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Madagascar’s
flora and fauna are so different from anywhere else on Earth that it is
often referred to as the eighth continent; five bird families and 120
species are found only here. Madagascar is home to some of the
planet’s greatest biological oddities, including other-worldly
plants, Jurassic reptiles, and unfeasible birds and lemurs that appear
to have their origins in Alice’s wonderland.
Day 1: Antananarivo. We arrive in Antananarivo, the island’s capital, and spend a night in a city hotel.
Day 2: Antananarivo to Ifaty.
A morning flight takes us to Tulear, where we transfer to Ifaty,
surrounded by the strange spiny desert. The octopus tree’s
spindly tentacles combine with baobabs to create eerie surroundings.
Our first birds should include Madagascar Bee-eater, Madagascar Lark,
and Madagascar Cisticola. En route we encounter several marshes and
wetlands, where we should find many waterbirds.
Day 3: Ifaty.
This morning we seek out spectacular semi-desert endemics such as
Running and Green-capped Couas, and Lafresnaye’s Vanga, while
Sickle-billed Vangas give themselves away by their baby-like wails.
There are two very rare endemics here: the cryptic Sub-desert Mesite
and the elegant Long-tailed Ground-Roller, an elusive bird resembling a
colorful roadrunner.
Day 4: Ifaty to Tulear. After another day birding around Ifaty we head to Tulear to overnight.
Day 5: Tulear Area.
Today we head for the strange plateau of La Table to find
Verreaux’s Coua and Red-shouldered Vanga, a species only
discovered in the 1990’s. With luck we may encounter Madagascar
Sandgrouse near Tulear. Mudflats en route often host a variety of
shorebirds and Humblot’s Heron.
Day 6: Nosy Ve.
We board our boat to visit Nosy Ve, a small, enchanting offshore islet,
whose star attraction is a colony of Red-tailed Tropicbirds, but also
often hosts Crab Plovers. We return to the lodge with a lunch stop at
Anakao to search for the very local Littoral Rock-Thrush.
Day 7: Zombitse and Isalo.
An early start takes us towards Isalo to enjoy the wonders of birding
Zombitse, a forest haven in the dry southwest. Our main target is one
of the world’s most endangered birds, Appert’s Greenbul.
Other residents in this dry, deciduous forest include Giant Coua,
Madagascar Cuckoo Roller, and Rufous Vanga. Later we search for the
Benson’s Rock-Thrush that frequents the hotel grounds in Isalo.
Day 8: Isalo to Ranomafana.
Today is a long driving day, but with great rewards, as we stop to
search for the local Madagascar Partridge and Madagascar Little Grebe.
The grasslands of the central plateau are all that separates us from
the beckoning eastern rainforests, which we reach this evening at
Ranomafana.
Days 9-10: Ranomafana.
This is Madagascar’s premier mid-altitude rainforest reserve.
We’ll search for Brown Mesite and Yellow-browed Oxylabes, and
other targets include Henst’s Goshawk, and Pollen’s Vanga.
Higher up we bird Vohiparara, where we look for the highly-localized
Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity. The ridge is also home to the well-named
Cryptic Warbler. Nearby rice paddies should give us our best chance of
locating Madagascar Snipe and Gray Emutail. Twelve species of lemur,
Madagascar’s weird and enchanting primates, are found at
Ranomafana, and one night we’ll have the unforgettable experience
of mouse-lemurs coming to within inches of our faces, and perhaps
Fanalokas (civet-like predators) posing for photos. We also have some
new sites at Ranomafana for some very rare endemics including
Meller’s Duck, and renewed chances of Madagascar Partridge. On
past trips we have even had some amazing luck, seeing Slender-billed
Flufftail at this site.
Day 11: Ranomafana to Antsirabe. After a final morning here we drive to Antsirabe for the night.
Day 12: Antsirabe to Perinet Reserve.
We continue on to Perinet, crossing the Horombe Plateau, where roadside
markets display a variety of handicrafts, fruit, and meat. We will make
a special stop en route for Madagascar Pratincole along the Mangoro
River.
