This special wildlife photography tour to Madagascar takes you to all corners of this remarkable island to see and photograph its most captivating, unusual and sometimes surprising mammals in the company of Nick Garbutt, well known authority on Madagascar’s wildlife.
In addition to the island’s ‘flagship’ mammals, lemurs, we go in search of Madagascar’s enigmatic carnivores, unusual rodents and peculiar tenrecs.
We begin in one of Madagascar's most spectacular National Parks, the Tsingy of Bemaraha, where the stunning all-white Decken’s sifaka moves effortlessly over the rocks traversing between forest patches. There are many other highly localised lemurs and tuft-tailed rats to find here in addition to rare birds and reptiles and all amongst some of the most photogenic landscapes on the island.
Moving south, we explore different deciduous forests in Kirindy to look for fosa, Madagascar’s largest carnivore that combines feline elements with those of civets and mongooses. There is also the more dainty boky-boky or narrow-striped boky, another small carnivore plus the endearing giant jumping rat.
Next comes Tsimanampetsotse National Park, with its extremely familiar species like the ring-tailed lemur, but also rare oddities like Grandidier's vontsira (a small carnivore). We also visit the seldom visited forests of Daraina in the north, home to the crowned lemur and golden-crowned sifaka, one of the rarest primates on Earth, as well as the iconic and completely unique aye-aye.
Our final location is the eastern rainforest of Andasibe. Here lives the stunning beautiful diademed sifaka and the charismatic teddy-bear-like indri, famous for its haunting song. After dark, there is a different night shift, when woolly lemurs, mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs become active, and it's sometimes possible to find hedgehog-like tenrecs. With the emphasis very much on weird and endearing mammals and offering outstanding photography, this is a very special tour.
Typical Itinerary
Day1: Fly to Antananarivo
Fly from London to Antananarivo, arriving in the evening. We transfer to our hotel located in a wooded park, conveniently close to the airport.
Accommodation: Le Relais des Plateaux, 1-night
Day2: Fly to the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park
This morning we take a charter flight from Antananarivo to an airstrip at Bekopaka, the gateway to the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park. We then have an onward road transfer to our hotel. In the afternoon, there is time for our first excursion, perhaps a visit to Petite Tsingy and adjacent forest areas.
Accommodation: Soleil des Tsingy, 3-nights
Days3-4: Morning and afternoon walks and photography in the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park
Tsingy de Bemaraha is one of the most spectacular areas on the island. Here outcrops of limestone have been sculpted over the millennia into a fortress of razor-sharp pinnacles that are interlaced by ribbons of forest forming an intricate labyrinth that is a haven for wildlife. Decken’s sifakas and rufous brown lemurs move effortlessly over the rocks, traversing between forest patches. On the forest floor, there are ring-tailed vontsira (a type of carnivore) and western red forest rats, while bird life includes several species of endemic vangas and couas. The botany of the area is also fascinating, with many plants being specifically adapted to the harsh, arid conditions: of note, are elephant’s foot plants (genus Pachypodium) and various Pandanus, Euphorbia and Dracaena.
To allow safe tourist access, an intricate network of trails, boardwalks, ladders and suspension bridges has been installed, so many of the more remote, most visually spectacular areas can be visited. We have the opportunity to explore a number of circuits of varying lengths.
Day5: Transfer to Kirindy Reserve
Today we drive south to Kirindy, a journey of around eight hours. This is one of the most remote parts of the island, and we have to cross two major rivers, the Manambolo and Tsiribihina. The ever-changing scenery and rural villages give us a greater insight into life in this part of the island.
Accommodation: Akiba Lodge, 3-nights
Days6-7: Morning, afternoon and night walks in Kirindy Reserve
Kirindy is arguably the best and most diverse area of western deciduous forest remaining. Located at the heart of the Menabe region that is famous for baobabs (Adansonia spp.), Kirindy is the best place to look for fosa, Madagascar’s largest carnivore that combines feline traits with those of civets and mongooses. More dainty is the boky-boky or narrow-striped vontsira, another endearing and rare small carnivore.
