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MAGICAL MADAGASCAR April 9/10-28, 2010
FRI, APR 9 - DEPART LOS ANGELES For Los Angeles departures, your dream trip to “Magical Madagascar” begins this afternoon as we board an Air France jet bound for Paris. SAT, APR 10 - ARRIVE PARIS / DEPART NEW YORK Los Angeles departures arrive in Paris this morning and transfer to an airport hotel. New York departures begin their journey on Air France this evening. Holiday Inn SUN, APR 11 - PARIS-TANA Los Angeles departures return to the airport, New York participants arrive in Paris, and we all meet up for our mid-morning flight to the capital city of Antananarivo (or simply “Tana”). Upon arrival late this evening, we transfer to our downtown hotel. Hotel Colbert (B) MON, APR 12 - TANA-MORONDAVA A morning flight takes us west to Morondova, the center of a prosperous rice-growing area and best-known as a seaside resort with a laidback atmosphere. We have time to relax before our late-afternoon visit to the region of the splendid Grandidier’s baobabs, best seen at the Avenue des Baobabs, named after the rare and unusual “upside-down” trees found here. Madagascar boasts six different species of baobabs, five more than in all of Africa. The best light for photography is just before sunset (which brings out the red hue in the bark), and again at sunrise. Palissandre Cote Ouest or Renala Au Sable D’Or (BD) TUE, APR 13 - MORONDAVA We visit the Avenue des Baobabs again at sunrise, then continue on to the Baobabs Amoureaux (Lovers) and the Sacred Baobab. Andranomena Special Reserve, which protects dry deciduous forest, is home to 11 species of reptiles, 48 species of birds, and 7 species of lemurs, including Verreaux’s sifakas and red-fronted brown lemurs which are readily seen by daytime visitors. We stop at the Boutique d’Art Sakalave at Marofandilia and pause once more for sunset photography at the Avenue des Baobabs before returning to our hotel. Palissandre Cote Ouest or Renala Au Sable D’Or (BD) WED, APR 14 - MORONDAVA-TANA This morning we return to Tana by air. We visit the Centre Fihavanana (Streetkids Centre), where the Sisters of the Good Shepherd are doing amazing work with poor women and children. Some of these women produce excellent handicrafts, including very impressive hand-embroidered items and greeting cards. At Lemurs Park, ten species of lemurs (including jumping sifakas) live free, many of them confiscated pets; here is their first step toward rehabilitation. Hotel Colbert (BD) THU, APR 15 - TANA-TAMATAVE The journey to Tamatave (Toamasina) gives us an opportunity to observe the daily routine of the vast majority of people living outside the major cities. The first few miles are through rice fields, with roadside stalls selling seasonal fruits lining the route. The Merina aristocracy are buried at Ambohimalaza, their tombs topped by little “cold houses” indicating the deceased were of royal blood. As we descend from the high plateau, the road begins a long series of steep, winding sections and hairpin bends toward the plain below, where we see numerous small villages and stretches of thinly populated countryside. After Andasibe, the lush, mist-enshrouded rainforest eventually gives way to eucalyptus woods, then to secondary growth and grassland due to deforestation. Antsapanana brims with stalls offering a huge variety of fruit and vegetables. At Brickaville, the center of sugar cane and citrus production, we cross the Rongaronga River and head north through degraded forest and palm plantations to Tamatave. Hotel Sharon (BD) FRI, APR 16 - TAMATAVE Tamatave has always had an air of shabby elegance with some fine palm-lined boulevards and once-impressive colonial houses. Every few years it’s hit by a cyclone and spends some time in a new state of shabbiness before rebuilding. This morning we visit HELP Madagascar (Health, Education & Life-skills Projects), a Christian charity where unschooled kids are integrated back into the education system. Parc Ivoloina began life in 1898 as a rather grand botanical garden, but is now a conservation center funded by a consortium of some 30 zoos from around the world with a special interest in Madagascar. There are 13 species of lemurs here, including free-ranging lemurs which offer great photo opportunities. There are also tortoises, chameleons, and boas. You can explore the forest around the center on a network of seven forest and lakeside trails. An abundance of birds, reptiles, and lemurs can be seen from the trails, and you can take a pirogue trip on the lake. After dark, we may be lucky enough to see the elusive aye-aye. Hotel Sharon (BD) SAT, APR 17 - TAMATAVE-PERINET Today we retrace our route