Wildlife Expedition & Birdwatching
Occasionally called the Eighth Continent for its unique wildlife, Madagascar is a naturalist's dream. We designed this tour for ornithologists and naturalists: it combines the richest national parks of the east, west and south with a dedicated English-speaking birdwatching guide.
What you'll experience
- Five habitat types: rainforest, dry deciduous forest, canyons, spiny forest and wetlands
- Ground-rollers, couas, vangas, mesites and the Madagascar fish eagle
- Analamazaotra and Mantadia for indri and diademed sifaka
- Ankarafantsika: Coquerel's sifaka and Van Dam's vanga
- Zombitse forest: Appert's tetraka, endemic to the site
- Subdesert mesite and long-tailed ground-roller at Ifaty
Why Madagascar is a birding destination of its own
Around 290 bird species are recorded on the island, and more than half are endemic — including five entire families found nowhere else: ground-rollers, asities, mesites, vangas and cuckoo-rollers. Combined with the lemurs, chameleons and orchids encountered along the way, an 18-day circuit produces an exceptional species list.
Photos from this tour
Your detailed programme
- 1
Arrival Antananarivo
Welcome at Ivato airport, briefing with your naturalist guide.
- 2
Antananarivo – Andasibe (rainforest)
Drive east, first birding stops along the Mandraka corridor, night walk at Andasibe.
- 3
Analamazaotra National Park
Indri, diademed sifaka, blue coua, Madagascar cuckoo-roller and velvet asity.
- 4
Mantadia National Park
Primary forest: scaly ground-roller, pitta-like ground-roller, red-breasted coua.
- 5
Andasibe – Antananarivo
Return to the capital, afternoon at Tsarasaotra lake for herons and waterfowl.
- 6
Antananarivo – Ampijoroa
Long drive north-west to the Ankarafantsika reserve station.
- 7
Ankarafantsika National Park (dry deciduous forest)
Van Dam's vanga, white-breasted mesite, Schlegel's asity, Coquerel's sifaka. Night walk for mouse lemurs.
- 8
Ampijoroa – Majunga
Morning birding, then the drive to the coast at Majunga and its sacred baobab.
- 9
Majunga – Antananarivo
Flight or drive back to the capital.
- 10
Antananarivo – Ranomafana
South on the RN7 to the rainforest of Ranomafana.
- 11
Ranomafana National Park
Golden bamboo lemur, brown mesite, yellow-bellied sunbird-asity, Pollen's vanga.
- 12
Ranomafana – Ranohira
Via Ambalavao and the Anja reserve, across the Horombe plateau.
- 13
Isalo National Park
Canyons, natural pools, Benson's rock thrush and ring-tailed lemurs.
- 14
Ranohira – Zombitse – Tuléar
Zombitse forest for Appert's tetraka, then down to the coast.
- 15
Tuléar – Ifaty
Spiny forest reserve: subdesert mesite, long-tailed ground-roller, running coua.
- 16
Ifaty
Second morning in the spiny forest, afternoon on the reef or at the salt pans for waders.
- 17
Tuléar – Antananarivo
Flight back to the capital, farewell dinner and species list review.
- 18
Departure
Transfer to Ivato airport for your international flight.
- All airport / hotel / airport transfers as per the detailed programme
- Accommodation on a half-board basis in hotels
- All visits and entrance fees to national parks and reserves listed in the programme
- An English-speaking birdwatching tour guide
- One bottle of water per person per day
- Tourist taxes
- — Lunches
- — Drinks
- — Any visit not mentioned in the programme, or taken as an option
- — Domestic flights
- — Comprehensive travel insurance
Check availability for this tour
A local English-speaking advisor replies within 24 hours. 100% customizable: dates, accommodations, beach extensions.