Trip West Highlands

Antananarivo Arrival. Meet your driver and hotel transfer, located in the city center. Accommodation at Hôtel Belvédère.

Picked up by your driver who can take you to the upper town ( Haute Ville ) to admire a panoramic view of the capital. Then, departing direction Antsirabe, you will cross villages, small towns like Behenjy, pr Ambatolampy. Along the road the landscape will reveal rich laterite lands, Protestant or Catholic  churches, typical Imerina villages, lively markets. City Tour. (Step 170 kms, 5 hours ). Accomaodation Chambre du Voyageur.

Betafo Village : walk around rural area (200 m vertical drop) : You will start by a visit of a traditional popcorn maker; after, stop with blacksmiths ( tools designer : spade, knife, grass, ax ) , and with villagers specialized in bricks. The ballad continue off the beaten track, by meeting Malagasy peasants, slowly to the campaign  rhythm. Warm Families will welcome you who, by sharing you their way of life. Picnic wll be taken the top of the Ambatomalaza Hill, which offer a view panoramic view. You will descend to Betafo village, last visit for an unusual royal tomb and join your driver. Go ahead Miandrivazo, ( one of the hottest cities of the country ). In case you have booked Tsiribihina River the day after , a guide will come at 7 pm 19h for a briefing). (220 kms stage – 6 hours ). Accomodation in Hotel Princesse Tsiribhina

Schedule departure at am from Miandrivazo, Transfer Masiakampy village, in the heart of savannah, for the Pier. (transfer lasts 1 hour, 1 hour and a half ).  Crew welcomes you on the barge. Boats are motorised and were used before for Tobacco transportation. Then its has been arranged for touristic transport. Kitchen  and cockpit are located back of barge. Benches at disposition on the lower deck where meals are served. Solarium access by a staircase. Roof is equipped with deckchairs.
Cruise will start in the middle morning, you will meet villagers, cross plains vast and cultivated , will sail along gorges of Tsiribihina and sand banks and ; Villagers are part of ”Sakalava” ethnic group, their huts are mainly built with reeds, roofs made with palm leaves or rice straw . Late afternoon, refreshing stop where you can swim at Anosinampela  waterfall (women’s island), which is a little site of paradise where some lemurs families live. Camp is set up in front of on a large sandbar.

Navigation continues along the Tsiribihina meanders Tsiribihina. Meeting with piroguiers, motor barges ( local products  freight ). Stop to village of Begidro well known for its tobacco concessions. ( always cultivates in a traditional way)  The cruise keeps on, landscapes follow one another : the giant capoquin,  cliff bats (Kina Kina), rice fields, Berevo village ( more modern ) , with a dispensary , a Catholic school, and a gendarmerie. By the end of the afternoon, 30 minutes stop at the village of Ambatomisay to admire your first Baobabs ”Andasonia Za”. Crew will install camp on a sand beach  After dinner, if you want, you could participate, at a traditional dance show, around a campfire. Second Camp.

Day 6

The landscapes are confused with mango trees, tamarinds, ricins, jujube trees,  sensory mimosas, date palms and balsas. THird day of your cruise to greet once again drongos, herons, fishermen, teals, green bee-eaters, humpback ducks. Arrival around 11 , 12:00 at Bereketa pier of Belo Tsiribihina;  lunch on board. You join the 4WD which had left Morondava in the morning. It will take around 4 / 5 hours of track for reaching Bekopaka, starting point for excursions in Tsingy of Bemaraha. (120 kms stage, track – 4 to 5  hours driving ) Accommodation in Orchidées du Bemaraha * *

After breakfast, Balad along the Manambolo river on a tradional pirogue which lasts 1 hour and a half. You will observe caves, Vazimba Tombs ( First ethny was Vazimba leaving in Madagascar) , birds.
Then departure by 4WD from Bekopaka by a bad trail to join starting point of ”Grands Tsingy” ( bumpy road of 17 kms, it can take 2 hours driving according season ).  The park calls the excursion : ”Andamozavakay”, which lasts more or less 4 hours. This is not a trekking but a slow walk with many stops for observation. It does not require a particular physical condition, but it is not advised for persons subject to claustrophobia or vertigo. During the hike, you discover: caves (need a headlamp) of the diaclases,  secondary forest, panoramic views of and unique massif. You will cross a suspension bridge. The site is perfectly safe and quite well laid out by the National Park who provides harnesses safety. Back to your hotel after the visit.

