Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Antannarivo.
Day 2: Tana to Perinet.
Day 3: Perinet.
Day 4: Perinet to Tana.
Day 5: Tana to Ranomafana.
Day 6: Ranomafana.
Day 7: Ranomafana.
Day 8: Ranomafana to Isalo.
Day 9: Isalo.
Day 10: Isalo to Berenty.
Day 11: Berenty.
Day 12: Berenty to Tana and depart.
Perinet: Here we will make a special effort to see the reserve’s most famous residents: the huge, singing Indri. A journey in search of these magnificent creatures is on a par with gorilla-trekking in the mountain forests of Uganda, and if we are fortunate enough we will be treated to a close encounter with a family group and their eerie, whale-like howling which echoes through the forest. Other lemurs we hope to see include Common Brown and Grey Bamboo Lemur. Another “must see” member of this reserve is the Giraffe-necked Weevil, a tiny red and black insect named for its unusually proportioned neck!
In the evenings, we will embark on night walks. Nocturnal outings are a thrilling and indeed, essential part of any trip to Madagascar. Perinet is one of the best sites to search for the island’s nocturnal Lemurs. We will search for and should find Eastern Woolly, Greater Dwarf and the diminutive Goodman’s Mouse Lemurs. Even the most hardened naturalist would not fail to be impressed by the plethora of colorful and bizarre frogs, chameleons and geckos to be seen on an evening’s stroll through the rainforest. In particular, we will search for the giant Parson’s Chameleon and two species of eccentric leaf-tailed geckos: the huge Uroplatus fimbriatus and the aptly named Uroplatus phantasticus.
Ranomafana: Ranomafana National Park was originally proclaimed to protect its population of Golden Bamboo Lemurs, an animal first described to science as recently as 1987. In addition to this species, we should see both Greater and Gray Bamboo Lemurs, Red-fronted Brown, Red-bellied and Small-toothed Sportive lemurs, the impressive Milne-Edwards’ Diademed Sifaka and other mammals such as Common Tenrec and the handsome Ring-tailed Mongoose.
Isalo: The appeal at Isalo is certainly the remarkable landscape and mammals are not as prominent, but include Ring-tailed Lemur, Verreaux’s Sifaka and Red Fronted Brown Lemur. We will then depart for Zombitse Forest where we will take a short walk in the hope that we will connect with the highly elusive Fosa, Madagascar’s largest predator. This is a rare and shy beast and we would certainly be lucky indeed to see one here; one of our guides has however seen this beast here and we have heard additional reports augmenting this.
Berenty: Justly famous for its lemurs, not only because its deciduous woodland is home to five species of these primitive primates but also for the ease with which they may be seen and appreciated in the wild. Red-fronted Brown Lemurs occur in large numbers during the day and both White-footed Sportive and Grey-brown and Grey Mouse lemurs are regularly encountered on night walks through the reserve, though the undoubted favorites are the Ring-tailed Lemurs and Verreaux’s Sifakas. Whilst the bands of cat-like, quizzical Ringtails are often the first to steal visitors’ hearts (as well as any spare fruit they may have on their persons!), their appeal is easily matched by the strikingly patterned sifakas, with their soulful expressions and bizarre, bipedal dancing locomotion.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- All meals in Madagascar from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 16
- Soft drinks at meals and 1½ liter bottle of purified water each day
- All lodgings during the tour
- All internal flights in Madagascar & internal airport departure taxes
- Ground transportation
- Reserve entrance fees
- All guide's costs (lodging and meals)
- Gratuities and all guiding services (including local guides).
Price Excludes:
- Visa fees
- Return airfare from your home to Antananarivo
- Alcoholic beverages, special gratuities, telephone calls, laundry and items of a personal nature.
Note: These costs are subject to major foreign exchange fluctuations and unforeseen increases in tour related costs and may have to be adjusted as a result. This price is based on 8 paying participants.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Madagascar
Nature & Wildlife
Wildlife Viewing
National Parks
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