After arriving in Antananarivo (or Tana, as it is known by the locals) late pm, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Antananarivo is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is buzzing with activity and full of people flooding the streets, selling everything you could imagine! Tana (as the locals call it) resembles a Mediterranean hill town and exploring its rich cultural and architectural sites on foot is relatively easy (as long as you are willing to climb hundreds of ancient stone steps).

Overnight Hotel

This morning you will be met with your guide and driver who will be with you for the next 13 days we will drive for 2h to arrive to Andasibe National Park. (approx. 2 – 3 hours driving time).  En-route we will stop at a farm specialising in Madagascan reptiles and butterflies. This afternoon you will get a chance to stroll around the private reserve  – lemur island with the opportunity to spot lemurs and crocodiles. This evening, take a twilight/nocturnal walk, looking out for the nocturnal species of lemur by catching their eyes in the torchlight.

Overnight Hotel

Today we will explore Andasibe National Park.

Overnight Hotel

After breakfast you will meet your guide and we will set out by car to Antsirabe.

Antsirabe is a tidy, well maintained town which combines the tranquility of a small European provincial town with the exuberance of traditional Malagasy buildings. The third largest city in Madagascar, Antsirabe is known for its relatively cool climate (as the rest of the central region of the country), its industry and the high concentration of pulled rickshaws.

Along the way you can choose to stop off and visit Ambatolampy (the biggest town between Tana and Antsirabe) where we may get the chance to see craftsmen building aluminium pots amongst other things.  Alternatively, if time allows, you can also visit Lake Tritriva which is a 2 hour round trip to a stunning lake of volcanic origin with blue/green waters, surrounded by beautiful scenery – walking around the lake will take approximately 1 hour, during this time we will likely meet many local Malagasy people. Where we will stop and what you will do today will depend on your preferences. Today will be a great chance to experience Malagasy life on the road!

Overnight Hotel.

Today we will head by car to Anraikiba Lake. This reservoir provides the drinking water for Antsirabe. We will visit the lake and see the rice fields, fruit and vegetable plantations. We then head on, as we reach the village of Belazoo we will be able to see Mount Tritriva and we continue on to reach another, more spectacular lake – Lake Tritriva

This Crater Lake with its volcanic landscape was formed following the collapse of the now extinct volcano.
Nestled at an altitude of about 1880m to the hollow of a small mountain, Tritriva Lake is a very sacred lake with much history. We will learn about some of this history whilst we visit this area and local market. After a picnic lunch we will start our cycle – back to Antsirabe through multiple small villages and rice fields as we get to experience authentic Malagasy life.

Overnight Hotel

This morning we will set off for Ranomafana National Park

Overnight Lodge

We will head out on a forest trail today and have lunch in the park, so we should get a chance to see much of the wildlife first hand throughout the day.

Ranomafana is particularly rich and beautiful, a mountainous subtropical park which contains lowland moist forest, cloud forest and high plateau forest and is the home to a large number of lemur species (13 in total), as well as 118 birds and more than 70 amphibians and reptiles so is really a great place to see some of the unique species living in Madagascar. Lemurs include the brown lemur, golden bamboo lemur and the exceptionally rare greater bamboo lemur which is relatively easy to see in Ranomafana. Wildlife viewing is good all year round but is most productive from mid-Sept to May.

Overnight Lodge

Today we will head to Ambalavao.

Overnight Hotel

Today we arrive at the edge of the Mananatanana, in the village of Iarintsena. This village is actively involved in the development of rural tourism.

After preparing our boats, we board the kayak or raft for our new adventure.
The first crocodiles are waiting for you, only a few minutes after departure. Over the course of the day, you will see even more crocodiles, although you have to remain quiet and calm due of the timid nature of this elite predator, which is still hunted for its meat, skin and oil.

In the evening, we will set up our camp to face the mountain of “lying woman” that dominates the Antsakaviro reserve.

Overnight Hotel

The reserve is only 1 km from the camp and we will enjoy using the rays of the sunrise to guide us to the remains of this forest, which is set in gigantic puzzle blocks.

It is a great opportunity to encourage local people to protect the natural heritage of their land and is also a beautiful walk in the shadow of the impressive mountainside of Antsakaviro. On the way, we will discover many graves, including the impressive standing stones called the vatolahy, which means locally “the male stone”, and stand as a tribute to the tumultuous past of this region.

We will arrive back at camp at approximately 10:30 from here we paddle a short distance to our picnic area which is often visited by crocodiles. From here we only have a few more miles to the finish of our descent. We will arrive 400 meters away from where we met our car and driver, from which we will head back to Ambalavao.

Overnight Hotel

After breakfast, we will start our drive to Anja Park, which lasts a little more than 3 hours.

After visiting the reserve we will drive to our next destination – the Tsaranoro Valley (approx. 2 hrs away).  This afternoon we can explore on a short trekking adventure or simply relax. Our accommodation here will be a traditional bungalow situated at the foot of Tsaranoro’s cliff.

This afternoon we will be able to go on a short trek to explore the area or simply relax.

Overnight Bungalows

We will spend today exploring this stunning area on foot and meeting all the locals.

Visiting the Tsaranoro Valley is a fantastic opportunity to see Madagascar in all its natural glory.  Prepare to be enchanted by the astounding landscapes, stunning red land and the beautiful and awe-inspiring Massif of Andringitra. You will be able to see many kinds of orchids, three sorts of palms including one kind which is endemic to the Andringitra, chameleons, lizards, snakes, batrachians, birds including the famous peregrine falcon as well as the especially friendly Catta (ring-tailed) Lemurs living in small families around the camp. The spectacular rock walls of the massif and the mind-blowingly beautiful valley offer numerous climbing routes and hiking trails and a thriving village which can be visited.  

We will also have the chance to visit the base for our local agents reforestation effort (a passion which is shared (via wood-en-stock) by Pioneer Expeditions). Here we will have the opportunity to visit and see the reforestation effort for ourselves.  Depending on the time of year we may also get to plant some young saplings.

Overnight Bungalow

Today we must start our long journey back to Tana, so we will head to Ambositra.

Ambositra is a city in central Madagascar. High on a plateau surrounded by misty green peaks, It is also the arts-and-crafts capital of Madagascar and there are over 25 artisans’ shops, selling woodcarvings, raffia baskets, polished stones, marquetry (objects inlaid with colored woods) and paintings. Ambositra is a picturesque and lively town, full of tall red-brick Betsileo houses lining its crooked streets.

Overnight Hotel

We will head back to Tana today. You will have time to visit the handicraft market in Tana and enjoy the rest of the day as wish.

Overnight Hotel

See options on pdf itinerary.  Contact Pioneer for beach extension costs