We hope you enjoyed your international flight. We will be at the airport to welcome you and transfer you to your hotel, where you will stay overnight. Let’s start by learning a new word: “Tongasoa”, read it Toongasoo, which means Welcome. Our tour will begin in Antananarivo, where are 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.

From the “Croc Farm” we will transfer you to your hotel, where you will stay overnight. Do you want a piece of advice? Choose a light meal for dinner. You will feel more comfortable during your overnight stay at your hotel. In the evening after dinner, over cocktails 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. We are leaving tomorrow.

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!

Early in the morning you'll wake up in the Mantadia NP to the characteristic cry of the indri. The sound carries for kilometers, and is intended to delineate their territory. Sometimes you hear ten different families, some distant, others nearby.

Before breakfast, just a snacking, we will get a visit to the lovely private reserve of Vakona lodge 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, willing to do whatever it took to get them. Including  jumping on our heads, shoulders, arms, and gouging our eyes out. Get ready! - many lemurs will be intent on boarding a canoe! Lemurs pirates!

After a leisurely breakfast we leave the rain forest of Andasibe and continue way to the east. It is interesting travel through stunning natural scenery on very beautiful and photographic paved roads. You make your way to Toamasina, to join the speed boat to Sainte Marie Island.

During this drive, you cross a myriad of villages and get acquainted with the traditional lifestyle of the Malagasy people. 225 km to enjoy pretty golden grasslands, amazingly abundant rice paddies, chimneyless long clay red houses and millions of roadside markets displaying a variety of colourful and gorgeous handicrafts, fruits and flowers.

At about 7 am we continue northwards to Soanierana Ivongo approx. 3 hours by car. In Soanierana Ivongo we join the speed boat to Sainte Marie Island, departure on the speed boat at 11-00.

Whether you call it island of Sainte Marie, Nosy Boraha or Ile Ste Marie, it won’t change the fact that it is a unique tourism spot that resembles no other and it is, besides Nosy Be, one of the most visited islands of Madagascar.

Let’s enjoy it. After about a one-hour journey, you will arrive at the lodge or hotel. Discover this amazing place where you’ll stay for few days! Start gathering highlights from today on: enjoy exploring the beaches, swimming in the sea before going for a walk along the coast. Relax. Delight and don’t worry, we took great care of everything. You will enjoy your lunch and dinner at your hotel, where you’ll stay overnight.

What do I do once there? As said before: “Doing everything or doing nothing, both are great and possible.” Nosy Boraha has enough to do that you can fill many days here.

The island of Sainte Marie and its small surrounding islands are a true jewel and very rich in terms of terrestrial and marine biodiversity. Nosy Boraha also offers a stunning landscape: majestic waterfalls, clear natural pools, preserved tropical forests and - of course - fine sand beaches that face the turquoise sea. Its seascape is equally impressive thanks to its coral reef and its waters filled with fish.

You can of course, and we recommend it, do fishing in the Deep or soak up the sun, enjoy  beaches and kaleidoscope of the local cuisine, get a cocktail in a bar or on the beach between palm trees – or have fun in the local discotheque. Ile Ste Marie has everything for everyone.

To whet your Island hopping appetite, we offer to look at four of the most popular things you can do together with us on the lush and charming Ile St Marie.

Let yourself be enchanted by the beauty of nature: beautiful landscapes, idyllic spots and a chic lagoon with a magnificent coral reef! Ride a boat on Îlots aux sables.

As the name implies, this island is formed only of sand. This is an unexpected place, surrounded by the Indian Ocean, and with a stunning view of the island of St. Marie. And it is captured by numerous birds!

Surrounded by three coral islets, the islands of aux Sables are located 4 km off the east coast of Sainte-Marie. You will find all kinds of seashells. (But do not pick up them in accordance with the law on the seashells). The lagoon with magnificent coral reefs surrounded by sands and islets is an ideal place for diving and snorkeling.

Discover Sainte-Marie by quad, 4×4 or motorbike. Explore the most beautiful landscapes of Sainte-Marie during a day of adventure. With our guide, you will come across small villages, forests, wild beaches, mangroves, rice fields and so much more. You will learn everything about vanilla, cinnamon, clove and orchids, and the Malagasy way of life… Between breathtaking scenery and turquoise lagoons, you will find beautiful places in a lush nature.

