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Madagascar Ramsar Site Beauty is a God's signature
( Charles Kingsles ) |
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Since a few years, Madagascar has become a privileged destination in ecotourism. Madagascar, an enchanting island, an authentic country, which will please you for its diversity and for its welcoming people. Madagascar, one of the best destination in the world for discovery tour lovers and for trekking tour lovers. Madagascar, a destination off the beaten tracks.
For the Birdwatching passionate people :
Quantitatively the bird found in Madagascar is not as rich as those in other countries, but the difference is in its endemicity ( about 110 species / about 285 ). The most favorable period for observation goes from september to december.
The Red-Tailed Tropicbirds (Phaeton rubricauda at left & at right) are Ravo's pictures Nov. 2007
Where are the best sites to observe birds in Madagascar ?
The easiest because of infrastructure facilities are ANDASIBE PERINET - MANTADIA Nature Reserves and RANOMAFANA National Parc. The both occur on montane rainforest and on mid-altitude rainforest. You can see there for examples : the Cryptic Warbler, Rufous-headed Ground-roller, Madagascar Yellowbrow, Grey-crowned Greenbul, Brown Emutail, etc.
It's easy too to find them at IFATY, AMPIJOROA - ANKARAFANTSIKA, ZOMBITSE and BERENTY Nature & private Reserves which occur on southern or western deciduous dry forest. Sometimes it's a spiny forest ( characterised by the cactus-like trees and the Didierea trees ). And sometimes, it's a fairly dense seasonally dry forest where it's difficult to penetrate. You can see there for examples : the Thamnornis Warbler, Subdesert Brush-Warbler, Subdesert Mesite, Verreaux's Coua, Running Coua, Lafresnaye's Vanga, Red-shouldered Vanga, Littoral Rock Thrush, etc. Or the Red-capped and Giant Couas, Coquerel's Coua, Sakalava Weaver, Appert's Greenbul, White-breasted Mesite, Sicklebilled Vanga, Van Dam's Vanga, etc.
Then you can too observe birds but more difficult beacuse of lack of infrastructure in these following regions : the lowland eastern evergreen humid forest such as MAROJEJY and MASOALA National Parcs, and the West wetlands or the East wetlands ( the rivers, the lakes & the marshes of AMBOROMALANDY LAKE, IHOTRY LAKE, TSIMANAMPETSOTSA LAKE, KINKONY LAKE, ANTSALOVA, BETSIBOKA etc. or at VOHIPARARA, TOROTOROFOTSY and ALAOTRA LAKE ). You can see there for examples ( at West ) : the Sakalava Rail, Great-billed Heron, Humblot's Heron, Madagascar Teal etc. And at East : the Madagascar Rail, Madagascar Snipe, Madagascar Pochard, Madagascar Little Grebe, Meller's Duck, Yellow-billed Stork, Common Stonechat, etc. |
West part of Madagascar - Pierrette ( September 2006 ) ©
Madagascar's bird life is fascinating and of great value
An example of nature trip at the West of Madagascar :
Natural cathedrals, vast eroded karst pinnacles, crevices, grottoes & 360° viewpoint. To discover & to watch lemurs such as Sifaka lemur & many species of birds such as Madagascar Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides), Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), Madagascar Teal (Anas bernieri), White-faced whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata), Knob-billed Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos), Madagascar Hoopoe (Upupa marginata), Cuckoo-Roller (Leptosomus discolor), Madagascar sacred Ibis (Threskiornis bernieri), Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone mutata), Madagascar Coucal (Centropus toulou), Madagascar Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus), Madagascar Kingfisher (Corythornis vintsioïdes), Madagascar Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides radiatus), Madagascar Kestrel (Falco newtoni), Yellow-billed Kite (Milvus aegyptius), Gray-headed Lovebird (Agapornis cana), Greater & Lesser Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis vasa & Coracopsis nigra), Crested Drongo (Dicrurus forficatus), Egret species & Heron species, Humblot Heron (Ardea humbloti), Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta), etc. . This trip can be combined with the South-West of Madagascar to continue to explore Baobabs or with the Masoala National Parc for a contrast ( Masoala National Parc is a paradise pristine evergreen humid forest in Madagascar ).
