Today is a great day! The first date) Your first taste of Madagascar will be your arrival in Antananarivo (or Tana, as it is known by the locals) from your international flight. 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.

Our North Madagascar Family 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.

After breakfast, during the course of the morning you travel to Tsarasaotra which means bird's 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 Ambohitantely Special Reserve (3 h). Here the adventure really starts. Ambohitantely Special Reserve protects the last of the original highlands forest. It is covered with natural forest and grassy plains and is known for its astonishing populations of palms. It is inhabited by 12 mammal species including the common brown lemur, the brown mouse lemur and the eastern woolly lemur (the latter two being nocturnal). It is a great location to see birds – with over 48 species including the Madagascar crested Ibis.

This afternoon we will spend the time hiking through this special reserve.

We will spend the morning trekking this reserve again before heading back to our car for our transfer to Ankarafantsika NP. We will cross the beautiful hilly landscapes. The rice fields are still numerous and the traditional pise houses well established. There are plenty of lakes, many waterfalls, fed by the rains of the moment. We are arriving in the country Sakalava.

Along the journey, we will make stop in Maevatanana for lunch and some visits. "The beautiful village, the village where life is easy". Ancient buildings of the beginning of the 20th century century are very pleasant. Here we will visit the Antanimbaryo market. Gold seekers tend to come together at this market on the south of the city, where purchasers coming from Tana, but also from the United States and from Thailand negotiate on the sale of this precious metal. Do not forget to bargain if you want to buy souvenirs for your loved ones. After a gold fever we will commit the less lucrative but surely not less thrilling activity to watching the crocodiles from the river. The area of Maevatanana was once a favorite place for hunting crocodiles (up to 5000 skins per year), today this hunting is forbidden...

In addition we will stop in the village Kandreho. This small village is renowned for the manufacture of raffia fabrics using special printing techniques ("lay masaka" that recall those of the Sunda Islands). To get some stunning photos, we will stop at the bridge over the Betsiboka Rapids. The red waters masses of the Betsiboka River at a place where some tumultuous rapids form. During the wet season foam usually reaches the bridge.

In the evening we will arrive in the Ankarafantsika NP. Here you are able to take night walks to see some of the nocturnal species which are particularly prevalent in this park (including mouse lemur – the smallest primate in the world).

We will set off after breakfast to explore this forest on foot, a superb, fauna rich day excursion. We will take a picnic lunch to have on the trails in the national park. There are 11 very good maintained trails, which will enable a deep glimpse into the park’s ecosystems.

Ankarafantsika National Park, set on Lac Ravelobe, is a mixture of deciduous forests and wetlands. This is major ecotourism site. It is known for its lakes and for being a haven for lemurs and endemic birds.  It is covered in varied fauna, mainly herbaceous and endemic woody plants.  It is the home to the beautiful Coquerel’s sifaka as well as 7 other species of lemurs (including western woolly, fat tailed dwarf lemur, mongoose lemurs) and exceptional birds (including roufous vanga and fish eagle).

There is also an option of a flat bottomed boat trip on the lake, which is perfect for birdwatching.

After dinner, we will have the option of setting out on a night hike again to see some of the nocturnal inhabitants of the forest.

Another day to explore this forest on foot, a superb and fauna rich day in the Ampijoroa area.

Ankarafantsika National Park, and especially the Ampijoroa area, is one of the best sites for first-time visitors to Madagascar. Accommodations are good and lemur-watching is easy. With a little bit of luck one can see all eight lemur species in an afternoon, an evening, and a morning. The word itself means something like “thorny mountains”, which aims at the famous canyon of the park. Besides this, Ankarafantsika is called “the kingdom of birds“, because it offers various great possibilities to spot endemic birds.

The Ampijoroa area within Ankarafantsika is also the site of the world’s most important captive breeding project for endangered Madagascar turtles and tortoises, including the ploughshare tortoise or angonoka (Asterochelys yniphora), the flat-tailed tortoise or kapidolo (Pyxis planicauda), and the Madagascar big-headed sideneck turtle or rere (Erymnochelys madagascariensis). The ploughshare tortoise is one of the most critically endangered tortoises in the world, and this is presently the only breeding site for it outside its natural range.

