Tsingy of Bemaraha, Morondava, Andasibe, Lake Alaotra
Highlights of the 18-day tour:
- Visit of the Tsingy of Bemaraha (World Heritage Site)
- The World Famous Baobab Avenue in Morondava
- Visit Tsingy of Bemaraha, Kirindi and Andasibe National Parks
- Alaotra lake, which is very rarely offered
- Diverse landscapes and people
- Fantastic swimming possibilities at the Mozambique channel
Day 1: Scheduled flight from Europe
Arrival at Ivato/Antananarivo airport followed by transfer to the hotel "Le Cygne". The overnight stay will take place there.
Day:2: Antananarivo to Morondava (Air Madagascar domestic flight)
After breakfast transfer to the airport and flight from Tana to Morondava, then transfer to the hotel "Chez Maggie". Dinner will be served in the hotel's exclusive restaurant.
Day 3: Kirindy National Park
After breakfast, the driver will pick you up by four-wheel drive car and take you north to Kirindy forest. Here you will have the opportunity to visit the unique dry forest vegetation and its wildlife. In the evening there will be a night excursion, because the most interesting animals of the reserve reveal themselves only at night. Dinner and overnight stay will take place there.
Day 4: Belo sur Tsiribihina-Bekopaka
After breakfast, you will continue north to the St. Marie ferry landing. There you will board the ferry across the wide Tsiribihina River. On the other bank is Belo-sur-Tsiribihina, the capital of the Sakalava of Menabé, the heart of the former kingdom of this once powerful tribe. You will have lunch at the excellent restaurant "Mad Zebu" - now internationally known for first class "Nouvelle Cuisine". After lunch you will drive for about 5 hours on a bumpy track northwards to the banks of the Manambolo River. Here you will cross over to Bekopaka, the main town of the fabulous Bemaraha National Park. Depending on the time of arrival you will have the opportunity to meet your guide already here - at the park entrance! - to meet your guide for the tours through the Tsingy and to book the optional tours. Afterwards the transfer to the hotel "Olympe du Bemaraha" follows as well as there then dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Tsingy of Bemaraha National Park
After getting up early (5am) the driver will pick you up and take you to the entrance of the incredibly beautiful "Tsingy". Here you can expect a half or full day hike - depending on your mood and condition. A picnic can be arranged on the way. Please note that it gets very hot in the Tsingy and at least 3-5 liters of drinking water per person are obligatory, depending on the length of the tour. Besides lemurs and a varied flora, the climbing and hiking trail through the rock needles and the numerous caves of the needle karst area is a highlight of every Madagascar trip. At noon or in the afternoon we will return to the hotel, relax by the pool and enjoy the wonderful sunset over the Manambolo. Dinner and overnight stay will be at the "Olympe du Bemaraha".
Day 6: Small Tsingy Manambolo
After breakfast the driver will pick you up again and take you to the entrance of the small Tsingy. A 2-3 hour trail, not very demanding, will let you get a glimpse of the labyrinth of the "Petit Tsingy". Pachypods, lemurs and unique viewpoints make this trail unforgettable. This is followed by an optional lunch in one of the cozy restaurants along the river and then there is another highlight: by punt you will go up the Manambolo to the legendary "Vazimba Tombs", the ancestors of the Malagasy. The visit of a small stalactite cave as well as the tombs give this tour something magical. In the afternoon you will return to the starting point, from where the transfer will take you to the hotel (Olympe du Bemaraha), where you will have dinner and spend the night.
Day 7. Bekopaka-Morondava
After breakfast you will check out at the hotel, it's again by ferry across the Manambolo and for 5 exhausting hours back to Belo-sur-Tsiribihina. Lunch will be served there. Then you will take the ferry across the Tsiribihina and on the sandy road to Morondava. Depending on the time of arrival, you will have the opportunity for photo shooting at the famous "Allee de Baobabs", 20 km north of Morondava. Despite numerous tourists who come there at this time it is a unique place. Afterwards we go again to Morondava to the hotel "Chez Maggie". Dinner and overnight stay will be there.
Day 8: Morondava-Antsirabe
After an early breakfast, the drive continues east from Morondava and then north to Miandrivazo, where the Mahajilo River and the Manja River join to form the mighty Tsiribihina. There is a short rest there and then you head up through the wild, barren Bongolava Mountains to Antsirabe. On the way you will stop at the gold prospectors of Diabolava. Late in the afternoon you will arrive in Antsirabe, the "City of Gems". You will have dinner in one of the excellent restaurants in town. You will spend the night in the hotel "Couleur Café".
Day 9: Antsirabe and surroundings
In the early morning you will have the opportunity to visit the famous gemstone market at the garrison of Antsirabe and - depending on your negotiating skills! - to buy wonderful fossils, precious and semi-precious stones of any kind. This is followed by a visit to "Mamy's Miniworld", where unique miniature cars and bicycles are made from recycled materials, as well as textile work of excellent quality! Afterwards you will visit the manufactory of Malagasy sweets, which are produced according to old tradition and with the simplest means in many different flavors. If you wish, you can visit the factory of the "six brothers". Here you will see how all kinds of household items and ornaments are made from zebu horn with incredibly primitive means. An incredible experience! Antsirabe also offers a variety of other attractions, such as the famous thermal bath, the market and more... Dinner will be in town as desired and overnight at the hotel "Couleur Café".
