madagascar - Air

MADAGASCAR
Honeymoon
Nosy be
Nosy Komba
Anjajavy
Sainte Marie
Tsingy / Bemaraha
TANA
Andasibe
Morondava
Cortez&USA&&
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Options for a Unique
Honeymoon in Madagascar
I9nerary&&
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Anosy&Lake,&Antananarivo&
Day 1
USA$ /$ Antananarivo$ – Upon arrival in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar affectionately known as
“Tana”, clear passport control, collect your baggage, and meet your guide to transfer to the venerable Hôtel
Colbert in the upper town. The Colbert has been in continuous operation since colonial times, and has hosted
numerous dignitaries during their visits to Madagascar.
Day 2
Antananarivo$ -& After a breakfast at the hotel, featuring a
refined and copious array of French and Malagasy specialties,
set off for a visit to the Tsimbazaza zoo and botanical garden,
as well as the adjacent natural history museum at the
Academy of Sciences. There, you will receive a briefing on
Madagascar, including its unique natural and cultural histories.
After lunch on the terrace of the hotel (weather permitting) with
its lovely view overlooking Anosy lake, In the afternoon, you
will visit the Queen’s Rova (the royal compound around the
queen’s mansion, Manjakamiadana), nearby Andafiavaratra
mansion (once the prime minister’s residence, now hosting an
interesting historical display) and Ambavahadimitafo gate in
the old fortifications. Dinner at La Varangue, arguably
Madagascar s best restaurant, set in a renovated colonial villa
literally around the corner from the hotel. Overnight Hotel
Colbert, new wing. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Hotel&Colbert&(new&wing),&Antananarivo&
Day 3
Antananarivo$/$Andasibe$– After breakfast, drive off on wellmaintained “Route Nationale 2” heading East through the
verdant Imerina countryside, until you reach the small village of
Andasibe in the eastern rainforest, about two and a half hours
after you set off from Tana. Check in at the Vakôna Forest
Lodge, enjoy a late lunch, then an afternoon free on the lush
grounds of the hotel. In the evening, join a specialized local
guide for a nocturnal walk in the forest. Overnight Vakôna
Forest Lodge. (BLD)
Day 4
Andasibe$– Rise early to hike into the forest of Analamazaotra
Special Reserve near the lodge, to hear and see the memorable
"babacoot" indri lemur, the largest of them all. Afterwards, enjoy
a short visit of the tiny private reserve at the Vakôna to see
some species that are otherwise difficult to see in the wild.
Overnight Vakôna Forest Lodge. (BLD)
Day 5
Andasibe$– Start the day with a visit to Mantadia National Park
near the lodge, to try to observe some of the unique birds of the
eastern rainforest. Overnight Vakôna Forest Lodge. (BLD)
Day 6
Andasibe$/$Antananarivo&– Leisurely drive back to the capital,
with a stop en route for lunch and a visit of “Madagascar Exotic”,
a nature farm that was started by renowned naturalist André
Peyriéras, where they raise chameleons, geckoes, frogs, and
other endemic species such as the stunning Argema mitrei
“Comet” moth. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Colbert, new wing.
(BLD)
Day 7
Antananarivo$/$Resort$des:na:on&– Transfer to the airport to
fly out to the resort destination of your choice, chosen from the
options listed on the following pages.
Days 8 - 11
Resort$des:na:on$– Enjoy three additional nights at the resort
of your choice. Different excursions are offered from the
different resorts to the nearby protected areas, as described on
the page for each resort. On day 11, you fly back to the capital
to connect to your flight heading back to the USA.
Anjajavy is Madagascar's only "Relais et Châteaux"
luxury resort, a collection of 25 well-appointed
bungalows set in a fairly large private reserve bordering
a nice beach, some mangroves, small karstic limestone
formations known in Malagasy as "tsingy” (“mitsingy”
literally means "to walk on tiptoes”) and offering many
aquatic activities as well as several hiking possibilities
most notably to the neighboring Sakalava villages of
Anjajavy and Ambodro Ampasy where the original
owners of the resort were very supportive in building a
dispensary, a primary school, and starting several microlending schemes.
