Madagascar... The Trip of a Lifetime from GALAPAGOS TRAVEL |
||||||
About Our: About: Natural History of the Galįpagos Special Stuff: Special Trips: |
Madagascar! Much like Galįpagos, this is a place that conjures up images of amazing wildlife - wildlife that is among the best in the world in terms of diversity and abundance, and in some cases is as approachable as the wildlife of Galįpagos. Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island, having broken away from Africa well over 150 million years ago. This isolation makes it a living laboratory of evolution, with plants and animals found nowhere else on earth - lemurs, chameleons, geckos, frogs, tortoises, and myriad birds. ...Ringtail Lemurs gathering in groups on the ground to warm up in the morning sun... The haunting calls of Indris high in the forest canopy... A glimpse of a Sifaka as it skips across the trail ahead... Radiated Tortoises, well, just sitting there... At the same time the forests and valleys are filled with wonderful birds - the iridescent Madagascar Kingfishers flitting along the waterways, paradise flycatchers, Madagascar White eyes, Giant Coua, Madagascar Scops Owl, Madagascar Fish-Eagle... The flora too is astounding, from the surreal Boabab trees, to the spiny forests of the west and south, or rainforests of the east. The landscapes are equally as spectacular - the bright red soil of the highlands; the emerald green forest canopy festooned with orchids and other epiphytes; shades of grey in the limestone karst of the Tsingy; green rushing rivers and cascading waterfalls; white sand beaches, and all of it surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Madagascar truly is a land of rich colors and superlatives! Neither solely a birding or wildlife tour, nor just a cultural tour, this is a general Natural History tour - a mix of amazing wildlife, spectacular scenery and rich cultural discoveries. The people of Madagascar are amazingly welcoming. They are gracious, friendly and nearly always smiling (and quite often singing). Madagascar is an explorer and photographer's dream in all ways! We invite you to join us in Madagascar, on one of life's truly great expeditions! |
|||||
EXPEDITION OVERVIEW & LENGTH: DATES: GROUP SIZE: ITINERARY: October 18 • PARIS DEPARTURE October 19 ∙ ANTANANARIVO October 20 ∙ TANA & MAROANSETRA October 21, 22 & 23 ∙ MASOALA PENINSULA |
||
October 24 ∙ MAROANSETRA to FORT DAUPHIN & BARENTY October 25 ∙ BERENTY |
||
October 26 ∙ BERENTY, ANDOHAHELA and on to FORT DAUPHIN October 27 ∙ FORT DAUPHIN to TOLIARA October 28 ∙ ANAKAO OCEAN LODGE October 29 ∙ TSIMANAMPETSOTSA |
||
October 30 ∙ ANAKAO OCEAN LODGE October 31 ∙ TOLIARA to MORONDAVA November 1 ∙ KIRINDY November 2 ∙ KIRINDY to BEKOPAKA November 3, 4 & 5 ∙ TSINGY de BEMARAHA |
||
November 6 ∙ BEKOPAKA to MORONDAVA November 7 ∙ MORONDAVA November 8 ∙ MORONDAVA & TANA November 9 ∙ TANA to PERINET November 10 ∙ PERINET November 11 ∙ PERINET to TANA November 12 ∙ TANA – INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURE November 13 ∙ PARIS |
||
EXPEDITION COSTS: 2016: $8,545 per person (double occupancy) / $9,400 single but willing to share / $10,445 guaranteed single For single travelers we are happy to try and schedule a roommate for you. If we fail to find a roommate you will be invoiced at the "willing to share" rate. Alternately we have a limited number of guaranteed singles available if you prefer. INCLUDED IN EXPEDITION COST: NOT INCLUDED IN EXPEDITION COST: DEPOSITS & PAYMENTS: CANCELLATIONS & INSURANCE: FLIGHTS: ACCOMMODATIONS: MEALS: |
||
TOUR LEADER: WHAT TO EXPECT: You might expect to be traveling by jet, turbo prop, speed boat, dugout canoe, 4-wheel drive, mini-bus, deluxe bus, omby cart, river ferry, or pousse-pousse (rickshaw), but first and foremost you will be walking. And, walking a lot. We travel slowly to really see and experience where we are. Our itinerary is longer, taking in most of the major areas. We will fly between many distant parks and preserves to save time on the roads, and give us more time on the trails. The photographic opportunities are boundless. You will encounter much of the wildlife at close range, including some lemurs and birds, plus reptiles, bugs and amphibians. Many lemur species spend their days high in the forest canopy however, so some views will be more distant. Likewise of course for many of the birds. We will take both day and evening hikes to maximize what we see as some species are only found after dark. The sweeping landscapes always compete for our photographic attention as well. Plus, the people of Madagascar are always happy to interact with us, and usually happy to have their photo taken as well (young and old, everyone loves seeing the results on the digital camera backs!). Travel to Madagascar is definitely not for everyone. Madagascar is a third world country, and a very poor and remote one at that. A previous group joked that it was like traveling in a different dimension - nothing would be quite as you expected it to be. One must travel with a sense of humor, and be able to roll with any changes. Flight schedules change almost daily. The roads are famously bad and some of the drives quite long. The hikes can be on very uneven trails with rocks, roots, and other hidden obstacles. There are few public toilets, so you will likely find yourself behind a bush or tree in the countryside on occasion. The electricity is erratic. The water unsafe (although bottled water is readily available). The food was tasty, and very plentiful, but service slow and the choices limited. It can be cold and wet in the rainforest, and exceedingly hot and dry in the spiny forests. You might be caked with dust and dirt following a day in the 4-wheel drives. We plan to visit some very remote areas, and medical care can be sparse even in the towns. And yet, it is wonderful, magical, captivating and so worth the effort! In fact, nearly everyone has expressed interest in returning to see more! NOTES: |
||
ITINERARY CHANGES: |
||
Photography by Mark Grantham & Mike Tossy |
||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||