Day 1: Auckland > Perth We fly to Perth and overnight to break our journey.

 

Day 2: Perth > Johannesburg Today we enjoy a tour to Fremantle, just 30 mins out of Perth. We will discover street art, great shopping and music flowing out of trendy bars and restaurants. Cruise on the Swan River back to Perth before our evening flight to Johannesburg.

 

Day 3: Johannesburg > Antananarivo (D) We connect early morning to our flight to ‘Tana’ the capital city of Madagascar and meet our guide.

 

Day 4: Antananarivo > Andasibe (B,L,D) Morning drive east to Andasibe, the Lemur kingdom. Along the way we will see the Merina villages of the Highlands and visit the Peryeras butterfly centre. Enjoy an evening walk to observe nocturnal lemurs and other animals.

 

Day 5: Andasibe (B,L,D) Visit Analamazaotra Reserve to see the Indri Indri””the largest lemur, with a haunting whale-like call. This 154 km squared reserve is unique with its endemic fauna and flora and variety of orchids and animals such as chameleons, tenrecs, and birdlife. Afternoon visit to Mantandia National Park with a greater variety of reptiles, mammals and birdlife.

 

Day 6: Andasibe > Antsirabe (B,L,D) We drive back towards Tana and then south to Antsirabe, across the highland landscape called ‘lavaka’ with beautiful rice fields and fruit trees. We stop in Ambatolampy to observe the ingenious cottage industry of aluminium smelting. Continue to Antsirabe, ‘the place of salt’, an elegant city and known as the centre of the beer industry. Founded by Norwegians in 1856, it is the only place in Madagascar which really feels and looks like a European city.

 

Day 7: Antsirabe > Ranomafana (B,L,D) We enjoy a morning tour of the city on ‘pousse pousse’ (rickshaws). Continue to Ambositra, the centre of Madagascar’s wood carving industry. We continue the drive to Ranomafana and this evening we will have a night walk where you may be lucky to see microcebus – the ‘mouse lemur’.

 

Day 8: Ranomafana > Ranohira (Isalo) (B,L,D) This morning we visit Ranomafana National Park – where the golden bamboo lemur was discovered in 1986 and also home to two of the rarest species of lemur. After our visit, we continue on the road to Ambalavao for lunch before travelling to Ranohira through the ‘passage to the south’. Along the way we see the spectacular huge granite dome with twin rock towers named ‘the gate of the south’ and the ‘Bishops Hat’, another incredible formation and sacred location for the local people.

 

Day 9: Ranohira (Isalo) (B,L,D) Today we explore the Isalo National Park with a local guide. The park covers an area of 815 km squared, comprising of the entire stretch of the Isalo massif-spectacular with its eroded sandstone elevations. Walk to a beautiful natural swimming hole with crystal clear water. Along the way see endemic vegetation, spectacular views of the mountains and you may see sifakas, brown and ring-tailed lemurs, as well as different species of birds, lizards and snakes. See the sun set at Isalo Window.

 

Day 10: Ranohira > Ifaty (B,L,D) After breakfast, see the fascinating tombs of the Mahafaly and Antandroy ethnic groups, then continue to Tulear. After a short visit, drive to Ifaty, where the beaches are lined with canoes made from hollowed out tree trunks, and houses are made from reeds. See small pirogues with men who go fishing twice a day, while children and women wait on the coast to collect the fish before taking them to Tulear to sell.

 

Day 11: Ifaty (B,L,D) Day at leisure with many options such as sailing in a pirogue through mangroves, visiting the ‘Reserve Domerge’ Baobab forest or simply watching the Vezo fishermen’s daily life. We hope to spot one of the whales that come to the cool seas this time of year to give birth.

 

Day 12: Ifaty > Tulear > Antananarivo (B,L,D) Fly back to Tana, known as ‘the city of a thousand’ where you can enjoy an afternoon walking tour of Tana to wander the steep streets and discover beautiful colonial buildings.

 

Day 13: Antananarivo > Nosy Be (B,D) We fly to Nosy Be, an island off the northwest coast of Madagascar, and the most popular resort on the island. Nosy Be is also a gateway to some of the smaller, more beautiful islands of the Indian Ocean.

 

Day 14: Nosy Be (B,D) Today we head out for a full day excursion to Nosy Komba and Nosy Tanikely – islands off the coast of Nosy Be. On Nosy Komba we will visit the Lemur Park to see the Macaco lemur and the local village where local fishermen head out on their traditional boats. Onto Nosy Tanikely, a protected marine nature reserve where we can snorkel right off the beach and may even be lucky enough to spot turtles here. We enjoy a delightful BBQ seafood lunch on Nosy Tanikely before returning to Nosy Be.

 

Day 15: Nosy Be (B,D) Day at leisure.

 

Day 16: Nosy Be > Johannesburg > Perth (B) After breakfast, we fly from Nosy Be to Johannesburg and connect to our flight to Perth.

 

Day 17: Perth > Auckland Transit in Perth before our overnight flight to Auckland.

 

Day 18: Auckland Early morning arrival.

 

• Economy class airfares ex Auckland • A World Journeys host • Accommodation in best available hotels and lodges • Transfers, sightseeing and National Park entrance fees as per the itinerary • Meals as indicated (B,L,D) • Gratuities