Madagascar's flora and fauna are so different from anywhere else on Earth that it is often regarded as an eighth continent. Five families of birds are found only here, as are 120 endemic species concentrated in five Endemic Bird Areas. Madagascar is the epitome of the bizarre. Half of the world’s chameleons live here, from the giant 2.2 ft (68 cm) Parson’s Chameleon to the miniscule 1.3 in (3.4 cm) Pygmy Stump-tailed Chameleon. The lemurs are also a hit with visitors; their antics are hard to ignore,from the wailing hoot of Perinet’s Indris, to the bipedal loping of Verreaux’s Sifakas.

Day 1: Antananarivo
After arrival in Antananarivo, colloqually known simply as "Tana", we drive through the Tolkienesque rice paddies replete with dilapidated multi-story homes with balconies, spires, and oval roof tiles surrounded by canna and lilly gardens into the heart of this intriguing city. We check into our hotel.

Day 2: Tana - Ifaty
This morning we awake early and head to the airport for our flight to Tulear and the bizarre, "other-worldly" spiny-desert of the southwest. We should arrive there by mid-morning, where we will be transferred to the beach-resort hotel at Ifaty. This is Didierea country, the octopus tree's spindly tentacles combine with the Pachypodium elephant's foot plants, Euphorbias, and baobabs to make an eerie surrounding. Heading north on the sandy track we should find our first birds including Namaqua Dove, Madagascar Bee-eater, Madagascar Lark, and Madagascar Cisticola. En-route we encounter several marshes, wetlands and pans where we may find Madagascar Coucal, Little Bittern, Baillon's Crake, and other waterbirds. After settling in, well take an afternoon walk to look for local specialities.

Days 3-4: Ifaty
It tends to get very hot at midday, so each morning we will set out at dawn to take advantage of the cooler air. We will seek out the spectacular semi-desert endemics occurring here such as Banded Kestrel, Madagascar Sparrowhawk, Running and Green-capped Couas, Archbold's Newtonia, Thamnornis Warbler, Sub-desert Brush Warbler, and Lafresnaye's Vanga. Other possibilities include Madagascar Harrier-Hawk, Madagascar Buttonquail, Madagascar Green-Pigeon, Grey-headed Lovebird, Madagascar Hoopoe, Hook-billed, White-headed and Chabert's Vangas, Sakalava Weaver, and Souimanga Sunbird. Hopefully the noisy cacklings of a group of Sickle-billed Vangas will give them away. However, two specialties are key here. The cryptic and mythical Sub-desert Mesite and the elegant Long-tailed Ground-Roller, an elusive ground dweller resembling a roadrunner. Both birds are considered globally threatened and are on top of our priority list. On our way back to the hotel we will stop at some saltpans to look for Madagascar Plover. As the sands get hot, the reptiles come out to play and we should see Three-eyed Lizards and perchance the rare Dumeril's Boa. Once we are out of the midday sun, we have a chance to explore the marvelous reefs of this area and snorkeling has ample rewards where we can twitch clownfish, corals, clams and many other tropical creatures beneath the waves. A swim and suntan on the beach with a cool drink in the hand provide alternative activities.

Day 5: Ifaty to St. Augustin
After an early wake up call, we make our way to Tulear and the bizarre plateau of La Table. Here we will seek out the Red-shouldered Vanga, a species only described to science in the 1990s. At times we will have opportunities to scan the mudflats for terns including Saunder's Tern. Waders abound and we have a chance at the globally localized Crab Plover. We will head down the cobbled road towards St. Augustin, searching the roadside scrub for Verreaux's Coua. The bay is also a reasonably good site for Humblot's Heron. We will overnight in St. Augustin.

Day 6: St. Augustin and Nosy Ve
This morning we will bird the "coral debris" scrub above the lodge. Later we board our chartered boat to visit Nosy Ve, a small offshore islet. The star attraction here is a colony of Red-tailed Tropicbirds that vie for photographer's attention with stooping flights towards the lens. The islet is also good for snorkeling. We return to the lodge with a stop at Anakao on the mainland to search for the highly localized Littoral Rock Thrush.

