DAY 1 - ANTANANARIVO
Arrive in the capital city of Madagascar. Overnight at Relais des Plateaux or similar hotel.
DAY 2 - TULEAR & IFATY
We'll take a morning flight to Tulear for the beginning of our tour in subarid southwestern Madagascar. Upon arrival we'll first visit Arboretum d'Antsokay near Toliara, located in the middle of an area of spiny forest that is unique to Madagascar. Our target birds there are Red-capped Coua, Olive-capped Coua, Madagascar Buttonquail, and Subdesert Brush-Warbler. We'll then drive north to Ifaty with some birding en route at Belalanda Lake as time permits. This artificial lake was built with slave labor in the 1840's and offers a nice introduction to some Madagascar endemics. We hope to see the rare endangered Meller's Duck, which occasionally occurs there, and the rare endemic Madagascar Plover, which is often present there. We might also see White-throated Rail, Baillon's Crake, and Greater Painted-Snipe. Overnight at La Mira Hotel or similar in Ifaty.
DAY 3 - IFATY
We'll spend this morning birding the nearby Ifaty Spiny Forest, which protects a unique habitat featuring spiny Didierea plants distantly related to cacti, woody flowering plants, euphorbias, and baobab trees. Birding is along sandy trails through this strange forest. The most sought-after birds are Subdesert Mesite and Long-tailed Ground-Roller. Other specialties in this habitat are Running Coua, walking through tangled undergrowth, Crested Coua in the trees, Archbold's Newtonia, the striking Sickle-billed Vanga, and Thamnornis, a pale understory tetraka that only occurs in this corner of Madagascar. Also possible are the scarce Madagascar Harrier-Hawk, the increasingly rare Banded Kestrel, and Greater Vasa Parrot. There are also lemurs in this forest, including Madagascar's largest lemur, the Verreaux's Sifaka. We'll be enthralled by this lemur's ability to jump from one spiny branch to another without being impaled. Overnight at La Mira Hotel or similar.
DAY 4 - TRANSFER & NOSY VE
We'll depart early this day for the 7+-hour drive from Ifaty to Anakao via Tulear. The plan is to arrive in Anakao in time for lunch. Once in Anakao we should quickly see the very locally distributed Littoral Rock-Thrush, which is quite common there. After lunch, we'll take a boat out to nearby Nosy Ve, a small island off the coast that is home to a breeding colony of Red-tailed Tropicbirds. After the boat trip, we'll continue driving south to the area of Tsimanapetsotsa National Park, taking about an hour to reach our beachfront lodge. Overnight at Domaine d'Ambola.
DAY 5 - TSIMANAPETSOTSA NATIONAL PARK & TRANSFER
We'll spend much of the day birding in Tsimanapetsotsa National Park, which protects a unique xeric habitat of thickets, spiny forest, huge baobabs, and banyan trees. A large alkaline lake is located in the center of the park while the coast is covered with red sand dunes covered with dry scrub. Endemic birds we can expect to see are Madagascar Green-Pigeon, the terrestrial Giant Coua, Red-capped Coua, Olive-capped Coua, Running Coua, and Verreaux's Coua, the widely distributed Greater Vasa Parrot, the fairly common Archbold's Newtonia, the rare and very localized Red-shouldered Vanga, and the striking Sickle-billed Vanga. With some luck we could find the always quite rare and solitary Humblot's Heron. The park is another good place to look for the rare and localized Madagascar Plover and a first chance to see the widely distributed endemic Madagascar Grebe. Finally, the alkaline lake is home to Greater and Lesser Flamingos. Among mammals we could see Verreaux's Sifaka and the endangeredRing-tailed Lemur. The park is also home to the very localized endemic Grandidier's Mongoose, which is a crepuscular and nocturnal species found only in this area. In late afternoon we'll transfer back to Anakao for an overnight stay. Overnight at Prince Anakao or similar.
