Malagasy Discovery

Departure for Andasibe, due East, on National Road 2 which connects the capital to Tamatave, Madagascar's main port. Several possible stops along the way to walk around, visit villages or discover the local fauna and flora, lush and exuberant in this region of the Big Island.

Arrival in early afternoon at Andasibe and check-in at the hotel. Walks in the village are possible, on the edges of the National Park which we will visit tomorrow morning. Night visits to the surrounding private or village reserves are also possible (not included).

We leave Andasibe heading towards the Central Highlands by taking a winding road bordered by small waterfalls, terraced rice fields, a legacy of Indonesian culture and its villages with brick houses or reddish earth rammed earth homes. We pass through Ambatolampy, renowned for its aluminum craftsmanship.

We continue our journey to Manandona where we settle with a local family for a unique experience with the locals. In one or more traditional houses, we are warmly welcomed, with basic comfort (outdoor facilities and bucket showers).

Leaving from the guesthouse; we set off on foot to discover the typical environment of the Highlands. Nestled at the foot of the mighty Ibity massif, the Manandona Valley is rich and prosperous. The land here is also very generous and rice is the main crop.

After gaining altitude by following good trails crisscrossing the foothills, we return to the valley to meet the inhabitants. All are rice farmers and own zebus, some breed silkworms, others are blacksmiths, basket weavers or carpenters. Traditional crafts are omnipresent.

Our guides are part of a local association for the development of the region. They will be able to tell you about their activities, customs and traditions, and development.

Second night with a local family.

After breakfast, we leave Manandona Valley to continue south. We cross the highlands and visit the town of Ambositra, the famous capital of wood craftsmanship. Meeting with marquetry artisans: in their workshops, these craftsmen compete with imagination and ingenuity in the creation of marquetry items and wood sculptures.

We continue our journey to Ranomafana and its National Park home to a multitude of lemur species, which we will visit the next day. We reach the village at the end of the day.

Ranomafana, a park entirely forested, covering 41,601 hectares. Designated as Natural World Heritage Site of Atsinanana in 2007, it is home to great wealth in endemic biodiversity but endangered species.
It is home to rare and critically threatened lemur species.

The park is also the genetic reservoir of certain rare and endemic plant species. It is crossed by numerous water courses, tributaries of the Namorona River.

We continue on the road towards Fianarantsoa, the historic and cultural capital of the Betsileo region. It is also the Malagasy city that has the most cultural buildings and schools.

Like Tana, the city is divided into three parts:

• The upper town, where the Merina governor's palace once stood, and where you can today admire Protestant temples, a Lutheran college, the cathedral in brick with Tuscan style, the Jesuit school of Ambozotany and the Antsenakely square, where a small market is held.

• The new town, the administrative district, where you can also find the zoma (Friday market),

• The lower town, Ampasambazaha, the heart of the city where you can find Chinese and Indian trading quarters.

Fianarantsoa is also known for its tea plantations and vineyards.

Through the patchwork of terraced rice paddies and diverse crops where all shades of green are displayed, heading to Ambalavao, known for its vineyards.

Stop at the small Anja Village Reserve: a gallery forest of ficus trees, lianas and orchids has developed between spectacular rocky chaos, sometimes forming caves adopted as shelters by certain animals. On the slopes of the reliefs, the vegetation relay has been colonized by succulent plants, such as kalanchoes and pachypodiums.

In this green paradise live in small colonies these ring-tailed lemurs which are almost the emblem of the Great Island, the ring-tailed lemurs. They spend a lot of time on the ground, are not too shy and are therefore easily observable. The revenues from the Anja site are managed by the AMI (Anja Miray) association and allocated to economic and social projects aimed at improving agricultural yields, developing crafts, health and education for neighboring villagers.

Duration: 1 hour walk in the Anja reserve

Continuation towards the south in Bara country and crossing of Madagascar's largest plateau, the desert Horombe, before catching sight of the village of Ranohira which we reach in late afternoon.

We travel through the villages of Ilakaka and Sakaraha, still on the vast Horombe plateau, small quiet towns until the discovery of an enormous sapphire deposit that transformed them into true mining towns worthy of the American Far West epic.

First glimpse of baobabs and crossing of the Mahafaly limestone plateau, its famous and impressive tombs topped with funeral sculptures called "Aloalo" and painted with naive scenes of life.

Visit to Tuléar. Road in early afternoon to Ifaty, about thirty kilometers north of Tuléar, to reach the land of the Vezo fishermen.

Check-in at the hotel in Ifaty. We leave our driver-guide here, who will return to the capital the next day.

According to the domestic flight schedule, free time before the transfer to Tuléar airport, provided by your hotel on site.