Days 13-15: Mantadia NP and Perinet Reserve.
These two areas offer the best chance to see some of the
country’s finest rainforest birds. Mantadia is the best
ground-roller reserve in Madagascar, and we might see Pitta-like,
Rufous-headed, Short-legged, and Scaly Ground-Rollers here. We’ll
also search for easier quarry such as Madagascar Flufftail, Madagascar
Blue-Pigeon, Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher, and Madagascar Starling. In
the forested hills around Perinet, we will try to locate the very local
Red-breasted, Red-fronted, and Blue Couas, the glowing Velvet Asity,
and the bizarre tree-creeping Nuthatch Vanga. The experience of birding
in Perinet would not be complete without being serenaded by the
planet’s largest lemur, the Indri. The spine-chilling hoots and
wails will stay with you for months. Night walks should reveal other
mammals including Eastern Woolly, Greater Dwarf, and diminutive
Goodman’s Mouse Lemurs. The reserve’s herpetofauna is also
impressive, with brightly-patterned and bizarre frogs, geckos, and
chameleons, including the giant Parson’s Chameleon.
Day 16: Perinet to Antananarivo. We return to Antananarivo where we spend the night.
Day 17: Antananarivo. Transfer to the airport for departure.
Western
Endemics extension
Day 1: Antananarivo
to Ampijoroa
Today we fly to Mahajanga on the north-west
coast of Madagascar, for the final leg
of our island adventure. After arriving
in this sleepy town, we will drive to
Ampijoroa, a forest station situated in
the extensive deciduous forests of Ankarafantsika
National Park. En route to the reserve
we will scan roadside water bodies for
African Openbill Stork, Purple, Striated,
Common Squacco, and Madagascar Pond Herons,
and flocks of Black Egret, which we will
watch as they perform their bizarre "umbrella-feeding"
routine. Striking Madagascar Jacanas strut
through lily-covered wetlands and we will
stop off at Lac Amboromalandy to search
for other waterbirds including Humblot's
Heron, Madagascar Little Grebe, African
Pygmy Goose, Red-billed and Hottentot
teals, White-faced Duck, and if we are
very fortunate, the extremely rare Bernier's
Teal.
On
arrival at the forestry station we should encounter numerous "campsite
residents" such as Broad-billed Roller, screeching Lesser Vasa Parrots,
Crested Drongo, Madagascar Magpie Robin, Sakalava Weaver, Madagascar
Hoopoe, Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher, Madagascar Green Pigeon, and
Madagascar Turtle Dove. We will spend the afternoon birding along the
edge of the adjacent Lac Ravelobe, where we hope to find the threatened
Madagascar Fish Eagle, a pair of which is resident here. Wintering
Sooty and Eleonora's falcons may be seen hunting overhead,
White-throated Rails favor the waterside vegetation, and we may find
noisy groups of Sickle-billed and Madagascar Blue Vangas moving along
the forest fringe. Ampijoroa is still poorly developed for eco-tourism,
so in order to experience the unique birdlife of this remote area we
will be accommodated in a comfortable tented camp and have our food
prepared by camp staff. A definite advantage of this arrangement is our
proximity to the wildlife: previous groups have encountered Coquerel's
Sifaka and even the scarce White-breasted Mesite right in the shady
campsite. Meals taken around the open fire, with the background sounds
of nocturnal lemurs and Madagascar Scops Owls, are sure to be some of
the most memorable of our trip.
Day 2: Ampijoroa
We have a full day to explore the network
of trails through the dry forest around
Ampijoroa, in search of the many birds
restricted to this region. Foremost amongst
these is the secretive White-breasted
Mesite, our third and final member of
this endemic family, and the jewel-like
Schlegel's Asity, which gives one the
impression of a miniature bird-of-paradise.
