Tongasoa aty Madagasikara! Dear friends, welcome to Madagascar! We will do our very best to make our trip in Madagascar unforgettable! Our bureau's team will be at the airport to welcome you from your international flight. Already now is the time for selfie lovers to take beautiful shots! Our very special tour will begin in Antananarivo, where we will depart by car, but before catching a hotel we will visit in the Ivato crocodile farm, also called “Croc Farm”. Spanning three hectares, this lush green oasis is ideal for you to relax, we know that having an international flight is tiring.

After, we will depart by car to your nice hotel, where a prepared-room with a comfortable bed will be available for you to rest. Once there, refresh yourself. Look by the window, you made it! Take time to unpack what you need for tonight, rest and be ready for tomorrow! Discover the City of a Thousand as you are taken to hotel where you will stay overnight. And in the evening after dinner, over a cocktail we discuss our program.

From the first day to the last day our experienced and professional guide and the driver will be next to you, so don’t worry about it, they are near to make sure you have everything you need. Tomorrow we are leaving the capital city.

During the course of the morning you travel to Tsarasaotra which means birds‘ island, a small green oasis in the north of the city. The park is a refuge for many birds that can be easily watched and photographed here – among them 14 endangered species that only occur in Madagascar.

After visiting Tsarasaotra Park, we will drive along a scenic road to Andasibe. Here the adventure really starts. You will notice that the landscape changes. The road in comparison to many Malagasy roads is in excellent condition but with many uphills/downhills, many curves. In general, it is a beautiful landscape, composed of small villages, rice paddies, tropical plants and forest.

En-route we will stop at a farm specializing in Madagascan reptiles and butterflies, before arriving at our lodge. You visit the exotic farming centre of Mr. Pereyras, Marozevo, where you will see chameleon species of Madagascar, butterflies, lizards, snakes and other interesting animals.

We arrive just after noon in time to stroll in the Analamazaotra Special Reserve. Inside the most famous national park of Madagascar, we will try to find the Diadem sifaka and visit the largest lemur of the Earth, the “normally coloured” Indri. Nature provides an unbelievable diversity here and is home to an enormous richness in species.

Soon after sunset and after dinner we will visit the Vondron’olona Miaro Mitia Ala Reserve. It is full of nocturnal species of lemurs and chameleons, and is run by the village community. This evening will delight in late-night strolls. The VOIMMA Park is an untouched paradise for endemic animals and plants. For reptiles and amphibian lovers, the reserve offers countless number frogs along its crystal clear river and amazing chameleons can be found in the forest. Truly, it is a wonderful tour!

After a leisurely breakfast we leave the rain forest of Andasibe and continue way to the east, in the region Alaotra-Mangoro. You make your way to the Vohimana reserve.

This site is about 10km away from the Mantadia National Park, the reception centre is located at Ambodikijy, where there are porters whose job it is to lead us. We just neeed to move forward on a narrow path that leads to a railway track. This type of walk may not be very sporty but will raise new questions and make you feel like an illegal immigrant crossing a border with a people smuggler. Actually, there's still a 1 hour walking needed on an average mountain to get to the Relais du Naturaliste.

Your efforts will not be in vain as a large open common room awaits you to help you discover the sounds and smells of the forest. A tourist infrastructure that's perfectly integrated with its surroundings. On first sight, it's like a real-life version of National Geographic magazine: from the song of the birds to the whispering of the waterfall, and the guest accommodation constructed entirely from wood. A few bungalows scattered on the hillside and built with local materials. There you can admire the sunsets on the valley and rejuvenate yourself. The Relais Nature de Vohimana is a simple and rustic accommodation located in the heart of the forest. The Nature Hotel will be your starting point for hikes in the reserve.

After lunch and a rest, the circuit "Ramanavy Trail" invites you to explore the waterfalls, to the bats, to the historic tunnel and to the orchidarium of Vohimana and a view across the Vohimana valley.

When dawn comes, you'll feel like you've reached a hidden paradise. You will be entranced by the amazing natural spectacle that reveals itself to you in this tropical landscape, in a myriad shades of emerald green. Maybe the most beautiful part of your travels in Madagascar?

This early morning we will go on a fascinating walk. The two main forests are Maromizaha and Vohitravana. A gem in biodiversity A multitude of animal and plant species are listed in this reserve: 70 types of amphibians, more than 200 kinds of birds, 11 different lemurs (5 diurnal and 6 nocturnal) and 7 species of chameleons. The site also hosts insects: stick insects, mantises, butterflies and dragonflies. The flora mostly consists of palm trees and various epiphytic orchids.