Today we will set off early to head for Ambanja. Ambanja boasts a stunning location on the Sambirano river and is a buzzing, farming community with plantations, with crops like coffee, ylang ylang pepper and vanilla but most importantly for the community, cacao. There is a local airport and a small maritime harbor at Ankify which notably is the gate to the Islands of Nosy Be and Nosy Komba.

This is a long day, however at the end of the day we will be rewarded with the azure blue sea and golden sand at Ankify. Along the way we will pass through villages and animated markets so there is always something to look at en-route. We will add lots of shortstop offs to keep young travellers (and their parents) happy. Ankify is a small fishing and farming village with thatched huts and tropical vegetation and is surrounded by a number of sandy beaches overlooking the crystal clear sea.

If it is tiring for you, we can make a stopover for a night in the village of Antsohihy (Overnight – Bungalow). Antsohihy is connected inland with the River Loza. The people of Antsohihy live from forestry, trade and transport activities and the area is renowned for seafood too.

You may choose to go for peaceful bike ride around the plantations, relax on the beach or even partake in a mangrove canoe trip.

The NDAO-i-Travel proposes to you to discover the region of Sambirano through various thematic excursions. With us you have the possibility to explore the region through original circuits that offer different modes of discovery: mountain biking, walking, canoeing or all-terrain vehicle.

Unforgettable moments for a long time will remain in your heart, as well as social networks and personal photo albums.

For those who wish to explore this blessed region in depth and to extend this tour, we can also organize visits to little explored sites. We take you to a little-known area to share find authentic encounters and a true taste of adventure in wildlife. Take a view, what we have for you:

*Sambirano Cocoa Cycling tour;

*The Exclusive Sambirano River Trekking Tour;

*Expedition to Tsaratanana Integral Reserve, to the peak of Maromokotra.

So thrilled about what happened yesterday, Ambanja is such a great experience! What next? Today, after two evenings of relaxing on the beautiful beaches, we head to Ankarana National Park. We can spend the morning relaxing on the plage before setting off to Ankarana.

The road crosses never ending plantations of sugarcane, ylang-ylang, cocoa, coffee, pepper, crove, cinnamon and vanilla. Once we arrive in Ankarana Park, rooms will be ready for you to settle and rest.

After lunch, we will then get a chance to explore the park and its wildlife. This afternoon we will visit Perte de Riviere – which is the gateway to a series of caves leading to the ocean. During your stay in Ankarana, you will discover the vast subterranean network of the massif which will reveal you a big part of the values of the Antakarana culture. In addition, we will make a walk for several hours towards the "Small Tsingy" and the "big bat cave". You’ll enjoy marveling at stunning Tsingy massif.

In evening, you can exploring the lodge and its surrounding.

How your yesterdays little stroll in the surroundings? Today you will have a great day to explore this amazing Ankarana National Park with the Tsingy and the canyons. Accessible at any period of the year by the Eastern side, the beauty of this unique landscape will make your passage a real disorientation. In dry seasons, its western part will surprise you even more: the big sinkhole and the caves, the canyons as well as the suspension bridges are real treasures, and always sparkling.

The trails are not easy but are feasible for anyone with a moderate level of fitness. Our discovery plan can vary depending on your physical conditions. Still, if you suffer dizziness, please stay safe by refraining yourself. Depending on your interest and physical conditions, several types of tours are suggested through the reliefs, dripstone caves, and natural trails.

We will be back tonight for dinner, and you will have an overnight stay at your hotel.

We’re so happy you enjoyed yesterday. This morning is another opportunity to wander around to discover the park. Then, we will drive you to Jofreville and the Montagne d’Ambre National Park – the Amber Mountain, with the amazing opportunity to watch staggering landscape all along the way.

We want you to discover the Red Tsingy in the Southern East mountains of Diego Suarez, on your way to Jofreville. Located right at the bedrocks of eroded canyons, within the single sedimentary basin of Madagascar and heterogeneous vegetation, the Tsingy are made of sandstone, marl and limestone. This place is breathtaking landscape. It looks like time abandoned giant coral in the middle of nowhere, which turns grey of sadness. And the set is just gorgeous!

