Madagascar

20 October – 3 November, 2024

Madagascar, often called the eighth continent, is unlike anywhere else on earth. This bizarre world is home to ‘dancing’ lemurs, fossa, tenrecs, couas, asities, vangas, chameleons and truly bizarre plants such as the baobabs (Madagascar has six endemic species while the whole of the rest of Africa has only two species!). We will explore the country interacting with the fabulous locals from a host of different tribes. Madagascar’s incredible endemism includes 5 entire bird families, more than 10,000 plant species, more than 50 endemic lemur species and 99% of its frogs! We will also do night walks searching for the bizarre aye-aye, woolly lemurs and leaf-tailed geckos. Madagascar is one of the most fascinating countries for on-the-road, eye-level contact with day-to-day life. Having led dozens of trips to this weird and wonderful island Pete looks forward to sharing his knowledge with you.

The map is a visual representation of the locations included in this trip. Click over the image to zoom into the map. For more information, please refer to the itinerary for this expedition.

Trip Details

General Information

USD $10,810.00 Per person sharing

Single Supplement: USD $ TBA (limited to One)

Arrival: Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Departure: Nosy Be Airport, Madagascar for flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Arrival Time: 20 October, 2024

INCLUDED

Lodging at all hotels during the expedition.
Meals and bottled water.
All ground transportation and airport transfers.
All park fees and permits.
All internal Madagascar flights.
Local English-speaking guide on entire trip.
Additional local guides in parks.
Pete Oxford Expeditions trip leader.
All gratuities throughout the expedition.

NOT INCLUDED

Round trip international airfare to Madagascar.
Entry visa on arrival into Ivato airport of 35 Euros.
Evacuation Travel insurance required.
Early or late check-in at Hotel Colbert, Antananarivo.
Personal expenses such as laundry, telephone, internet and alcoholic beverages.
Any COVID 19 related tests, vaccines or other other costs that may be required.

VIEW ITINERARY

A Day 1, October 20th, 2024: Arrive to Antananarivo

Antananarivo – Fly into Ivato Airport in Antananarivo (from Johannesburg) the capital of Madagascar, known as “Tana” for short. From the airport, we will be driven to the venerable Hotel Colbert located in the upper town and in continuous operation since colonial times. Overnight and dinner at the Hotel Colbert.

B Days 2, 3 & 4, October 21st, 22nd & 23rd, 2024: Tana to Berenty

We fly from Tana to Fort-Dauphin to meet our drivers for one of our favorite road trips to arrive to Madagascar’s most famous reserve – Berenty. We will have a picnic lunch en-route and arrive in time for an afternoon walk in the forest. Berenty is situated at the point where the spiny dry-forest meets the lazy Mandrare river. This is home to one of Madagascar’s most iconic species, the ring-tailed lemur. We will have two, very busy, full days to enjoy Berenty. From dawn we will begin exploring the grounds and interacting directly with the ring-tailed lemurs which will seem to be everywhere. As it warms up Verreaux’s sifakas will become active and a highlight will be to watch them ‘dance’ across the open ground as they move between feeding trees. We will see brown lemurs, sportive lemurs and a host of birds including giant couas, Madagascar scops owls, vangas and cuckoo rollers. With luck we may even spot a radiated tortoise or two. After dinner we will head to the spiny forest of Dideraceae in search of minuscule, nocturnal, mouse lemurs. During our full days in the Berenty reserve and the surrounding area where we will also interact with the local people.
Meals and overnight in Berenty.

A Day 5, October 24th, 2024: Berenty to Antananarivo

We return by the same road, through the fabulous spectacles once again to Fort Dauphin where we board our plane to Tana. Depending on our time of arrival there are a couple of craft centres we may visit before dinner back, once again, in our hotel at the top of the hill.
Overnight at Hotel Colbert.

C Day 6, October 25th, 2024: Antananarivo to Andasibe (Perinet)

After breakfast we head off on the Route Nationale 2 through the verdant Imerina countryside until we reach the World Heritage site of ‘ala atsinanana’, the eastern rainforest, about 4-5 hours from the capital. All the while we will pass amazing and unique scenery and witness the highly photogenic locals going about their daily business. In the evening, we explore the forest on a night walk searching for tenrecs, chameleons and nocturnal lemurs.
Dinner and overnight at Mantadia Lodge.

D Day 7, October 26th, 2024: Day visit to Mantadia National Park

Rise early to hike into the forest of Analamazaotra to see and hear the totally unforgettable indri lemurs as they wail vociferously proclaiming their territory. Expert local guides will help us find a host of other strange Madagascan mammals, birds and reptiles. The forest is also home to 4 other species of diurnal lemurs
After a picnic lunch we continue our visit to a different area of the forest in search of other cool wildlife such as chameleons and vangas. Before returning for dinner we will have a night walk in the adjacent community.
Dinner and overnight Mantadia Lodge.