DAY 6 - TRANSFER & ZOMBITSE NATIONAL PARK
We'll depart early for Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, a nearly 6 hour drive. The park protects three separate tracts of forest that are transitional between spiny thicket and dry deciduous woodland. It's a mosaic of succulent plants and dry deciduous forest and is a critically endangered habitat with a high degree of endemism. En route we'll try to find the rare and elusive Madagascar Sandgrouse.
We'll spend the afternoon birding well-marked trails of the park. Relic dry forest in the park is home to the extremely localized Appert's Tetraka, a denizen of dense underbrush of undisturbed dry deciduous forest. We should have good success finding this species. Common couas in the park are Giant Coua, Coquerel's Coua, Running Coua, and Crested Coua. Key species of vangas are Madagascar Blue Vanga, Rufous Vanga, and Sickle-billed Vanga. Also present are Giant Coua, Helmeted Guineafowl, Madagascar Spinetail, Madagascar Hoopoe, Broad-billed Roller, Crested Drongo, Long-biller Bernierla, and more. The local guide often knows where to find roosting Torotoroka Scops-Owl (now considered a subspecies of Madagascar Scops-Owl), and White-browed Owl. We might even see the the uncommon Madagascar Cuckoo-Hawk. Several species of lemurs are present in the park including Verreux's Sifaka, Red-fronted Lemur, and Zombitse Sportive Lemur, the latter an endangered species known only from this park. In addition, the striking Ring-tailed Lemur can sometimes be seen near open areas in the park. In late afternoon we'll continue on to Isalo National Park for a two-night stay. Overnight at Relais de la Reine or similar.
DAY 7 - ISALO NATIONAL PARK
Isalo National Park protects a picturesque region of beautiful sandstone formations. The park is extremely dry and features huge canyons, savanna, and hidden oases. The most sought-after species is Benson's Rock-Thrush, reliably seen at the Piscine Naturelle pools and a few other places. Other specials include Red-billed Duck, Madagascar Partridge, Madagascar Sandgrouse, Madagascar Cuckoo, Malagasy Coucal, Madagascar Cuckoo-Hawk, Madagascar Hoopoe, Olive Bee-eater, Gray-headed Lovebird, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Pollen's Vanga, Crested Drongo, and Malagasy White-eye. The park is also home to Ring-tailed Lemurs. In early evening we'll be out looking for owls. Possibilities include Western Barn Owl, Madagascar Scops-Owl, and White-browed Owl. With a little luck we may also spot one or more of the 4 nocturnal lemur species that occur in the park. Overnight at Relais de la Reine or similar.
DAY 8 - TRANSFER & RANOMAFANA NATIONAL PARK
This morning we'll have a 7-hour drive to Ranomafana National Park, so we'll be departing quite early. If we missed seeing Ring-tailed Lemurs previously, we'll likely make a short stop at Anja Community Reserve where they are quite common and tame.
We'll have some time for birding in the late afternoon after arrival. We'll probably spend this time birding along the main road to Vohiparara, which gives us elevated views of canopy birds and is easy walking. The higher elevation forest in this area is home to some specials not possible elsewhere in the park. Among these are Velvet Asity, Tylas Vanga, and Madagascar Blue Vanga. We may see mixed flocks that include vangas, newtonias, and greenbuls. The road is also a good place to look for the oddly-shaped Cuckoo-roller, which often perches and feeds in the forest canopy or around plantations. Overnight at Sejour Centrest or similar.
DAY 9 - RANOMAFANA NATIONAL PARK
Ranomafana National Park is situated on the eastern escarpment of Madagascar and is thus rather mountainous. The park is covered by rainforest and rain is always a possibility. Birding in the park can entail some quite challenging treks through steep, slippery, muddy, and uneven rainforest terrain. Sometimes bushwhacking off established trails is necessary to find the most sought-after birds. We'll be utilizing the services of local guides to lead us in this effort.
