Madagascar- 10-day Sifaka, Spiny Forest and Tsingy Adventure – Tailored Fly -In

Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English-speaking guide  who will accompany you to your hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Fort Dauphin in time for your Madagascar Airlines flight back to Tana (2hrs). Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English-speaking guide who will accompany you to your hotel.

Transfer time: ~3 hours

After breakfast, meet with your English speaking guide, then explore the historical upper town of Antananarivo, with its stunning French inspired architecture. Continue downtown and enjoy the old colonial railway station built by the French in 1910. Have lunch in an enchanting property in the heart of Antananarivo with a unique panoramic view of Lake Anosy and the Queen's Palace at the authentic Maison de Maitre, built with character and restored with elegance and attention to details, known as the CITIZEN restaurant. In the afternoon, drive to Ambohimanga, 20 km north-east of Tana. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the ancestral home on the Merina kings and queens who united Madagascar under one rule. It is a fortified sacred hill with 16 gates leading to king Andrianampoinimerina’s house (ruled 1787 – 1810) and a series of elegant royal summer homes.

After breakfast, transfer to Ivato Airport for a morning flight to Fort Dauphin with Madagascar Airlines (2hours). In Fort Dauphin you will be met by a guide and vehicle from Mandrare River Camp who will escort you to a local restaurant in Fort Dauphin. After an early lunch, drive to Mandrare River Camp. Upon arrival at the camp settle into your tent and enjoy the majestic views over the Mandrare River. Around 5pm depart for a night walk in the Forest of Analoalo or Ambovo. This is a fantastic way to see diurnal lemurs bedding down, and the nocturnal lemurs begin to wake in the eerie and prehistoric Spiny Forest. You will spot sifakas and sleeping white-foot sportive lemurs, then once the sun has set, two mouse lemur species, sleeping birds, chameleons, owls and now active sportive lemurs.

Transfer time: ~3 hours

After breakfast you will head out to the stunning sacred gallery forest to the south of the camp. Depending on the river depth, you will walk or take a boat across the Mandrare River to reach this largely deciduous forest. Inquisitive groups of ring tailed lemurs and the always entertaining Verreaux sifaka are the highlight of this excursion. Return to camp for lunch and a relaxed afternoon by the pool. In late afternoon, head for a walk through the sacred spiny forest filled with the ancestral tombs of the local Antandroy tribe, as well as an extraordinary array of flora and fauna, unique to the spiny forest. Your English speaking guide and a tracker from the local community will give you an introduction to Antandroy culture and customs. Your visit is followed by sundowners on the Mandrare River banks.

After a cup of tea or coffee head to the Spiny Forest for an early morning walk. Witness the sunlight break through the octopus trees while looking out for the many endemic birds such as crested coua, a variety of vangas and the running coua. Head back to camp for a sumptuous breakfast followed by a visit to the local market or the local village to meet the fascinating Antandroy tribe. Lunch will be served at the camp followed by a relaxed afternoon watching life along the river from your tent terrace. At 5pm, depart for a sundowner amidst the baobabs. Watching the sun set and moon rise with a view across the baobabs to the mountains beyond is a magical experience. In the evening the local village may come to perform beautiful traditional dances, accompanied by singing and music. Song and dance is at the heart of Antandroy culture and is used to accompany the major rituals and events of everyday life.

Today, fly to the port town of Soalala by scheduled charter. On arrival you are met by your guide and transfer to Namoroka Tsingy Camp by road with a stop along the way for a village walk among the mango trees. On arrival, settle into your tent. In the late afternoon, depart for a walk in the forest surrounding the camp. Along with birds, chameleons, Von der Deckens sifakas or red lemur, you may spot fossa or Aye Aye during your walk. In the evening, enjoy sundowners amongst the baobabs.

Transfer time: ~2 1 /2 hours

Two days to explore the tsingy of Namoroka National Park and its surrounding areas. This national park welcomes just 50 visitors per year due to the challenges of accessing it by road. It is one of the more pristine protected areas on the island with an incredible abundance of birds (100 species) and other wildlife. There are 6 lemur species to see including the playful Von der Dicken’s Sifaka, Milne-Edwards Sportive lemur, the Red lemur and the incredibly secretive Aye Aye. Depart for an exploration of the unique cave system that stretches under the entire massif. Here, you will encounter rare fossil remains of species such as the Archaeolemur, a giant lemur species with a body mass of up to 26kg which went extinct, along with much of Madagascar’s megafauna about 1,000 years ago. Picnic lunch in the shade of the tsingy.

Activities from Namoroka include:

• Nature walks
• Wildlife spotting and exploration of  the caves and tsingy of the National Park