Let’s continue the tour to reach your hotel for lunch. You will get there towards the middle of the afternoon. Already today we will have time to stroll a little in the Montagne d’Ambre.

Are you keen to explore the Amber Mountain National Park? Today we will make amazing discoveries. Trust our tour guide. We will spend the day exploring the forest trails and waterfalls in the Montagne d’Ambre which is rich in both animal and plant life (including orchids). Just enjoy strolling around, don’t think about dinner. We’re taking care of it at the hotel where you will stay overnight.

The amazing Montagne d’Ambre, covered by lush vegetation and thick green mantle of rainforest, reaches 1475 m at its peak. And as a wonderful oasis, it towers up in the middle of a dry savannah. This mountain is enriched by endemic species like 77 species of birds, 7 species of lemurs and 24 species of amphibians. The park is home to two species of nocturnal lemurs and five diurnal species, especially the crowned lemurs or Eulemur Coronatus. These primates live in harmony with reptiles, amphibians and endemic birds. If you are lucky, you will see the smallest chameleon in the world, the brookesia.

Today we head to Montagne des Francais reserve, a unique and exceptional area of adventure and discovery, just a short 2 hours by road, but a very different environment – a tropical dry forest with Baobab trees, caves, fish eagles and lemurs.

The Jungle Park is inscribed in a development program of responsible tourism linked to sports and eco-tourism activities. The camp is a tourism center located at the very opening of a world of adventure in the natural park of “Ambohitra Antsingy”, at the heart of “La vallée des perroquets” (Parrot Valley). The Jungle Park is the door to the world of adventure. This is a place that brings pleasure to all those who travels with us.

We will have a unique experience here as we will stay overnight in the tree bungalows – literally huts built in trees! The accommodation is located in an exceptional ecosetting, there are three options for accommodation:

Jungle Lodge - a real eco village;

Jungle House. Sleep in the trees!...;

The Jungle Camp (parrot camp) is the Jungle Park campground.

This morning we head to Sakalava bay and Emerald Sea.  With beautiful white sand and a shallow lagoon with pristine waters this is a perfect family destination to end your time in Madagascar. It is protected swirls of the Indian Ocean by a coral reef and the islands Nosy Diego and Nosy Suarez, and closed by the Babaomby peninsula where proudly stands a native forest, dominate by the baobabs with their size. Other islands framing the Emerald Sea are: Nosy Antaly Be, Nosy Antaly Kely, Nosy Lava and Nosy Toreky.

A time to enjoy the activities in this wild beauty place. Snorkeling, swimming, or simply relaxing are among the interesting leisure activities. Beside sunbathing and swimming, Emerald Sea is ideal for snorkeling, kitesurfing and windsurfing. We can be organized day excursions kitesurfing to Emerald Bay and to the islets. Animations and laughing are on the program! At the same time, a picnic lunch of seafood in the menu will be prepared by a team of professionals.

You can choose to extend your stay with some extra days on the beach if you prefer or take the beach extension below.

Today you will proceed to your transfer to the airport and prepare yourself for a safe flight to Antananarivo. Departure time usually at 09-00. Transfer in your hotel in Tana.

Excursion "Tana-city" and Goodbye-dinner in the cozy atmosphere of the Le Restaurant «La Varangue».

We also can make visit the Chocolaterie Robert factory and Chocolatière boutique. Chocolaterie Robert is a traditional cocoa producer and chocolate maker using Trinitario and Criollo cocoa beans organically grown in the Sambirano region (Ambanja). The result is an irresistible range of pralines and chocolate bars made by ancient recipes containing only natural Malagasy ingredients. Prize-winner "GOLDEN BEAN AWARD 2017".

Alternatively, we can make visit The PALA. The PALA jewelers is a gem trader with a reputation for its premium quality gemstones and handcrafted jewelry design. Established in 1922, PALA is one of the original gem traders of Indian heritage to have settled on Madagascar. Today, the PALA Group is in its third generation of business.

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!