Lemurs, Comfort and Style - A 21 day safari - From £2,500 per person
Day 1
Met at the airport by your driver and private vehicle and transfer to Antananarivo and your hotel, the Hotel Pallisandre.
Overnight: Hotel Pallisandre a comfortable hotel with all of the necessary comforts, good food and views and within walking distance of the town centre. (B)
Day 2
In the morning you set off eastwards to Andasibe. Arriving around lunchtime you will have time to relax and if feeling up to it explore the surrounding National Park.
Overnight: Vakona Lodge the most luxurious lodge in the area with 24 quiet and comfortable bungalows and also a swimming pool. Delicious food with courteous service. Horse riding is an optional extra or alternatively visit the hotel's own little reserve where you can observe former "pet lemurs" living in relative freedom. You also have the option of spotting your own wildlife just by walking along the road near the lodge! (HB)
Day 3
A day to explore Andasibe/Perinet National Park or Mantadia with your local wildlife guide. A montane forest park offering the chance to spot a variety of lemurs, reptiles and birds. One of its most famous inhabitants is the Indri, Indri - the largest of lemurs with a black and white teddy bear like appearance. You hear the Indri before you see them and waking up to their songs of communication in the early hours of the morning with the mist still hugging the rainforest canopy is a highlight of your trip to the Red Island.
Overnight: Vakona Lodge (HB)
Day 4
A further day to explore Andasibe National Park and see some of the amazing wildlife it has to offer. Aside from the 9 species of lemur in the park (including the Indri, aye-aye, grey bamboo, brown, woolly, mouse and greater dwarf lemur), there is also a wide variety of other fauna such as tenrecs, boas, chameleons (a highlight is the bright green Parson's chameleon) and some excellent bird watching. If you feel you have explored enough of the forest of Andasibe then another option is to move on to Mantadia just 20km north. Slightly harder work (steeper trails) than Andasibe this park is for the enthusiast with the possibility of spotting the diademed sifaka and also the black and white ruffed lemur. One of the few remaining parks with practically untouched primary forest and some spectacular views.
Overnight: Vakona Lodge (HB)
Day 5
Today you transfer back to Tana (Antananarivo) in time for your connecting flight the next day.
Overnight: Hotel Palissandre (B)
Day 6
Transfer to the airport for the internal flight to Fort Dauphin (4 seats booked in business class, departing 1305hrs) and onward transfer to Berenty Reserve. Upon arrival you should have time to have an initial exploration of the Reserve and watch the lemurs that are often found wandering between the bungalows!
Overnight: Berenty Reserve - 12 comfortable bungalows (HB)
Day 7
Full day to enjoy walks in the reserve and watch the Ring-tailed Lemurs, brown lemurs and the dancing Verreaux's Sifakas. A great opportunity for some great photographs as these lemurs are highly photogenic and are often only within a few feet of you. Throughout the day a variety of pleasant walks are possible throughout the Reserve and along the banks of the river; a variety of night walks are also possible with the possibility of spotting the white footed sportive lemur and also the grey mouse lemur. Other interests in the Reserve include flying foxes, nearly 100 different species of birds and also one of the best ethnological museums on the island.
Overnight: Berenty Reserve (HB)
Day 8
A return trip to Fort Dauphin where you have the chance to relax. Fort Dauphin is situated in a beautiful location on a peninsular, surrounded by 3 beaches and lush green mountains. The main beach is also littered with shipwrecks which makes for quite a romantic setting. Fort Dauphin is a lively town with a good nightlife and a variety of good restaurants.
Overnight: Hotel Dauphin - the principal hotel of Fort Dauphin with lovely gardens (HB)
Day 9
A day excursion (includes lunch) to Lokaro Bay - possibly the most beautiful spot on the southeast coast.
Overnight: Hotel Dauphin (HB)
Day 10
Today you transfer (flight departs at 1310hrs) back to Tana (Antananarivo) in time for your connecting flight the next day.
Overnight: Hotel Palissandre (B)
Day 11
In the morning transfer to the airport for the private flight to Anjajavy resort. This unique hotel cannot be accessed by road so you are flown directly to the private airstrip. Located approximately 120km north of Majunga and on the Mozambique Channel.
Overnight: Anjajavy - a luxury hotel consisting of 25 rosewood villas with a large terrace overlooking the sea, a living room area, breakfast area and bedroom. A small staircase also leads to the first floor which you can use as an office or guest room. The bathroom consists of separate lavatories and a large bath! (FB)
Days 12-13
The next couple of days are at your disposal to relax and explore this unique area. Optional excursions include: water skiing, snorkelling, wind surfing, catamarans, fishing, boat excursions, visits to the local villages and a variety of walks to admire the local fauna and flora (chameleons, Sifaka lemur (Verreaux's propithecus), the bird of paradise and Cuvier's oplure (a type of iguana) and the fish eagle). The hotel also has a fresh water pool, a boutique and benefits from some excellent cuisine which is a mix of both western and Malagasy flavours (FB).
Days 14 - 19
Catch your private flight northwards to Nosy Be and connect with your transfer by boat to the idyllic island of Tsarabanjina. Set amidst the Mitsio archipelago this is a mountainous island surrounded by beautiful white beaches and is an ideal place to relax after the last couple of weeks of exploration. Optional activities include: walks to the top of the mountain for spectacular views, snorkelling, sailing, fishing, diving, water skiing and excursions to the neighbouring islands in the archipelago. The restaurant is on a mezzanine level above the sand floored bar which both look out over spectacular sea views. Principally sea food based cuisine with the option to dine on the beach under the stars...
Overnight: Nosy Tsarabanjina - a private island consisting of 18 thatched bungalows constructed of indigenous timber with sea view terraces and cleverly located to give one the utmost privacy.
Day 20
A return transfer to the island of Nosy Be and then by car to the Hotel Coreil Noir (a comfortable hotel on the north coast of Nosy Be) where you have day rooms reserved. Transfer from your hotel to the airport for your flight back to Tana. Upon arrival in Tana you transfer to the nearby Ivato Hotel where 2 rooms are available to freshen up in before your departure to the airport for 2250hrs.
Overnight: Ivato Hotel; a simple hotel to freshen up at prior to your departure to the airport
Day 21
Depart Tana at 0050hrs on your international flight back to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