Departure at 7h00 7h30 am, you return by the same track to join Belo sur Tsiribihina. Lunch advised at restaurant ”Mad Zebu,” considered as the best one in Madagascar. You will take a ferry for crossing the Tsiribihina (timing 1 hour at least). It will remain hours to reach the town of Morondava. On the way, stop at “Sacred Baobab”, tree which has a thousand years of notoriety. End afternoon, stop at the baobabs alley, enjoy the sunset, take pictures. Arrival at Sun Beach safety early in the evening. (Step 220 kms – 8-9 hours of track)

Middle morning excursion of  2 hours on local pirogue, middle of the mangroves , stop at Betania a vezo village, where you can view fishermen sailing back; Early afternoon, drive till Miandrivazo. Accomodation at Princesse Tsiribihina hotel. (Step 270 kms – 5h).

Departure in the morning from Miandrivazo to Antsirabe where lunch break is recommended. Afternoon continuation on Ambositra, the artisanal capital. (340km stage, 8 hours drive).  Night at Artisan Hôtel.

Visit Ambositra famous for its branding crafts. Highland road via terraced rice fields, a legacy of Indonesian culture to Ranomafana which is a reserve in primary forest. Middle afternoon, visit of a Vanilla Plantation (140km, 5hours ). Accommodation  Ny Tamana Hôtel.

Morning, Guided visit in Ranomafana National Park of primary forest; then road via Fianarantsoa to Ambalavao Possibility of visiting a factory Antaimoro paper. Ambalavao is located on the  borders of Highlands and of the Betsileo country, nestled in a valley surrounded by granite mountains and dominated by the massif of Andringitra and Boby peak. This is the starting point for the pic boby trek. (Step 115 Kms – 4 hours ). Accommodation  Betsileo Country Lodge.

Visit the Anja reserve located near the national road and managed by a villagers association. You will discover many species of lemurs. Then you descend south through the plateau of Horombe and Bara country, known for breeding Zebu. Arrival in the afternoon at the massif of Isalo.  ( 215 kms / 5 hours ). Hotel Isalo Ranch.

The Isalo National Park, criss-crossed by tributaries, canyons and , covers around 80 000 hectares. This ruiniform massif, dating from the Jurassic, is like a continental sandstone plateau. Heavily eroded, just witnesses fragmented by sandy valleys and canyons remained. A really exceptional show! There are in this park, several possible walking tours. As example, you can take a first walk in the morning and a second one in the afternoon;  even, guides can provide, during the day, a complete loop. For lunch, a village association can prepare good meals in the middle of nature. We generally include two “circuits” :
– The natural pool ( Piscine Naturelle ): takes place half day, easy level, water there is very clear, you can swim (fresh temperature from June to August). From the pool, the guide will take you for a lookout 10 minutes from the site to have a panoramic view of the massif )
– Nymphs waterfall : easy level also to the waterfall, it could be extended via rugged paths to join the blue and black, in the heart of lush vegetation.

Early in the morning departure towards Tulear, desert landscape where thorny plants will emerge. Crossing villages gems of researchers; famous one is Ilakaka, a Sapphire’s city. First glimpse for Baobabs and crossing the Mahafaly country’s, overlooking the their famous tombs, topped with large carved posts called ”Aloalo”. You will stop at the Arboretum of Antsokay, located at Tulear South entrance,  regrouping typical flora,  reputated for endemic medicinal plants. Lunch advised Arboretum Restaurant or in Tulear. It remains one hour to reach seaside resort of Ifaty. (Step 250 kms – 5h30). Accommodation Hotel Ifaty Beach.

Seaside stay; hotel is used to offer various activities: output Vezo dugout along the coral reef, visiting a baobab forest ( called Reniala ), diving, fishing, quad biking, snorkelling, turtle village … All those activities could be arranged on site.

Transfer to the airport to catch the national flight to Tananarive. Transfer to Hotel Belvédère.

Antananarivo City tour, beginning with the high town ( haute ville ), where is located Queen palace, continuing to independence avenue, limited by the rail station. After Lunch, visit of flowers market and end by the handicraft shop for some souvenirs. Assistance airport to fly back home. End of our services.