Day 7: St. Augustin - Isalo via Zombitse Forest
We leave for Isalo early, so that we can enjoy the wonders of birding Zombitse in the early hours of the morning. Zombitse is a haven, and our first real experience of forest birding in Madagascar. There is a wonderful diversity and abundance of birds here. Our main target though is one of the world's most localized birds, Appert's Greenbul. Other interesting residents in this dry deciduous forest include Giant Coua, Madagascar Cuckoo-Roller, Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher, Rufous Vanga, and if we are lucky enough, possibly roosting White-browed or Long-eared owls. By the time we reach Isalo, we will be ready for a pre-dinner drink, but first we will check the stake-out for the Benson's (Forest) Rock Thrush that hangs out near the hotel.

Day 8: Isalo to Fianarantsoa
Today is a long driving day, but not without rewards. The stunning pale limestone outcrops of Massif d' Isalo will reflect their sunlight in the early morning and there will be stops to search for key birds such as Madagascar Sandgrouse, Madagascar Partridge, and Madagascar Harrier as this is one of the best areas in the country to see them. The sterile grasslands of the central plateau are scenically interesting and all that separates us from the beckoning eastern rainforests and most of Madagascar's most amazing creatures at Ranomafana. Night in Fianarantsoa.

Days 9-10: Ranomafana
Ranomafana is the premier reserve supporting mid-altitude rainforest on Madagascar's eastern escarpment. This, one of the largest of Madagascar's parks, probably supports some of the most important stretches of habitat remaining in Madagascar. Ranomafana has long been known ground-roller land, and it is known to support all four of the rainforest species, with Pitta-like Ground-Rollers being the commonest. We will search for these in the lower elevation forests where we will also be looking for Brown Mesite and Yellow-browed Oxylabes, key birds here. Other specialties include Madagascar Crested Ibis, Henst's Goshawk, Gray-crowned Greenbul, Wedge-tailed Jery, and Rufous and Pollen's Vangas. Higher up, we shall bird the swampy Vohiparara area. Foremost amongst these is the highly localized Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity. The ridge supports another gamut of desirable birds including the Red-fronted Coua, Rufous-headed Ground-Roller, the infuriatingly elusive Brown Emutail; the recently described Cryptic Warbler will also be amongst the quarry. In the vicinity, rice paddies should give us our best chance to locate Madagascar Snipe and Gray Emutail. Sporting 12 species of lemurs, it is no wonder that Ranomafana is a key global hotspot for primate diversity. It rose to prominence with the discovery, in 1986, of the Golden Bamboo Lemur, a species new to science. There are other treasures, and Ranamafana is particularly rich in chameleons and bizarre insects, which we will no doubt find during our birding exploits.

Day 11: Ranomafana to Antsirabe
After spending a final morning in this park, we head to Antsirabe, a highland town famous for locally manufactured handicrafts.

Day 12: Antsirabe to Perinet Reserve
We hit the road to Perinet early. En route we will cap the open landscape of the Horombe Plateau, crossing myriad villages and getting a feel for the traditional lifestyle of the Malagasy people. Incomprehensibly abundant rice paddies, chimney-less red clay houses, and millions of roadside markets displaying a variety of handicrafts, fruits, and meats are set against a dramatic backdrop of golden grasslands and granite inselbergs. We arrive at Mantady in time for lunch, and venture into the forest for the afternoon.