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You have to organize in advance an adventure trip.
It depends on professionalism,
on experiences & on passion
TO DISCOVER MADAGASCAR :
Do you like ecotourism trips and walking ? I propose you a destination off the beaten tracks : Madagascar, a big island which lies in the Indian Ocean, eastern of Africa. A trip based on « Fauna, Flora & Trekking ». I’m a professional in tourism in Madagascar since 1993. It’s just an example but you can ask me for other trips. You can do this trips all the year except in the season of cyclones ( from January to March ).
D1 : Paris / Tana – Taxi-brousse to Fort Dauphin. Arrival in Tana. Foreign change at the airport. Transfer to the taxi-brousse station then you go directly to the deep south part of Madagascar.
D2 and D3 :
With D1 that make us 3 days and 2 nights on the taxi-brousse. You are in a very typical environment to discover the real Malagasy life on the taxi-brousse. You arrive in Andohahela ( some Kms before Fort Dauphin ) on the third day.
D4 to D9 : Big trekking through Andohahela National Park to see typical flora and lemurs such as the splendid Sifaka ( the lemur which dances ) and the smallest primates in the world ( the mouse lemur ). Trekking and bivouac through a very particular forest formation, characterised by cactus-like trees and endemic Didieraceae plants, in a sandy and calcareous area, through rocks formation and little waterfalls. Night in tent & bivouac for 6 nights : from D4 to D9 in a spiny land and deciduous dry forest area.
D10 : Andohahela – Fort Dauphin
By taxi-brousse. Rest in Fort Dauphin.
D11 : Fort Dauphin / Tana
City tour by foot in the morning to discover the town, its harbour, its beaches, its market place and its churches. Transfer to the airport in the afternoon and flight to Tana.
D12 : Tana / Maroantsetra
Transfer to the airport in the morning and flight to Maroantsetra. Free city tour by foot in the afternoon.
D13 : Maroantsetra – Lohatrozona
You go to Lohatrozona ( a part of Masoala National Park : the largest remaining forests in Madagascar ) by little motor boat. Trekking inside the forest to try to see birds & lemurs, with pic-nic lunches on the way for D13 and D14. Trekking sometimes inside the rainforest, sometimes inside the coastal forest or the marsh and mangroves and sometimes following the beach. Night in tent & bivouac for 3 nights : D13, D14 and D15 in a primary evergreen humid forest area.
D15 : Lohatrozona – Nosy Mangabe
Transfer by little motor boat to Nosy Mangabe ( a Natural Reserve in an islet of 520 ha ). Trekking and visit of this Special Reserve to see others geckos ( such as the leaf-tailed geckos ), chameleons, birds and frogs. Nocturnal visit after sunset.
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Masoala National Park is an evergreen humid tropical rainforest with a lot of very big trees. You can see there endemic Red-ruffed lemurs, you can see there too birds species ( such as Madagascar turtledove, Madagascar paradise flycatcher, Pygmy kingfisher, Red breasted coua or the endemic Helmet vanga ), frogs, reptiles ( not dangerous ) such as leaftailed geckos in Nosy Mangabe. Sometimes walk through rivers, mud, slippery rocks and sometimes walk following the sea side ( the beach ). MASOALA National Park is for you if you love nature, adventure and trekking. It's for a naturalist in search of pristine rainforest, a hiker thirsty for adventure, or a vacationer in search of paradise and quiet places. Masoala National Parc is a jewel of emerald forest surrounded by an azure ocean.
D16 : Nosy Mangabe – Maroantsetra / Tana
You go back to Maroantsetra always by little motor boat in the morning. Transfer to the airport and flight back to Tana in the afternoon.