A Day 8, October 27th, 2024: Mantadia to Tana

We will visit a private island where there are many fully habituated lemurs which interact with visitors. It is a wonderful place for close up photographs. After our visit we head back on the same road to Tana stopping for lunch en-route.
Overnight at Au Bois Vert.

E Day 9, October 28th, 2024: Antananarivo to Diego Suarez (Antsiranana)

After breakfast we transfer to Tana airport for our flight to the extreme north of the island. We weave our way out of Diego to head up the hill to Joffreville and our fabulous boutique hotel. We keep a sharp lookout for the giant Oustalet’s chameleon along the way. Once in the grounds we can enjoy the natural surroundings and search for various birds and fantastic reptiles.
Overnight at Nature Lodge, Joffreville.

F Day 10, October 29th, 2024: Amber Mountain to Ankarana Tsingy

We will rise early and spend a packed morning in the Montagne d’Ambre National Park (Amber Mountain). It is a beautiful, cool, lush, montane forest characterized by large bird’s nest ferns. The outstanding wildlife includes the crowned and Sanford’s brown lemurs, miniscule Brookesia chameleons, the ‘over-the-top’ leaf-tailed geckos, paradise flycatchers and the Amber Mountain rock thrush. After our visit we drive south 3-4 hours to arrive at Ankarana National Park. The park is based on a huge area of treacherous limestone karst known locally as ‘Tsingy’ in Malagasy which roughly translates as ‘impossible to walk without shoes’. We spend the rest of the day exploring this celebrated formation. Searching, as always, for wildlife we may see ring-tailed mongoose, crowned lemurs, panther chameleons and even the white-breasted mesite representing a whole bird family endemic to Madagascar.
Overnight Ankarana Lodge.

G Day 11, October 30th, 2024: Ankarana Tsingy

We return to the very special Ankarana National Park for a full morning. Lunch will be at our close-by hotel then a return visit until sunset enjoying the scenery, unusual plants and wildlife from different sections of the national park.
Overnight Ankarana Lodge.

H Day 12, October 31st, 2024: Ankarana to Daraina to Ambilobe

After breakfast, we drive 3 hours or so to reach the small town of Daraina. The whole region has been heavily affected by a massive influx of gold and sapphire prospectors. Nothing has escaped the influence from hordes of artisanal miners. However, still wildlife remains. We will look for possibly the most beautiful, critically endangered, golden crowned sifaka. Come nightfall we will also be targeting the elusive and bizarre Aye-aye – a nocturnal lemur. We will then head back an hour and a half or so to the hotel in the dark.
Overnight Kozobe hotel, Ambilobe.

I Day 13, November 1st, 2024: Ambilobe to Ankify to Nosy Be

From Ambilobe we first drive approximately 4 hours to Ankify, set on the Mozambique Channel. Here we will board a speed boat which will take about 30 minutes to Nosy Be or possibly direct to Nosy Tanikely marine reserve to snorkel before heading to the west of the island to our hotel. We will be time dependent.
Overnight Ravintsara wellness hotel, Nosy Be

J Day 14, November 2nd, 2024: Nosy Be

We will either snorkel today or, if possible, according to the weather and if they are in the area we will take a boat tour to look for whale sharks. No matter what, the hotel is a lovely place to be for our last full day!
Overnight Ravintsara wellness hotel, Nosy Be

J Day 15, November 3rd, 2024: Nosy Be to Johannesburg

After a well-earned, relaxing breakfast, or possibly another activity, we gather our personal effects, our thoughts and our memories and head to the Fascene airport on Nosy Be for our international flight off the island of Madagascar direct to Johannesburg in South Africa where we connect with our onward flights home.
The trip ends in Nosy Be

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Expedition Leader

Discover the world with an experienced traveler

Pete Oxford

Photographer | Owner | Trip Leader

Over the decades we have spent many, many months in Madagascar, criss-crossing the island both as tour leaders and professional wildlife photographers. Our travels have taken us to some of the islands most remote outposts where we have been stuck many times in our 4×4, usually to be rescued by oxen pulling out the vehicle. We have spent way too many hours in ox-drawn carts with zero suspension on terrible tracks, but in so doing became the first photographers to photograph all the sifaka species in the wild. In a very rewarding personal coup, we were also the first to successfully document wild fossa, Madagascar’s largest carnivore. In designing the itinerary, we have included what we consider the highlights that Madagascar has to offer. If you possess a true spirit of adventure, we invite you to join us on this incredible expedition.