Flying Circuit & Anjajavy Package, 15 Days

15 days with Mandrare, Manafiafy and Anjajavy by scheduled charter
Arrival and departure from Tana

Day 1	Arrival in Antananarivo
Day 2 - 5	Mandrare
Day 6 - 9	Manafiafy
Day 10	Manafiafy - Fort Dauphin - Antananarivo
Day 11 - 13	Anjajavy
Day 14	Anjajavy - Antananarivo
Day 15	Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Antananarivo

Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by our English speaking guide who will accompany you to your hotel in the upper town of Antananarivo. ‘Tana’ – as the locals call it has fascinating traditional architecture and a more Indonesian influence than the rest of Madagascar.

Overnight at Maison Gallieni (Half board)

Day 2: Antananarivo – Mandrare River Camp (Scheduled charter flight @9.30/12.30)

After breakfast, you will transfer back to Ivato Airport in time for your scheduled charter flight to Ifotaka (3 hours). Upon arrival you will be met by our guide and vehicle and transfer to the camp. Settle into your tent and enjoy the majestic views over the Mandrare River. Around 5pm you will depart for a night walk in the Forest of Zenavo. This is a fantastic way to see diurnal lemurs bedding down, and the nocturnal lemurs begin to wake in the eerie and prehistoric Spiny Forest. You will spot sifakas and sleeping white-foot sportive lemurs, then once the sun has set, two mouse lemur species, sleeping birds, chameleons, owls and now active sportive lemurs.

Overnight at Mandrare River Camp in a Luxury Tent (All inclusive)

Day 3: Mandrare River Camp

After breakfast you will head out to the stunning Sacred Gallery Forest to the south of the camp. Depending on the river depth, you will walk or take a boat across the Mandrare River to reach this largely deciduous forest. Inquisitive groups of ring tailed lemurs and the always entertaining Verreaux sifaka are the highlight of this excursion. Return to camp for lunch and a relaxed afternoon by the pool. In late afternoon, head for a walk through the Sacred Spiny Forest filled with the ancestral tombs of the local Antandroy tribe, as well as an extraordinary array of flora and fauna, unique to the spiny forest. Your English speaking guide and a tracker from the local community will give you an introduction to Antandroy culture and customs. Your visit is followed by sundowners on the Mandrare River banks.

Overnight at Mandrare River Camp in a Luxury Tent (All inclusive)

Day 4: Mandrare River Camp

After a cup of tea or coffee head to the Spiny Forest for an early morning walk. Witness the sunlight break through the octopus trees while looking out for the many endemic birds such as crested coua, a variety of vangas and the running coua. Head back to camp for a sumptuous breakfast followed by a visit to the local market (on Thursdays and Saturdays) or the local village to meet the fascinating Antandroy tribe. Lunch will be served at the camp followed by a relaxed afternoon watching life along the river from your tent terrace. At 5pm, depart for a sundowner amidst the baobabs. Watching the sun set and moon rise with a view across the Baobabs to the mountains beyond is a magical experience. In the evening the local village may come to perform beautiful traditional dances, accompanied by singing and music. Song and dance is at the heart of Antandroy culture and is used to accompany the major rituals and events of everyday life.

Overnight at Mandrare River Camp in a Luxury Tent (All inclusive)

Day 5: Mandrare River Camp

After breakfast depart for a day trip to the stunning Lac Anony. This salt water lake is separated from the Indian Ocean by a series of large sand dunes and is home to Greater Flamingos and a variety of salt water birds. The lake is a two hour drive from the camp. On arrival, walk along the lake shore to a beautiful picnic spot. Then scale the 70 foot high sand dunes for an incredible view of the surrounding area and go for a swim the lake. Return to the camp in time for dinner.

Overnight at Mandrare River Camp in a Luxury Tent (All inclusive)

Day 6: Mandrare – Manafiafy (Scheduled charter flight @8.30/9.00)

After breakfast, take a short flight to Fort Dauphin (25 minutes), where you will be greeted by a guide from Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge and escorted to one of the many lovely restaurants in town for lunch. In the early afternoon continue by vehicle to Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge (2.5 hours). Manafiafy, also known as Sainte Luce, is a beautiful sandy bay, fringed with forest covered mountains and wildlife rich mangroves. Upon arrival, check into your luxury bungalow and at 4:30 pm head for a night walk in the Coastal Rainforest. Explore the last untouched block of coastal rainforest in southern Madagascar to spot some of the species of lemur, over 80 bird species, over half of which are endemic, and an abundance of geckos, chameleons and other reptiles present in the forest. You’ll see nocturnal lemurs leaping through the trees, Madagascar Scops Owl, satanic leaf-tailed geckos and other masters of camouflage.

