Natural hightlights photo tour
Berenty Reserve
Perinet Special Reserve]
Madagascar Primates
Join David Rogers and 5 other photographers on a tour of Madagascar discovering the wonderful endemic creatures and iconic landscapes of this fascinating Indian Ocean Island. The amazing visits to the capital city of Antananarivo from where we journey by road and plane to Perinet and Berenty. There are also options to visit Kirindy and Anjajavy.
A natural history highlights itinerary
Day 1
We arrive in Antananarivo and spend the night at Relais des plateau. It is situated on a wonderful wetland and is close to the airport and not too far from town. The markets in the town are fascinating with so much to photograph — imagine France in the 1960s. It still has the same citroens and you almost expect to see Tintin emerge. There are also patisseries and wonderful shops selling ice cream.
Day 2, 3, 4.
We fly to Fort Dauphine and then drive through plantations for about 3,5 bumpy hours to Berenty — a privately owned reserve that was established by the De Haulme Family. This is a dry habitat in the deep south east coastand includes relic of spiny forest preserved. The reserve is popular for photographers because they lemurs are well habituated to people. The reserve is far off the beaten track and like many reserves in Seychelles is smaller than might be expected.
This woodland of spiny forests offers accessible primates in the wild. They include
• Red-fronted brown lemur
• white-footed sportive lemur
• Grey mouse Lemur
• Ring-tailed lemur
• Verraux’s Sifaka
• Flying foxes
• Giant Cous
• Madagascar buttontail
• Sand grouses
Day 5 We drive back to Fort Dauphine and return to Antananarivo by flight. Overnight in a hotel and more wonderful street photography
Day 6, 7, 8, 9 We drive for about two hours along a bumpy road and will spend three days in the east, a much more lush rainforest area, exploring Perinet Special Reserve and Mantadia National Park. We will stay overnight at Vakona Forest Lodge.
The Perinet Special Reserve, also known as Andasibe National Park covers 155 square kilometres, was once part of the larger Mantadia Reserve which how now been cut off from the lodge by logging.
Vakona Lodge has an excellent restaurant and offers night walks and also access to these reserve.
Target species on day trips into the forest.
• Indri
• Common Brown and Grey Bamboo Lemur
• Weasel Sportive Lemur
• Furry eared Dwarf Lemurs
• Giraffe necked weevil
• Cuckoo roller, ground roller, ground rollers, Malagasy Warblers and vangas.
We will also do night walks to see
• Madagascar owl
• Rainforest scops owl
• eastern woolly lemur
• furry-eared dwarf lemurs
• Goodman’s mouse lemur
In Mantadia National Park we can hope to see
• Black and white ruffed lemur
• Diademed sifaka
• Baron’s Mantella — a spectacular forest frog
Day 10.
We return to Antananarivo. Here you will overnight before departure the following morning.
Optional add ons.
Morondova, fossa, and the avenue of baobabs.
Fly to Morandova by plane and then drive to Kirindy which is about 2 hours away. Ths is a privately managed forest protecting 7 species of lemur. In this area we can photograph the fascinating avenues of baobab trees as well as the giant jumping rat, fascinating plants and lemurs.
A touch of luxury and sophistication – add on for 3 nights.
Anjajavy is one of the finest lodges in Madagascar on the west coast known for wonderful food and wonderful staff. It has a protected conservation area. It is a romantic setting on the coastline with boats that can be used to explore the coastline and interiors. There are wonderful night walks, baobabs and tsingy landscapes. It has Relais and Chateau membership which assures you of the best service.
There are six species of sifaka including the very acrobatic
coquerels’s sifaka
madagascar giant tortioses
spectacular coastline with Tsingy formations
Madagascar fish eagle