The lodge’s private nature reserve has a varied fauna
and flora, with some endemic species and some
introduced: Coquerel’s sifaka lemurs, Cuvier s spiny
iguana, birds of paradise, malachite kingfishers, pygmy
kingfishers, hummingbirds …
Access into and out of Anjajavy is exclusively on one of
the resort’s own private planes. Amenities and activities
at Anjajavy include: the pool, the sandy beach, walks in
the private reserve, hiking to the nearby villages, waterskiing, catamaran sailing, wind surfing, snorkeling,
canoeing in the sea or through the mangroves, mountain
biking, badminton, volleyball, or simply a friendly game
of pétanque ...
Located on one of the most beautiful beaches of the island called “Nosy Be” just off the northwestern shore
of Madagascar, the Royal Beach Hotel offers you a wide range of engaging activities. Whether enjoying a
balneotherapy treatment at the spa, the aromas and flavors at the “Nautile” restaurant or the pizzeria, the
gym, the bar, sailing, windsurfing, kite surfing, deep-sea fishing, jet skiing, canoeing, or the pleasant idleness
of sunbathing by the pool, you will not run out of options during your stay in this corner of paradise.
The island itself is the premier beach destination of Madagascar, and shelters a bona-fide protected area,
Lokobe Reserve, as well as a marine sanctuary around the deserted neighboring islet called Nosy Tanikely.
Situated in Madagascar on the island of Nosy
Komba, the finest island in the Nosy Be
archipelago and also known as “Lemur Island”,
the 4-star Tsara Komba Luxury Ecolodge hotel
nestles on a hillside between the forest and the
beach. All bungalows enjoy beautiful views
across the ocean.
The lodge features an architectural style that
blends traditional materials such as rosewood,
sohihy and ravinala with furniture made by local
craftsmen.
Enjoy a visit to nearby Ampangorinana, the small
village whose inhabitants have a long tradition of
crafts and embroidery. And make sure you spend
some quality time with the critter whose gave its
name to the island, the unique “komba” black
lemur, found in the wild only on Nosy Komba.
Nosy Boraha, known in colonial times as Sainte Marie” island, is home to the Princesse Bora Lodge, a
world-class resort lying near a tranquil lagoon on the leeward shore of Sainte-Marie, with charming small
“villas” tastefully designed for comfort and convenience, sheltering discreetly in a wide coconut grove by the
Ocean. The lodge has an excellent restaurant and a spa offering the expected range of treatments. Optional
activities offered by the lodge include snorkeling, diving, water-skiing, sailing, canoeing, fishing, biking,
whale-watching during the breeding season (July and August), and excursions to the various points of
historical and cultural interest around the island.
Sainte Marie is the East coast's secluded beach-holiday destination of choice. The long and narrow main
island (a couple of kilometers at its widest) is home to deserted sandy beaches and fishing villages, with not
much infrastructure to attract large-scale tourism. The main settlement, Ambodifotatra (the "fotatra" is the
Barringtonia racemosa tree, fairly widespread around the island) is a half-hour s bike ride North of the hotel.
It features has an old fort originally built by the "East Indies Company" in 1753 before being converted into a
gaol, a pirate's cemetery (the tombs have inscriptions in English, French or Arabic), the oldest church in
Madagascar, and a small and animated harbor.
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Idyllically located on Morondava’s Nosy Kely beach,
the outstanding Palissandre Côte Ouest Resort and
Spa blends rosewood, granite, and local materials
such as katrafay and mokotry, to provide the highest
levels of refinement and comfort to its guests, all in
the purest Malagasy tradition.
Guests enjoy the warm welcome, the attentive
service, the delicious cuisine, and the peaceful grace
of the wide sandy beach extending for miles between
the hotel and the great Mozambique Channel.
Excursion options: day trip to Baobab Alley and
Kirindy forest station; multi-day excursion to the
Tsingy of Bemaraha.
Tsingy&of&Bemaraha,&UNESCO&World&Heritage&Site&
The charming Soleil des Tsingy lodge is hands-down the top choice to visit the fantastic “Tsingy”
of Bemaraha National Park, a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site protecting a vast field of other-worldly
karstic formations. Activities include hikes into different portions of the tsingy, as well as leisurely walks down
to the edge of the Manambolo river, where guests can enjoy “lakana” rides. The lodge is in the tiny village of
Bekopaka, southern gateway to Bemaraha.
