Great adventure to madagascar south extreme

 An invitation to take part in the great adventure through sometimes boring tracks, discovery of the various villages, meeting with a welcoming and smiling population! It is a real experience both incredible and unforgettable in life.

Begins with the crossing of the highlands with beautiful scenery, continues with a pleasant descent by train to Manakara: an impressive fabulous landscape and waterfalls, crossing various villages along the railway and discovering the different ways of life of the inhabitants, then a part of discovery of the Pangalanes waterway.

 The adventure continues across the coastal track through Fort-Dauphin to Tuléar. You will discover the various beautiful sites and very isolated regions of Madagascar accessible only by 4×4.

Highlights of this tour

v  Discovery of the highlands: from the capital to Antsirabe

v  Adventure in the little train of the East coast: Fianarantsoa to Manakara

v  Adventure during the excursion on the part of the Pangalanes waterway in Manakara

v  Adventurous trails and river crossings by more than 10 ferries

v  Discovery of Lokaro Bay

v  Discovery of the Andohahela Park: "between two universes".

v  Discovery of the Berenty reserve

v  Discovery of the Cap Sainte Marie Reserve

v  Discovery of the National Park of Tsimanampetsotsa

v  The fishing village of Anakao

v  Discovery of the island of Nosy be

v  Water sport exploration

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Antananarivo

DAY 2: Antananarivo - Antsirabe

DAY 3: Antsirabe - Ambositra

DAY 4: Ambositra - Fianarantsoa

DAY 5: Fianarantsoa - Sahasinaka - Manakara

DAY 6: Manakara

DAY 7: Manakara - Vangaindrano

DAY 8: Vangaindrano - Manantenina

DAY 9: Manantenina - Fort Dauphin

DAY 10: Fort Dauphin - Andohahela

DAY 11: Fort Dauphin

DAY 12: Fort Dauphin - Berenty

DAY 13: Berenty - C ap Sainte Marie

DAY 14: Cap Sainte Marie - Lavanono

DAY 15: Lavanono - Itampolo

DAY 16: Itampolo - Anakao 

DAY 17: Anakao

DAY 18: Anakao - Tuléar

DAY 19: Tulear - Antananarivo

DAY 20: Antananarivo - Country of origin

Specific information for the tour

·    Tour for 20 days/19 nights

·    From 02 persons

·    Accommodation in comfortable hotels and lodges

·    4WD vehicle with the driver and professional English or Italian or Spanish speaking guide according to your request.

·    Accessible between May and October.

Tour category

ADVENTURE, DISCOVERY, SOLIDARITY

Activities

·         Hiking by train, by car and by canoe

·         Discovery of fauna and flora in national and private parks and reserves

·         Meeting and exchange with the local population

·         Various nautical sports activities

Group size

Unlimited number but at least 4 people for a guaranteed departure.

Regions

Highlands, South-East and South

Important information

Train routes are set at the following frequencies:

·    Fianarantsoa - Manakara: Tuesday and Saturday

·    Manakara - Fianarantsoa: Wednesday and Sunday

Day 1: Arrival in Antananarivo 

Our team will meet you at the airport on your arrival. Transfer to the hotel, presentation of your tour program and delivery of your travel documents. Possibility to visit the city according to your flight schedule. Dinner and night at the hotel.

·    Duration: 3 hours 

·    Distance: 20 km 

·    Accommodation: ROVA HOTEL or Similar 

Day 2: Road to Antsirabe: "the city of waters"    

Departure for Antsirabe. Discovery of the Central Highlands with their rice fields and red laterite brick houses. Crossing the magnificent landscapes along a winding road lined with small waterfalls extending the view over carpets of rice fields arranged in terraces. Lunch on the way. A short stop in Ambatolampy to visit the aluminium foundry, the art of pot making and other items. Continuation of the road, you will enjoy the beautiful landscape, rocks, fertile plain with volcanic soil. Arrival in Antsirabe, visit of the town of Vakinankaratra, from the avenue to the thermal baths by walking with the rickshaw, depending on the weather, possibility to visit workshops of gemstone cutters and zebu horn makers. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

·    Duration: around 4 hours 

·    Distance: 170 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast 

·    Accommodation: GREEN PARK HOTEL or Similar 

Day 3: Visit of the two lakes: Tritriva and Andraikiba then road to Ambositra the Zafimaniry workshops 