The route "Babakoto" leads around the waterfall and to the primary and secondary forests (Indri-Indri forest). That's where you can meet lemurs. Some of the most threatened species are the indri, the biggest lemurs, that you're almost certain to see. With their loud and raucous, wailing cry and their extraordinary agility that enables them to swing from branch to branch, in spite of their weight, any encounter with these creatures is guaranteed to be unforgettable. Their faces, on first sight, look almost human and the brief meeting with the biggest lemur in Madagascar will be etched into your memory forever.

After lunch, we also visit nearby villages (farming, palm-weaving with the women) as well as an artisanal distillery (making essential oils for which they have some famous customers, including the perfume house Chanel) and a reforestation nursery operated with the local association, the organic vegetable garden and the medicinal garden.

This morning we return to Andasibe. Immediately upon arrival we will go in the Orchid Park of the Ministry of Environment, but Mitsinjo and Madagascar National Parks run their activities in the area. Orchids are the largest family of blossoming plants in Madagascar. Researchers have identified over 1200 different species. 85 % of Madagascar’s orchids exist nowhere else and many species have been classified rare. Most of them are epiphytes so their thriving depends on the conditions of their habitat. Therefore, we must protect our forests to save the orchids from disappearing. The Orchid Park comprises 11 ha of rainforest dedicated to these beautiful and magnificent flowers which amaze you with their diversity.

Then we’ll make Restoration circuit. You can help offset your carbon print by planting a tree and supporting reforestation efforts.

Mitsinjo has two circuits for this purpose in areas that have been reforested but need densification. Our guide will make a tour with you and give you information about climate change, reforestation and the relationship between animals and the forest.

In the afternoon, we will head off on the next part of the adventure. We’ll spend the time visiting the great park of Mantadia, few kilometers north of where we are staying. We will do a circuit of about 4 hours, to meet groups of lemurs as the Indri, the Diadem sifaka and the Bamboo lemur. A group of five Diadem sifaka have recently been re-introduced to Andasibe-Mantadia, and if we are lucky, we may spot one of these unusual creatures. This circuit is also very spectacular for its landscapes we’ll see waterfalls and rivers surrounded by strikingly beautiful tropical plants. The path is pretty good, but with some hills. Here, in the evergreen rainforests, we can take pictures of the most colourful inhabitants of Madagascar. Chameleons, lemurs, birds, snakes and high diversity of frogs will be our models.

When we return to your hotel, enjoy the view. Discover the beauty of your hotel before dinner! Then, in the early evening we take a twilight/nocturnal walk, looking out for the nocturnal species of lemur as the torchlights pass by their eyes.

Awaken reckless spirit! Today, after breakfast you will encounter Torotorofotsy Ramsar Site and conservation projects of Mitsinjo. What about looking at a few birds’ species? Situated in the fokontany of Menalamba in the north-west of Andasibe Commune, the Torotorofotsy wetlands (together with its three branches Mokaranana, Ankahelava and Ambasimbavy) serve as a large reservoir for water and host an array of water dwellers. Birds, frogs, lemurs and chameleons depend on the wetland just as much as the rural human population living close to it.

You will love it. The region where Mitsinjo is based contains a number of rainforest and marsh sites which offer mind-blowing birding – a true ‘O.O.E.’ (Orgasmic Ornithological Experience in birder speak), to put it mildly. You might wonder why Andasibe-Mantadia is included in all Madagascar birding itineraries. Well, for starters this is where we can seek the bulk of Madagascar’s rainforest-dependent endemic birds, as well as a select band of marsh-dwelling species unique to the eastern domain.

Prepare your camera! To give you a last sweet taste of Andasibe, we will have a last visit, before breakfast, just a snacking. We will get a visit to the lovely private reserve known as the "Island of lemurs" to take part in their feeding and to meet some of the friendliest primates of the island. You'll be keen to experience this unique activity!

The lemurs - brown, ruffled, dancing, lemurs galore - they will want our bananas and they will be willing to do whatever it takes to get them. Including jumping on our heads, shoulders, arms, and gouging our eyes out. Lemurs are small and pleasant, but mainly greedy. These spoilt island brats (that have all at some point been rescued) have the appetites of 18-year-old boys. The next island has a few black and white ruffed lemurs on it. They too will be hoping we’ll feed them. A family of Catta lemurs inhabits the third island. Get ready! - many lemurs will be intent on boarding a canoe! Lemurs pirates! We will leave the island delighted and excited. What fun it is to have lemurs jump on your head! After seeing the world famous lemurs at the national park – Lemur Island will be the cherry on top of a delicious cake of a day.