We'll devote our first morning to birding the lower, Talatakely section of the park. The habitat in this section of the park is dense rainforest on steep terrain. Several trails go through this part of the park and leech socks are advisable. Our primary target birds are the elusive Brown Mesite, the lovely Pitta-like Ground-Roller, and the velvety-black Velvet Asity with its bright green carbuncle above its eyes. Other notable birds we'll be seeking include Red-breasted Coua, Madagascar Forest Rail, Henst's Goshawk, Scaly Ground-Roller, Tylas Vanga, Crossley's Vanga, Pollen's Vanga, White-throated Oxylabes, Wedge-tailed Jery, Spectacled Tetraka, Madagascar Starling, and Forest Fody. There is also the slight possibility of seeing the rare Madagascar Serpent Eagle. We may well encounter several species of lemurs while birding this part of the park. The most commonly seen lemurs are Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur, Red-fronted Lemur, Red-bellied Lemur, Milne-Edwards's Sifaka, and the nocturnal Eastern Woolly Lemur, which is sometimes encountered in day roosts. We could possibly see the critically endangered Golden Bamboo Lemur, which was discovered in the park in 1985, as well.
After lunch we'll visit one of Madagascar's last remaining high elevation marshes, located off the Amboditanimena Trail. There we'll be looking for the vulnerable endemic Madagascar Rail and Madagascar Snipe, the more common Madagascar Martin, Madagascar Swamp Warbler, and the very secretive Brown Emutail. One of Madagascar's rarest endemics, Meller's Duck is possible but unlikely in this area. Overnight at Sejour Centrest or similar.
DAY 10 - RANOMAFANA NATIONAL PARK
Our second morning at Ranomafana will be spent in the higher elevation zone around Vohiparara, which offers some of the best birding in the park. Many of our target species are located around higher elevation ridges that are reached by strenuous hikes. Foremost among our target birds is the highly localized Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity, an elusive species best seen at this site. We'll also be looking for the elusive Scaly Ground-Roller and Rufous-headed Ground-Roller, both very secretive and inclined to walk furtively away rather than fly.These will be hard to see. The rare Cryptic Warbler and the skulking Madagascar Yellowbrow that live in the underbrush are additional targets we'll focus on. Other birds we'll be looking for include Red-fronted Coua, Blue Coua, Velvet Asity, Common Sunbird-Asity, Dark Newtonia, Ward's Vanga, the uncommon Pollen's Vanga, the skulky Brown Emutail with its long spiky tail, White-throated Oxylabes, the scarce Gray-crowned Tetraka, and Rand's Warbler. After lunch, we'll do some roadside birding. Overnight at Sejour Centrest or similar.
DAY 11 - RANOMAFANA NATIONAL PARK & TRANSFER
We'll have a last morning to revisit sites where we may have missed important species the previous two days. After a morning of birding, we'll return to our hotel in time for lunch. After lunch, we'll pack up and drive north to the town of Antsirabe for an overnight stay. Our stop there is just a way station to break up the long drive to Antananariva as there is no worthwhile birding in this area. Overnight at Arotel or similar.
DAY 12 - TRANSFER & TSARASOTRA LAKE
After breakfast at our hotel, we'll continue our drive north to Antananariva, the capital city of Madagascar. We'll arrive there in time for lunch. After lunch, we'll visit Tsarasotra Lake, a RAMSAR wetland in the city, to look for endemic Malagasy Kingfisher, Madagascar Munia, and Madagascar Wagtail. We'll also see an assortment of aquatic birds such as Knob-billed Duck, Blue-billed Teal, Red-billed Duck, Madagascar Grebe, Black Heron, the dimorphic form of Little Egret, and Malagasy Pond-Heron. Though unlikely, we might also see Meller's Duck on this lake. Overhead Malagasy Swift, Little Swift, Malagasy Palm Swift, and Mascarene Martin are usually evident. Overnight at Relais des Plateaux.
