Day
1 -
Antsirabe
ARRIVAL – ANTANANARIVO - ANTSIRABE
In the morning or in the afternoon, no later than 14H10. Meet at the airport of Antananarivo or pick up at your hotel in Antananarivo. Short briefing for the whole tour thendrive to southward to Antsirabe through the typical landscape of the highland (rice fields, typical villages of the Merina tribe, rocky hills…). Arrival late in the afternoon.
Overnight: Antsirabe
Day
2 -
Fianarantsoa
ANTSIRABE - FIANARANTSOA (B)
Breakfast at the hotel. Short city tour of the thermal town and its small manufacturer of corn horns, semi-precious stones. Drive to Ambositra the capital of the Malagasy handicrafts. Visit of different shops then continuation to Fianarantsoa through the National road N°7.
Arrival late to your hotel.
Overnight: Fianarantsoa
Day
3 -
Ranohira
FIANARANTSOA - RANOHIRA (B)
After your breakfast at the hotel, depart for a short city tour of the Fianarantsoa which is the capital of the Betsileo tribe. Afterwards, continuation of your drive southward to Ranohira for very long days drives south wards, going down to the southern part. In Ambalavao there is an interesting factory making hand-made paper which is well worth visiting. It takes ten minutes or so to see the various processes at work and there is a small gift shop at which you can buy some of the products. On Wednesday the zebu market is very interesting. Visit of the Anja villager’s reserve where you can spot easily the ring tailed lemur.
In the afternoon the second part of the journey is over Ihosy to the wide Horombe grassland plains and on towards Ranohira. The scenery begins to change as you travel through the ‘Gateway to the South’ mountain and enter the attractive countryside of the Betsileo people where granite outcrops dominate the skyline. Here the village architecture also begins to change, from the single-storey ‘African-style’ house to the double-storey buildings of the central highlands where the people a more akin to those from south-east Asia than Africa.
Overnight: Ranohira
Day
4 -
Ranohira
RANOHIRA (Isalo National Park) (B)
Breakfast at the hotel, then drive to the village of Ranohira for picking your local guide. Transfer to the parking area where you are starting walking towards the famous “Piscine Naturelle” through the beautiful landscape of Isalo National Park and endemic plants as the Aloes, Pachypodium, Kalanchoes, Tapia trees…..
Spending time for about 30minutes at the pool then continuation of your walk towards the Namaza site which takes is about 02hours. Arrival at the camping site of Namazawith chance enjoying already to observe the ring tailed lemur in the same time. In the afternoon, walk until the Cascade des Nymphes. Possibility of spotting birds including the endemic Benson’s Rockthrush. Joining the parking after the visit, and drive back to your hotel.
Overnight: Ranohira
Day
5 -
Ranomafana
RANOHIRA – AMBALAVAO - RANOMAFANA (B)
Breakfast at the hotel, then continuation northward in crossing the Horombe table land, plains and on towards Ranohira. The scenery begins to change as you travel through the ‘Gateway to the South’ mountain and enter the attractive countryside of the Betsileo and the Bara people where granite outcrops dominate the skyline. Different photo stops will be done on the way: the south gate, the bishop’s hat, the Horombe table land where the Reunion Harrier bird as well as the African Marsh own might be spotted. Continuation of the drive till Ranomafana.
Overnight: Ranomafana
Day
6 -
Ranomafana
RANOMAFANA (National park of Ranomafana) (B)
After the breakfast, spend your morning for exploring the Ranomafana National Park where you will see three species of bamboo lemurs are found in this forest (grey bamboo lemur, golden bamboo lemur and the greater bamboo lemur) as well as other lemur species as the Milen’sedwardssifaka, the common brown lemur, the red bellied lemur. With chance you might spot as well some of the biggest chameleons in the island: the Parson’s chameleon. Different birds’ species could be spotted in this forest including the Madagascar starling, Rand’s Warbler. In the afternoon, visit thermal station and Ranomafana village.
Overnight: Ranomafana
Day
7 -
Antsirabe
RANOMAFANA – AMBOSITRA - ANTSIRABE (B)
Breakfast at the hotel, we leave Ranomafana and drive to Antsirabe through the typical landscape of the highland.
Arrival late in the afternoon. Installation in your room.
Overnight: Antsirabe
Day
8 -
Antananarivo
ANTSIRABE – ANTANANARIVO – FLIGHT BACK HOME (B)
Breakfast at your hotel, and drive back Antananarivo. Transfer straight on to the airport of Ivato Antananarivo and assistance for your flight back home
