Overall definitely the holiday of a lifetime - brilliant
S.J. Middlesex
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Northern Madagascar
Tour Code: MDG05Explore the remote forests and mountains of northern Madagascar in search of a wealth of endemic animals and birds.
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Summary
Madagascar’s 165 million years of isolation has created an island full of the weird and the wonderful. The northern reserves of Masoala, Ankarana and Montagne d'Ambre National Parks are amongst the most unexplored on the island, and host a wealth of exciting wildlife including such birds as the amazing Helmet Vanga, such mammals as Red-ruffed Lemur and a host of fascinating chameleons and geckos.
- Unique and endemic wildlife found nowhere else on Earth
- Pristine Rainforest of Masoala National Park
- Beautiful Perrier's Sifakas at Andrafiamena
- Limestone tsingy of Ankarana National Park
- Leaf-tailed Geckos and tiny Brookesia Chameleons
- Endemic birds including Helmet Vanga and Amber Mountain Rock Thrush
Northern Madagascar is best explored on a tailormade Naturetrek holiday. Our suggestion for a thorough exploration of the remote north’s fabulous wildlife is outlined below, but please just contact us to discuss your plans.
From Tana, we take a short flight to Antsiranana and continue by road to the green oasis of the Montagne d’Ambre (Amber Mountain) National Park, located on Madagascar’s northernmost tip. From our base in a comfortable wildlife lodge, we explore this lush patch of montane rainforest in search of species including Sanford’s Brown Lemur, Amber Mountain Fork-marked Lemur, Crowned Lemur and perhaps even the elusive Fosa, the largest carnivore on the island. The birdlife here is especially abundant and includes the endemic Amber Mountain Rock-thrush, as well as Madagascan Ibis, Souimanga Sunbird, Pitta-like Ground-roller, White-throated Oxylabes and Hook-billed Vanga.
Moving south, after a couple of hours we will turn off the road onto dirt tracks which lead to the local reserve of Andrafiamena. Here, a large patch of dry forest has been set up as a local nature reserve to protect a small population of the localised and rare Perrier’s Sifaka. Heading out into the forest before lunch, and again in the late afternoon and evening, we will maximise your chances of finding these beautiful animals. The birdlife here is superb, and we can look in particular for such species as Madagascan Harrier-hawk, Malagasy Green Sunbird, Blue Vanga, Grey-headed Lovebird and Madagascan Buttonquail.
Continuing south, our next stop is to explore the dry forests of the Ankarana Special Reserve. The Ankarana massif is a limestone plateau which rises abruptly from the surrounding grassy plains. It has been eroded over the aeons into a dramatic landscape of jagged limestone pinnacles, known as tsingy, and numerous caves and other caste landforms, all edged by a dry deciduous forest. Wildlife here includes Crowned Lemur, Sanford’s Brown Lemur and birds such as Crested Coua, Madagascan Pygmy Kingfisher and the localised White-breasted Mesite.
Next we will fly back to Tana and overnight there before an onward private flight to Maroantsetra, gateway to the lush rainforests of the Masoala Peninsula and our beautiful base at Masoala Forest Lodge. This intimate and comfortable beach lodge is accessible only by boat or on foot, making it a haven of tranquillity where the rainforest meets the ocean and fringing reefs. The lodge comprises of six simple but very comfortable en suite tents set on raised wooden platforms, and there are plenty of activities such as kayaking and snorkelling to enjoy as well as walks in the forest.
Masoala National Park itself is the island’s largest rainforest reserve and a strikingly beautiful place dominated by huge trees draped in climbers, mosses and other epiphytes. It is thought to be the richest area in the country for wildlife and, with much of this enormous biodiversity still largely unknown to science, who knows what we may find! We will certainly be on the look-out, however, for a wide variety of the more familiar lemurs — including both Red-ruffed and White-fronted Brown Lemur — and birds such as Red-breasted Coua, Short-legged Ground-roller, the bizarre Helmet Vanga, the rare Madagascan Serpent Eagle, and Bernier’s Vanga. It is also possible to organise an excursion to a nearby private reserve to look for the bizarre and elusive Aye-aye, the scruffy looking lemur with its trademark skeletal middle finger, undoubtedly one of the most elusive and sought-after animals on the island. Being strictly nocturnal, we will be searching for them — and such other denizens of the night as Brown Mouse Lemur and the wonderfully camouflaged leaf-tailed geckos — only after dark!
For the botanist, Masoala contains an exceptional palm flora, including some of the rarest and most unusual palms on the island. This is also a wonderful place for reptiles such as Panther Chameleon and two species of intricately camouflaged Uroplatus leaf-tailed geckos, as well as amphibians including frogs such as the Tomato Frog and Green-backed Mantella. For many, our time at Masoala will be the unrivalled highlight of the holiday. It will then be time to leave this extraordinary ‘evolutionary experiment’ of an island, and transfer to Tana for our flights home.
Palmarium Extension
As Aye-ayes are very difficult to see, you might consider extending your holiday to the Palmarium Reserve. On the east coast of the island, accessible only by boat via the Pangalenes canals, Le Palmarium sits on the banks of Lake Ampitabe. Visitors are greeted by a strange horde of introduced, approachable lemurs, which live in the reserve’s lush gardens filled with orchids, palms and carnivorous plants. The main reason to include a stop at this private reserve, however, is to visit an area of coastal forest nearby, where wild, habituated Aye-ayes live. Each evening, residents can take a boat over to the forest to visit the coconut feeding station, where you are all-but-guaranteed an encounter with these most incredible, frequently maligned, creatures.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
In Montagne d'Ambre and Ankarana there are a choice of comfortable lodges or tented camps. In Andrafiamena, we stay at Black Lemur Camp.
In Masoala, we highly recommend the intimate and very comfortable Masoala Forest Lodge, accessed via private flights from Tana and an onward boat transfer.
Reviews
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The Masoala Park was everything we hoped it would be. Pristine virgin forest with fantastic flora and fauna. The nocturnal fauna was very rewarding.
Mr & Mrs P. Essex
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