17-Day Madagascar Multi-Region Exploration: Andasibe, Mandrare, Namoroka & Masoala

Embark on an unforgettable 17-day Madagascar wildlife expedition, exploring diverse ecosystems from Andasibe’s lush rainforests teeming with Indri lemurs and exotic birds, to the spiny forests of Mandrare River Camp for sifaka sightings and cultural immersion with the Antandroy tribe, the remote tsingy formations of Namoroka National Park with rare aye-aye and fossa encounters, and the pristine beaches and coral reefs of Masoala Forest Lodge for red-ruffed lemurs and marine adventures. This comprehensive Madagascar safari tour combines guided hikes, night walks, charter flights, and boat transfers for an ultimate eco-tourism experience on wanderingthru.com.

PRICES

From EUR 13 020 per person sharing
From EUR 15 190 per single traveller

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Itinerary

DAY

01 Arrival in Antananarivo

Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English-speaking guide from MCC 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. Maison Gallieni is a restored colonial mansion with an elegant mix of modern and traditional décor. Take a dip in the pool and enjoy the lovely views over the city before dinner.
Overnight at Maison Gallieni in a standard room.

DAY

02 Antananarivo to Andasibe

After an early breakfast, your guide will take you east to Andasibe, a stunning rainforest park, about 5 hours’ drive from the city. The park consists of two government managed areas, the Perinet Special Reserve and Mantadia National Park, and privately managed reserved such as Mitsinjo Reserve and the VOIMMA reserve. The area is world famous for its population of Indri lemurs, which are the largest living lemur species. The journey to Andasibe offers first time visitors to Madagascar an introduction to rural life with rice fields, redbrick houses and roadside stalls selling seasonal fruits and vegetables lining the route. Check into hotel for lunch. This afternoon, visit a private reserve operated by local NGO Mitsinjo. The NGO funds reforestation, community education and sensitization to conservation issues as well as running Madagascar’s first amphibian captive-breeding facility. Here you will see a fascinating array of wildlife including the indri and other lemur species, numerous chameleons and birds. Mitsinjo is an excellent location to see the same wildlife as the more well known Perinet Reserve but without the crowds. You can also plant an indigenous species along the reforestation trail (by prior arrangement).
Overnight at Mantadia Lodge in a standard room.

DAY

03 Andasibe (Mantadia National Park)

After breakfast you will head to Mantadia National Park (1.5 hour drive) with a picnic lunch. Look for some of the lemur species in this stunning park including the Indri indri, diademed sifaka, grey bamboo lemur, red-bellied lemur and white ruffed lemur. While the trails are slightly more difficult, the rewards are great as the forest is taller, wilder and less crowded than Perinet. There are an abundance of birds including the scaly ground roller, the pitta-like ground roller and the red-breasted coua. This is a naturalist’s goldmine with many seldom seen species of mammals, reptiles and birds. Enjoy a picnic by the Rianasoa Waterfall before hiking back to the vehicle and return to the lodge. A night walk will be organised in late evening in the forest surrounding the reserve with a local guide. You will see a variety of nocturnal lemurs: mouse lemurs, white footed sportive lemur, fat-tailed dwarf lemur, as well as the woolly lemur.
Overnight at Mantadia Lodge in a standard room.

DAY

04 Andasibe (Perinet Reserve) to Antananarivo

After breakfast, enjoy a visit to the 810 ha Perinet Reserve with a local guide in search of the Indri indri. With a barely visible tail, black and white markings and a surprised teddy–bear face, this lemur is one of the few animals in the world that cannot survive in captivity. There are another 11 species of lemur to spot as you walk through the rainforest. You may find a troop of grey bamboo lemurs, common brown lemur, diademed sifaka and the black and white ruffed lemur. Birdwatchers should look out for the velvet asity, the blue coua and the Nuthatch vanga and many more endemic species. Perinet is home to many reptiles, invertebrates, and some of Madagascar’s over a thousand orchid species. Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon transfer 5 hours to Antananarivo by road. Ideally situated next to the airport, the Nosy Manga Hotel offers large comfortable ensuite bedrooms equipped with air-conditioning and satellite tv. The hotel is equipped with a roof-top pool, and a stylishly-decorated bar and restaurant area.
Overnight at Radisson Blu in a superior waterfront view room.

DAY

05 Antananarivo to Mandrare River Camp

After breakfast, drive back to Ivato Airport in time for your scheduled charter flight to Ifotaka (2hrs 30 min). Upon arrival you will be met by our guide and vehicle and transfer to the camp (5min). 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.

DAY

06 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.

DAY

07 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 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.

DAY

08 Mandrare River Camp to Antananarivo

This morning, transfer to the airstrip (5 min) in time for your scheduled charter flight to Antananarivo (20 min Mandrare – Fort Dauphin / 30 min refuelling in Fort Dauphin / 2hrs 30 min Fort Dauphin – Antananarivo). Upon arrival into Ivato Airport you will be greeted by an English-speaking guide from MCC who will accompany you to your hotel. Ideally situated next to the airport, the Nosy Manga Hotel offers large comfortable ensuite bedrooms equipped with air-conditioning and satellite tv. The hotel is equipped with a roof-top pool, and a stylishly-decorated bar and restaurant area. In the afternoon, 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 Radisson Blu in a superior waterfront view room.

