OVERVIEW
This is a sample of economy bird watching tour in Madagascar. It covers easy accessible birding sites of the country. You can ask for a tailor made Birding tour to another area. You will have driver speaking English who may have or not some notion about bird species. You can stop on the road if you find interesting birds. You can wait for the next specialist bird guide for detail. The island is so big and local bird guide is useful to know the present habitat of each bird in his area. For all birders, you are invited to make your own list with mark of species that you really expect to see in each national park. Andasibe is an evergreen forest with more than 100 species of birds. Your guide will try to spot as much as he can including following birds : Africa palm swift, Alpine swifts, Blue coua, Broad-billed roller, Common Moorhen, Dimorphic Egret, France’s Sparrowhank, kingfisher Madagascar, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Long – billed Greenbul, Madagascar bee-eater, Madagascar blue pigeon, Madagascar Fluff tail, Madagascar Kestrel, Madagascar lesser cuckoo, Madagascar little grebe, Madagascar pratincole, Madagascar pygmy kingfisher, Madagascar scops-owl, Madagascar tuitte dove, Meller’s Duck, nightjar Madagascar, Pitta-like ground roller, Red-breasted coua, Roch pigeon, Slender-Billed Flufftail, Velvet asity, White-throated rail, and so on… After Andasibe, you drive to Ankarafantsika birding site which is known as kingdom of birds. The birds checklist in this park may contain the famous eagle sinner or Ankoay Madagascar, Broad-billed Roller, Coquerel’s Coua, Coua Crested, Crested Drongo, Long-billed Tetraka, Madagascar Buzzard, Rufous Vanga, Sakalava Weaver, Sickle-billed Vanga, Van Dam’s Vanga, White-breasted Mesite, and so on…Drive back to Antananarivo and continuation to Ranomafana national park where you may spot following birds : Blue coua, Brown Mesite, Common Mynah, Common Newtonia, Crested drongo, Crossley’s babbler, Cryptic warbler, Grey – crowned Greenbul, Grey emutail, Hook-billed vanga, Madagascar Brush warbler, Madagascar bulbul, Madagascar crested ibis, Madagascar lesser cuckoo, Madagascar long-eared owl, Madagascar snipe, Madagascar wood rail, Meller’s duck, nightjar Madagascar, Paradise Flycatcher, Pied crow, Pitta-like ground-roller, Pollen’s vanga, Rand’s Warbler, Rufous vanga, Rufous-headed ground – roller, Short-legged ground-roller, Tylas, Ward’s flycatcher, Wedge – tailed jery, White-throated Oxylabes, yellow – bellied sunbird – asity, Yellow-browed Oxylabes, and so on… Those checklist will be completed by the endemic Appert’s tretraka Giant coua in Zombitse Vohibasia national park. You will try to find Dimorphic Egret, Harlequin quail, Verreaux’s Coua and Red-shouldered Vanga around Tulear. Then, Madagascar Plover, the Madagascar Harrier-hawk, Subdesrt Mesite, Sub-desert Brush-warbler, Madagascar buttonquail in Ifaty.
NB:
=> This is a Midrange Proposal. Let us know your Budget if you are looking for an Economy Madagascar Travel Offer
=> Visit our blog sobehatour.com
=> Contact us if you are looking for a customized Madagascar tailormade tour
DETAIL OF TOUR
Day 01 Antananarivo - Andasibe
Departure to the Eastern coast of Madagascar. Visit of the Pereyras reserve on the way. This reserve has a remarkable collection of insects, reptiles and amphibians of the island. The chameleon, stick insects, frogs, geckos and colorful are well represented and are easily observable. Continuation to Andasibe village. You can stop at Mangoro river right after the bridge to look for Madagscar Pratincole. Visit of Vakona island of lemurs and lake of crocodile in afternoon for a selfie with domesticated lemurs. As you are located at the heart of the rainforest, you can see geckos, lemurs, and birds around the village of Andasibe. Night at hotel Cyperus
Day 02, Day 03 Andasibe
This day is dedicated to explore the birding site of Andasibe : There is no special itinerary as it depends to your checklist! You can visit Andasibe national park, Mantadia national park, Maromizaha forest, Mitsinjo forest, Torotorofotsy site, and nightwalk around the village of Andasibe to see night active species. Four of the five endemic families are here: the Ground-rollers, the Cuckoo Roller, the Malagasy Warblers , the vangas, the Couas. Depending to the season, you may take your chance to see the helmet vanga in Antavalobe. Your checklist can be very long and the guide will try to see all of them. More than 100 species of birds lives around Andasibe forest including : Green Sunbird, Barn Madagascar, Rail to nose pliers, the Helmet Vanga (sometimes), several species of coua, Africa palm swift, Alpine swifts, Blue coua, Broad-billed roller, Common Moorhen, Dimorphic Egret, France’s Sparrowhank, kingfisher Madagascar, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Long – billed Greenbul, Madagascar bee-eater, Madagascar blue pigeon, Madagascar Fluff tail, Madagascar Kestrel, Madagascar lesser cuckoo, Madagascar little grebe, Madagascar pratincole, Madagascar pygmy kingfisher, Madagascar scops-owl, Madagascar tuitte dove, nightjar Madagascar, Pitta-like ground roller, Red-breasted coua, Roch pigeon, Velvet asity, White-throated rail, ….