DAY 13 - TRANSFER TO AMBONDROMAMY
This day we'll be heading north to the town of Ambondromamy, a nearly 9-hour drive. It's a transitional day on our way even farther north into a more remote part of Madagascar. Overnight at Kamoro Hotel or similar.
DAY 14 - AMBONDROMAMY & TO ANTSOHIHY
During the morning we'll have time to do some birding in the dry deciduous forests near Ambondromamy. We'll mainly be looking for Red-capped Coua, Crested Coua, Madagascar Sparrowhawk, and Rufous Vanga. Mid-morning we'll depart for the 7-hour drive farther north to Antsohihy. Overnight at Belle Vue Hotel or similar.
DAY 15 - TRANSFER TO BEMANEVIKA
The main purpose of visiting Bemanevika is to see the rediscovered Madagascar Pochard, currently only known to occur in the wetlands there. This species was long thought to be extinct until its amazing rediscovery. We have a challenging drive this day to get to Bemanevika. It'll take us 3 hours to reach the town of Bealanana on a regular road. The open areas near town are a good place to find the sometimes difficult to see Madagascar Partridge, so we'll spend a little time looking for it there. We'll also be looking for Madagascar Pratincole and Malagasy Harrier during this transfer. These species have become very difficult to find in more accessible sites where they used to occur. After we arrive in Bealanana, we'll be forced to travel by 4x4 on a deeply rutted, often muddy track to the remote area of Bemanevika. This transfer is an expedition only suitable for the most intrepid birders. After reaching the end of the track, it's then necessary to hike 2 hours to reach our destination. There are no accommodations so tent-camping is a must. Overnight in tents.
DAYS 16-17 - BEMANEVIKA
We'll have two full days to explore this area. The small population of Madagascar Pochards only occurs on this lake, so it is reliably seen there. Also present on the lake is the rare Meller's Duck along with Red-billed Duck, Red-knobbed Coot, and Madagascar Grebe. While hiking to and from the lake, we may see Madagascar Partridge and Madagascar Buttonquail. Also possible in the nearby wetlands are Madagascar Flufftail and Madagascar Rail along with possibly the very difficult Slender-billed Flufftail. The surrounding forest is home to the spectacular endemic Red Owl, often seen in its daytime roost. If not, then it can usually be seen after dark. The elusive Madagascar Owl and the rare Madagascar Serpent-Eagle are also possible.
Additional notable birds in the area are Red-fronted Coua, Blue Coua, Common Sunbird-Asity, Tylas Vanga, Stripe-throated Jery, Subdesert Jery, Gray-crowned Tetraka, Rand's Warbler, Madagascar Starling, Forest Rock-Thrush, and Forest Fody. Other possiblities include Madagascar Cuckoo, Black Swift, Alpine Swift, Malagasy Swift, Frances's Sparrowhawk, Cuckoo-roller, Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller, Pitta-like Ground-Roller, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Dark Newtonia, Red-tailed Vanga, Crossley's Vanga, Madagascar Blue Vanga, Hook-billed Vanga, White-headed Vanga, Madagascar Cisticola, Malagasy Brush-Warbler, Gray Emutail, White-throated Oxylabes, Spectacled Tetraka, Mascarene Martin, Malagasy White-eye, and Nelicourvi Weaver. There are plenty of species to justify the difficulty of reaching this site for those up to the challenge of getting there and camping. Overnights in tents.
DAY 18 - TRANSFER TO ANTOHIHY
We'll spend all of this day retracing our route back to Antohihy. It will be another long day of 12 hours or more to reach town. Overnight at Belle Vue Hotel or similar.
DAY 19 - TRANSFER & ANKARAFANTSIKA NATIONAL PARK
We'll depart early for Beamilaka, about an 8-hour drive. In late afternoon we should have some time to visit Lake Amboromalandy and some small wetlands nearby. We'll be looking for the localized Madagascar Jacana, Black Heron with its unusually umbrella-like fishing dance, and Malagasy Pond-Heron. A variety of other aquatic birds should also be evident. Notable species include White-faced Whistling-Duck, Knob-billed Duck, Little Grebe, Yellow-billed Stork, and African Spoonbill. Overnight at Asity Lodge.