DAY

09 Antananarivo to Soalala to Namoroka

Today, fly to the port town of Soalala by scheduled charter. On arrival you are met by your guide and transfer to Namoroka Tsingy Camp by road (2hrs 30 min) with a stop along the way for a village walk among the mango trees. On arrival, settle into your tent. In the late afternoon, depart for a walk in the forest surrounding the camp. Along with birds, chameleons, Von der Deckens sifakas or red lemur, you may spot fossa or Aye Aye during your walk. In the evening, enjoy sundowners amongst the baobabs.
Overnight at Namoroka Tsingy Camp in a tent.

DAY

10-12

Namoroka Tsingy Camp

Three days to explore the tsingy of Namoroka National Park and its surrounding areas. This national park welcomes just 50 visitors per year due to the challenges of accessing it by road. It is one of the more pristine protected areas on the island with an incredible abundance of birds (100 species) and other wildlife. There are 6 lemur species to see including the playful Von der Dicken’s Sifaka, Milne-Edwards Sportive lemur, the Red lemur and the incredibly secretive Aye Aye. Depart for an exploration of the unique cave system that stretches under the entire massif. Here, you will encounter rare fossil remains of species such as the Archaeolemur, a giant lemur species with a body mass of up to 26kg which went extinct, along with much of Madagascar’s megafuna about 1,000 years ago. Picnic lunch in the shade of the tsingy.
Overnight at Namoroka Tsingy Camp in a tent.

DAY

13 Namoroka to Soalala to Antananarivo

After an early breakfast, transfer by road to Soalala (2hrs 30 mins) in time for your scheduled charter flight to Antananarivo. On arrival your private guide will accompany you to your hotel 20min from the airport. Enjoy the spa, swimming pool, panoramic rooftop bar. This evening, transfer 20 min to Le Marias, the top restaurant in Madagascar from Chef Lalaina who has received numerous culinary awards in Europe. Le Marais offers a unique blend of Malagasy and European cuisine using the best Malagasy ingredients.
Overnight at the Hotel Novotel 5* in a superior room.

DAY

14 Antananarivo to Maroantsetra to Masoala

After an early breakfast, your driver will take you back to Ivato Airport in time for your scheduled charter flight to Maroantsetra in the north-east. The densely forested Masoala Peninsula contains the largest remaining block of protected rainforest in Madagascar and harbours a wealth of rare and unique species including the red-ruffed lemur, seen only in Masoala. You are met on arrival at Maroantsetra Airport and transfer to the jetty to board a boat for the 2-hour voyage across Antongil Bay to Masoala Forest Lodge. On arrival at the lodge beach, you are welcomed ashore and settle into your thatch and canvas tree-house. After freshening up in the accommodation, lunch is served in the beach house. The afternoon activities include exploring the beaches and coastal forest in the lodge area and maybe enjoying a swim in the sea, before taking a guided walk along the coast past Tampolo Point, with the possibility of spotting white-fronted brown lemurs in the coastal forest. Return to camp to sundowners on the beach before dinner is served in the beach house.
Overnight at Masoala Forest Lodge in a tree house.

DAY

15 Masoala Forest Lodge

After breakfast on the sea deck set off on the day’s adventure, walk down the coast and up into the primary rainforest in search of the red-ruffed lemurs, dwarf chameleons and other wildlife endemic to this forest. After some hours in the dense forest with the giant hardwoods and majestic tree ferns, return to camp by boat for a well-earned lunch and rest. The afternoon activity could be a snorkel on the nearby coral reefs, rich in diversity, or a guided sea kayak to the look-out rock at the “Secret Cove” for the sun set, with the chance of a close encounter with bottlenose dolphin or green turtle.
Overnight at Masoala Forest Lodge in a tree house.

DAY

16 Masoala Forest Lodge

After another relaxed start to your day, depart on a guided walk through the coastal forest, in search of more birds and mammals. Sightings of the incredible scaly and short-legged ground-rollers are regular. Mixed species flocks can contain an incredible diversity of vangas – the islands most celebrated bird family. After a couple of hours walk, take a welcome swim in the crystal-clear pools of the Tampolo River at the foot of the forested mountains. Return to camp on a traditional dugout canoe paddling down the shady river. After lunch, enjoy a relaxed afternoon swimming on the private beaches or snorkelling on the coral reefs. In the evening, enjoy a guided nocturnal walk with the intriguing possibility of seeing some of the secretive nocturnal wildlife such as leaf-tailed gecko, mouse lemurs and maybe even the elusive aye-aye.
Overnight at Masoala Forest Lodge.

DAY

17 Masoala to Maroantsetra to Antananarivo

This morning you head back to Maroansetra by boat in time for you scheduled charter flight back to Tana. Upon arrival your driver guide will transfer you to your hotel in town.