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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Antananarivo
We will fly from Johannesburg, South Africa to Antananarivo (Tana), Madagascar. Participants could also fly directly to Tana from various other destinations. Time permitting we visit Lac Alarobia (Parc de Tsarasoatra), a 66 acre bird-oasis near the centre of the capital, where we will have our first encounters with some of the Malagasy birdlife. Dimorphic Egret, Madagascar Kingfisher and various duck species are common. Squacco Heron and Madagascar Pond Heron occur side by side and makes for easy comparison. Eleanora’s Falcon is a possibility here. Overnight in Tana.

Day 2 - Perinet
We have a leisurely drive ahead of us to our next destination, Analamazoatra Special Reserve, better known as Perinet. Possibilities include Madagascar Cisticola, Hamerkop and Madagascar Pratincole. Overnight at Vakona Forest Lodge or Feon’ Ny Ala.

Day 3 - Mantadia National Park
Today we bird Mantadia National Park, which is undoubtedly the finest place to find Ground-Rollers in Madagascar. Four of the five Ground-Rollers occur here, including the superb Scaly Ground-Roller. Specialties at Mantadia include Red-breasted Coua, Madagascar Serpent Eagle, and the very scarce Red Owl. More common birds include Greater and Lesser Vasa Parrots, Madagascar Starling, Madagascar Blue-Pigeon, Madagascar Flufftail, Madagascar Little Grebe, Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, Forest Fody, Ward’s Flycatcher, Crossley’s Babbler, White-throated Oxylabes and many more. The elusive Diademed Sifaka and Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur are present here. Overnight at Vakona Forest Lodge or Feon’ Ny Ala.

Day 4 - Perinet Reserve
Perinet Reserve: We will be looking for Red-fronted and Blue Couas, Velvet Asity, Madagascar Blue Vanga, Nuthatch Vanga and Red-tailed Vanga. The thrill of birding in Perinet would not be complete without hearing and seeing the worlds largest living Lemur, the Indri. The spine-chilling howls of this creature are something you will not soon forget. Other birds to be on the lookout for include Madagascar Wood Rail, Madagascar Cuckoo, Madagascar Spinetail, Tylas, Nelicourvi Weaver, Souimanga Sunbird, Common Sunbird-Asity and Madagascar Cuckoo-Roller.

Nocturnal birding at Perinet can be very exciting, and so we will embark on an unforgettable evening in the forest, watching for nocturnal lemurs and birds, which might include Long-eared Owl, Rainforest Scops Owl and both Madagascar Nightjar and the rare and little known Collared Nightjar and Eastern Woolly, Greater Dwarf and the diminutive Brown Mouse Lemurs. Overnight at Vakona Forest Lodge or Feon’ Ny Ala.

Day 5 - Anjozorobe
We spend the morning at these reserves, depending on our target list, after which we depart and head for Anjozorobe, a journey of about 244 km, 4-5 hrs. We could find France’s Sparrowhawk and Madagascar Lark en route. Overnight at Anjozorobe.

Day 6 - Anjozorobe
Anjozorobe comprises the largest intact remnants of Madagascar’s highland forest eco-system. Ten of Madagascar’s 33 Lemur species are found here and birding is also very diverse. Target birds found in the forests are Red-tailed Newtonia, Grey Emutail, Grey-crowned Greenbul, Yellow-browed Oxylabes and Common Sunbird-Asity, and in wetlands we will look for the rare Meller’s Duck, Madagascar Snipe, Madagascar Little Grebe, even the very rare Slender-billed Flufftail has been recorded here. Other good birds include Henst’s Goshawk, Madagascar Partridge and Madagascar Buttonquail. Overnight at Anjozorobe.

Day 7 - Ankarafantsika National Park
We have an early morning drive back to the capital from where we catch a flight to the coastal town of Mahajanga. On our arrival we waste no time in heading to Ankarafantsika National Park where we will be staying for the next couple of nights. The camp offers comfortable chalets and the restaurant serves traditional Malagasy fare. We will encounter our first “campsite residents” such as Lesser Vasa Parrots, Crested Drongo, Madagascar Magpie Robin, Sakalava Weaver, Madagascar Hoopoe and Madagascar Green Pigeon, not forgetting the ever-present Coquerel’s Sifaka. At Lac Ravelobe, close to the camp, we will look for the critically endangered Madagascar Fish-Eagle that is known to breed here. White-throated Rails are also here. Overnight near Ankarafantsika National Park.