After breakfast, visit of two lakes around Antsirabe: The first one, Tritriva: located at the bottom of a large volcano crater, Tritriva is a beautiful lake, especially when the weather is good. Its clear and dark blue waters give it a very restful aspect of purity. You will be able to make the tour, during which you will have different points of view on the lake, it was sacred for the population. The second one, Andraikiba is a rather large lake which was formed in the crater of an ancient volcano. It is surrounded by a track that allows you to go around it, with some souvenir shops. Lunch at the restaurant then departure for Ambositra at 2 hours’ drive, it is the city of the Malagasy craft industry. Visit of the workshops, shops of Malagasy arts and crafts including marquetry and wood carving specific to the Zafimaniry country. Installation at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

·    Duration: about 03 hours driving time 

·    Distance: 50km + 90 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast 

·    Accommodation: SOA GUEST HOUSE or Similar 

Day 4: Visit of the small reserve of lemurs on the road to the land Betsileo 

Departure for Fianarantsoa after breakfast, a short stop to visit the reserve where some species of lemurs can be found. Arrival in Fianarantsoa towards the end of the morning, installation at the hotel, lunch at the restaurant. During the afternoon, discovery of the city and visit of some local companies: car making, wine making. Installation at your hotel.

·    Duration: around 03 hours 

·    Distance: 150 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast 

·    Accommodation: TSARA GUEST HOUSE or Similar 

Day 5: The train journey from Fianarantsoa - Manakara 

Breakfast very early in the morning as the train is scheduled to leave at 07:00, the car will drop us off at the train station and we will leave for a really lush journey through the landscape to Manakara. The landscape is fabulous and at each stop, the villagers sell their specialties, take a snack anyway. Picnic lunch. We get off at PK 116 at Sahasinaka station. A small track joins the RN 12 which connects Manakara to the RN 25, and we will be lucky because the Faraony waterfall is 4 km from this station. With its 40 m height, it remains one of the most beautiful in Madagascar. The car comes to pick us up there, and we will continue the road by car to Manakara. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and night at the hotel.

·    Duration: 7 to 10 hours by train 

·    Distance: about 170km + 4km (Alt. 23m)  

·    Meals included: Breakfast, Picnic lunch 

·    Accommodation: LES DELICES or Similar 

Day 6: Excursion by dugout canoe on the Pangalanes waterway

After breakfast, we will go to the pier for a day trip by dugout canoe on the Pangalanes waterway to the fishermen's village. Visit of a vanilla plantation and an essential oil distillery. The boat man and the guide will prepare a picnic lunch for us on the spot. Return to Manakara in the afternoon. Discovery of the city then walk on the beach. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

·    Duration: All day 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch 

·    Accommodation: LES DELICES or similar 

Day 7: Manakara - Vangaindrano 

After breakfast, departure for Vangaindrano following the state road 12. You begin the discovery of the eastern part of Madagascar by passing through the village of Vohipeno, the capital of the descendants of Arabs in Madagascar. This locality is the origin of the Antemoro

ethnic group and its cultures: strongly Islamic, with its royal houses. On arriving in Vangaindrano, installation and night in a lodge or tent.

·    Duration: about 07 hours

·    Distance: 184 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner 

·    Accommodation: In a rural cottage or tent in the village 

Day 8: Vangaindrano - Manantenina 

Departure early in the morning after breakfast to Vangaindrano and road to Manantenina, through a landscape of arid and desert plains of the southern depths, characterized by the humid climate of the Southeast and its rich forest... Along the way, we can discover plantations of cloves, coffee... Picnic lunch. Arrival in Manantenina at the end of the day. Installation and night in camp.

·    Duration: about 07 hours of road and track 

·    Distance: 128 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

·    Accommodation: Tent 

Day 9: Manantenina - Fort Dauphin 

Morning departure, you will enjoy the sunrise. Track to Fort-Dauphin. You will have time to enjoy and appreciate the varied landscapes and climates, from the humid climate of the Southeast and its lush forest to the climate of the arid desert plain. Picnic lunch. Dinner and installation, night at the hotel.

·    Duration: about 07 hours

·    Distance: 110 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch 

·    Accommodation: LE PORT HÔTEL or Similar 

Day 10: Libanona beach and Nahampoana reserve 

After breakfast, you will discover the museum of Fort Flacourt then stroll on the famous beach of Libanona which is the only beach in town. In the afternoon, visit of the Nahampoana reserve. Half-day excursion in the park. Several species of lemurs in the park. Return to the hotel at the end of the afternoon and overnight at the same hotel.

