Itinerary
Natural Wonders
10 nights/11 days
Options 2 & 3 are 9 nights/10 days.
Day 1 – Arrival Antananarivo
Upon arrival at Ivato International Airport you will be greeted by an Avventura representative who will accompany you to your hotel in the upper town of Antananarivo. “Tana,” as the locals call it, has fascinating traditional architecture with Indonesian influences. You will spend the night in the charming Maison Gallieni, a restored colonial mansion with lovely views over the city. Dinner this evening will be at the hotel.
Accommodation: Maison Gallieni in a Standard Room.
Meal Plan – Dinner.
Day 2 – Antananarivo to Andasibe
After an early breakfast, your Avventura representative will take you east to Andasibe, a stunning rainforest park, about a four-hour drive from the capital. The park consists of two protected areas, the Perinet Special Reserve and Mantadia National Park. Perinet is world famous for its population of indri lemurs, which are the largest living lemur species. Lining the route to Andasibe you will see Madagascar’s rural life with rice fields, redbrick houses and roadside stalls selling seasonal fruits and vegetables. You will arrive at Mantadia Lodge in time for lunch. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.
Accommodation: Mantadia Lodge in a Standard Room.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 3 – Andasibe (Perinet Reserve)
After breakfast, enjoy a visit to the 810-hectare Perinet Reserve with a local guide in search of the indri lemur. The indri, with its black and white markings and teddy bear features, is one of the few animals in the world that cannot survive in captivity. As you explore the rainforest there are a further eleven species of lemur to look out for. You may find a troop of grey bamboo lemurs, the common brown lemur, diademed sifaka or the black and white-ruffed lemur. Birdwatchers should look out for the velvet asity, the blue coua and the nuthatch vanga among the endemic species. Perinet is also home to many reptiles, invertebrates, and some of Madagascar’s thousand orchid varieties. A guided night walk through the forest surrounding the reserve will be organised in the evening. Go in search of the nocturnal lemurs including the mouse lemur, white-footed sportive lemur, fat-tailed dwarf lemur and the woolly lemur.
Accommodation: Mantadia Lodge in a Standard Room.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 4 – Andasibe (Mantadia National Park)
After breakfast, you will head to Mantadia National Park (a journey time of approximately one and a half hours). Look for some of the lemur species in this stunning park including the indri, diademed sifaka, grey bamboo lemur, red-bellied lemur and white-ruffed lemur. While the trails are slightly more challenging, the rewards are greater as the forest is taller, wilder and less crowded than Perinet. There is an abundance of birds to look out for including the scaly ground roller, the pitta-like ground roller and the breasted coua. This is a naturalist’s haven with many seldom-seen species of mammals, reptiles and birds. Enjoy a picnic by the Rianasoa Waterfall before hiking back to the vehicle to return to the lodge. In the evening there is the option to go on another night walk with your local guide.
Accommodation: Mantadia Lodge in Standard Room.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Picnic Lunch & Dinner.
Day 5 – Andasibe to Antananarivo
This morning, you will be taken to the Amphibian Survival Assurance Centre of Andasibe. The island of Madagascar is home to nearly three hundred described species of frogs, almost all of which are unique to the island. With an additional two hundred previously unknown frog species recently identified, this translates to the country supporting more than seven percent of the world’s frog species. Here you may see several critically endangered species such as the golden mantella, yellow mantella and the marbled rain frog.
After lunch, it’s time to take the four-hour drive back to Antananarivo to relax in the comfort of Maison Gallieni.
Accommodation: Maison Gallieni in a Standard Room.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
After your wildlife adventure, spend time relaxing at one of Madagascar’s many stunning beach properties.
Choose from;
- Option 1 – Tsara Komba, on Madagascar’s northwest coast,
- Option 2 – Anjajavy Lodge set within a nature reserve or,
- Option 3 – Time + Tide Miavana for the epitome in luxury set on a private island off the north coast.
OPTION 1 – TSARA KOMBA – 6 DAY EXTENSION (GREEN ROUTE ON LOCATION MAP)
Day 6 – Antananarivo – Nosy Be
This morning you will be driven back to Ivato International Airport in time for your Air Madagascar flight to Nosy Be. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by a Tsara Komba staff member and transferred to Tsara Komba Lodge, your home for the next four nights. Set on a former volcanic island, the rooms at Tsara Komba are scattered between the lush forest and the golden beaches. Each lodge has its own terrace, perfect for watching the sun rise over the ocean.
Accommodation: Tsara Komba Lodge in an Ocean View Lodge.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Days 7 to 9 – Tsara Komba
Fill your days choosing from a menu of activities. The lodge can arrange excursions to neighbouring islands, nature reserves and to the local village. Trails lead you into the island’s interior, where you may be lucky to see the island’s black lemurs. Explore the underwater world with a snorkelling or scuba diving trip or simply relax on the island’s golden sands.
Accommodation: Tsara Komba Lodge in an Ocean View Lodge.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 10 – Tsara Komba to Antananarivo
This morning you will transfer back to Nosy Be by boat in time for your Tsaradia flight back to Antananarivo. On arrival, you will be met by your Avventura representative and driven to your hotel.