Day 8 - Ankarafantsika National Park
We spend the day exploring this remarkable area. White-breasted Mesites and Grey-headed Lovebirds are sometimes seen within the camp. We will explore the splendid network of trails through the park; eight species of Lemur can be found around the camp and they include Common Brown Lemur as well as the rare Mongoose Lemur. The jewel-like Schlegel’s Asity will be high on our list of priorities and two species of Coua are found here: Red-capped and Coquerel’s. Vangas are well represented and along with Van Dam’s we should also find Rufous, Hook-billed, White-headed, Chabert’s and Red-tailed Vangas. Reptiles are plentiful – fortunately there are no poisonous snakes on the Island. Oustalet’s Chameleon (the worlds largest) and Rhinoceros Chameleon are common in the forest. After dinner we will go on a night walk for some of the nocturnal Lemurs; Fat-tailed Dwarf and Grey Mouse Lemurs are possible and if we are extremely lucky, the recently described (1998) Golden-brown Mouse Lemur that is only known from this area. Overnight near Ankarafantsika National Park.

Day 9 - Mahajanga
This morning we try for any birds that we might have missed the previous days, as well as watch for Madagascar Crested Ibis, Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher and Sickle-billed Vanga. Madagascar Green Sunbird breeds in the camp and we will make another visit to Lac Ravelobe where we could find Mascarene Martin, Madagascar Jacana and Purple Heron. On the way to Mahajanga we will stop at Lac Amboromalandy where we might find Humblot’s Heron, White-faced Whistling Duck, African Pygmy Goose and Hottentot Teal. Overnight in Mahajanga.

Day 10 - Mahajanga to Antananarivo
An early morning boat trip up the Betsiboka Delta promises to create much excitement. This is one of the only ways to find the rare Bernier’s Teal and also Madagascar Sacred Ibis. Shorebirds here should include Greater Sand Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Whimbrel and Crab Plover. On our return to Mahajanga we will board our flight back to the capital, where we will spend the evening. Overnight in Antananarivo.

Day 11 - Ranomafana
We depart after an early breakfast, and spend much of the day in travel to our next destination Ranomafana, making several stops along the way. Overnight in Ranomafana.

Day 12 - Ranomafana
We spend the day exploring Ranomafana. Ranomafana means hot water, refering to the hot springs in the area. The park was originally proclaimed to protect the Golden Bamboo Lemur, first described to science in 1987. Other Lemurs that we may encounter include both Greater and Grey Bamboo lemurs, Red-fronted Brown, Red-bellied and Small-toothed Sportive Lemurs and the impressive Milne-Edwards’ Diademed Sifaka. Nocturnal mammals include Greater Dwarf Lemur, Brown Mouse Lemur and Madagascar Striped Civet (Fossa).

Birds we will be on the lookout for include the elusive Brown Mesite, Forest Rock Thrush, Wedge-tailed Jery and Pollen’s Vanga. Pitta-like Ground-Roller is also fairly common. The higher elevation forest is home to the localized Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity, and we may also locate Rufous-headed Ground-Roller, Brown Emutail, Rand’s Warbler and Cryptic Warbler. Overnight in Ranomafana.

Day 13 - Ranomafana
The morning will be dedicated to forest birding and we should find birds such as Blue Coua, Yellow-browed Oxylabes, Grey-crowned Greenbul and with huge amounts of luck we might spot Madagascar Cuckoo Hawk.

After lunch we visit the Vohiparara marsh for Meller’s Duck, Madagascar Harrier, Grey Emutail, Madagascar Snipe and the very rare Slender-billed Flufftail. We will constantly be on the lookout for any of the 12 known species of Lemur that occur here as well as a myriad of Chameleons and other reptiles and amphibians. Overnight in Ranomafana.

Day 14 - Isalo National Park
Today we drive from Ranomafano to Isalo National Park via the Horombe Plateau, a distance of about 366 kms which will take us about 6hrs of comfortable driving to reach. Our target bird here is Benson’s Rock Thrush, other good birds include Madagascar Sandgrouse, Madagascar Partridge and Madagascar Harrier. We will spend the afternoon birding around our overnight stop at Relais de la Reine, located between the town of Ranohira and Isalo National Park.

Day 15 - Isalo National Park
Depending upon our success with locating Benson’s Rock Thrush we might head straight for the Zombitse Forest where we will search for one of the world’s most localized birds, the Appert’s Greenbul. A variety of other dry, deciduous forest species are present including Giant Coua, Crested Coua, Madagascar Harrier-Hawk, Ashy Cuckoo-Shrike, Long-billed Greenbul and Madagascar Buzzard. The extremely rare and elusive Fossa, Madagascar’s largest predator, has also been reported from here. Overnight La Mangrove Hotel in St. Augustine Bay.

