2by2 for holidays that will change your life
Request A Quote |  Consult An Expert
01582 766122
Madagascar Holidays Madagascar Tours Vacations Lemurs Nosy Be Anjajavy
Change Currency:
You are here: Home » Detailed Itinerary

Ranomafana + Isalo + Bemarah Tsingys (South & West)
RPX14A

14 NIGHTS
FROM $3,769
International flights quoted separately
This private tour combines the best of southern & western Madagascar, with excellent opportunities for walking - travelling from Antananarivo to the lemurs of Ranomafana &  Isalo National Parks, including walking on the Tsaranoro Massif in Andringitra. Complete your holiday walking through the fascinating Tsingys of Bemaraha. Less 10% for 4+ pax.
HIGHLIGHTS
Safari Holiday Madagascar Safari Holidays Madagascar Safari Vacation Madagascar Safari Vacations
• Ambositra • Zafimaniry • Ranomafana • Lemurs
• Fianarantso • Tsaranoro Massif • Isalo • Kirindy
• Tsingys • Boababs
Day 1
You will be met at Antananarivo Airport and transferred to your hotel in the capital city of the enormous island of Madagascar.
 
Check in to your hotel and relax in your warm surroundings.
 
Before leaving the airport, remember to withdraw local currency from the cash machine for lunches along the way (approx 15,000 ariary per person) and buy plenty of bottled drinking water for your journey
Day 2
Today we leave Antananarivo and travel 5-hours past terraced rice paddies and traditional red clay houses to Ambositra in the central highlands.
 
We pass through the small city of Ambatolampy, an agricultural centre known for its aluminium factory, and stop at the foot of the Ankaratra Massif, which is the third highest summit on the island.
 
We travel through the thermal springs city of Antsirabe, established by Norwegian missionaries and today the agricultural and industrial centre of Madagascar, where we view local arts & crafts, including embroidery and the cutting of semi-precious stones.
 
We continue  to Ambositra, noted primarily for its master woodcarvers and furniture manufacturing. We check into our hotel in the capital of the Zafimaniry region, which is a veritable work of art - with many shutters and walls carved in geometric designs.
Day 3
Today we leave Ambositra and drive 2.5-hours to Ranomafana, stopping along the way at the Lalatsara Reserve, before continuing our drive through high altitude rain forests.
 
We check into our hotel in Ranomafana (meaning "hot water"), a thermal spring that is home to one of Madagascar's best known national parks and in the evening enjoy a visit to the Ranomafana Rainforest hoping to see nocturnal species such as the microcebus red mouse lemur (the smallest primate in the world) and the fossa, a member of the civet family and the largest carnivore in Madagascar.
Day 4
Today we visit Ranomafana National Park, a huge rain forest and one of the most important national parks in Madagascar, as it is home to 12 different species of lemurs including two of the rarest in the world - the greater bamboo lemur and the golden bamboo lemur, which has strange eating habits.
 
This rain forest is also home to 29 species of mammals, several species of viverrids, ring tailed mongoose, about 100 species of birds and a wide variety of butterflies, insects and unusual reptiles including lizards, chameleons and frogs.
Day 5
This morning we travel from Ranomafana to the old city of Fianarantsoa, a World Heritage site, for a guided tour of this ancient regional capital with its Royal Palace and Lac Anosy.
 
We continue through the winelands of Ambalavao where we can visit a hand made papyrus factory, where papyrus made from the trees of the rain forest was formerly used by astronomers but is now mainly used for decoration. After 3-hours of travel, we check into our hotel in Andringitra.
Day 6
Today we spend a full day exploring the Tsaranoro Massif in Andringitra National Park, that stretches across some of the most spectacular granite terrain in the southern hemisphere.
 
The region is a primary habitat of the ringtailed lemur, or lemur catta. These loquacious creatures with their distinctive striped tails will inevitably be encountered during any trekking or climbing expedition. The area is also home to over thirty species of orchid, several species of falcon, innumerable lizards, chameleons, snakes, and spiders. This exceptionally rich biodiversity is partly the result of the collision of subtropical and alpine climates within an ecosystem found nowhere else on earth, and partly due to Andringitra’s unique variety of landscapes and habitats.
 
The national park is criss-crossed by hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails and is a walker’s paradise, with numerous excursions possible from a mildly demanding walk to a full day hike. Full blown wilderness expeditions are also possible, for which a high level of fitness and a local guide are essential. The Tsaranoro Massif has also been explored by rock climbers worldwide in search of big-wall climbing adventures.
Day 7
This morning enjoy a short walk in the granite Tsaranoro Valley, known as the Yosemite of Africa and home to ring-tailed lemurs. We then travel 5-hours from Andringitra as we take the road across the Plateau of Horombe, a rocky expanse of land known as the "Door of the South" to Ranohira.
 