Access to Bekopaka requires a day-long drive from Morondava (home of the Palissandre Côte Ouest resort
and spa described on the previous page), with two river crossings that can involve a certain amount of
patience as you wait for the small “ferry”, across the Tsiribihina and the Manambolo rivers.
Soleil&des&Tsingy,&Bemaraha&
A few words about the different habitats
Andasibe s Analamazaotra Special Reserve is famous as the home of the babakoto indri lemur
( indr(o) means roughly there it is in Malagasy - a well-meaning guide for some early explorer must
have spotted a babakoto, pointed and shouted … and the rest is history). These largest of all living
lemurs are monogamous, and do not live in captivity anywhere in the world. They greet the morning
with a unique display of elaborate calls that echo throughout the forest. Several groups in the reserve
have become highly habituated and are therefore relatively easy to see. The forest also shelters the
beautiful diademed sifaka, grey bamboo lemurs and brown lemurs, as well as Parson’s chameleons
which can exceed half a meter in length, the Madagascar tree boa, and numerous birds including the
Madagascar blue pigeon, the blue coua, the Nelicourvi weaver, The Madagascar paradise flycatcher,
the blue vanga and the Madagascar buzzard. Nearby Mantadia National Park is quite similar if
somewhat more forbidding, hence less-often visited.
The area of Kirindy (the central Menabe ) is characterized by numerous habitats and species of the
West and Southwest of the island. In addition to the dry primary forest, the central Menabe also shelters
a transition zone between the dense deciduous dry forest of the West, and the arid spiny thicket of the
of the South. At least four diurnal species of
lemur are found here: Verreaux’s sifaka, the
brown lemur, the red-fronted lemur and the
ring-tailed lemur. Other mammals include the
giant jumping rat, the elusive fosa and the
striped civet (Fosa fossana). Many Birds
include the Madagascar crested ibis,
Madagascar sparrowhawk, Henst s goshawk,
Sakalava weaver, Archbold s newtonia,
Thamnornis warbler, Lantz s brush-warbler,
Sickle-billed vanga, and the Giant coua. The
most remarkable trees are the three species of
baobab: Adansonia grandidieri, A. za and A.
rubrostipa. Note that during the dry season, a
significant part of the local wildlife, especially
reptiles and amphibians, hibernate.
The UNESCO World Heritage site of
Bemaraha National Park is home to a vast
field of fantastic “tsingy” (literally “to walk on
tiptoes”) limestone formations of marine origin
that date back to the mid-Jurassic (200 million
years ago). The park also boasts eleven
species of lemur including Decken’s sifaka and
the red-fronted brown lemur, more than ninety
species of birds including the elusive fish
eagle, chameleons of all sizes (including the
“armored” Brookesia perarmata), and over 350
plant species including baobabs, the showy
Malagasy Flamboyant (Delonix regia, a.k.a.
“Flame tree”) now cultivated around the world,
as well as the unique wild banana native to
Madagascar, Musa perrieri.
Indri&at&Analamazaotra&
Besides its splendid beaches, Nosy Be (literally “great island”) hosts a bona fide low-altitude rainforest
at Lokobe Reserve sheltering two kinds of lemurs, the mongoose lemur and the dimorphic black lemur
(the male is black) - though the latter is much more easily seen on the nearby idyllic island of Nosy
Komba. The forest also contains many reptiles and amphibians including the panther chameleon and
the tiny Brookesia minima, the Madagascar ground boa, and the orange-backed Mantella betsileo frog.
Birds include the hook-billed vanga, the cuckoo roller, the Madagascar blue pigeon, the malachite
kingfisher, the Malagasy kingfisher, and the Madagascar paradise flycatcher. The underwater sanctuary
of tiny Nosy Tanikely nearby is a natural aquarium where colorful fish and turtles are protected by a
coral reef featuring the black coral Antipathes dichotoma.
Note: Three high-end ecolodges that are accessible by boat from Nosy Be are notable for being on
otherwise deserted and pristine islands with lovely sandy beaches. One lodge is Nosy Sakatia, a half
hour to the West of Nosy Be. The next closest is Nosy Iranja, about an hour to the West of Nosy Be.