Day 10: Antsirabe-Antananarivo
After breakfast, you will continue to Ambatolampy, the city of aluminum foundrymen, where the famous "vilany", cooking pots of all sizes and types are made using ancient methods. Here you will have the opportunity to visit an aluminum foundry. You will then continue north along the "Route Nationale 7" to Behenjy, where you will have lunch at the restaurant "Coin du Foie de Gras", internationally known for its duck liver specialties! After lunch, you will continue to Antananarivo, where you will stay at the hotel "La Ribaudiere", near the Royal Palace in the center of the city. Dinner there or optional in one of the many excellent restaurants of the lively capital. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 11: Antananarivo-Andasibe
After breakfast, you will head east by car. In the "Madagascar Exotique", the reserve and private zoo of the famous researcher Andre Pereiras, you will stop and get the opportunity to experience the diversity of reptiles and amphibians of Madagascar "up close". Also lemurs like sifakas and brown lemurs cavort here photogenically in an adjacent forest area. Afterwards the journey continues with a short stop in Moramanga and finally the arrival in Andasibe National Park, where you will take up your quarters in the hotel "Feon'y'Ala". With a little luck you will already experience here how the famous "Indri-Indris", the last giant lemurs on earth, hold their singing cries and migrations up to your bungalow. Dinner and overnight stay there.
Day: 12: Andasibe National Park
After breakfast you will go to the park entrance and a several hours excursion to the Indris awaits you. But not only because of the lemurs it is a unique excursion! The rainforest of Andasibe reveals other zoological and botanical treasures, which your guide will gladly share with you! Picnic or lunch will be served in the village of Andasibe. Afterwards you will visit the "Vakona Zoo", 15 kilometers away. Here, besides numerous crocodiles in their natural habitat, many kinds of lemurs are presented on an island, which will literally dance on your nose for the photo shooting! A unique experience! In the afternoon you will return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight there.
Day 13:Andasibe-Alaotra Lake
After breakfast we go back to the national road and to Moramanga. Here the road turns and a 5-hour trip north to Ambatondrazaka follows. This important town on Lac Alaotra has a reputation as the "heart of rice cultivation" despite its remote location. Numerous government institutions as well as a colorful and varied life make the city a real attraction. After a short rest we will continue to the shore of Lac Alaotra to the "Bandro-Camp" in Andreba, where you will take up your (simple!) quarters. Dinner and overnight stay there.
Day 14:Lake Alaotra-Moramanga
Today it means: get up very early! Around 5 am we will leave for the lakeshore, where a pirogue will take you to the reed islands of the lake. Here the famous Alaotra bamboo lemurs, also called "bandros" live in isolated habitats and can be well observed with luck, silence and the right time at sunrise. Again a unique experience! After returning to the camp we will drive back to Ambatondrazaka and then back to Moramanga where we will take up quarters in the best hotel in town. Dinner and overnight stay will be there.
Day 15: Lake Moramanga-Mantasoa
After breakfast you will drive back towards Antananarivo. About 80 kilometers before the capital, you turn northward to Lac Mantasoa. The landscape there reveals another highlight: pine and pine forests surrounding the deep blue lake, which was also the birthplace of Madagascar's first industrial revolution. Here you will find the remains of the huge factories established by the Frenchman Jean Laborde around 1841 to have steel, iron, soap, glass and a plethora of other modern products manufactured. In the village of Mantasoa you will also find the former residence of the famous adventurer and later vice-consul of Madagascar, together with his burial place. Dinner and overnight stay will be in the hotel "Hermitage", which stylistically actually belongs more to Switzerland and offers an incredible contrast to all the landscapes of the red island experienced so far.
Day 16: Mantasoa-Antananarivo
After breakfast you will continue your journey to Antananarivo. Once again you will stay at the "Hotel La Ribaudiere". Dinner will be in town or at the hotel. Overnight stay there.
Day 17: Antananarivo and surroundings
Day program in Tana at leisure: There are numerous attractions in the colorful, chaotic and diverse capital. In the evening, transfer to the airport and flight home to Europe.
Day 18: Return flight to Europe
IMPORTANT NOTES:
The order of visits can be changed based on local constraints (weather, festivals and flight dates ...). The program can also be changed by the participants if it is technically and financially possible. Flexibility, listening to satisfy the expectations of the participants are always possible.
The hikes and treks are basically, like all activities, adapted to the guests. They can even be cancelled upon request and replaced, for example, by an additional beach day. Individual planning of the trip is possible.
Antananarivo-Tsingy of Bemaraha-Morondava-Andasibe-Alaotra Lake
18 days in half-board :
| Price for -18 days trip |
Price per person |
| 2 to 3 guests | 2750 € |
| 4 to 5 guests | 2680 € |
| 6 - 7 guests | 2550 € |
| 8 - 9 guests | 2450 € |
| 10 guests and more | 2290 € |
Single room supplement: 450€
Included in the basic price:
- Logistics and accompaniment by an experienced English or German speaking tour guide
- A four-wheel drive car with driver during the whole tour ( Diesel included)
- The total nights in the specified hotels
- Meals according to the program (breakfast and dinner) in very good restaurants
- National park fees (entrance fees in Kirindy, Tsingy and Andasibe N.P.)
- All transfers, trips including taxes according to the program
Not included in the base price:
- The drinks and lunch
- Tips and expenses of personal use
- Sightseeing and excursions with additional local guides and optional leisure activities
- Local guides (about 10€/person and per N.P.)
- International flights and domestic flights
Klaus
konnerth1@hotmail.com
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Villa Sibylle Antananarivo (Madagascar)
