West Safari
Day 1:Arrival in Antananarivo
After your arrival at the airport of the capital of Madagascar you will be met and accompanied to your hotel by your English speaking guide. You are free to spend the rest of the day as you please. (A)
Day 2: Morondava – Kirindy
In the morning you fly from Antananarivo to Morondava, then you drive to Kirindy. In Kirindy you do some hiking in the dry forest. The wide range of animal species, such as eight species of lemurs, frogs, birds, iguanas and snakes (all non-poisonous), as well as the fossa – Madagascar’s biggest predator – which you can see almost every day make the dry forest an absolute must for nature lovers. The evening offers you a night walk. Keep an eye on the nocturnal sportive lemurs, mouse lemurs and geckos as well as the Malagasy giant rat. The latter has a very restricted habitat that is found only in the land of Sakalava between the Rivers Tomitsy and Tsiribihina. (F, A)
Day 3: Kirindy – Morondava
Your day consists of hiking through the Kirindy forest station: The programme offers day-active lemurs, such as white sifikas, the brown lemurs, as well as interesting bird species like white headed vangas and mince beak vangas. With a little luck you can also meet the Labord’s Chamäleon, a rare reptile species, and the small tortoises in the forest. (F, A)
Day 4: Morondava – Belo sur Mer
Today, the motto is: the trip is its own reward! You drive along Madagascar’s west coast and see small villages along the route that nestle against the sand dunes. You will live on broad beans that grow here, despite the dry climate. Today’s final stop is the fishing village Belo sur Mer. The village is popular for its hand-carved fishing boats as well as its big boats for transporting goods to the surrounding villages. You are sure to see them too. (F, A)
Day 5: Belo – Mitea Kirindy
Today you make an excursion to the Kirindy Mitea National Park. In this dry deciduous forest, that is topped by baobabs, you find a serene and varied landscape with a very special ecosystem. Moreover, native to the park, the Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur can be found exclusively in this region.. Thirty-three endemic bird species and twenty-three endemic reptile species also live in the Kirindy Mitea National Park. (F, A)
Day 6:Belo Sur Mer
You are free to spend this day as you please. There is the option to book a trip to the sea where you can have a look at the beautiful submarine world while snorkelling. (F, A)
Day 7:Belo – Manja
Today you drive from the coast into the interior in the Nomansland. You can look forward to endless savannahs as far as the eye can see. Today’s destination is the village Manja, popular for its cattle market visited by merchants from all over the south. (F, A)
Day 8:Manja – Morombe
On your way to Morombe you drive along expansive white sand beaches and the River Mangoky. Your constant companions are thorn woods and the famous baobabs. You can expect to see a host of these giants expect in Morombe, as well as wonderful photo opportunities. (F, A)
Day 9:Morombe
You are free to spend this day as you please. There is the option to make a trip to the thorn woods. Among other things you can see the Rose of the south, one of the flowering plants in this dry region. With a little luck you can get a glimpse of Madagascar’s biggest butterfly, the dovetail. (F, A)
Day 10:Morombe: Trip to Lake Ihotry
With a surface between 960 ha and 11200 ha, the Lake Mikea is a refuge for a lot of bird species, such as flamingos and Madagascar jacanas. The Mikea tribe, belonging to the mysterious tribes of Madagascar, can also be found here. As they live in the forest, you can rarely catch sight of them. In most cases, only when they sell their honey and yams on the market. (F, A)
Day 11:Morombe
Today’s event is the humpback whales. From July, you can watch the giant mammals in the Mozambique Channel. They can come within 3 metres of the boat! (F, A)
Day 12: Morombe – Salary
Today, you drive from Marombe towards Salary along the breathtaking west coast. The landscape offers not only the sea, but also hills, thorn woods and mangrove woods, where several species of euphorbia grow. (F, A)
Day 13:Salary – Ifaty
In Ifaty, you can look forward to an idyllic fishing village with wonderful beaches inviting you for a refreshing swim. If you prefer indulging in the fauna, you can watch birds in the surrounding forest and you can search for the long-tailed ground roller. (F, A)
Day 14:Ifaty
You are free to spend this day as you please. Enjoy the day on the beach. (F, A)
Day 15:Ifaty – Toliary
Sightseeing tour through the small port city Toliary. Depending on the time available you can have a walk in the arboretum of Antsokay. In this botanical garden, there are 900 species of succulents, 90% of which are endemic to Madagascar. There are also 100 euphoriba, 60 kalanchoe and over 20 aloe species that are registered in the park. You can also catch a glimpse of one of Madagascar’s rarest aloe species, the « Aloe suzannae ». There are no more than 10 plants throughout all of Madagascar. (F, A)
Day 16:Journey home
First, you fly from Toliary to Antananarivo, then you take your long-distance flight to Germany. Madagascar, the red island, says Goodbye and wishes you a pleasant journey home. (F)
