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Nine week trip visiting Madagascar, Botswana, Zimbabwe & Namibia Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 6, 2019
  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Antananarivo

    July 8, 2019 in Madagascar

    We were rather tired when we arrived at our hotel, but after a couple of local beers in the bar watching the sunset, a beautiful dinner and a good sleep until 4am we were ready to go exploring.

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Antananarivo

    July 9, 2019 in Madagascar

    Antananarivo, also known as Tana, is Madagascar’s capital city with a population of four million. Founded in 1625, it is 1400 metres above sea level on a mountain range.

    In the morning we drove through congested streets to Ambohimanga, 20km north-east of Tana. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is the ancestral home of the Merina kings and queens who united Madagascar under one rule. It is a fortified sacred hill with 16 gates leading to king Andrianampoinimerina’ house (ruled 1787-1810) and a series of elegant royal summer homes.

    We enjoyed a relaxing lunch at the Citizen restaurant, which overlooks Lake Anosy and the Queen's Palace.

    After lunch, we visited the Queen’s Palace, which was badly damaged in a recent fire and now being restored.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Drive to Andasibe

    July 10, 2019 in Madagascar

    The small village of Andasibe is located in eastern Madagascar in the Moramanga District and is surrounded by protected rainforest and several parks. During our four hour drive, there was lots to see along the way including nice scenery and many rice fields. Everyone was busy working in their fields; we stopped to watch them making bricks by hand with women carrying bags of clay on their head and a young boy molding the bricks. On another short stop, we watched a man breaking down rocks into stones for people’s roadways. Many women were washing their clothes at creeks and rivers. There were also many butcher shops and fruit stalls along the way.Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Night Walk

    July 10, 2019 in Madagascar

    On our night walk we saw chameleons and nocturnal lemurs: mouse lemurs, white-footed sportive lemur, fat-tailed dwarf lemur, as well as the woolly lemur.

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Mantadia National Park

    July 11, 2019 in Madagascar

    We awoke to Indri lemurs singing in the distance, which we became very accustomed to. It was an early start for our two hour drive to Mantadia National Park where we had a fantastic walk through the dense tall forest. It was their first sunny day in three weeks so the lemurs were active and our guide managed to find five of the six species in the park including the Indri, diademed sifaka, red-bellied lemur and white ruffed lemur.

    We were also fortunate to see many birds. During our lunch beside a small lake, a kingfisher came to visit. When leaving the park, there was a diademed sifaka in the trees overhanging the road.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Perinet Special Reserve

    July 12, 2019 in Madagascar

    We visited the 810ha Perinet Reserve and were once again lucky to have a fine day. Our first sighting was the grey bamboo lemur which was the sixth specie we did not see in Mantadia.

    Others sighting during our walk though the rainforest included chameleons, indri lemur, common brown lemur, diademed sifaka and black & white ruffed lemur. Birds included the velvet asity, blue coua and Nuthatch vanga.

    In the afternoon, Eperlan (our Guide) took us for a walk through the village.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Mitsinjo Forest Reserve

    July 13, 2019 in Madagascar

    We did a morning walk in Mitsinjo Forest Reserve which is a private reserve operated by local NGO Mitsinjo. After lunch, we did another walk in the VOI reserve, a private park run by local villagers. On these walks, we saw a late blooming orchid, indri, brown lemurs and Diademed sifaka, as well as chameleons, reptiles and frogs.

    Our last photo is of our accommodation.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Antananarivo

    July 14, 2019 in Madagascar

    We visited Lemur Island, Vakona Lodge’s private reserve that protects a number of habituated lemurs. From our canoe, we watched the five species (bamboo lemur, black & white ruffed lemur, red ruffed lemur, brown lemur and diademed sifaka) playing and being fed.

    On our way back to Tana we visited a Reptile Park where we were able to feed lemurs. They also had a enclosure for a variety of chameleon. There was a golde mantella frog and Murray got to hold a leaf nosed snake

    Being Sunday, the fields were almost empty. Sunday is also a big wash day and families make it a day to socalise and bring a picnic lunch with them. As you will see in our second last photo, the mini buses are also very full!