Then, we return to Madagascar’s capital, known simply as 'Tana' to the locals. There will be plenty interesting spots on the way. Get your finally “wow” moments on the way, this road is filled with typical malagasy landscapes for you to contemplate.

We will stop at Mandraka Park. It's a stroll very short in time but with a thousand surprises. It is a paradise stopover, ideal for picnicking and located about 5km from the hydroelectric power station. But the big surprise comes mainly from the two pools and the waterfall. A totally natural creation fed by Lake Mantasoa. The vast field of orchids and other exotic plants (Eulophiella, Azalea) only adds to the charm of the place. Seventy percent of the species of orchids from Madagascar are listed on this plot of 3 hectares. A few kilometers earlier is located a 50- hectare ecotourism park rich in animal and plant species typical of Madagascar. It is both a playground, a mini-zoo and a location for fishing. And the surprises do not end. There is even a feeling of Switzerland where the air is cool in summer and winter.

The area of Ampefy is characterized by volcanic landscape and has been classified as an ecotourism destination by Madagascar National Parks. Volcanoes dating back two million years ago and over 40 lakes of volcanic origin are scattered in a region of 400 km2.

Ampefy is a small borough on the banks of Itasy Lake. Three of the most famous sites you will get to visit on this tour are "Lake Itasy", "Lily Waterfall" and "Analavory Geyser". Around 9-30 we will be visiting Lemurs' Park which is a private reserve located at 25km from the capital. You will find birds, medicinal plants, reptiles and the main types of lemurs of our island (Black-white ruffed Lemur, Common brown Lemur, Coquerel’s Sifaka, Crowned Sifaka, Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur, Mongoose Lemur and Ring-Tailed Lemur). Afterwards, we will continue to Ampefy. You will arrive at Ampefy at approximately 12-30, and have the delicious lunch at Kavitaha hotel.

At afternoon relax, resting at fresh air, far from the crowded beaches, discover this small haven of peace. The splendid volcanic landscapes of this region offer some good hikes and fantastic views of the area, very undulating and different from the usual image of the Red Island.

Pirogue tours on the lakes can easily be arranged. You can also take out bicycles. Ampefy with its rolling hills adorned in green, untainted by the peril of mass tourism and overflowing with an extensive range of fauna and flora is exceptionally appealing to nature lovers. Ampefy is an ideal for hiking. The trails lead through plantations, rice fields and farm land. Ampefy and the area of Lake Itasy offer many treasures of curious forms.

To view all the wonders Ampefy offers, need a little stroll to join the Lily waterfall. To reach the legendary waterfall, requires passage over picturesque volcanic hills dotted with quaint little villages made up of red mud houses with thatched roofs typical to the central highland.

While going forward, one meets very discrete peasants who are posting a broad smile and full with generosity. After few minutes’ walk, one starts to hear the buzz and the crumpling which becomes increasingly strong: it is the Lily waterfall. The precious beauty of Ampefy is highlighted by the Lily waterfall (Chute de la Lily), that thunders down a staircase of rocky clefts, sparkling in the radiant sunlight and finishing in a tremendous spray that fashions a nebulous mystical aura around her. It pours its water from its 26m elevation which generates a large scum on water. A refreshingly clear pool of fresh mountain water that beckons out to anyone who would dive in and bathe in her coolness.

Once you arrive, the most classical panoramic view awaits to take your breath away with the best rapid waters. This waterfall full of legend is well anchored in a splendid site bordered of green grasses very developed by the water evaporation of the waterfall. One can even take few minutes of small bath. Thereafter our driver picks us up and takes us to the La Terasse or Chez Jacky hotel restaurant where you will enjoy lunch.

After the waterfall and the Lake Itasy, the stay with Ampefy also makes it possible to enjoy the gushing spectacle offered by the Analavory Geyser. The geyser site counts four geyser springs. It is certainly the most pleasant place of Ampefy.

Today your tour ends. A transfer back to the airport Ivato. We wish you a comfortable journey home and are sure you will take with you some wonderful memories of Madagascar. Experienced travelers are used to goodbyes, but that doesn't mean they get any easier. When the time comes to depart the wonderful Madagascar, we wouldn't be surprised if you were already planning a return trip!