africa - Travel Club Elite

102
Madagascar h Escorted Small Group Tour
call 01306 744302 / www.kuoni.co.uk / see your travel agent
1
s s s
Classic Madagascar Discovery
Less visited and largely
ESCORTED
SMALL GROUP
unspoilt, Madagascar is a
TOUR nature lover’s paradise and
like nowhere else on earth.
Discover the island’s ancient and unique
flora and fauna, with more than 70 species
of lemur, diverse landscapes from giant
Baobabs and wide open savannah to dense
rainforests, highland rice fields and stunning
undeveloped beaches, and a fascinating
culture steeped in rituals and tradition. This
is an excellent introduction to a lost world,
well and truly off the beaten track.
YOUR
ITINER ARY
TOUR DURATION: 10 NIGHTS
h Antananarivo: 1 night h Toliara: 1 night h Ranohira/Isalo
National Park: 2 nights h Ranomafana National Park: 2
nights h Antsirabe: 1 night h Andasibe National Park: 2
nights h Antananarivo: 1 night
DAY 1 h On arrival in Antananarivo, transfer to the Royal
Palissandre Hotel (or similar) for lunch. Embark on a city
tour of Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital city, built on
12 hills with bustling streets lined with traditional markets,
churches and buildings showcasing a mix of architecture
typical of a developing city. Dinner at the hotel and overnight.
DAY 2 h After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your
flight to Toliara on the southwest coast. With colonial,
tree-lined avenues giving way to narrow sandy alleyways
and unfinished buildings, hot and humid Toliara is known
as the ‘white city’ because of its light coloured buildings.
Enjoy a city tour before arriving at the beachfront Caliente
Beach Hotel (or similar) for lunch overlooking the glistening
Indian Ocean. In the late afternoon, visit the arboretum
of Antsokay, devoted to the conservation of plants from
southwest Madagascar. Return to the hotel for dinner
and overnight.
DAY 3 h Today journey to Ranohira by road, passing
through savannah and bush landscapes, villages of local
sapphire miners and tombs of the southern tribes. Stop to
photograph the impressive giant Baobab trees en route.
Arrive at Isalo Rock Lodge (or similar) and enjoy time at
leisure. Take an afternoon visit to Isalo National Park’s
interpretation centre and witness sunset at a natural rock
formation, the ‘Window of Isalo’. Return to the hotel for
dinner and a two night stay (approx. 170 miles, 5 hours).
DAY 4 h A full day in the beautiful Isalo National Park
awaits. A vast area of eroded sandstone formations, the
Jurassic landscape is home to dramatic mountains, gorges
and canyons. Take a morning walk to the natural swimming
pool – an oasis amidst the hot plateau, where a waterfall
cascades into a glorious deep green pool shaded by trees.
Also see a number of sacred tombs of the Bara tribe, the
Namaza Site and the Cascade de Nymphes waterfall.
Possible wildlife sightings include the ring tailed lemur,
charismatic sifakas known as ‘dancing lemurs’ and various
bird life such as the paradise flycatcher, Benson’s rock
thrush and Madagascar hoopoe.
DAY 5 h Travel north and notice the change in scenery as
you pass through the ‘Gateway to the South’ mountain
and into the pretty countryside of the highland Betsileo
and semi-nomadic Bara people. Stop for various photo
opportunities, including at the Horombe Tableland where
the African marsh owl may be spotted. Enter the Anja
reserve to spot the ring tailed lemur, and visit a handmade
paper factory followed by a local vineyard. In the
afternoon, continue through Ranomafana’s stepped rice
fields and highland villages. Arrive at Setam Lodge (or
similar) for dinner and a two night stay (approx. 170 miles,
6 hours).