·    Duration: All day 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch 

·    Accommodation: LE PORT HÔTEL or Similar 

Day 11: Discovery of the National Park of Andohahela 

After breakfast early in the morning, departure to join the Andohahela National Park, it is a place full of contrasts taking you to discover the "between two universes". This park covers an area of 76 020 ha, and is home to three types of ecosystems with a rich biodiversity and diversity of landscapes: in the east, with a hot and humid climate, a dense tropical rainforest awaits you, on the contrary, the western part where with a hot and dry climate, a semi-arid dry forest is dominant. Between these two extremes, a transition zone with a warm climate and average rainfall will allow you to move smoothly from one to the other. It is bursting with a variety of unique plant species. Note that more than 85% of the plants growing in Andohahela are medicinal plants. An endemic species not found elsewhere is Dypsisdecaryi, a variety of palm called triangular palm or trihedral palm. You will discover 6 species of Didiereaceae endemic to the South and more than 200 varieties of ferns. Other wonders, in addition to the beautiful baobabs, discover the Vanilla Madagascariensisor Vahinamalo, an aphrodisiac plant, the Cedrelopsisgreveiior Katrafay reputed to be an anti-diarrheal to relieve tense muscles, but also the Uncarinagrandidierior Farehitra known to stimulate hair growth.

As far as wildlife is concerned, depending on the habitat, biodiversity varies considerably. You will discover species of iguanas not found in America but also 13 species of lemurs including the Eulemurfulvuscollaris, the Catta Lemur and the Propithecusverreauxi. In addition to a variety of species of reptiles and amphibians but also diurnal and nocturnal species, for the bird, it presents 65% of endemicity on the 129 species listed.

Possibility of discovering the 3 mountains of the park including Mount Andohahela, Mount Trafonomby and Mount Vohidagoro but visit with a 4WD car. Night at the lodge.

·    Duration: All day 

·    Distance: 50 km 

·    Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner 

·    Accommodation: Camping in the park 

Day 12: Visit of the private reserve ofBerenty

Departure for the private reserve of Berenty, a reserve in the middle of a sisal plantation whose cultivation and processing is one of the first economic resources of the region. You will travel through a landscape of dense vegetation with the presence of the "Nepenthès", a carnivorous plant that feeds mainly on insects and a wetter and warmer climate specific to the East coast. Then, you will pass through the mountainous barrier of the Anosy mountain range by climbing the Ranopiso pass, and discover the lush semi-arid landscape of the Great South. Installation at the lodge. Picnic lunch. Visit of the reserve of Berenty and in the early evening guided tour to discover various species of nocturnal lemurs. Dinner and night at the lodge.

·    Duration: about 2 hours 

·    Distance: 55 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner 

·    Accommodation: Gite de Berenty 

Day 13: RoadfromBerenty to Cap Sainte Marie 

Early breakfast and departure for Cape Sainte Marie. You will pass through many small villages as well as many sisal plantations. Cape Sainte Marie also called TanjonaVohimena which is the southernmost point of Madagascar. This place breathes perfection and attracts the most courageous travelers by the impression of the end of the world that it offers. Discovery! Cap Sainte-Marie is 62 km from Tsihombe and 250 km from Fort-Dauphin. This is where the two oceans meet: the Indian Ocean and the Mozambique Channel. Covering an area of 1750ha, Cape Sainte Marie is best known for its beautiful sandy beach with magnificent dunes, its lagoon of rare calm separated from the Indian Ocean by a long barrier of black reefs and a superb working lighthouse from where one can admire the sea as far as the South Pole and Antarctica. This also attracts adventurers and nature lovers to this site, are its cliff landscapes, real spots for the observation of the fairy show of the migration of humpback whales from June to October. Picnic lunch. Arrival in mid-afternoon and installation at the camp. Dinner and night at the camp.

·    Duration: about 07 hours

·    Distance: 198 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

·    Accommodation: Camp in tent at Cap Sainte Marie 

Day 14: Discovery of the Cap Sainte Marie reserve then reach Lavanono 

After breakfast, departure for the special reserve of Cap Sainte Marie, to discover its cliffs, its dwarf vegetation and its marine biodiversity. It is also nature in all its splendor. This site shelters a natural reserve managed by Madagascar National Parks to preserve the radiata turtles which are there in their natural environment. There are no less than 3000 radiata turtles per square kilometer in Cape Sainte-Marie. Finally, it is in this site that we found the traces of the famous and mythical elephant bird "Aepyornismaximus, called VOROMBE in Malagasy. Whole eggs and pieces of shell are still visible in the sand dunes of Cape Sainte Marie. Much to the delight of scientists from all over the world, who have been interested in them for years. This rare specimen, with a height of 3m and a weight of half a ton lived exclusively in Madagascar. It would have lived at Cap Sainte Marie for about 60 million years before dying out in the 17th century. Picnic lunch. In the early afternoon, road to reach the village of Lavanono. Dinner and night at the lodge.