DAYS 19-20 - ANKARAFANTSIKA NATIONAL PARK
Ankarafantsika National Park protects an extensive plateau covered in mature dry tropical woodland plus rather more moist forest along waterways. We'll have two full days to bird this park. Much of the birding is along trails that are mostly flat with a few gently rising hills. One trail goes through open savanna to a scenic red canyon. Another goes around Lake Ravelobe, located within the park.
Primary target birds in the park are the highly localized Van Dam's Vanga and White-breasted Mesite. We have a very good chance of seeing both species. Other specials include Coquerel's Coua, Olive-capped Coua, Red-capped Coua, Crested Coua, Comoro Blue Vanga, Madagascar Blue Vanga, Hook-billed Vanga, Rufous Vanga, and Sickle-billed Vanga. At Ravelobe Lake we'll look for White-throated Rail, the critically endangered Madagascar Fish-Eagle, and the endangered Madagascar Grebe. This lake is also home to Madagascar Jacana and the endangered Humblot's Heron. Other notable species we hope to see are Madagascar Hoopoe, Banded Kestrel, Eleonora's Falcon, Sooty Falcon, Crested Drongo, and Malagasy Paradise-Flycatcher. The main lemur species are Coquerel's Sifaka and Mongoose Lemur. Overnights at Asity Lodge or similar.
DAY 21 - TRANSFER & AMPITOLOVA LAKE
After breakfast, we'll drive northwest to the coastal town of Mahajanga, about a 3-hour drive. We'll spend the afternoon birding at Ampitolova Lake north of town. This lake is another site for finding the very scare endemic Humblot's Heron. We're likely to see White-backed Duck and African Pygmy-Goose. We may also see the endangered endemic Bernier's Teal. Other interesting birds there include Madagascar Green-Pigeon, Coquerel's Coua, Madagascar Jacana, Frances's Sparrowhawk, Malagasy Kingfisher, and Sickle-billed Vanga. Overnight at Karibu Lodge or similar.
DAY 22 - BETSIBOKA RIVER
We'll begin this day with a very early boat trip along the Betsiboka River and into the estuary. We'll spend all day birding from the boat. The main target birds are two of Madagascar's most endangered species, the endemic Bernier's Teal and Malagasy Sacred-Ibis. Both species can often be seen on the muddy banks of the river. We may also see White-throated Rail and have another chance of seeing Humblot's Heron if we've missed it earlier. Overnight at Karibu Lodge or similar.
DAY 23 - ANTANANARIVO & ANDASIBE/VOIMMA
Our visit to the northwest ends this morning with a flight back to Antananarivo. After arrival there, we have a 4-hour drive to reach the Andasibe area. We should have time for a late afternoon walk through the VOIMMA community reserve. Our main reason to visit there is to see the Indri, a large, quite spectacular diurnal lemur that makes its presence known by loud, ear-splitting cries that reverberate through the forest.
After dark we'll visit the nearby Mitsinjo Forest Reserve to look for nocturnal birds and lemurs. We're visiting there because Andasibe National Park doesn't allow walks after dark. The trail starts out fairly flat but becomes very steep as one ventures farther into the reserve. Possible birds we hope to see include Collared Nightjar, Madagascar Nightjar, Madagascar Scops-Owl, and Madagascar Owl. Possible nocturnal lemurs are Goodman's Mouse Lemur, and Greater Dwarf Lemur. Overnight at Longoza Lodge or similar.
DAY 24 - ANDASIBE-MANTADIA NATIONAL PARK
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park protects a 155 square kilometer tract of mostly primary middle elevation rainforest. At one time the two sections of the park were separate reserves, but now they are combined into one. Trails through the park are hilly in places and sometimes slippery.