Immediately after breakfast we set off to the beautiful and unique forest d’Ambohidena and to its black lake. In addition to eucalyptus, lemurs and chameleons, this forest is famous for paradise orchids, some of which are endangered, like Reine de Madagascar and orchidée noire (black orchid). It will be an easy hike with a local guide from 1 to 2 hours, after that we will go to Paradise Ampanihy-mangroves and make another easy hike to get to Ampanihy Bay for a picnic, swimming and relaxing in this magical place - a long beach with white sand, a lagoon with emerald bursts.

Baie d'Ampanihy is a wild and untouched place where country life goes on, as it had been for centuries. In this vegetation temple, herons catch crabs and fish. Not a sound, except for a dull roar of waves that break a coral reef in the distance. It is one of the most popular tours in Saint-Marie.

Every year from mid-November through December enormous sharks, larger than your pirogue (dugout canoe), enter the mostly shallow bay through a very deep channel in order to give birth. They never attack anyone, although their young are sometimes netted by accident, and the sight of a huge dorsal fin can prompt an early bathroom break.

Nut Island is located south of St Marie, an easy trip on a boat in the turquoise waters of the lagoon will be enough to get us there. We offer you a tour of the island in 3 hours of walking; in stages we will discover this tropical Eden and its beaches with white sands. Swimming and lunch on site and then back to your hotel. L’île aux Nattes is a must for any visit to Sainte Marie. With a ride in the traditional dugout canoe, the wind in your hair, aromas of tropical flora promise you a unique moment of escape in nature.

After about 4 km of quiet canoeing you will discover L’île aux Nattes, with its paradisiacal beaches, lemurs, traditional villages. One of the characteristics of the island is the Blévec lighthouse, where you will have a magnificent view that extends to the reefs and East Coast. The guide will explain to you about their daily life, customs and habits (Fady and  flipping  of the dead), the discovery of flora. After visiting with a guide for 3 hours, you will have a free walk.

L’île aux Nattes or “Nosy Nanto” is separated from the island of Saint Marie by a magnificent lagoon of clear blue water. It completely surrounds the island and separates it from the Indian Ocean by the important and magnificent barrier reef.

Nattes has an endemic orchid. This is Eulophiella Roempleriana, which blooms in September and October and grows in swampy areas especially on pandanus. Its characteristic pole can be up to 1.50 m. Very rare species are protected, and their collection is strictly prohibited.

Let yourself be seduced by the charm of this wonderful Sainte Marie Island on your final day here.

After breakfast, we head to Forêt d’Ikalalao. This is a tropical forest. The way will be a little hilly pleasing us with gorgeous panoramic views: in height, there is a breathtaking view to the west on the tip to Larrey, and the beautiful lagoons of the East. The landscape is dominated by lush green vegetation common to the eastern rain forests of Madagascar. A true sanctuary of reptiles is home to both the smallest and largest chameleons in the world: the Brookesia minima and the giant chameleon Parsoni. The chameleon is the king of the forest, there are  different chameleons Pardalis furcifer, Parsoni Calumma, le phelsuma madagascariensis.

We will complete a walk in this forest in the cascades of Antanandava. The combination of water and nature, this beautiful waterfall is beautiful a place to freshen up. Quiet little place, a bit wild and preserved. A short path will take us to the foot of the waterfall.

Immediately after that we will go to the extreme north of the island to the Natural pools. In the far north of the island you will find the hostile coast of Saint-Marie and its majestic waves, underlined by natural pools for a refreshing swim. A magical place, live by the feeling of "being in the end of the world." This is not one, but several "natural pools". These basins of sea water are a hundred meters long and are created by a rock barrier, into which the waves crash with foam splashes and then turn into a peaceful space. The Antsarikelitry Pool is a sacred place where offerings are made by throwing coins into the hollow of a rock on the occasion of a vow. The “pool” of Antsarirabe has calm and clear waters. Then we will find a small protected lagoon in a place called Satsikôza. Nearby, on a hill, a sacred pole or "Fanasina" is erected. It is here that the “Lojoharo” or sorcerer performs the ritual of re-sacrifice in the event of desecration of a sacred place. Therefore, it is important that locals accompany us at these sites in order to be informed about the nature of Fady (taboo).

The final visit of this day will be Cocobay Coconut Grove, where black granite rocks gently rest in crystalline waters, surrounded by thousands of coconut palms. This combination creates an exciting atmosphere. Your Cocobay program is snorkeling, barbecue fish under trees, idleness, walks and, of course, breathtaking and spectacular views.

Today, depending on the flight schedule, you will proceed to your transfer to the airport and prepare yourself for a safe flight to Antananarivo. Departure time depends on the day of the week. 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".

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!