This park is also the home to the large indri lemur, which is known for its distinctively loud song, diademmed sifaka, common brown lemurs, etc. The park’s rich biodiversity includes native species like the big Parson’s chameleon, plus rare orchids and ferns. Night at Hotel Cyperus
Day 04 Andasibe - Antananarivo
In case that some birds are still missing from your seen-list, you can try to look for them in the morning from Andasibe to Maromizaha or on other habitats in the area. Departure to Antananarivo in afternoon. Night at Hotel Chalet des roses
Day 05 Antananarivo - Ankarafantsika
The driver pick you up at your hotel as early as possible in order to avoid traffic in Antananarivo during the day time. Long drive from Antananarivo to Ankarafantsika accross hills and villages. Recommended lunch at a local restaurant in Maevatanana (on your expense). Along the way you will see the impressive falls of the Betsiboka. The color of the betsiboka river offers a nice panorama and makes it a good place to have a pause. There will be male and female Malagasy Harrier, Pied Crows and Yellow-billed Kites. You will arrive at Ankarafantsika National Park late in afternoon. Night in a bungalow of the park.
Day 06, Day 07 Ankarafantsika
Welcome to the Kingdom of birds : Ankarafantsika national park is an easy accessible national park sheltering the last forest in this dry area. It is known for its lakes, the last refuges of flagship species with water birds. You might see numerous endemic birds of the region including Schlegel’s Asity, Van Dam’s Vanga, White-breasted Mesite and Sakalava Weaver. Bird watching at Ampijoroa forest station and Ravelobe Lake is an opprtunity to spot the endangered Madagascar Fish Eagle, Rufous, Chabert’s and Blue Vangas. As usual, you can check your list with the Broad-billed Roller, the Coquerel’s Coua, the Coua Crested, the Crested Drongo, the Long-billed Tetraka, the Madagascar Buzzard, the Mascarene Martin, the Sickle-billed Vanga, … Many species of lemurs can be found here, as Coquerel’s Sifaka, Mongoose lemur, Western Avahi and Dwarf and Mouse lemurs. Night at Hotel Bungalow of the park
Day 08 Ankarafantsika - Antananarivo
Early departure from Ankarafantsika. This is a long drive back to Antananarivo. Stop according to the interest. You can make some stop to look and check birds on the road. Night at Hotel Chalet des roses
Day 09 Antananarivo - Ranomafana
Deaprture as early as possible from Antananarivo and you will have a long drive to Ranomafana. You will travel trough a beautiful and versatile landscape of high plateaus, terraced rice fields, small villages, rice paddies, churches, carts pulled by men or zebus, etc. People build red bricks for house construction from the rice paddies. You will see some birds like Cattle Egrets, Madagascan Kestrel, Pied Crow, and Madagascan Snipe along the road with stop at Ivato swamp. Night at Hotel SETAM Lodge
Day 10, 11 Ranomafana
Two days visit to spot as much birds as you cana round Ranomafana. The lowland rainforest of the national park is home to 96 species of birds and some of them are endemic as the brown mesite, Pollen’s vanga, yellow-bellied sunbird-asity or Henst’s goshawk. Ranomafana has more or less similar species to Andasibe rainforest. Here you complete your list of those that you didn’t find at Andasibe. You might see brown emutail, yellow-browed oxylabes, the extremely rare slender-billed flufftail, Madagascar snipe, Meller’s duck and the elusive red-legged ground roller. You may see species that you have seen before like Blue coua, Common Mynah, Common Newtonia, Crested drongo, Crossley’s babbler, Cryptic warbler, Grey – crowned Greenbul, Grey emutail, Hook-billed vanga, Madagascar Brush warbler, Madagascar crested ibis, Madagascar lesser cuckoo, Madagascar long-eared owl, Madagascar wood rail, Meller’s duck, nightjar Madagascar, Paradise Flycatcher, Pied crow, Pitta-like ground-roller, Rand’s Warbler, Rufous vanga, Rufous-headed ground – roller, Short-legged ground-roller, Tylas, Ward’s flycatcher, Wedge – tailed jery, White-throated Oxylabes,… Night at Hotel SETAM Lodge
