Day 1

Arrival Antananarivo

Upon arrival at the airport, you’ll be greeted by a private guide and escorted by car to your accommodation in Antananarivo, known locally as Tana. 

The remainder of your day will be spent at leisure. 
 

Day 2

Antananarivo – Mandrare River Camp

This morning, you’ll be transferred back to Ivato Airport to board your flight to Ifotaka, a journey of around 2–3 hours. Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted and escorted to your luxury riverside camp. 

In the evening, depart for a guided night walk through the Forest of Zenavo, where you can watch lemurs, sifakas, and a variety of nocturnal species including mouse lemurs, chameleons and owls. 
 

Day 3

Mandrare River Camp

After breakfast, your guide will take you south across the Mandrare River to the Sacred Gallery Forest to explore the wildlife and plants – highlights of this excursion include Verreaux’s sifaka and ring-tailed lemurs. 

After lunch and an afternoon around the pool, you’ll walk through the Sacred Spiny Forest to witness its unique flora and fauna, and see the ancestral tombs of the Antandroy tribe. 

Round off your day with sundowners overlooking the river. 
 

Day 4

Mandrare River Camp

It’s an early start this morning as you visit the Spiny Forest at daybreak. Look out for endemic birds, such as the crested coua, various vanga species, and the running coua. Head back to camp for breakfast, before visiting either the local market or an Antandroy village to meet local tribespeople.

After lunch and an afternoon at leisure, sip a sundowner among the baobab trees, before enjoying a live music and dance performance from the Antandroy tribe. 
 

Day 5

Mandrare River Camp

Enjoy a full-day excursion to Lac Anony, a saltwater lake separated from the Indian Ocean by a series of sand dunes. You’ll witness salt-water birds including greater flamingos; tuck into a picnic lunch on the lakeshore; and climb the dunes for panoramic views, before refreshing with a dip in the lake. 

Day 6

Mandrare River Camp – Fort Dauphin – Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge

Today begins with a 25-minute flight to Fort Dauphin, where you’ll be greeted by a guide and escorted to the Manafiafy Beach and Rainforest Lodge, a journey of around 2.5 hours. 

Check into your beach bungalow and refresh before a guided evening walk in South Madagascar’s coastal rainforest, home to five species and three sub-species of lemurs and around 80 species of birds. 

Day 7

Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge

After breakfast at camp, you’ll head to the Stitch Project. Set up by a local NGO, the project aims to provide local Antanosy women with a sustainable income by training them in embroidery, English and business skills. You’ll meet the women, watch them at work, and have the opportunity to buy their wares. 

Enjoy a three-course lunch and relaxing afternoon at camp, before exploring the local mangrove network by motorboat – a fantastic trip for birdwatchers, botanists and photographers.   
 

Day 8

Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge

It’s another early start today, as you take a sunrise walk through the coastal forest. Here you may see groups of red-collared lemurs and numerous bird species, including giant coua, hook-billed vanga, and greater and lesser vesa parrots. 

Return to the lodge for breakfast and relaxation before your late afternoon excursion to see Madagascar’s largest bat, the flying fox, in a nearby forest. 
 

Day 9

Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge

Enjoy a morning at leisure at the lodge. You have the option of two excursions at additional cost: whale watching or deep sea fishing. 

After lunch, you’ll visit a local Antanosy village, where you’ll learn about their customs and interact with the fishermen and their families. Round off the excursion with sundowners overlooking Manafiafy Bay. 
 

Day 10

Departure

Today you’ll be escorted to Fort (Douglas) Dauphin Airport for the flight to Tana, where you’ll catch your onward flight.