Accommodation: Maison Gallieni in a Standard Room.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 11 – Departure
This morning, your Avventura representative and driver will transfer you back to Ivato International Airport for your international flight home.
OPTION 2 – ANJAJAVY 5 DAY EXTENSION (BLUE ROUTE ON LOCATION MAP)
Day 6 – Antananarivo – Anjajavy
After an early breakfast, transfer to Ivato International Airport in time for your scheduled charter flight to Anjajavy*. Upon arrival you will be greeted by a hotel staff member and transferred to the lodge. Anjajavy Lodge is located within a 450-hectare nature reserve on Madagascar’s north-west coast. The lodge’s duplex, rosewood villas all have private decks overlooking the ocean. Meals can be served in the hotel grounds or on the beach. The surrounding forest is alive with lemurs, chameleons, malachite kingfishers and hummingbirds. In the late afternoon you will depart for a night walk in the reserve to look for a variety of nocturnal lemurs. While the reserve’s showstoppers are undoubtedly the charismatic coquerel’s sifakas, the hours of darkness also have their star performers. Weighing a mere 63 grams, danfoss mouse lemurs scamper about in the shrubbery around the reserve just after nightfall, springing from branch to branch in search of food. If you hear a strange squeal coming from the treetops, then you have probably found a Grewcock’s sportive lemur. Other mammals to spot are the endemic tsingy tuft-tailed rat, Commerson’s leaf-nosed bat, or Madagascar’s largest predator – the rare and elusive fossa.
* Please note the scheduled charter flight from Antananarivo to Anjajavy operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays only, departing at 07.00hrs and arriving at 08.30 hrs.
Accommodation: Anjajavy Lodge in a Seaview Villa.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 7 – Anjajavy
In the morning, you will depart for a walk along the “Chemin des Crabes” to see the fabulous birdlife, beautiful baobabs and the famous hairy crab. Even if birdwatching isn’t your thing, you can’t help but be enchanted by the kaleidoscopic colours and shapes of the reserve’s common birds, from the vibrant red fody and Souimanga sunbird to the exotic paradise flycatcher and sickle-billed vanga. This is one of the best places to spot the regal Madagascar fish eagle, shy crested ibis or the rare Madagascar sacred ibis. At the end of the walk, you will visit a small cave where you will find fossilised lemur skulls, stalactites and sharks’ teeth. You will return to the lodge for lunch and the rest of the afternoon is at leisure.
Accommodation: Anjajavy Lodge in a Seaview Villa.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Days 8 & 9 – Anjajavy
Two full days to explore Anjajavy and enjoy a long walk along the Giant’s Causeway and King’s Alley. Here you will discover ancient baobab trees and tsingy rock formations, along with a variety of lemurs including the Coquerel’s sifakas. These remarkable animals live in family groups of up to ten, and though they are perfectly adapted to life in the trees, they often descend to the ground too. Unlike the famous Verreaux’s sifaka from southern Madagascar with its characteristic sideways dance, the Coquerel’s sifaka bounces across the ground like a mini kangaroo. The sifakas, along with troops of common brown lemurs, roam freely in the gardens and surrounding reserve.
Between activities there is plenty of time to relax and absorb Anjajavy’s stunning setting.
Accommodation: Anjajavy Lodge in a Seaview Villa.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 10 – Departure
After breakfast, you will transfer to the airstrip for your morning flight to Antananarivo by private charter. Upon arrival at Ivato International Airport, you will be met by an Avventura representative who will assist you in checking in for your international flight home.
OPTION 3 – TIME + TIDE MIAVANA – 5 DAY EXTENSION (RED ROUTE ON LOCATION MAP)
Day 6 – Antananarivo – Nosy Ankoa
This morning you will transfer back to Ivato International Airport in time for the Tsaradia domestic flight to Diego. Upon arrival at Diego, you are welcomed by Time + Tide Miavana staff and assisted in boarding the helicopter for your beautiful 20-minute scenic flight to Nosy Ankao. Nosy Ankao is the largest of five islands making up this reef-protected archipelago to the north east of the mainland.
Your one-bedroom villa is palatial with modern amenities throughout and leads directly onto the powder soft sands and the azure waters of the Indian Ocean. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Accommodation: Time + Tide Miavana in a One-Bedroom Villa.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Days 7 TO 9 – Time + Tide Miavana
Choose from the variety of activities available including the “Blue Safari” guided water activities that will provide fascinating insights as you explore the underwater world of aquamarine bays, beaches, lagoons and channels of the archipelago. Complimentary activities include guided lemur trekking, forest walks, scuba diving around Nosy Ankao, snorkelling, cultural visits, boat cruises, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and kite-surfing.
Accommodation: Time + Tide Miavana in a One-Bedroom Villa.
Meal Plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 10 – Time + Tide Miavana to Nosy Be
After breakfast, transfer to Nosy Be by helicopter and upon arrival you will be met by your Avventura representative who will assist you in the transfer to your international flight departure.
