Wildlife Tours to Madagascar MADAGASCAR CLASSIC
Photo: Lemur (Nick Garbutt).
*Single room supplement.
Tour Destinations :
- Masoala National Park
- Ranomafana National Park
- Anja Reserve
- Isalo National Park
- Zombitse National Park
- Ifaty Spiny Forest
- Analamazaotra Reserve
- Mantadia National Park
Tour Summary
Madagascar Classic
Had Charles Darwin sailed to Madagascar instead of the Galapagos, his thoughts on evolution would surely have been provoked in a similar fashion, for the array of wildlife on this island is totally unlike anywhere else. There are no monkeys or apes, only lemurs – charming off-shoots of the primate family-tree that are confined to Madagascar. Ring-tailed Lemurs live in large troops like baboons, Sportive Lemurs are solitary, the Aye-aye feeds like a woodpecker, while the Indri resembles a giant teddy bear that sings in the rainforest canopy.
Like Darwin’s Finches in the Galapagos, there is a family of birds – the Vangas – that display a huge variety of beak shapes to exploit different sources of food. There are also Couas that peck through leaf-litter like pheasants and elusive Ground Rollers that nest in burrows and haunt the darkest recesses of the forest.
Photo: A Madagascar scene (Nick Garbutt).
Reptiles too abound – in Madagascar chameleons have found their ‘promised land’ – over 60% of the world’s species live on the island and nowhere else. Other reptiles include the amazing Leaf-tailed Gecko whose camouflage is near perfect, and the beautiful mottled green and black Tree Boa. Add to this a myriad of colourful tree frogs and a multitude of peculiar insects and there is always something to grab your attention.
Madagascar is also a country rich in habitat diversity. There can be few places where it is possible to experience lush rainforests, rugged mountain plateau, dry forests andsemi-desert spiny forests with a single tour. It is an intoxicating country that many visitors fall in love with. The strange and incongruous mixture of Indonesian, Polynesian and African influences combine to produce a country unlike any other.
Itinerary
Day 1 : Overnight flight from UK.
The 2009/10 itinerary will be published soon.