Unique Madagascar
Overview
Trip Highlights
• Lush agricultural land of the north with paddy fields and fruit orchards
• Ambositra, the arts and crafts capital of Madagascar
• Andasibe National Park, the unique place to obrserve the largest lemur Indri Indri
• Isalo National Park, with its amazing rock formations, and natural swimming holes
• Dense rainforest and cascading falls of Ranomafana National Park
• White sand beaches of the fisherman’s village of Ifaty
• Local villages
• Lush agricultural land of the north with paddy fields and fruit orchards
• Ambositra, the arts and crafts capital of Madagascar
• Andasibe National Park, the unique place to obrserve the largest lemur Indri Indri
• Isalo National Park, with its amazing rock formations, and natural swimming holes
• Dense rainforest and cascading falls of Ranomafana National Park
• White sand beaches of the fisherman’s village of Ifaty
• Local villages
Inclusions
- Snacks
- All Fees and Taxes
- Private transportation
What to expect
Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, offers the best experience of adventure like no other.
We journey on largely quiet roads through a landscape of dramatic highland plains, unique rock formations and natural swimming pools.
We pause to visit the lush chain of rainforest in the Ranomafana National Park with deep canyons and huge waterfalls. Apart from its natural treasures, the nation is also rich in culture and the many ethnic groups with fascinating traditions contribute to the melting-pot that is Madagascar.
Our tour is rewarded by a day to relax on the idyllic white sand beach of Ifaty on the coast, scattered with palms and protected by an offshore coral reef.
Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries and a degree of flexibility and improvisation is required at times. The tourist infrastructure in Madagascar is still new and some services are limited. It is not unusual for there to be changes to accommodation or internal flights and for this reason, the order of the itinerary (but not the content) may sometimes have to be changed. However, what tourism does exist is of a pleasantly good standard and you may be impressed by the level of services in some of the places we stay.
Trip Highlights
• Lush agricultural land of the north with paddy fields and fruit orchards
• Ambositra, the arts and crafts capital of Madagascar
• Andasibe National Park, the unique place to observe the largest lemur Indri Indri
• Isalo National Park, with its amazing rock formations, and natural swimming holes
• Dense rainforest and cascading falls of Ranomafana National Park
• White sand beaches of the fisherman's village of Ifaty
• Local village
We journey on largely quiet roads through a landscape of dramatic highland plains, unique rock formations and natural swimming pools.
We pause to visit the lush chain of rainforest in the Ranomafana National Park with deep canyons and huge waterfalls. Apart from its natural treasures, the nation is also rich in culture and the many ethnic groups with fascinating traditions contribute to the melting-pot that is Madagascar.
Our tour is rewarded by a day to relax on the idyllic white sand beach of Ifaty on the coast, scattered with palms and protected by an offshore coral reef.
Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries and a degree of flexibility and improvisation is required at times. The tourist infrastructure in Madagascar is still new and some services are limited. It is not unusual for there to be changes to accommodation or internal flights and for this reason, the order of the itinerary (but not the content) may sometimes have to be changed. However, what tourism does exist is of a pleasantly good standard and you may be impressed by the level of services in some of the places we stay.
Trip Highlights
• Lush agricultural land of the north with paddy fields and fruit orchards
• Ambositra, the arts and crafts capital of Madagascar
• Andasibe National Park, the unique place to observe the largest lemur Indri Indri
• Isalo National Park, with its amazing rock formations, and natural swimming holes
• Dense rainforest and cascading falls of Ranomafana National Park
• White sand beaches of the fisherman's village of Ifaty
• Local village
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
937callump
September 2023
Hard to convey exactly how phenomenal this experience was. We did a long trip to Madagascar (31 days) going East, West and South and had the best holiday of our lives. Manitra arranged this trip at pretty late notice (about a month and half beforehand). We contacted him because of his position a...
Hard to convey exactly how phenomenal this experience was. We did a long trip to Madagascar (31 days) going East, West and South and had the best holiday of our lives. Manitra arranged this trip at pretty late notice (about a month and half beforehand). We contacted him because of his position as President of the Guide Association, and due to the focus of Nature and Culture on sustainable tourism. Additionally, they work primarily with Malagasy guides and Malagasy owned businesses, which was an attraction for us. Manitra was very responsive to our emails, and had a video call with us to learn about us and what interested us about visiting Madagascar. He was informative and helpful, guiding us well despite our naivety about visiting the country. We wanted to primarily see the wildlife, so Manitra created a tour for us that was tailored to focusing on visiting different national parks around the country, as well as having the full amount of time to experience these different diverse and wonderful places. He arranged our itinerary for the month of adventure, always looking for our feedback and thoughts, while offering his own experience about what would work for us. We travelled East to see Akanin’ny Novy, Pangalanes, Analamazaotra and Mantandia, West to see Morondava, Tsingy de Bemaraha and South to see Ansirabe, Amositra, Ranomafana, Fianarantsoa, Isalo, and we ended our trip with a week on the beach in Anakao. We saw over 30 species of lemurs in the wild; dived and heard humpback whales singing; saw fossa, hundreds of interesting birds, chameleons, snakes, frogs, and wonderfully bizarre plants and trees. The people of Madagascar though are a real highlight and we felt welcomed and safe everywhere we went - at times having people open up their homes to us (once we were included in funeral celebrations). The Malagasy are incredibly resourceful and almost everything produced in the country is done by hand - the wood carving in Ambositra was particularly impressive. Even 31 days was not enough to do the country justice, there really is so much to see, and to even scratch the surface, you need to take a long holiday here. We are already talking about what we will do when we go back. Our tour was led by one tour guide, Vivace, and one driver, Fano. Both made this a fantastic experience for us, and because they were so professional and serious about their work, we could both relax and learn how to live ‘mora-mora’. The roads are abysmal in Madagascar, main ‘highways’ included. However, Fano made us feel like we were in safe hands in the car, and he is a very patient and attentive driver, always prepared for the unexpected, and always driving in a highly conscientious way. His English is much better than he is willing to admit, and he is a considerate and courteous man, who approaches life with a smile and an interest in you and in learning about the wider world. Both of us felt like we formed a strong bond with him on the trip and he did everything he could throughout to make sure it was an enjoyable and rewarding experience for us. Vivace led the tour and he has a wealth of knowledge about everything in Madagascar: the fauna; the history of the country; the different tribes and their customs. His English is excellent and he is a good person and very professional in his role. He is funny too, and a pleasure to spend time with for three weeks. Vivace was thinking ahead throughout the trip to make sure that we were always enjoying the experience, and he was very responsive to our needs. We are both vegetarian, and he always informed hotels beforehand, as well as aiding in restaurants, so that we did not have to worry. He always ensured that we had the best local guides in national parks (Christian in Mantandia/Analamazaotra and Lala in Isalo were particularly good). Going above and beyond is a tired phrase, but it just feels so applicable here, he did everything possible to make sure that we enjoyed our time in Madagascar. You can tell he loves his work, and loves sharing his amazing country with tourists. We would have no hesitation in recommending Nature and Culture to other tourists, we are actively encouraging our friends and family to visit Madagascar with them. We cannot begin to convey in a post on TripAdvisor what this summer has meant to us, we had such a fantastic trip. Misaotra and Veloma to Manitra, Vivace and Fano. Thank you again from Callum and Rachel.