14 Days Birding Madagascar
This Madagascar birding adventure will give us the opportunity to search for an astonishing 120 bird species which are endemic, like the vangas, ground rollers, Cuckoo Roller, couas, asities, and mesites. For the Lemurs, we will keep our eyes peeled tiny mouse lemurs, Sifakas, Indri and many more. The birds that we will look for include the roadrunner-like Long-tailed Ground Roller, Pitta-like, Scaly, Rufous-headed Ground Rollers, Subdesert Mesite, Giant Coua, Velvet Asity, Madagascar Ibis.
Day One: Arrival in Antananarivo
Upon your arrival in Antananarivo, the guide from Afrikan Wildlife Safaris will welcome you and then transfer you to the hotel for the overnight. Depending on the time of your arrival, you can bird in the near by areas close to the hotel and look out for Madagascar Wagtail, Madagascar Mannikin, Madagascar Stonechat, Madagascar Nightjar. Dinner and overnight at Relais des Plateaux, Antananarivo
Day Two: Andasibe
This morning, you will drive to Andasibe, This is one of Madagascar’s premier rainforest sites. Listen to the Indri resounds through the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. In the afternoon we will visit Analamazoatra area where you can easily find the Indri. Check out for other lemur species such as Eastern Woolly, Brown, Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs. For Birding, look out for Madagascar Wood Rail, Madagascar Flufftail, Nuthatch Vanga, Ward’s Flycatcher, Velvet Asity, Pitta-like, Rufous-headed, Scaly, Short-legged Ground Rollers, Collared Nightjar, Take a night walk and search for Madagascar Owl, Rainforest Scops Owl, nocturnal lemurs and chameleons. Dinner and overnight: Andasibe Hotel, Andasibe
Days Three and Four: Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
There are more two days to explore Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. We spend the two days birding in the Mantadia National Park section nor forgetting the Analamazoatra section. Keep your eyes peeled for the Velvet Asity, Common Sunbird-Asity, Forest Rock Thrush, Madagascar Flufftail, Madagascar Blue Vanga, Crossley’s and Nuthatch Vangas, Madagascar Blue Pigeon, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Rand’s Warbler, Madagascar Grebe, Meller’s Duck, Madagascar Rail, Red-fronted Coua. For the lemurs, look out for Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur, Giraffe Weevil, Madagascar Tree Boa, and many chameleons.
We will also visit Maromizaha Forest where we will do a long hike to search for Pollen’s, Madagascar Blue, Tylas and Nuthatch Vangas, Dark Newtonia, and Rufous-headed Ground Roller. Dinner and overnight: Andasibe Hotel, Andasibe
Day Five: Antsirabe
After breakfast, we will have an early drive Antsirabe. On the way, we will look out for Hamerkop and Madagascar Snipe. We stop at Ranomafana National Park in the southeast of the island, with one night in Antsirabe. Dinner and overnight at Couleur Café, Antsirabe
Day Six: Ranomafana National Park
Today on the way, we will search for the Malagasy Kingfisher, Mascarene Martin, Malagasy Kestrel, Malagasy Bulbul, and many others. This evening you may go for a night walk where we can look for Rufous Mouse Lemur and an array of exciting chameleon species. Dinner and overnight at Setam Lodge, Ranomafana
Days Seven and Eight: Ranomafana National Park
We will use the opportunity of the two day to maximize our chances in search for yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity, Cryptic Warbler, Madagascar Yellowbrow, Grey-crowned Tetraka, Pollen’s Vanga, Brown Emutail, Wedge-tailed Jery, Madagascar Cuckoo-Hawk etc. In the wetlands and rice paddies in the area, check out for the Madagascar Snipe and Grey Emutail. For the lemurs, look out for Milne-Edward’s Sifaka, Red-bellied, Eastern Lesser Bamboo, and Golden Bamboo Lemurs. The reptiles here might include Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko. Dinner and overnight at Setam Lodge, Ranomafana
Day Nine: Isalo National Park
After breakfast, we will drive to Isalo Nationa Park. We will stop briefly at Anja Community Reserve to look for Ring-tailed Lemur and check out for the Madagascar Buttonquails and Grey-headed Lovebirds. Then proceed to Isalo while looking out for Madagascar Lark and Namaqua Dove. For the one night in Isalo, search for Forest Rock Thrush and Madagascar Partridge. In the evening we can look for Torotoroka Scops and White-browed Owls, around our hotel grounds. Dineer and overnight at Relais de la Reine, Isalo
Day Ten: Ifaty
On this day, we will drive to Ifaty. On the way, we will stop at Zombitse National Park and search for the Appert’s Tetraka, Coquerel’s and Giant Couas, Cuckoo-Roller. In the dry woodlands of Zombitse we will also look out for Verreaux’s Sifaka, and Hubbard’s Sportive Lemur. In the farming areas, look out for the Madagascar Sandgrouse and then continue toIfaty where Greater Vasa Parrots and Subdesert Brush Warblers can be enjoyed in the hotel grounds. Dinner and overnight at Les Dunes d’Ifaty, Ifaty
Day Eleven: Ifaty
On this day, we will bird the spiny forests near Ifaty, where baobabs and octopus trees provide an absolutely unique habitat for a host of sought-after Madagascar endemics like the Long-tailed Ground Roller, Subdesert Mesite, Sickle-billed and Lafresnaye’s Vangas, Archbold’s Newtonia, Banded Kestrel, Thamnornis, Red-capped Running Couas, and others. We will also visit the coastal site for Madagascar Plover and other Palearctic shorebirds such as Ruddy Turnstone, Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Greenshank, and Little Stint. Dinner and overnight at Les Dunes d’Ifaty, Ifaty
Day Twelve: Nosy Ve boat trip then Toliara
Today, we will take boat trip out to Nosy Ve where we can see the breeding colony of Red-tailed Tropicbirds as well as perhaps a flock of Crab-plovers. We will check on the nearby village of Anakao for Littoral Rock Thrush. After the boat trip, we will head south and then inland of Toliara, Behind it is a small area of scrubby forest, where we will search for the famous Red-shouldered Vanga, Verreaux’s Coua, Lafresnaye’s Vanga. Dinner and overnight at Arboretum d’Antsokay, near Toliara
Day Thirteen Fly to Antananarivo
Depending on the time of our flight, we may spend the morning birding around our lodge grounds or fly back to Antananarivo earlier and spend the afternoon birding around the city. We can bird Lake Alorobia on the edge of the city for Meller’s Duck, Humblot’s Heron, Malagasy Pond Heron, White-throated Rail, and many other water birds. We can also keep a lookout for Sooty Falcon which are often seen perched on poles. Dinner and overnight at Relais des Plateaux, Antananarivo
Day Fourteen: Fly Out
After you breakfast, the guide will take you to the airport to catch your flight back home.