D17 : Tana / Paris
City tour by car and by foot with shopping and visit of handicrafts’ market. You can visit too the museums or the Botanical & Zoological Garden or the Ambohimanga Queen’s Palace ( not included in the approximate cost ). Transfer back to the airport at the end of the afternoon and flight back to Paris.
Approximate cost ( for your information ) : 1670 euros PAR PERSONNE
( Based on 2 people )
Approximate cost ( for your information ) : 1280 euros PAR PERSONNE
( Based on 4 people )
Are not included in these rates : your international flights, your visa, your insurance, your personal expenses ( phone calls, laundry, tips, souvenirs, ... ), your drink, and the carriers ( at hotels and airports ).
You will pay ALL when you arrive in Madagascar. You will pay them day by day. You will pay them in euros ( not with credit cards )
TAKE WITH YOU :
Good walking shoes, raincoats, flashlights and its batteries, binoculars if you have, extra batteries for your camera, mosquito repellent, insect repellent, swimsuits, swiss-army-knife, little padlocks for your luggage, your own medical supplies ( antibiotic, antiseptic, antidiarrhoea, anti-malaria, ointment for sprain, Bétadine, medical compress, cotton wool, etc. ), sunblock, second hand clothes ( for adults and for children to give to people, also second hand toys ), cap or hat, your own tents – mattress – your own sleeping bags and euros.
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Most of evergreen rainforests in Madagascar are found on the east coast. This area is a must for naturalist where they can find the greatest diversity of the island's unique flora and fauna, magnificent rugged mountain scenery with rivers flowing down to the Indian Ocean, abundant seafood and fruit. December to March are the wettest months.
The east coast is the richest agricultural region of Madagascar, providing high quality produce for export such as tropical vanilla plant, coffee, etc. In the northeast, the Masoala Peninsula is a very rich ecosystem. You can found lying side by side, one of the largest remaining tracts of lowland virgin rainforest plunges almost vertically into the sea to meet a pristine coral reef. Masoala National Park has a great deal to offer naturalists. But it is the rainiest place in Madagascar.
Masoala's pristine rainforest :
Created in 1997, Masoala National Park is the largest protected forest in Madagascar. Conservationists and scientists praise the park as the last stronghold and refuge for many species facing increasing threats from slash-and-burn farming and logging practices. The park contains significant portions of lowland and coastal rainforest from sea level to 1200 m, covering about 230 000 ha. It is located in the northeast region of Madagascar, bordering the Bay of Antongil and the Indian Ocean.
There are hiking trails that skirt the entire peninsula, stretching from Maroantsetra to Mahavelona and all the way down to Cap Masoala via Tampolo Marine Park. From here, it continues along the coast past Ifaho Marine Park, then upwards towards Cap East and further along to the town of Antalaha. The main trails for visitors are at Tampolo / Ambodiforaha, Cap East and a multi-day hike is possible across the peninsula from Maroantsetra to Cap East ( 5-8 days ). You need porters and cook for this big trekking. Porters, cook and guide are available in Maroantsetra.
The waters around the peninsula is rich in marine life and the bay is protected from strong winds. The pristine beaches are perfect for swimming and snorkelling ( take your equipment with you ).
For more information, you can write to the following people. They have alot of experiences about travel and big travel. I have had the opportunity to meet them, I was their tour guide during their trip in Madagascar. Thanks alot to them to permit me to put their names and adresses on this web site. Don't hesitate to contact them and thank you so much :
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This last person ( Erik Segers ) has written in " LinkedIn users " :
If you want to discover Madagascar, Ravo is your man to organise your trip from A to Z. Thanks to his deep knowledge and boundless enthusiasm we had a truly first class visit of this wonderful island. Without a doubt, I do recommend, wholeheartedly.
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(more than 88 pictures), click on :
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