Original Madagascar

DAY 1
ARRIVAL – ANTANANARIVO
Guests are welcomed on arrival by their guide in Antananarivo and transferred to their hotel for the night. La Maison Gallieni is in heart of the historic district of the capital, at a high point of Antananarivo which offers a magnificent view of the city. The hotel has a beautiful garden and guests can enjoy dinner at the restaurant.
Overnight at Maison Gallieni – Dinner.

DAY 2
ANTANANARIVO – ANTSIRABE
After breakfast, guests meet up with their guide and start heading south. Rice fields and typical villages of the Highlands represent the landscape just outside of Antananarivo. The tour stops in Ambatolampy to discover the how the aluminium pots used by the whole country are made. Guests enjoy lunch in town and then continue on towards Antsirabe and the hotel for tonight. They go on a city tour and for those who want to, experience “pousse-pousse” (rick shaw) ride, the main transport used by locals.

The hotel is located in the heart of Antsirabe, and the restaurant offers two menu choices, combining the Malagasy and French cuisines, and are prepared in the kitchen using only local produce’.
Overnight at Couleur Cafe – Breakfast and dinner.

DAY 3
WALKING IN THE HIGHLANDS
After breakfast, guests leave for a full day of village visits, meeting the inhabitants and experiencing first-hand their way of life in rural Madagascar. Exchanges are easy; people are open and welcome the traveller with simplicity and sincerity. Starting a trip here is the best way to understand Madagascar. Guests enjoy a picnic lunch and later return to the hotel for dinner.
Overnight at Couleur Cafe – Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.

DAY 4
ANTSIRABE – FIANARANTSOA
Today, guests travel south after breakfast, stopping in Ambositra, the capital of sculpture and marquetry, and then continuing on to Fianar where they check in to the hotel. Tsara Guest House is located in the upper town of Fianarantsoa, close to the historic heart of the old town. The buildings, nestled in a beautiful garden, reflect the traditional architecture of the Highlands combining red bricks, mud walls and flat tile roofs. The restaurant with its terrace, offers a refined cuisine based on fresh products, and offers various specialities. Dinner is enjoyed here.
Overnight at Tsara Guest House – Breakfast and dinner.

DAY 5
FIANARANTSOA – MANAKARA
Guest enjoy breakfast before boarding the train that will take them to the East coast. This provides a great opportunity for them to become immersed in the local life. The trip will take about 10 hours, through 163km of rainforest, mountains and coastal plain, descending 1 200m to the coast, through 48 tunnels and 68 bridges. A picnic lunch is provided on board. The ride takes guests on a real adventure, arriving in Manakara and the Parthenay Club in the afternoon. The hotel is located between the Canal des Pangalanes and the Indian Ocean, a little way out from the centre of town. Guests can enjoy a walk along the beach towards the lagoon, watching the coming and going of the many dugout boats before returning for dinner.
Overnight at Parthenay Club – Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.

DAY 6
MANAKARA – RANOMAFANA
Following breakfast, the morning is spent discovering the coast by boat, along the Pangalanes Channel, which was built at the beginning of Madagascar’s colonization. After lunch, guests drive to Ranomafana and check in to the Thermal Hotel, nestled in the centre of the village, close to the thermal spring. A cosy bar, an internet corner and a wellness area with steam room, sauna and massages are available for guests (at own cost). Dinner is enjoyed at the restaurant, with its outdoor terrace offering gourmet cuisine using produce grown in their own garden.
Overnight at Thermal Hotel – Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.

DAY 7
RANOMAFANA NATIONAL PARK – FIANARANTSOA
After breakfast and after a short drive, guests are joined by a local guide to explore the Ranomafana National Park. This is one of the most beautiful sites of primary forest and rain forest that Madagascar has to offer. As it is a very humid environment, rain coats are recommended. Ranomafana National Park is home to many species of lemurs, including the Golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus), the red-fronted brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus), and the red-bellied lemur (Eulemur rubriventer), as well as the endangered Greater bamboo lemur (Hapalemur simus). The park is a genetic reservoir for some rare and endemic plant species, but also many medicinal plants. Guests then drive through to Fianar in the afternoon, where they check in to the hotel and enjoy dinner at the restaurant.
Overnight at Tsara Guest House – Breakfast and dinner.

DAY 8
FIANARANTSOA – RANOHIRA
Guests leave the highlands today and head south. At Ambalavao, they visit the Antemoro paper factory, where paper is made from the bark of mulberry tree using the same process introduced in Madagascar in the 15th century. Following this, the tour goes Anja to see the lemurs in the small reserve at the foothills. From here, the tour continues towards the southwest and the Bara region, crossing the largest plateau of Madagascar, IHorombe, and then arrives to Ranohira, which is close to Isalo massif and the national park gate.

Les Jardin du Roi was built with natural materials, allowing it to harmoniously integrate into the surrounding environment. The restaurant offers both European and Malagasy cuisine and all the fresh and seasonal vegetables are harvested from its own organic farm.
Overnight at Jardin du Roi – Breakfast and dinner.

DAY 9
ISALO NATIONAL PARK
Following breakfast, guests take a short drive to the foothills of Isalo National Park and are provided with a small rucksack. This park has a different ecosystem and is host to endemic flora such as Aloe, Euphorbia, Pachypodium and Kalanchoe. Guests take walk through impressive landscape, canyons, natural pools, and rock erosions. The Isalo ruins are part of a massif that is a continental sandstone plateau from the Jurassic period. Nature has adapted to the dry climate and there are many different rock formations here. Guests enjoy a picnic lunch in the Tapia Forest and can the choose to walk up to the summit for the splendid view. The tour returns to the hotel where guests enjoy dinner.
Overnight at Jardin du Roi – Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner.

DAY 10
RANOHIRA – TULEAR – TSIANDAMBA
Today guests head southwest towards the Mozambique Channel and drive on 245km to Tuléar through a variety of botanical settings. Along the way the tour stops at the Mahafaly tribe to see their tombs, which are beautifully painted and decorated with amazing wooden sculptures, and then continues to Tsiandamba and the Five Sense Lodge.

All the lodge rooms are situated in front of one of the most beautiful lagoons in Madagascar and enjoy a unique view. Guests can relax on the terrace facing the lagoon, which is ideal for naps, reading or serene meditation. The restaurant delivers a mix of talent, creativity and tradition, in a perfect presentation of exotic flavours.
Overnight at Five Senses – Breakfast and dinner.

DAY 11 – 13
TSIANDAMBA
The following days are spent at leisure, with guests taking advantage of the peace and quiet of the resort. They can spend the days discovering the lagoon, and the evenings enjoying the sunsets from the terrace of their bungalow.
Overnight at Five Senses – Breakfast and dinner.

DAY 14
TSIANDAMBA – TULEAR – ANTANANARIVO
DEPARTURE
After breakfast, guests depart the hotel and are transferred to Tulear from where they board domestic flight to the capital. . From here, guests are greeted at the airport and assisted with their outbound flight.
Breakfast.

Includes

Accommodation: As specified
Meals: 13 breakfasts, 4 picnic lunches, 13 dinners.
Activities: National Park entrance fees
Guide: An English or French speaking driver-guide
All transfers
General: The local and expanding guides in parks

Excludes

All international/domestic flights and taxes • Visas • Personal insurance • Personal expenses • Excursions / activities not specified • Gratuities • Meals not specified • Mineral water and drinks