Lemurs too are diverse with Verreaux’s sifaka and red-fronted brown lemurs commonly seen during the day, while after dark no fewer than six nocturnal species may be encountered including Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur – averaging a mere 25 grams it lays claim to being the world’s smallest primate. Also seen at night is the giant jumping rat, in appearance less a rodent and more like a rabbit crossed with a miniature kangaroo.
Kirindy is accessible and offers easy walking on generally flat sandy trails, and with many of the species being tolerant and habituated there are excellent photography opportunities.
Day8: Travel to Ambola
Today we have a morning drive to Morondava, with a stop en route at the famous ‘Avenue of Baobabs’. We take a charter flight south direct to Toliara, where we then transfer to the port and travel by boat further south to Ambola.
Accommodation: Domaine d’Ambola, 1-night
Days9-10: Exploring Tsimanampetsotse, including night walks
Tsimanampetsotse lies in the extreme south-west, in the heart of the driest region of Madagascar, an area dominated by bizarre ‘spiny forest’. Perhaps more than any other habitat, this encapsulates the ‘other worldly’ feel of Madagascar. Here, the extreme aridity has helped fashion trees with tentacle-like branches sporting vicious spines, while others develop grotesquely swollen and convoluted trunks.
In this harsh environment live familiar species like the ring-tailed lemur (that descend into underground caves to drink) and Verreaux’s sifaka, but also rare lesser-known oddities like Grandidier’s vontsira (a small carnivore), that can sometimes be seen foraging amongst the rocky outcrops after dark. There is also an endemic species of blind cave fish! Reptiles, including several chameleons and other species of lizard are frequently seen. On the west edge of the park is a large soda lake that offers the only breeding site for greater flamingos on the island.
Accommodation: Serviced camping, 2-nights
Day11: Transfer to Toliara, Arboretum d'Antsokay
This morning we transfer to Ambola to take our return boat trip to Toliara and on to the Arboretum d'Antsokay. In the evening, we can enjoy a night walk in the Arboretum.
The Arboretum d'Antsokay is an impressive botanical garden combining natural forest areas with planted areas showcasing around 1,000 plant species endemic to the region. The area offers excellent birdwatching and a chance to see a variety of chameleons and other reptiles. Night walks are good opportunities to see mouse lemurs and reptiles.
Accommodation: Auberge de la Table, 1-night
Day12: Return to Antananarivo
Depending on the time of our flight, we may have time for a morning walk in the grounds of the Arboretum. We later transfer back to Toliara Airport and take our flight back to Antananarivo. On arrival, we are transferred to our hotel.
Accommodation: Le Relais des Plateaux, 1-night
Day13: Travel to Daraina
This morning we return to the airport to take our flight to Sambava and then transfer by road to Daraina.
Accommodation: Akiba Daraina Lodge, 3-nights
Days14-15: Morning, afternoon and night visits to Daraina
The forests around Daraina are amongst the most intriguing on the island, being located in a region where influences from the east, west and north meld. They are home to the incredibly rare and beautiful golden-crowned sifaka, which despite its rarity is relatively easy to see – several groups have territories close to our lodge. In addition, crowned lemurs are also often seen.
Night walks offer a potential trip highlight, as these forests provide a genuine chance to see an aye-aye in the wild, surely one of the world’s most unusual and spectacular mammals: it's a lemur that mimics a rodent and feeds like a woodpecker! In addition, there are locally endemic mouse lemurs, sportive lemurs and noisy fork-marked lemurs.
Day16: Travel to Sambava
After a final morning photographing the lemurs of Daraina, we depart after lunch for the drive to Sambava.
Accommodation: Hotel Carrefour, 1-night
Day17: Travel to Andasibe
This morning we take our return flight from Sambava to Antananarivo, where on arrival we transfer by road to Andasibe.
Accommodation: Andasibe Hotel, 2-nights
Day18: Explore Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
The Andasibe-Mantadia region is perhaps the premier rainforest site in Madagascar. It offers several parks and private reserves within a small area that offers access to a considerable diversity of species. During the day, we concentrate our efforts in the forests of Mantadia, Analamazaotra and Maromizaha, where top species include the charismatic teddy-bear-like indri, famous for its haunting song and the stunning beautiful diademed sifaka. There are also bamboo lemurs, brown lemurs and black-and-white ruffed lemurs. Those keen on birds will not be disappointed, with several couas, vangas, ground rollers and other endemic species regularly seen.