Days 13-15: Mantadia NP and Perinet Reserve
These two parks offer the finest of Madagascar's birdlife. Depending on which species are still needed we will mix our time between these two fine forest reserves. Mantady is the finest ground-roller reserve in Madagascar, and we might see Pitta-like, Rufous-headed, Short-legged, and Scaly here (as we often do!). Red-breasted Coua, Madagascar Serpent Eagle, and the incredibly scarce Red Owl and Helmet Vanga are other gems of Mantady. We will search for more likely quarry such as Madagascar Little Grebe, Madagascar Flufftail, Madagascar Wood Rail, Madagascar Blue Pigeon, Greater and Lesser Vasa Parrots, Madagascar Spine-tailed Swift, Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher, Ward's Flycatcher, Madagascar Starling, Long-billed and Spectacled Tetrakas (Greenbuls), White-throated Oxylabes, and Nelicourvi Weaver. In the forested hills around Perinet, we will try locate the localized Red-fronted and Blue Couas, Velvet Asity, and vangas such as Madagascar Blue, Red-tailed, Tylas, and with some luck the bizarre 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, whale-sounding howls of this creatures will, guaranteed, stick in your memory for the rest of your life. Nightwalks will yield other lemurs and perhaps a few owls. We will search for and should find Eastern Woolly, Greater Dwarf, and the diminutive and recently described Goodman's Mouse Lemur, and we may also encounter some of Madagascar's other evolutionary masterpieces such as the bizarre Lowland Streaked Tenrec. The reserve's reptile and amphibian fauna is no less shabby, with a wide variety of colorful and bizarre frogs, chameleons, and geckos, including the giant Parson's Chameleon and two species of eccentric leaf-tailed geckos: the huge Uroplatus fimbriatus and the aptly named Uroplatus phantasticus.

Day 16: Perinet Reserve to Tana
A final morning's activities at one of these two special places will complete our time in Madagascar before we make our way back to Tana in the late afternoon. Some souvenier hunting in the famous "Rova" market should complete the day. We return to Tana for international flights or for the extension.

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
After some final birding around Ampijoroa, we return by bus to Mahajunga for an overnight stay in a comfortable, beachside hotel renowned for its fine seafood. And, in the afternoon, for those that want and can take one more mission we will embark on an exploratory boat trip to the Betsiboka River Delta, south of town in search of Madagascar Sacred Ibis and the elusive Bernier's Teal.

Day 4: Mahajunga to Antananarivo
Fly back to "Tana" in the afternoon. End of services.

Helmet Vanga and Northeast Endemics extension

Day 1: Tana-Sambava
Today we fly from the capital to the coastal city of Sambava. Night Sambava.

Days 2-4: Marojejy National Park.
We will leave Sambava early to maximize our time in the park, where we have nearly four full days of birding. We will arrive at the park entrance and meet our cadre of porters and cooks who will be taking care of us during our time in the forest. We will then set off on the 4km trek to the first camp, where along the way we could have our first encounter with the mind-blowing Helmet Vanga. We will spend the rest of our time around this and the next camp, a further 2km down the trail. From the second camp we will have access to forest that hosts one of the rarest and least-studied of the lemurs, the ghostly and critically endangered Silky Sifaka. We will also spend time searching for the region's rare bird specialties-Bernier's Vanga, Madagascar Serpent-Eagle, and Dusky Greenbul. Marojejy is also a ground-rollers bonanza, and we have a good chance of encountering Scaly, Short-legged, and Pitta-like, as well as Brown Mesite. It will also provide us with an additional opportunity for any of the difficult rainforest species that we may have missed on the main tour, such as Red-breasted Coua, Brown Emutail, or Henst's Goshawk. Staying inside the forest has the advantage of both maximizing our time looking for these species as well as having access to the interior of the forest at night, where we have a chance to look for some rarely-seen nocturnal lemurs, including Fork-marked Lemur, Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur, and Weasel Sportive Lemur. Marojejy is exceedingly understudied and undervisited-who knows what we will find?

Day 5: Marojejy-Sambava.
We will hike out of the forest and return to the luxury of our beachfront Sambava hotel, where cold beers await.

Day 6: Sambava-Tana.
We will fly back to Tana, and from there we will connect to our international flights.

Tour Info:

CLIMATE: Hot to cool, with rain possible in the eastern forests.

DIFFICULTY: Easy to Moderate. Most days require walking on forest trails.

ACCOMMODATION: Very good throughout.