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MADAGASCAR

Tour I

Birdquest's Madagascar birding tour is the most comprehensive itinerary available in this very popular birdwatching and lemur-watching venue. Our Madagascar tour records not only an extraordinarily high proportion of the island's endemic birds but also a wonderful variety of lemurs.

Friday 19th October - Wednesday 7th November 2012
(20 days)

Masoala Peninsula Post-Tour Extension to Tuesday 13th November (6 days)

Leaders: Chris Kehoe and local bird-guides

Group Size Limit: 9

Tour Category: Easy for the most part, sometimes Moderate

The wealth of endemic birds on Madagascar is quite incredible. This pair of cryptically-coloured Collared Nightjars are sitting on the forest floor in siamese-twin fashion, hoping to avoid detection by predators. For a selection of other shots from Madagascar, please look at the 2008 Madagascar and the 2008 Comoros & Northern Madagascar tour (Pete Morris)

Madagascar – an island continent that broke free from Africa about 100 million years ago, a world where plants and animals have been frozen in time. Seven families of mammals, seven (or, depending on taxonomic interpretation, six families of birds and six families of plants are unique to this huge island, ninety percent of its forest species are endemic, yet today this wonderful heritage is sorely endangered by a burgeoning human population and unfettered exploitation.

Intense international interest has been generated by Madagascar’s problems and some action is now being taken to safeguard its natural treasure house, not least by the Malagasy themselves, so that there is some hope that this unique evolutionary experiment will not be lost forever. Over 1600km from north to south, Madagascar encompasses a wide range of environments. The massive escarpments of the eastern slope rise to over 2800m and, exposed to the moist trade winds from the Indian Ocean, experience high rainfall. Here are situated what remains of Madagascar’s immensely rich rainforests. These same escarpments create a vast rain shadow across the rest of the island. From the grasslands of the interior plateau the land drops slowly away to the dry deciduous woodland of the west coast and the unique spiny Didierea forest of the semi-desert south.

For the traveller it is Madagascar’s strange mixture of Asian and African cultures that most appeals. Amongst naturalists the island is best known for its fabulous lemurs, man’s most distant cousins, ranging in size from tiny mouse-lemurs to the great Indri, and these are certainly a prime attraction, but for birdwatchers more than 120 endemic species of birds, including seven endemic families – mesites, couas, ground-rollers, cuckoo-rollers, asities (or false sunbirds), vangas and the newly-recognized Malagasy warblers (Bernieridae), are of equal interest.

During this exciting tour, which is the most comprehensive bird tour of the island available and which turns up more of the island’s endemic birds than any other, we shall sample all of Madagascar’s principal habitats.

From the capital Antananarivo, situated on the high plateau, we travel first to the lush eastern rainforest at Ranomafana where we will search for the beautiful Pitta-like and Rufous-headed Ground-Rollers, the enigmatic Brown Mesite and three species of asity, as well as many other forest endemics and a superb selection of lemurs.

From Ranomafana we continue southwards through the heart of the island, a memorable journey that will take us to the remote Isalo Massif and finally the southwestern coast at Tulear, picking up some localized endemics as we go.

Here we shall explore the spiny Didierea forest, lagoons, coastal reefs and mudflats. Amongst the spiny forest we should enjoy close encounters with Subdesert Mesite and Long-tailed Ground-Roller, two of Madagascar’s most sought-after specialities.

From the Tulear region we shall travel to Fort Dauphin in the southeast in order to visit the famous lemur reserve at Berenty, enjoying the unique experience of watching lemurs at ultra-close quarters and seeing some fine birds, including the remarkable Giant Coua. We will also visit an area where should find the seldom-seen Red-tailed Newtonia.

Subsequently we shall explore the dry deciduous forests and lakes of the Majunga region in the northwest, the haunts of Madagascar Crested Ibis, Madagascar Teal, Madagascar Fish-Eagle, White-breasted Mesite and Van Dam’s Vanga amongst others.

Finally, before we take our leave of the magical ‘Grand Isle’, we shall visit the eastern rainforest at Perinet, famous as the home of the Indri but also a place that harbours many endemic birds, including the lovely Scaly Ground-Roller and the amazing Collared Nightjar.

During the optional extension there will be an exciting opportunity to visit the remote Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar, home of the extraordinary Helmet Vanga, the uncommon Bernier’s Vanga and the beautiful Red-breasted Coua. We will also visit a recently discovered site for Slender-billed Flufftail.

Birdquest has operated tours to Madagascar since 1987.

(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/lodges are mostly of normal Birdquest standard. The lodges at Ampijoroa, Perinet and Masoala are fairly simple, although pleasant and comfortable (and a few of the rooms at Masoala, and also at Berenty, have shared bathroom facilities). Road transport is by small coach or minibus and roads are variable in quality (although mostly much improved on the past). There are three long drives between Antananarivo and Tulear.

Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but there are some harder walks.

Climate: Rather variable. At this time of year the dry season is giving way to the rainy season. Many days at lower altitudes will be hot, dry and sunny, but it is regularly overcast and rainy. At higher altitudes the weather is similar but temperatures are cool to warm. It will be rather humid, especially in the east.

Bird/Mammal Photography: Opportunities are quite good.

Tour Price: $7760 Antananarivo/Antananarivo. Post-Tour Extension: $2670. Price includes all transportation (including all flights inside Madagascar), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: $923. Post-Tour Extension: $282. Single rooms may not be available at Ampijoroa or at Masoala for all those requesting them, as the lodges only have a small number of rooms. Anyone having to share unexpectedly will be given an appropriate refund.

Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

We generally see a very good selection of lemurs on our tours, including the amazing dancing Verreaux's Sifakas of Berenty. Lemur taxonomy has taken off in recent years, and the number of species recognized has more than tripled in recent years! (Pete Morris)

View Map Download Detailed Itinerary 584kb

Report From October 2010/November 2010 Report From November 2009/December 2009 Report From October 2011/November 2011 103 photos View Gallery Photos From MADAGASCAR

The recently discovered Red-shouldered Vanga is just one member of this diverse endemic family (Pete Morris)

Short-legged Ground-Roller, one of the five members of this spectacular endemic family (Pete Morris)

The superb Common Sunbird-Asity, now thought to be closely related to Broadbills! (Pete Morris)

A fantastic array of reptiles and amphibians can be found in Madagascar (Pete Morris)

The amazing Indri, the largest of the extant lemurs (Pete Morris)

The endangered Appert's Greenbul is only known from two forest blocks! (Pete Morris)

A sedate Banded Kestrel surveys the spiny forest (Pete Morris)

The unusual-looking Madagascar Crested Ibis usually shows rather well (Pete Morris)

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