Itinerary Highlights
- Kirindy Forest's famed Baobabs and rare wildlife
- Awe inspiring rock formations in Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park
- Remote, coastal Belo Sur Mer for beach and Kirindy Mitea National Park
- Snorkelling at Nosy Andravoho
- The obligatory 'rainforest fix' i.e. Andasibe-Mantadia NP in the eastern escarpment, for wonderful contrasts to the dry West.
What's Included
- Flights
- Accommodation Throughout
- Travel Guide
- Transfers
- Car Hire
Helen Kennedy
Travel Specialist
Exploring Western Madagascar's Menabe region gives adventurous visitors a wonderful taste of the 'real' Madagascar. Beginning with a flight to Morondava on the sunny central-westerrn coast, you travel northwards to the famed Kirindy Forest, one of the country's best -known wildlife hotspots. At Kirindy, you'll have the first of two opportunities for a guided night walk, in search of some of its legendary critters, such as Fosa and Fork-marked lemurs. You'll be in the land of the Menabe Sakalava people, who have a really interesting culture, which your guide will explain to you during your adventure...
From Kirindy Forest, embark on the long road journey including a ferry crossing over the wide Tsiribihina River, to Tsingy de Bemaraha, a magnificent limestone plateau which is the site of one of Madagascar's biggest national parks. Here, a three night stay will give you the chance to discover the 'Grand Tsingy'; the 'Petite Tsingy' and to make a short canoe trip on the Manambolo River to check out the gorges.
From Tsingy de Bemaraha, return back down to Kirindy, which makes for a great spot for an overnight stay and to once again break the long journey. Wildlife enthusiasts will appreciate this also because of the second opportunity for a night walk in Kirindy, to chalk up some more of its amazing denizens. The next morning, enjoy an morning walk for Kirindy's diurnal wildlife, then drive back via Alley of Baobabs to Morondava, where you stay for the night.
From Morondava, travel southwards (4hrs by road or 2hrs30min by speedboat) to remote Belo Sur Mer, a Veso-Sakalava fishing village where you can see people still building Schooners using designs taught to their forbearers centuries back by European pirates. At Belo, we'll arrange for you to visit the fabulous Kirindy Mitea National Park (not the same as the Kirindy Forest you'd have seen previously) which also has majestic Baobabs; as well as Southern Spiny Bush with an abundance of Octopus trees, a lake where seasonally, Flamingos gather, and offshore, some deserted islets where we'll arrange for you to enjoy some snorkelling.
From Belo Sur Mer, drive or take a speedboat transfer back to Morondava, and from there, set off on the long drive to Antsirabe, where you overnight and where you can learn about Highlands culture of the Merina and Betsileo people. Your last road stint will then be the drive up to Antananarivo.
- For the itinerary, we include the 'obligatory rainforest fix' at the beginning of the trip, to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, as no first-time wildlife enthusiast visitors to the island should miss a sojourn there. It can be moved to the end of the itinerary.
COMMENTS:
WHEN TO GO: this itinerary can be done from May to mid October because from November to April, many of the roads are rendered impassable due to rains. (In 2022 and 2023, the rains arrived earlier due to climate change, so we no longer recommend trips to Tsingy de Bemaraha beyond mid October).
NOTE: For now, the itinerary is structured around the twice weekly Air Madagascar flight between Antananarivo and Morondava, which operate on Thursdays and Sundays both ways. In 2024, a Tuesday flight will be introduced. So if you prefer not to drive to Antsirabe from Morondava, it is possible to fly.
Itinerary
Day 1 Take to the skies!
Day 2 Head to the rainforests: Antananarivo - Andasibe-Mantadia
Day 3 Exploring the Andasibe and Mitsinjo rainforests
Day 4 Maromizaha Reserve
Day 6 Fly to the Morondava and drive to Kirindy Forest
Day 7 Kirindy Forest - Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park
Day 8 Grand Tsingy excursion
Day 9 Petite Tsingy and the Manambolo River
Day 10 Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park - Kirindy Forest
Day 11 Kirindy - Morondava via Allee des Baobabs (drive)
Day 12 Morondava - Belo Sur Mer
Day 13 Kirindy Mitea National Park
Day 14 Snorkelling around Nosy Andravoho
Day 16 Morondava - Antananarivo (flight)
Day 17 Departure
Helen Kennedy
Travel Specialist
Pricing Information & Dates
Helen Kennedy
Travel Specialist
Price Includes
- Return International Flights as per the itinerary
- All airport taxes and security charges
- Accommodation and meals as specified
- Transfers as specified
- Activities and excursions as specified
- All entrace fees on sightseeing tours as specified
Price Excludes
- Travel Insurance
- Any meals not specified in the itinerary
- Tips and gratuities
- Optional excursions
Pricing Notes
Why Choose Us?
Passionate travel experts
- We've been leading wildlife travel since our first South Africa tours over 25 years ago
- Our Travel Specialists have lived in their specialist area for years
- We work with local guides to immerse you deeper in our diverse range of experiences
Personal & tailor-made
- You'll speak to your own expert who'll share their first-hand knowledge
- We'll make your itinerary seamless with 24/7 emergency contact available
- Your Travel Specialist will listen to ensure you have the best chance of seeing the wildlife you love
Responsible by nature
- We take care to actively contribute to the conservation of environments we visit
- For select countries, we make a charitable donation on your behalf when you make your booking
- We've partnered with conservation experts and NGOs to curate responsible tours
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