transfer to Ankarafantsika park on National Road 4 (about 2h). After check-in, enjoy the rest of the day viewing beautiful Coquerel’s sifaka, Mongoose lemurs, and lots of endemic reptiles including chameleons. Then before dinner, you will have a guided night walk into the park to look for nocturnal lemurs, mouse lemurs, wooly lemurs, sportive lemurs, etc.

Overnight at Ankarafantsika Lodge. All meals included

Day 12: Ankarafantsika National Park

Whole day to discover Ankarafantsika National Park and its endemics, particularly the Coquerelle's sifaka known as the "chocolate lemur", and rare birds, such as the critically endangered Madagascar fish eagles. Interesting non-venemous reptiles can be observed in Ankarafantsika including collared inguanid lizards, tree & ground boa constrictors, hog-nosed snakes, and Nile crocodiles in the nearby Lac Ravelobe Ankarafantsika Park also has a rich collection of indigenous plants including majestic baobab trees and a range of habitat.

Overnight at Ankarafantsika Lodge. All meals included

Day 13: Ankarafantsika – Mahajanga – Katsepy

Breakfast at the hotel. Early morning departure from Ankarafantsika for Mahajanga where you take a short boat ride for an excursion to Katsepy lighthouse. Enjoy observing the critically endangered Crowned Sifaka as well as Rufus brown lemur.

Overnight at Zahamotel. All meals included

Day 14: Mahajanga – Tana (flight) – Andasibe

Breakfast at the hotel. Meet your morning flight back to Tana. 3-hour drive to Andasibe on a comfortable 4x4 with your English-speaking driver-guide. Stop for a couple of hours at Peireyras Reptile Reserve to discover and photograph more chameleons, leaf-tailed geckoes, snakes and tomato frogs, etc. Colorful butterflies, comet moths can also be observed here. Evening guided walk along the park in search of nocturnal lemurs, such as mouse lemurs, dwarf lemurs, wooly lemurs, etc.

Overnight at Feon’ny Ala Lodge. All meals included

Day 15: Andasibe – Ankanin’ny Nofy Early breakfast at the hotel. Drive on the picturesque NR 2 to Manambato, a small village in front of Rasoabe Lake with an amazing sand white beach, followed by a short boat ride to Ankanin’ny Nofy overlooking Rasoamasay Lake and the manmade Pangalannes channel. Introductory afternoon guided walk into the Palmarium, a privately-owned nature reserve home to rare Madagascar lemurs, such as the indri. Truly special guided evening walk in the reserve to see the aye aye, the most interesting-looking and a critically endangered lemur species in Madagascar. Overnight at Palmarium Hotel. All meals included Day 16: Akanin’ny Nofy

Breakfast at the hotel. Whole day to explore, with your knowledgeable English-speaking naturalist guide, the small but fascinating Palmarium Reserve and its beautiful rainforest, in search of diurnal lemurs, more particularly the indri. Afternoon visit of the tropical village on the Indian Ocean to discover a local market, fishermen, Niaouli essential oil distillation units…Another guided night walk in the reserve. Overnight at Palmarium Hotel. All meals included Day 17: Akanin’ny Nofy - Tamatave – Ivoloina Park Breakfast at the hotel. Morning transfer to Tamatave by a speedboat on the historic manmade Canal des Pangalanes. Afternoon visit of Parc Ivoloina, an environmental and conservation center, originated by the Duke Primate Center, and now run by the Madagascar Fauna & Flora Group. Explore the park’s forested and lakeside trails where, in addition to black-and-white ruffed, white fronted brown, red-bellied and crowned lemurs, chameleons, reptiles and endemic birds are easily seen. Overnight at Java Hotel. All meals included Day 18: Tamatave – Ste Marie (flight)

After breakfast, transfer to Toamasina airport for your short flight to Sainte Marie (#MD...) scheduled at...Upon arrival in Sainte Marie, you'll be met and escorted to your tropical lodge located right by the beach. Rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight at Boraha Village. All meals included

Day 19: Ste Marie

Whole day to spend either on peacefully lying on the beach, or go snorkeling or scuba- diving, etc. You could also take a walk to the tiny but interesting capital city, Ambodifotatra, which is about 12 km from your hotel up to the north of the island. On the way, you could visit the famous Pirates' Cemetery. Otherwise, before the last curve to the capital city, you'll get to catch sight of the oldest church--a Catholic one-- that has ever been erected in Madagascar. On your left is Ilot Madame where you can visit a rehabilitated old royal palace where Queen Betty of Sainte Marie dwelt on the border of a beautiful Marina. Or you could visit the zoo of Sainte Marie.

Overnight at All meals included

Day 20: Ste Marie – Tana – Fly home

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy your last morning in gorgeous Sainte Marie island. Your flight (#MD...) back to Antananarivo is leaving at... Upon arrival, you’ll be met and escorted to a local restaurant for lunch before checking into your international flight home. Time permitting, souvenir shopping at La Digue artisan’s market.