back to Andasibe National Park (generally known by its colonial name of Perinet), which protects the largest of the lemurs, Indri indri. Standing about three feet high, with a barely visible tail, black and white markings, and a surprised teddy bear face, the indri looks more like a gone-wrong panda than a lemur. Its voice makes the indri extra special: it sings in an eerie wailing sound which carries for nearly two miles as troops call to each other across the forest early each morning and shortly before dusk. There are 10 other species of lemurs here as well, in addition to tenrecs, beautiful and varied insects and spiders, and reptiles. This is also a great place for birdwatching. Vakona Forest Lodge (BD) SUN, APR 18 - PERINET Full day in Perinet with guided walks and leisure time. Vakona Forest Lodge (BD) MON, APR 19 - PERINET-ANTSIRABE After one last morning walk and breakfast, we depart for Antsirabe, south of Tana. Photo opportunities are terrific: all along this stretch of road we see finely painted Merina tombs, and can watch the labor-intensive cultivation of rice paddies. Betafo is a typical highlands town of red brick churches and houses, among which are vatolahy, standing stones erected to commemorate warrior chieftains. Antsirabe, founded in 1872 by Norwegian missionaries, lies at an elevation of nearly 5,000 feet. A broad avenue links the handsome (though now unused) railway station with Hotel des Thermes, an amazing building in both size and architectural style set in equally elegant gardens. Arotel (BD) TUE, APR 20 - ANTSIRABE-AMBALAVAO Leaving Antsirabe this morning, we pass through typical highland scenery of rice paddies and low hills. Ambositra is a friendly little Betsileo town, the center of Madagascar’s woodcarving industry. Even the houses have ornately carved wooden balconies and shutters. Some of the best cheese in Madagascar is made by the cloistered nuns at the Benedictine convent. The chapel and convent are architecturally stunning, something you might find in 17th-century France. We have time to shop on the Rue de Commerce before lunch at the Grand Hotel. From here the scenery becomes increasingly spectacular, the road running up and down steep hills, past neat Betsileo rice paddies interspersed with eucalyptus and pine groves, then down to Ambalavao. The town, its once-grand houses decorated with pillars, carved balconies, and steep red-tiled roofs, is famous as a center for Antaimoro papermaking, a papyrus-type paper impregnated with dried flowers. Hotel Bougainvillees (BLD) WED, APR 21 - AMBALAVAO-ISALO Wednesday is market day in Ambalavo, and also the day of the famous zebu (cattle) market held on the outskirts of town. After this early-morning market, the herdsmen take a month to walk the zebu to Tana, so we may see these large herds on the road. A few miles south of Ambalavao is Anja Park, which offers superb scenery, intriguing plants adapted to the dry southern climate, and several troops of cheeky ring-tailed lemurs, some 300 of them. This region is sacred to the Betsileo; their ancestors are buried here and it has always been fady (taboo) to hunt the lemurs. We continue on through huge domes of granite dominating grassy plains, Bara villages of red-earth houses, monotonous grasslands and red quartz sand, and Medemia palms as we approach Ranohira, gateway to Isalo National Park, sacred to the Bara tribe. La Fenetre, a natural rock formation, provides a window to the setting sun. Jardin du Roy or Relais de la Reine (BD) THU, APR 22 - ISALO-TULEAR-FORT DAUPHIN The combination of sandstone rocks (cut by deep canyons and eroded into weird shapes), rare endemic plants, and dry weather makes Isalo particularly rewarding. For plant-lovers, there is Pachypodium rosulatum or elephant’s foot, a bulbous rock-clinging plant, and a native species of aloe; for lemur-lovers there are sifakas, brown lemurs, and ring-tails. We hike the Circuit Namaza which follows a stream up a leafy canyon to the Cascade des Nymphes. The pool is very deep, and you need to swim to see the waterfall and the imposing, fern-fringed black cliffs which almost hide the sky. Afterward, we drive through the center of the sapphire mining industry to Tulear (Toliara) with a stop at the Tombs of Andranovory. These large, rectangular tombs, flamboyantly painted with scenes from the distinguished military life of the deceased, belong to the Masikoro, a subgroup of the Sakalava, a small tribe probably of African origin. This afternoon we fly to Fort Dauphin. Croix de Sud (BD) FRI, APR 23 - FORT DAUPHIN This laidback coastal town is one of the most beautifully located of all popular destinations in Madagascar. Built on a small peninsula, it’s