At night, we visit the neighbouring private reserves of Mitsinjo and VOIMMA, where nocturnal mouse lemurs, dwarf lemurs, woolly lemurs and sportive lemurs can be found. These forests are also very good for frogs and several species of chameleon.
Day19: Andasibe-Mantadia National Park & fly home
Today we have a last morning to discover and photograph the wildlife of the Andasibe reserve. Later, drive back to our hotel in Antananarivo, where we have use of a room and the facilities at Le Relais des Plateaux. Later it is time to return to the airport for our flight home.
Day20: Arrive UK
Please note: At Tsimanampetsotse National Park there is no permanent accommodation, so for our two nights here we utilise a campsite to enable us to explore the park and its surrounds at the best time of day and night for its special wildlife.
Key info
Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 20 daysfrom £12,995 pp
Duration and price excluding international flights: 19 daysfrom £12,095 pp
Single supplement:
From £1,595
Trip type:
Group Tour
Tailor-made can be arranged
Group size: 6
Group Departures:
Make a booking request.
, Fully booked
We are currently finalising future dates for this tour. Please contact us for further details.
Tailor-made Departures:
A tailor-made holiday or private departure can be arranged, please contact us to tailor a trip to suit your requirements.
An award-winning photographer and author, with a background in zoology, Nick has forged a career by combining these skills with leading tours and lecturing.
Nick has written and photographed several critically acclaimed books, including: ‘100 Animals to See Before They Die’, ‘Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide’, ‘Wild Borneo’, and ‘Chameleons’. He is a regular contributor to international magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Africa Geographic and Geographical.
Nick has twice been a winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. In 2000, he won the prestigious Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife. His photographs appear widely in books, calendars and other publications worldwide. He is a Special Lecturer on the MSc course in the Wildlife Photography and Imaging at Nottingham University, where he studied.
Madagascar’s vibrant capital city is the beginning and end point of any trip to the island. Built on a series of hills, many of the old buildings and narrow, cobbled streets retain an almost medieval quality. Walking around the city, you will find evidence of several cultures, neither exclusively African nor Asian.
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This largely unexplored area contains huge tracts of eroded limestone that make up the island’s largest and most impressive karst landscape. The scenery is matched by the diversity and abundance of wildlife in the forest, which can be explored on specially constructed walkways, or by boat.
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Where: Mahajanga Province
Ideal for viewing: Madagascar fish eagle, red-fronted brown lemur, ring-tailed lemur, Sambirano lesser bamboo lemur, white Decken’s sifaka
Daraina is one of the most important sites in Madagascar. Home to the golden-crowned sifaka - one of the world’s rarest primates - the area is a mosaic of rolling hills covered with patches of deciduous and semi-evergreen forest and is one of richest and most ecologically sensitive areas in the north.
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Where: Sava Region
Ideal for viewing: aye-aye, daraina sportive lemur, golden-crowned sifaka, Sanford’s brown lemur, greater hedgehog tenrec
Excellent for: Wildlife photography, Photography tours With Nick Garbutt
Kirindy Forest is on the west coast of Madagascar, accessed via the famed Avenue of Baobabs. It is a dry forest rich in wildlife and the best place to see a variety of endemics including the fosa, Madagascar’s largest carnivore, and lemurs such as Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, the world’s smallest primate.
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Where: Menabe Region
Ideal for viewing: fosa, giant jumping rat, Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, narrow-striped mongoose, red-fronted brown lemur
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is arguably Madagascar’s premier rainforest reserve, combining Analamazoatra Reserve with the forests of Mantadia. The extensive network of trails throughout the reserve offers frequent sightings of spectacular wildlife and virtually assured views of the fabulous indri.
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This special national park and Ramsar site includes a pachypodium and spiny forest, limestone caves and a stunning blue saline lake. It supports many plants and animals that are endemic to the region and many are only found in the park including blind cave fish, radiated tortoises and the Grandidier's vontsira.
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Where: Southern Madagascar
Ideal for viewing: ring-tailed lemur, Grandidier’s vonitsa, radiated tortoise, Madagascar sandgrouse, blind cave fish