The farthest lodge is Nosy Tsarabanjina, about one and a half hours to the North.
Baobab&Alley,&Morondava&
Included in this guided expedition:
* all lodging in Madagascar as in the itinerary
* meals as in the itinerary
* all domestic flights within Madagascar, including airport taxes and fees
* private vehicle and driver as required along the itinerary
* excursions, entrance fees and local guides in the parks and reserves
* English-speaking guide from Day 1 to Day 6 of the itinerary
Not included:
* any gratuities (a small tip at time of service is customary)
* any beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, including bottled water
* personal items such as phone, fax, laundry
* English-speaking guides are available to accompany you
from Day 7 to the end of the itinerary
1318 Santa Luisa Drive
Solana Beach, CA 92075
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Rue Rasamoelina
Ankadivato Ambony
Antananarivo
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MADAGASCAR
Why Madagascar?!
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Although Madagascar has over 1,800 miles of beautiful beaches and exceptionally good food,
its greatest attractions are its UNIQUE flora and fauna. Among the discoveries that await the traveler:
LEMURS These prosimian primates are found wild only in Madagascar. Some of the best known are:
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the nocturnal “dwarf” and “mouse” lemurs, no bigger than a mouse, found all over the island
the ring-tailed lemurs, seen in the South and Southwest
the agile sifaka, capable of repeatedly leaping 30 feet or more from branch to branch to branch …
the babakoto, “indri”, the largest living lemur, most easily seen in Analamazaotra Reserve
the aye-aye, most unique of all living lemurs, with a genus all to itself.
Propithecus diadema
EXOTIC BIRDS Five families of birds are endemic to Madagascar. Notable are:
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the marvelous vangas, found all over the island
the couas, including the beautiful crested coua, and the peewit, easily identified by its unique call
the Coracidae, sedentary insect feeders with brightly colored plumage
an abundance of aquatic birds in rice paddies and marshes, including herons and flamingoes
endemic birds of prey, such as eagles, falcons, and owls found only in Madagascar
more than 70 species of singing birds, including the two species of vasa parrots.
Euryceros prevostii
RARE PLANTS Madagascar boasts one of the richest floras in the world with more than 10,000 species
of vascular plants, over 80% of which are endemic to the island, including:
*  more than 1,000 different species of orchids, including the Comet Orchid (Angraecum
sesquipedale), the hawkmoth-pollinated species with an extraordinarily long nectar spur
*  Ravinala madagascariensis, or traveler’s tree", a striking tree with a water-storing “trunk”, in
the bird-of-paradise family
*  Raphia farinifera, raffia palm, found throughout the East
*  6 different species of baobabs, all of which are found only in Madagascar
*  two species of the carnivorous genus Nepenthes, or "pitcher plant”
*  the spiny thicket of the South, with its Didiereaceae, Euphorbiaceae and other xerophytes.
Mantella aurantiaca
OTHER ATTRACTIONS:
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reptiles, including chameleons, geckoes, turtles and tortoises, most of them endemic
amphibians (including brightly colored frogs), beautiful butterflies, moths and stick insects
unique mammals such as the fossa and other Madagascar Euplerids,
whales during the breeding season (July and August), fantastic coral reefs, and so much more…
Furcifer pardalis
Are you ready for Madagascar?!
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Changes, delays and occasional chaos are to this day part of traveling in
Madagascar, so potential visitors should be mentally ready for such mishaps to
avoid unhappy experiences. Visitors should also be aware of the health hazards,
the lack of safety equipment, the scarcity of medical facilities outside of
Antananarivo, and the fact that the medical facilities available in the country are
not up to international standards. Traveling to Madagascar remains an adventure.
Varecia variegata
If one requires more than basic comfort (food and shelter), expects one’s trip to happen exactly as
outlined in the brochure, is shaken by unexpected and sometimes drastic changes, or is not in good
health or physical condition, then Madagascar – at this time – is not the right destination.
If, on the other hand, one has a spirit of adventure akin to that of the early explorers, is willing to trade some
aggravation and discomfort for incredible flora and unique wildlife in a pristine land, and welcomes the unexpected
as the very essence of adventure travel, then Madagascar will prove to be the destination of a lifetime.