·    Duration: 2h30mn of track + 3h of visit 

·    Distance: 40 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner 

·    Accommodation: Gite de Chez Gigi (or similar) 

Day 15: Lavanono - Itampolo

After breakfast, departure early in the morning as it is a very long day on the track to reach Itampolo. This road crosses wide open spaces where Didieréacées, Euphorbiacées and Aloès grow. It will certainly remain one of the most beautiful memories of your trip to Madagascar. Picnic lunch. Dinner and night at the gite.

·    Duration: about 10 hours

·    Distance: 220 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner 

·    Accommodation: At the lodge ofSud-Sud (or similar) 

Day 16 : Discovery of the Tsimanampetsotsa reserve then road to Anakao

Early breakfast before driving to Anakao. The track is dotted with baobabs and some beautiful examples of Malagasy funerary art. Note that it is often hot in this part of the island and the track can sometimes be damaged.

Stopping at the village of Ambola to visit and discover the park of Tsimanampetsotsa: Colonies of pink flamingos decorate its lake and the mysterious blind cave fish, the Typhleotismadagscariensis, populate the waters of its sacred caves which are derived from collapsing limestone, allowing the formation of a network of underground water. Tsimanampetsotsa attracts many scientists because of its exceptional wealth of flora characterized by a dense xerophilic forest on the limestone plateau: thousand-year-old baobabs, Pachypodiums, banyan trees. The lake is special because it is the only Salt Lake in Madagascar, the 5th largest lake of the Big Island: about 15km long by 2.5km wide and 2m deep. Its surface varies according to the periods of the year between 1,600 and 2,900 ha. It is also impressive by its color which changes 3 times in one day: from white because of the concentration of lime sulfate and white clay to topaz green, passing through turquoise blue. Because of this characteristic, no fish can survive there, hence its name Tsimanampetsotsa literally translates "without dolphin". Its shores are animated by numerous species of birds, most of them endemic, including the Verreaux'sCoua, Archbold'sNewtonia, the Madagascar Plover and the Vanga de Lafresnaye. During the dry season, between April and November, groups of pink flamingos and lesser flamingos nest there. The park is also home to four species of lemurs including the famous Catta Lemur, Propithecusverreauxii, 39 species of reptiles among them the radiated turtles or Geocheloneradiata, a species endemic to the southern region, threatened with extinction, 112 species of birds as well as the Grandidier's mongoose or Galidictisgrandidieri, a mammal species that is endemic to the park. Picnic lunch.

The coastline of the Mozambique Channel is exceptional and really worth a visit. Anakao is a picturesque fishing village where the return of the fishermen rhythm the days and constitutes in itself a true spectacle. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

·    Duration: about 8 hours

·    Distance: 160 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast, picnic lunch 

·    Accommodation: SAFARI VEZO or similar 

Day 17: Free day in Anakao

Free day without car in Anakao. Various activities will be at your choice: sailing pirogue trip to visit the pirate island "Nosy Ve" by discovering the nest of the straw bird, water sport namely kit surf, snorkeling, ... You can also enjoy the beach and visit the fishermen's village. Possibility to meet the fishermen. Dinner and night at the hotel. 

·    Meals included: Breakfast 

·    Accommodation: SAFARI VEZO or Similar 

Day 18: Boat trip to reach the city of Tulear 

After breakfast, transfer by boat to Tulear. The car is already waiting for you at the pier and will transfer you to the hotel. Afternoon free otherwise you have the choice between visiting the museum, shopping and discovering the city and the market of Tuléar.

·    Meals included: Breakfast 

·    Accommodation: LE PALETUVIER hotel or Similar 

Day 19: Flight to the Capital and discovery of the city 

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and flight to the capital. Lunch at the restaurant. You have time to visit the city center and enjoy the sunset at the panoramic viewpoint of the upper town. Then installation at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

·    Duration: 1h30mn 

·    Distance: 650 km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast 

·    Accommodation: SAHAMALAZA or Similar 

Day 20: Cultural and historical discovery then Return to the country of origin

After breakfast, take the national road RN3 for a cultural and historical discovery by visiting the Royal Palace in Ambohimanga Rova. On the way, a stop to visit a center that takes care of autistic children and young people. This is the Padre Pio Charity House, supported by our Tour Operator in its charitable activities. Depending on your flight schedule, possibility to discover Malagasy handicrafts at the dam market. Free dinner and meeting with our team. Day use at the hotel then transfer to the airport, flight back to your home country.

·    Duration: All day  

·    Distance: More than 20km 

·    Meals included: Breakfast and dinner 

·    Accommodation: SAHAMALAZA or Similar