    Our last photo is another great sunset in Tana at our hotel.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Morondava

    July 15, 2019 in Madagascar

    We had a morning internal flight to the western seaside town of Morondava. It is situated on the delta of the river of the same name at the edge of the Mozambique Channel. Our main attraction was the world-renowned ‘Avenue of the Baobabs’. These massive, ancient Baobab trees tower over the terrain and create magical otherworldly silhouettes at sunset and the next morning at sunrise.Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Kirindy Forest

    July 16, 2019 in Madagascar

    It was a 6 am start to be at the ‘Avenue of the Baobabs’ for sunrise. We then we headed 50km to the north-east of Morondava to the Kirindy Reserve. This is a privately managed forest that is known as the best place in Madagascar to see the elusive fossa, which we found upon arriving in the park. The landscape is dry deciduous forest interspersed with towering baobab trees.Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Betania

    July 17, 2019 in Madagascar

    We visited the Betania village, a local fishermen village that is only reachable by traditional canoe along the mangrove. We walked through the village to see the daily life of the local population, fishermen and their families. In the afternoon, we walked into town and along the beach in front of our hotel.

    Our accommodation, Palissandre Côte Ouest was located at Nosy Kely on the beach of Morondava. Each bungalow is built with local materials, all with private terraces offering ocean views. Our bungalow was at the very end where we enjoyed great sunsets each evening.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Antananarivo

    July 18, 2019 in Madagascar

    In Madagascar flight times always change We first were told our flight from Morondava to Tana was leaving in the morning (a couple of hours early) and you have to check in two hours before even for domestic flights. However, our flight did not depart until late afternoon so it became a transit day spent in the small airport with no wifi or internet.

    We arrived at our overnight accommodation, Relais Des Plateaux around 5 pm. Being situated ten minutes from the airport it was a good choice for our 6 am (so we thought) departure the next morning to Fort Dauphin.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Mandrare River Camp

    July 19, 2019 in Madagascar

    At 10:15 the night before, we were advised that our flight had been changed from 6am to 9:20am! So we departed on time to Fort Dauphin and arrived in time for lunch at the local restaurant and then began our 4+ hour drive to Mandrare River Camp, in Ifotaka . We had been warned about the roads and they certainly lived up to our expectations!! On our way to the camp we had ring-tailed lemurs cross in front of us.

    Upon arrival at the camp, we quickly settled into our tent and enjoyed the majestic views over the Mandrare River while having a gin and tonic. The camp, situated under Tamarind Trees along the banks of the Mandrare River, is in the grounds of an old colonial sisal plantation and is three kilometres from the village of Ifotaka and opposite the sacred ancestral forest of the Antandroy Tribe.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Mandrare River Camp

    July 20, 2019 in Madagascar

    We began the day with a beautiful sunrise from our verandah. After breakfast, we visited the sacred gallery forest to the south of the camp. We were canoed across the Mandrare River to reach this largely deciduous forest. There we had a sighting of an inquisitive group of ring-tailed lemurs who came down to the ground and the always entertaining Verreaux sifaka.

    On our way back to the camp, we visited the local markets where everyone had gathered to buy and sell everything including livestock, clothing, food and various other supplies. Many walk 10 km to reach the markets.

    Late afternoon we began a night walk in the Forest of Zenavo to see diurnal lemurs bedding down, and the nocturnal lemurs begin to wake in the eerie and prehistoric Spiny Forest. We spotted sifakas and sleeping white-foot sportive lemurs, then once the sun has set, two mouse lemur species, sleeping birds, chameleons, owls and now active Sportive lemurs.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Mandrare River Camp

    July 21, 2019 in Madagascar

    It was a wet morning so Murray did a walk with our guide around the camp and then we headed out to the Spiny forest. In the late afternoon, we visited the sacred spiny forest filled with the ancestral tombs of the local Antandroy tribe. Even though there were spots of rain we enjoyed sundowners on the Mandrare River beachfront.Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Mandrare River Camp

    July 22, 2019 in Madagascar

    In the morning we revisited the sacred gallery forest. As it had been a very cold morning many of lemurs remain high in the branches sunning themselves.

    At 4pm we departed for a sundowner amidst the baobabs. On sunset our guides built a traditional fire and shortly after, local village people appeared to perform traditional dances, accompanied by singing and music.

    We ended the night with dinner on our verandah.    Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Victoria Falls

    July 25, 2019 in Zimbabwe

    We arrived at Batonka Guest Lodge in Victoria Falls township just in time for lunch. The lodge is secluded with beautiful gardens. Murray soon found the local wildlife. In the afternoon we went for a walk into the township.Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Victoria Falls

    July 26, 2019 in Zimbabwe

    We began the day with a tour of the falls and returned in the afternoon which was a good time to see rainbows. There were also people swimming in Devil's Pool at the top of the falls. In the evening we dined at the Boma Restaurant which is well known in Victoria Falls.Read more

  • MdtravelsAfricaTraveler

    Victoria Falls

    July 27, 2019 in Zimbabwe

    We had a great helicopter flight over Victoria falls. In the late afternoon we did a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river.

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