LDTM TEAM MADAGASCAR

SOUTH TOURS CROSSING STREET NATIONAL 7 VIA RANOMAFANA - ANDRINGITRA - ISALO… PARKS

It’s 12 days classic tours without flight along street national 7 to the south of Madagascar through some national parks as follow:

STRENGTHS :
- Highland and southern landscape of Madagascar
- National parks to the south of Madagascar: Ranomafana, Andringitra, Isalo ...
- Amazing town and village on border of street national 7

LEVEL:
Accessible for all.

Day 1: Antananarivo
Assistance at the arrival and transfer to Antananarivo city; accommodation to the hotel. Few tours of the city such us Analakely market, railway station....

- Accomodation to Relais de la haute ville hotel

Day 2: Antananarivo - Antsirabe
Next appointement to the hotel and then, road direction to the south by the national 7. We can taste ‘foie gras’ to Behenjy and visit the making pot at Ambatolampy.
We will arrive to Antsirabe around noon and take lunch there. Antsirabe is a pretty city that is a blend of Malagasy culture and European architecture ( the cathedral, the railway station....) . We can make tour local gemstone and crafts workshops to watchpreparation of gemstone, and artefacts made of zebu horns.

- Aaccomodation to Couleur Café hotel

Day 3: Antsirabe - Ambositra
We continue our south tours after making a few visit of "Tritriva" volcanic lake to Antsirabe. We go down to Ambositra which is the capital of arts and crafts. Visit of gallery art and woodcarving shops.

- Overnight to "Artisan" hotel for 2 nights.

Day 4: Ambositra – Antoetra (Zafimaniry Village)
We drive always to street national 7 and turn left after to join Zafimaniry village. Once, we organize hike to Zafimaniry village, precisely to Ifasina village. It’s the nearest village from Antoetra that we can attend for 05 hours. You can admire craftsman who were working. This art&architecture of the local Zafimaniry people has a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage classification. Then, we go back to Ambositra to join the hotel.

Day 5: Ambositra - Ranomafana
Once again on street national 7, we drive to the south to rally Ranomafana park. Break lunch to Ambohimahasoa and short trip to "Ialatsara" Private Park for searching other species of lemur. Then, we continue the tours until Ranomafana village. Possibility of night tours to the Ranomafana National Park.

- Overnight to Grenat hotel

Day 6: Ranomafana - Ambalavao
In the morning, time to visit Ranomafana Park; hiking around 4 hours inside the 42,000 hectares of rainforest and home of most lemur species to Madagascar: the golden bamboo, red-bellied, eastern grey bamboo, greater bamboo, red-fronted brown, small-toothed sportive and black-and-white ruffed lemurs and Milne-Edward’s sifaka...
After lunch, we join directly Ambalavao passing through Fianarantsoa by the street national 7.

- Accomodation to "espace Zongo" hotel.

Day 7: Ambalavao - Andringitra
From the highlands, the landscape change to a semi-dry plains. Visit of Antemoro papermaking teach a long time by Arabs. Ambalavao is on of Madagascar’s cultural hubs, boasting architectural treasures such as its Gothic cathedral and quaint, veranda-lined houses, surrounded by boulder-like mountains. After that, we turn to Andringitra national park.

- Arriving at the foothill and accommodation to a lodge

Day 8: Andringitra National Park
Early in the morning, we begin by a little transfer and start hiking. We hike for 07 hours and will after arrived to "boby peak" foothill. We stop after and prepare the bivouac.

- Bivouac inside the park

Day 9: BOBY PEAK / ANDRINGITRA
We start early the hike and attack directly the top; Andringitra is the only accessible mountain of Madagascar. Walking and hiking around 05 hours are planned to visit Andringitra peak and to watch beautiful countryside panorama. We take picnic lunch and go down to a village for the night.

- Overnight to a lodge

Day 10: Andringitra - Ranohira
After farewell to the village, we get back the national road 7. We arrived to Ambalavao village at noon and take lunch beside “Anja” Private Park : ring-tailed lemurs abound, along with day geckos, girdled lizards and the bizarre Malagasy lantern bug... Visit of Anja Park for 02 hours and continuation of the south tours of Madagascar via Ihosy and Ihorombe arid plate to reach Ranohira village.

- Accomodation to Orchidée de l’Isalo hotel for 2 nights

Day 11: ISALO NATIONAL PARK
Visit of Isalo National Park: home to some of Madagascar’s most stunning scenery, with barren landscapes, twisted rock formations, beautifull waterfalls with natural swimming pools, canyons . The extraordinary plant life includes Bismarck palms, elephant’s feet (like a miniature bottle-tree) and endemic aloes. Lemurs fauna include Verreaux’s sifakas and red-fronted Lemurs, and endemic birds present include Madagascan ibis and Benson’s rock thrush.

Day 12: Ranohira - Tulear or Ifaty or Anakao (depending on your choice)
Linking directly from Ranohira to Tulear. Here, we are totally in southern part of Madagascar. Visit of baobabs, Atandroy tombs, sorting Saphir to Sakaraha and “Zombitse Vohibasia” Private Park on the street. We arrived to Tulear around 16 p.m. and make a visit of shell market. Tulear is the capital of the southwest area and the final step of street national 7.

- Accommodation to Escapade hotel.