Overnight at Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge in a Luxury Bungalow (All inclusive)

Day 7: Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge

After a continental breakfast you can enjoy the various local activities available at your door step. The lodge offers a wide range of wildlife and sporting activities, all included in the cost. You can participate in day and night walks in the rainforest to see 5 species of lemur, snorkelling in the bay and nearby cove, kayaking and scenic boat trips to the mangroves, a 15ft whale watching tower (June to December), boat trips to the nearby islands for a secluded picnic lunch, walks along long empty beaches as well as trips to the local village and the school which is supported by Manafiafy Lodge. Optional activities, payable locally at the lodge include: massage treatments, whale watching trips (15 June to 15 November) and deep sea fishing.

Overnight at Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge in a Luxury Bungalow (All inclusive)

Day 8: Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge

Before breakfast, head for a sunrise walk in the coastal rainforest. On this walk you will see groups of redcollared lemur foraging for food as they leap through the rainforest canopy. The red-collared lemur is endemic to south-eastern Madagascar, lives in groups of up to 20 individuals and is actives largely at dawn and dusk. This is a great time for birding, some species to see are Crested Coua, Giant Coua, Hook-billed Vanga, Lesser and Greater Vassa Parrots. Return to the Lodge for a well-deserved breakfast. Relax until your late afternoon excursion to see Madagascar’s largest bat, the Flying Fox, roosting in a nearby community forest, and then filling the sky at dusk as they fly off on search of food.Return to the Lodge for storytelling on the beach. Immerse yourself in Malagasy oral history and culture as the stars form a canopy overhead.

Overnight at Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge in a Luxury Bungalow (All inclusive)

Day 9: Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge

Full days with activities as required at the lodge.

Overnight at Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge in a Luxury Bungalow (All inclusive)

Day 10: Manafiafy – Fort Dauphin – Antananarivo (Scheduled charter flight @9.30/12.30)

After an early breakfast, drive back to Fort Dauphin (3 hours), and transfer to the airport for your flight back to Tana. On arrival, your MCC drive and guide will transfer you to your hotel near the airport.

Overnight at Relais Des Plateaux (Half board)

Day 11: Antananarivo – Anjajavy (Scheduled charter flight @7.00/8.30)

After an early breakfast, transfer to Ivato Airport in time for your scheduled charter 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 25 duplex, rosewood villas all have private decks overlooking the ocean. Meals can be served in an enclosed oasis in the hotel grounds or on the beach. The surrounding forest is alive with lemurs, chameleons, malachite kingfishers and hummingbirds. At 5:30 pm you will depart for a night walk in the reserve to spot a variety of nocturnal lemurs. While the reserve’s show-stoppers 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, quick as a flash, in search of food. If you hear a strange squeal coming from the tree tops, 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.

Overnight at Anjajavy Lodge in a Villa (Full board)

Day 12: Anjajavy

This morning, depart for a walk along the ‘Chemin des Crabes’ to see the fabulous birdlife, beautiful baobabs and of course, the famous hairy crab. Even if bird watching isn’t your thing, you can’t help but be enchanted by the kaleidoscope of 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. It is one of the best places to spot the regal Madagascar fish eagle, shy crested Ibis, or rare Madagascar sacred Ibis. At the end of the walk, you will visit a small cave where you will find a fossilized lemur skull, stalactites and sharks’ teeth. You will return to the lodge for lunch and a leisurely afternoon.

Overnight at Anjajavy Lodge in a Villa (Full board)

Day 13: Anjajavy

This morning you will enjoy a long walk along the Giant’s Causeway and King’s Alley. You will discover extremely ancient baobab trees, tsingy rock formations found only in Madagascar, along with a variety of lemurs including the Coquerel’s sifakas. These remarkable animals live in family groups of up to 10 individuals, 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. You will return to the lodge for lunch and a leisurely afternoon.

Overnight at Anjajavy Lodge in a Villa (Full board)

Day 14: Anjajavy –Antananarivo (Scheduled charter flight @9.30/11.00)

At 9:30 am, transfer to the airstrip for your morning flight to Tana by private charter. Upon arrival at Tana airport, you will accompany you to your hotel in the upper town of Antananarivo. Check-in and have lunch. In the afternoon, explore the historical upper town of Antananarivo, with its stunning French inspired architecture. Continue downtown and enjoy the old colonial railway station built by the French in 1910. Or drive to Ambohimanga, 20 km north-east of Tana. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the ancestral home on the Merina kings and queens who united Madagascar under one rule. It is a fortified sacred hill with 16 gates leading to king Andrianampoinimerina’s house (ruled 1787 – 1810) and a series of elegant royal summer homes.

Overnight at Maison Gallieni (Full board)

Day 15: Depature

Today, you will be transferred to Ivato Airport with your MCC English speaking guide for your outbound international flight.

Download Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Maison Gallieni, Antananarivo
Day 2 - 5: Mandrare River Camp, Mandrare
Day 6 - 9: Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge, Manafiafy
Day 10: Relais Des Plateaux, Antananarivo
Day 11 - 13: Anjajavy Lodge, Anjajavy
Day 14: Maison Gallieni, Antananarivo