We will also concentrate on finding the
highly localized Van Dam's Vanga and our
final species of coua that we would not
yet have encountered, Red-capped. Other
birds we hope to see whilst searching
for these specials include Madagascar
Crested Ibis, Madagascar Buttonquail,
Frances's and Madagascar Sparrowhawks,
Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, and Hook-billed,
Rufous, White-headed, Chabert's, and Red-tailed
Vangas. No less than eight species of
lemur occur in the near vicinity of the
camp and we will search for the comical
Coquerel's Sifaka and Common Brown Lemur
during the day, and the rare Mongoose
Lemur, Western Woolly Lemur (or Avahi),
Milne-Edward's Sportive, Fat-tailed Dwarf,
and Gray Mouse lemurs after dark. If we
are lucky, we may also find the recently
described Golden Mouse Lemur, one of the
world's smallest primates. Reptiles are
also plentiful along the trails and we
hope to see the impressive Giant Hog-nosed
Snake, as well as several smaller species
of snake (all harmless - amazingly, there
are no venomous snakes in Madagascar),
Oustalet's Chameleon (the world's largest
species), and the aptly named Rhinoceros
Chameleon, with its enlarged nasal protuberance.
Day 3: Ampijoroa to Mahajunga (Betsiboka estuary).
After some final birding around Ampijoroa, we return by bus to
Mahajunga for an overnight stay in a comfortable, beachside hotel.
Day 4: Betsiboka estuary and Katsepy.
For those that want and can take one more mission we will embark on a
great boat trip up the Betsiboka River Delta, south of town, in search
of Madagascar Sacred Ibis and, if we are lucky, the elusive
Bernier’s Teal. Later in the day we return to Mahajunga, but not
before (if the tides and currents permit) we stop off at Katsepy and
grip the superb Crowned Sifaka, a very seldom seen lemur. We overnight
at Mahajunga.
Day 5: Mahajunga to Antananarivo. Fly back to "Tana" in the afternoon. End of services.
Helmet
Vanga and Northeast Endemics extension
Day 1: Tana - Maroansetra - Masoala Peninusula.
From Antananarivo we fly north to the town of Maroantsetra, where
shortly after arrival we transfer across the Bay of
Antongil, to the stunning Masoala Peninsula, where we will have the
next three days to explore the pristine lowland rainforest that
blankets the peninsula.
Days 2-4: Masoala Peninsula. Masoala is endowed with Madagascar’s largest tract of protected
rainforest. A haven for many bird
species and a hideout to a select few that are too bizarre to ignore. The
tracks and trails are slippery, steep and often long. Indeed this leg is for
the tireless and ravenous birder that wants to take birding in Madagascar into
a different dimension. Some of the more commonly sought-after specialties
include the breathtaking Helmet Vanga, loquacious Red-breasted Coua and
handsome Scaly Ground Rollers. Nonetheless our ramblings will set off with
higher hopes, as the elusive Bernier’s Vanga, the ghostly Dusky Greenbul and
cryptic Red-tailed Newtonia have all been sighted here. Furthermore, with luck,
good rains and some cooperation from local researchers we could be blessed with
unique sightings of breeding Madagascar Serpent Eagle. Although they have not
been sited for years, the peninsula is also home to the magnificent Red
Owl.
Day 5: Masoala - Maroansentra. After lunch and some fine morning birding we sail back to Maroansetra in
the afternoon (weather conditions dependant), where we book into our
comfortable hotel for the evening, where warm showers and comfy beds will offer
welcome respite, and also we will be able to celebrate our incredible birding
haul in comfort.
Day 6: Maroansetra - Antananarivo. After breakfast we leave
Maroantsetra and return to Antananarivo by airplane. The afternoon will be
spent at leisure (i.e. no planned activities), and you are welcome to wonder the
city sight seeing Tana, visiting its museums, market place, or natural history
museum before we connecting with your next tour or your outbound flight.
Tour
Info:
CLIMATE: The eastern rainforest
sites are cool, with rain possible. The
climate at Ifaty and all of the sites on the western endemics extension are
very hot and dry.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate. The eastern
rainforest sites require long days on forest trails; those at Ranomafana are
steep. All other sites have mostly easy trails.
ACCOMMODATION:
Very good throughout.
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