bordered on three sides by beaches and breakers and backed by high green mountains which dwindle into spiny forest to the west. Though renamed Taolagnaro, most people still use the French name of Fort Dauphin. A visit to the Portuguese Fort involves a pirogue ride up the River Vinanibe, then a short walk to the sturdy-looking stone fortress set in zebu-grazed parkland. Despite its name, this oldest building in Madagascar predates the Portuguese and is probably of Swahili origin, dating from the 14th century. This afternoon we visit Nahampoana Reserve, a 165-acre botanical garden with tame lemurs, chameleons, and regional vegetation. The lemurs are in top condition and very, very charming. Croix de Sud (BD) SAT, APR 24 - FORT DAUPHIN-BERENTY This morning we take 4WD vehicles to Berenty Private Reserve, which lies 55 miles west of Fort Dauphin amid a vast sisal plantation. For the first half of the journey the skyline is rugged green mountains. Traveller’s trees (Ravenala) dot the landscape, and near Ranopiso is a grove of the very rare triangle palm. Antanosy cenotaphs commemorate those buried in a communal tomb or where the body could not be recovered. Shortly after Ranopiso, there’s a dramatic change in the scenery as the hills flatten and disappear when we enter the spiny forest. Berenty’s combination of tame lemurs, comfortable accommodations, and the tranquility of the forest trails makes this the Madagascar memory for many. Lemurs are what most people come here for, and seeing brown lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs, and sifakas is guaranteed. Since the lemurs haven’t been hunted here for over 70 years, they trust people. There are about 500 ring-tails in Berenty, and April is the best time to observe “stink-fighting” where males compete for mating rights. There are also around 300 Verreaux’s sifakas, highly entertaining when they engage in their comical form of locomotion, standing upright and jumping with their feet together like competitors in a sack race. Berenty Lodge (BLD) SUN, APR 25 - BERENTY RESERVE Although in the arid south, Berenty’s location along the River Mandrare ensures a well-watered habitat for the large variety of animals that live here. Fruit bats, or flying foxes, congregate in noisy groups on “bat trees” in one part of the forest. There are reptiles such as chameleons, boas, and tortoises. And don’t forget insects like the Madagascar giant hissing cockroach and ant lion. The joy of Berenty is the selection of broad forest trails that allow safe wandering on your own, including nocturnal jaunts. Many creatures are active only at night and easy to spot with a flashlight. A dusk visit (with a guide) to the reserve’s area of spiny forest is a must; you’ll observe mouse lemurs, but just seeing the weird, giant trees in silhouette amid the silence is a magical experience. Berenty Lodge (BLD) MON, APR 26 - BERENTY RESERVE Venture out at dawn; you can do your best birdwatching, see the sifakas opening their arms to the sun, and enjoy the coolness of the forest before going to breakfast. A visit to the sisal factory may sound boring but is, in fact, fascinating. The area of the spiny forest is superb (though hot) and may be your only chance to see mature Alluaudia trees, some towering over 50 feet -- an extraordinary sight. The Museum of the Androy is undoubtedly the best ethnological museum in Madagascar, with several rooms dedicated to explaining traditional practices of the Antandroy, “people of the thorns.” At the replica “village” near the botanical garden, you can step inside a small house very similar to those we passed on the road to Berenty. The entire day is at leisure to explore and photograph on your own. Berenty Lodge (BLD) TUE, APR 27 - BERENTY-TANA We drive back to Fort Dauphin this morning, then fly to Tana. The colorful Marché Artisanal is great for last-minute shopping for Malagasy handicrafts: embroidery, basketry, woodcarvings, minerals, leatherwork, and the unique Antaimoro paper. After hotel check-in, the remainder of the day is at leisure until our farewell dinner and late-evening transfer to the airport. Hotel Colbert (BD) WED, APR 28 - TANA-PARIS-U.S. Our “Magical Madagascar” sojourn ends as we board an early-morning flight to Paris, then connect with flights back to the U.S., arriving the afternoon of the same day. NOTE: The order of the itinerary may be rearranged due to air schedule changes by Air Madagascar, and some hotels may be substituted with similarly priced hotels due to circumstances beyond our control.
Note: Included meals are indicated by B, L, and D for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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