We'll devote all this day to birding the more rugged Mantadia section of the park. The primary forest in this section of the park is superior to that in the lower elevation Analamazaotra section. This premier site is one of the best places to see the four species of rollers that occur in the park. We'll pay special attention to finding Scaly Ground-Roller and the strictly arboreal Short-legged Ground-Roller, both easier to see here than at Ranomafana. We may well see Pitta-like Ground-Roller and the rare Rufous-headed Ground-Roller as well. It's critical for us to be out early when the ground-rollers are most active. Another special once thought to be found only in the poorly accessible forests around the remote Masoala area in the far northeast that we'll be looking for is the Red-breasted Coua. Overnight at Longoza Lodge or similar.
DAY 25 - MAROMIZAHA RESERVE
All this day will be devoted to Maromizaha Reserve, located near Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. The park protects dense rainforest but also includes secondary and regenerating forest. The trails through this community-managed reserve are challenging in places where they can be quite steep and muddy. The habitat is dense, humid evergreen forest. It's a very good place for seeing ground-rollers and vangas. Notable birds found in the reserve include White-breasted Mesite, Madagascar Cuckoo, Blue Coua, Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, Pitta-like Ground-Roller, Velvet Asity, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Tylas Vanga, Red-tailed Vanga, Madagascar Blue Vanga, Malagasy Brush-Warbler, Rand's Warbler, and Malagasy Bulbul. Overnight at Longoza Lodge or similar.
DAY 26 - IAROKA FOREST RESERVE
Iaroka Forest Reserve is a higher altitude site (700-1200m) that protects some dense humid forest. It's known for its steep, rugged slopes and is a more difficult place to visit with potentially long hikes to see the two key species, Helmet Vanga and Bernier's Vanga. This site is the best place to see these two species outside the remote Masoala area in northeast Madagascar. Both species are most easily seen when the local rangers have stakeouts around active nests. Other notable birds here are Blue Coua, Velvet Asity, Red-tailed Vanga, White-throated Oxylabes, Long-billed Bernieria, and Cryptic Warbler. Overnight at Longoza Lodge or similar.
DAY 27 - ANALAMAZAOTRA SECTION OF ANDASIBE-MANTADIA NATIONAL PARK
We'll spend the morning birding in the Analamazaotra Special Section of Andasibe-Mantadua National Park, best known for its 11 lemur species. Vanga flocks are here as well as at Mantadia, and we'll carefully check them out looking for the oddly tree-climbing Nuthatch-Vanga, which is almost always seen accompanying one of these flocks. Other notable birds we could find include Red-breasted Coua, Blue Coua, Malagasy Coucal, Madagascar Forest Rail, Malagasy Sacred Ibis, Olive Bee-eater, Scaly Ground-Roller, Short-legged Ground-Roller, Pitta-like Ground-Roller, Rufous-headed Ground-Roller, Common Sunbird-Asity, Common Newtonia, Dark Newtonia, Tylas Vanga, Red-tailed Vanga, Crossley's Vanga, Hook-billed Vanga, Ward's Flycatcher, Malagasy Paradise-Flycatcher, Malagasy Brush-Warbler, Spectacled Tetraka, Malagasy Bulbul, Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Souimanga Sunbird, Nelicourvi Weaver, Madagascar Wagtail, and Madagascar Starling. The lemurs we're most likely to see are Brown Lemur, Red Ruffed Lemur, Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur, Indri, and Diademed Sifaka. After lunch we'll drive back to Antananarivo, arriving in late afternoon. Overnight at Relais des Plateaux or similar.
DAY 28 - TSARASOTRA LAKE
Early this morning we'll return to Tsarasotra Lake inside the city limits to look especially for rails that may not have been seen on our prior visit. After lunch, we'll head to the airport to catch our international flight home. The tour ends at the airport.
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