Time permitting, along the way we also visit Anja Private Reserve - a scenic landscape of forest, hills and valleys located on 8 acres of community land famous for its endemic maki catta (ring tailed) lemurs, which are one of the most vocal of the 33 species in Magagascar. The small nocturnal microcebus lemur can also be spotted here. Anja also boasts wonderful rock formations and is home to some of the country’s rarest plants and many different chameleons (there are about 150 types of chameleons in the world, half of which are found in Madagascar).
 
The landscape changes into rocky mountains and savannah as we travel to Ranohira, where we arrive in the late afternoon and check into our hotel.
Day 8
Today enjoy a full day exploring on foot the vast Isalo National Park, an eroded sandstone mountain whose rocks have been carved into many strange formations by the winds.
 
The ruiniform massif has many deep and narrow canyons and a 1-hour walk will take you to the lush palm-lined oasis of Piscine Naturelle. A 3-hour walk across deep canyons with riparian forests will take you to the Canyon des Singes.
 
The canyons of the park shelter over 55 bird species, including the red vanga, 3 species of lemur (the maki catta or ring tailed lemur, the sifaka and the varika), geckos, chameleons and many other reptiles and amphibians. You will also see many endemic flora, including succulent plants such as pachypodium, tapia, aloes and pandanus.
Day 9
Today we travel for 4-hours from Ranohira to the southern city of Tulear, for your flight to Antananarivo.
 
We travel through the dry forests of the west and the spiny deserts of the south. We pass through the sapphire mining village of Ilakaka and along the way you will see giant baobab trees, whose strange bare branches look like they are planted upside down. You will also see the spectacular Mahafaly tombs - unusual funeral carvings unique to the southern region, which express the life and fertility of the deceased.
 
You will be dropped off at Tulear Airport for your flight to Antananarivo, where you will be met and transferred to your airport hotel.
 
Day 10
Transfer to Antananarivo Airport for your flight to Morondava, where you will be met by your driver/guide and transferred 2.5-hour to Kirindy.
 
Kirindy is a privately managed forest in one of Madagascar's most threatened ecosystems. After enjoying a picnic lunch, we visit the dry deciduous Marofandilia Forest, which is said to have the greatest density of primates in the world - with eight species of lemur including the world’s smallest primate, the pygmy mouse lemur, and 23 species of other mammals including fosa, the lemurs’ main predator.
 
This forest is home to a number of endemic reptiles and the giant jumping rat. We also hope to see two endangered nocturnal species - the sifaka (or dancing lemur) and the gidro (or brown lemur). The flora is equally unique, with several species found only at Kirindy.
 
Before leaving Antananarivo, remember to withdraw local currency from the cash machine for lunches along the way (approx 15,000 ariary per person) and buy plenty of bottled drinking water for your journey
Day 11
This morning we depart Kirindy and travel 1-hour to Bedo Lake, which is home to a wide diversity of flora and 35 species of water birds, including the endangered Madagascar teal, Madagascar plover, Madagascar heron, migratory greater and lesser flamingos, as well as big-headed turtles.
 
We continue 5-hours to Belo on Tsiribihina, with picnic lunch along the way. We take four different ferries to cross the various rivers along the way, before checking into our hotel in Bemaraha in the late afternoon.
Day 12
Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve has been declared a World Heritage site because of its lemur population, preserved mangrove forests and wild birds, but it is best know for its Tsingy - sharp limestone pinnacles that reach up to 150 feet in height and are cut through with canyons and gorges rich in fauna and flora (Tsingy means “walking on the feet tips" in the Malagasy language).
 
This morning we descend into the Manambolo Gorges on a traditional “pirogue” canoe, with a picnic lunch (included). In the afternoon we visit the small Tsingys and the caves.  You may see some different lemur species such as the Sifaka or the Gidro and if you’re lucky, you might see the famous Aye-Aye. You can also observe the characteristic xerophyte flora of this area, including pachypodiums and arofys.
Day 13
Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve covers an area of over 250 square miles (666 square km) and only a portion of this great park can be accessed by visitors.
 
Today we travel by car to the start of our walking tour of the great massif. The park offers a range of tours with various levels of difficulty, all requiring a guide, with the 4 to 5-hour Andamozavaky tour being the most difficult. Whilst exploring the Tsingys on foot, you can look for Decken's Sifaka, red-fronted brown lemurs and the critically endangered Madagascar fish eagle, amongst others (picnic lunch included).
Day 14
Today we spend a full day on the road, as we depart from Bemaraha in the morning for the 7-hour drive to Morondava.
 
After enjoying a picnic lunch (included) and the "Bottle Baobabs" of Morondava, in the late afternoon we arrive at Baobab Alley in time to watch the sunset framed by these strange gigantic "upside down" trees. We later check into our hotel in Morondava.
Day 15
Transfer to Morondava Airport for your flight to Antananarivo and onward flight home.
 
When you transit via Nairobi Airport, you will be met and transferred to a nearby hotel where you will have the use of a day room. before being transferred back to Nairobi Airport for your flight home.
 
Note: you will need to purchase a transit visa to leave Naoribi airport.
Site Map
Regions
Themes
Airlines
Other Useful Links