Day 16 - Nosy Ve
We have a very early start to our day as we head for the “coral rag scrub” at La Table, here we look for the localized Verreaux’s Coua and the recently discovered Red-shouldered Vanga, before returning for breakfast. After breakfast we head for the island of Nosy Ve via the Onilahy Delta where we might find Humblot’s Heron and Greater Flamingo. Nosy Ve is an uninhabited islet with a very confiding breeding colony of Red-tailed Tropicbird. Other attractions include Crab Plovers and numerous waders. Snorkeling is another famous pastime here and we might opt for this if so agreed.

Back on the mainland we will stop at Anakoa for Littoral Rock Thrush, which are regularly recorded here. Overnight La Mangrove Hotel.

Day 17 - Tulear and Ifaty
We depart St. Augustine and head for Tulear where we will bird the mudflats before lunch. Species we might see include Saunder’s and Lesser Crested Terns, Lesser Sand Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit. Both Greater and Lesser Frigatebirds are also seen from time to time. On the way to Ifaty we will stop to bird some wetlands where Greater Painted Snipe, Baillon’s Crake and Little Bittern have been reported. Afternoon birding in the Spiny Desert around Ifaty for Long-tailed Ground-Roller. Overnight in Ifaty

Day 18 - Tulear to Fort Dauphin
We spend the early morning birding in the Spiny Desert, where specialties include Sub-desert Mesite, Lafresnaye’s Vanga, Archbold’s Newtonia, Thamnornis Warbler, Banded Kestrel, Sub-desert Brush Warbler, Running and Green-capped Couas. The Spiny Desert is home to numerous reptiles and we should see the numerous Three-eyed Lizards and may be lucky enough to find a beautiful Spider Tortoise or rare Dumeril’s Boa. After breakfast we head back to Tulear where we take a flight to Fort Dauphin. Overnight in Fort Dauphin.

Day 19 - Berenty
After breakfast we drive from Fort Dauphin to Berenty, a privately owned Lemur Reserve, about 2-3 hrs away. On the way we might find Madagascar Coucal and Green-capped Coua. The reserve is situated on the Mandare River and protects an area of gallery forest surrounded by spiny forest as well as a working Sisal estate. The reserve is home to five species of Lemur, which are particularly easy to see here; Red-fronted Brown Lemurs are very common and both White-footed Sportive and Grey Mouse lemurs are regularly encountered on night walks. After dinner, we will go in search of Torotoroka Scops Owl and the impressive White-browed Owl. Other nocturnal creatures that we might encounter include Greater Hedgehog Tenrec and several species of gecko, including the remarkable Big-headed Gecko and unique Fish-scaled Gecko. Overnight in Berenty.

Day 20 - Antananarivo
We have an early morning birding outing in Berenty before we return to Fort Dauphin for our flight to the capital. A network of trails behind our camp will be explored for Giant Coua, Running Coua, Peregrine Falcon, Bat Hawk (very rare), Madagascar Sandgrouse and Alpine Swift. Depending on our time of arrival in Antananarivo we may make another visit to Lac Alarobia or visit the Tzimbazaza Zoo. Overnight in Antananarivo.

Day 21 - Departure
Today most of us will fly home but time allowing we will visit the Lemurs Park, on the outskirts of Antananarivo, or Tzimbazaza Zoo.

Alternatively some might opt for some of the exciting extensions (optional) to Diego Suarez & Mount Ambre National Park or to the spectacular Masoala Peninsula. Please enquire about the extensions, 4 days duration each.

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What to Expect

Accommodation ranges from very good in the capital Antananarivo, to simpler and fairly basic but adequate and comfortable accommodation away from the major cities. Be prepared for warm to hot, dry and sunny weather on most days, with cooler evenings at higher elevations in the highlands, and we are likely to encounter rain during the tour. Please bring a hat and sunscreen.

Walking conditions will range from easy to moderate; good, sturdy footwear is advised. We have internal flights – Madagascar is a huge island and air travel allows us to access distant locations efficiently. We take a boat ride on calm waters in the Betsiboka Delta. The roads can be rough; however, our pace will be leisurely with frequent stops to check for birds. Bring insect repellent. We sleep under mosquito netting as precautionary measures.

The final tally of species will not be large, around 190 – 200, but most will be endemic and we encounter brand new families of birds not found elsewhere. Equally fascinating and exciting are the lemurs and other unique mammals, plus chameleons, tortoises, bizarre plants and a host of other marvelous wildlife. In the evenings we usually eat at the hotel or lodge where we are staying, and review the list of birds and other wildlife that we have encountered, as well as discuss the following day’s activities.