Day 12 Ranomafana - ANJA - Ranohira
Returning to the main road after Ranomafana, you will notice the change of the landscape once you drive past Fianarantsoa. A short visit of paper Antaimoro working place, handmade silk working place, and market of zebu if wednesday in Ambalavao. Stop at Anja reserve : a forest of ficus, lianas and orchids developed in between a spectacular rock forming caves used as shelter by animals. In this lush green paradise live in small colonies the ringtailed lemurs, the symbol of Madagascar. They are easy to find and to make close-up photo as they spend a lot of time on the ground, on the rocks and on trees. The profit of Anja's reserve are managed by the AMI (Anja Miray) organization, and are donated to finance social and economical projects, which purposes are to improve crop yield, crafts development, health and education towards the villagers. Continuation to the south and arrival to Bara ethnic group territory from Ihosy. You will be surprised by the desert of Ihorombe one day after being in Ranomafana area. This is an evidence that Madagascar is a very big island. On the set of Horombe you can spot the Madagascar bush lark. Arrival to Ranohira late in the afternoon. Night at hotel H1.
Day 13 Ranohira - Zombitse - Ifaty
After breakfast you drive to the Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park. Some of the bird species that can be found in the park includes the Lantz’s brush-warbler, the Madagascar hawk owl, the Vangas, Kittliz’s plovers the Madagascar sandgrouse, the Appert’s greenbul which can only be seen here and many more other bird species. The park has almost ninety different species and the best time to see all these bird species is in the morning. Departure to the coast to the coral-rag plateau of La Table. Stop to search for Dimorphic Egret, Harlequin quail, Verreaux’s Coua, Madagascar Sandgrouse and Red-shouldered Vanga, a species rediscovered in 1997. Continuation to Ifaty. Night at Hotel Bamboo
Day 14, Day 15 Ifaty
Ifaty is one of the best beaches accessible by car nearby Toliara. There are some swamps, salty lakes, dunes, mangroves and spiny forest to spot birds around. A visit of Moussa reserve next to reniala reserve is mostly very rewarding. The local guide will help you to find more species outside of the reserve according to your list. The site offers the opportunity to observe a variety of wetland birds in the region such as the little grebe, Little Bittern, the Black Heron, purple heron, Madagascar kestrel, long-tailed ground roller, Lafresnaye’s vanga, subdesert mesite, Sub-desert Brush-warbler, Madagascar buttonquai…Night at Hotel Bamboo
Day 16 Ifaty - Toliara - Antananarivo (flight)
After breakfast, you can visit Toliara before the transfer to the airport. (Flight to Antananarivo and hotel are not included) - END OF OUR SERVICE AT THE AIRPORT OF TOLIARA.
Important Notice :
- This is a midrange proposal or ADVANCED. Let us know your Budget and we will design a customized tour especially for you
- Price is per person sharing room as double occupancy. Departure is guarantee for 02 persons. Contact us for Single Price
- Are included into the price: 4X4, fuel, Driver Speaking Basic French and English, entrance of parks, bird guide in park of Andasibe, Ankarafantsika, Ranomafana, Zombitse, Ifaty, your hotel and breakfast,
- Are NOT included: all food, lunch, diner, picnic, beverage and alcohol, Tour Guide Speaking Good English, additional activities, tips
- Please to specify if you need an AC car while booking otherwise you may have no-AC car
- Payment modality: bank transfer or VISA/Master Card or CASH on arrival. We accept USD and Euro with exchange rate online.
- Contact us for further detail. You can ask for tailor made tour according to your length of stay, your wish-to-see-list, your category of hotel, and your budget
