Madagascar Wildlife Vacation

Shaun's Recce to Madagascar - September 2008

After reading and hearing so much about Madagascar I couldn’t wait to experience this unique countries wildlife and people first hand.

I arrived into Antananarivo late on the 3 September 2008 after a long and tiring flight. It was nice to have a welcoming face waiting for me at the airport. I was taken to the Hotel Sakamanga which is a clean and comfortable mid range hotel with some interesting artefacts lining the passages.

After a hearty breakfast I was driven the 3 hours to the Andasibe Special Reserve which is home to the largest lemur species – the indri-indri. I stayed at the Hotel Feon Ny Ala which are clean and comfortable A-frame bungalows that have fantastic views of the forest. I visited the nearby Vakona lodge which has a “lemur island” and crocodile park where visitors can get a closer look at several species of lemurs as well as some rather large crocodiles (not together though!!!!!!). This was my first encounter with lemurs and it was a wonderful introduction to these amusing primates. As I knelt down to take some photos I had a brown lemur jump on my shoulder like a parrot. These cute and inquisitive animals follow you around the island trying to get one more piece of banana before scampering off. There are brown lemurs, bamboo lemurs, black and white ruffed lemurs and a diademed sifaka on the island. After the lemurs I made my way to the crocodile enclosure which has several large lakes which are home to a number of crocodiles. They also have fossa, a tree boa as well as a host of birds.

Later that afternoon as I sat on the terrace of the Feon Ny Ala listening to the birds and sounds of the forest I knew I was back in Africa. I met up with my guide later that night to go on a night walk which is always exciting as you see the animals that are usually sleeping during the day. It is also easier to spot the chameleons and leaf tailed geckos. I saw several mouse lemurs, parson’s chameleons, tiny frogs and the invisible leaf tailed gecko all with the sounds of Madagascan Scops Owls calling in the background.

Andasibe is famous for the indri-indri which is a large black and white teady bear looking lemur which lives in small family groups. Their sounds travel up to 3km through the forest as they communicate to each other. On our morning walk we could hear several families calling each other but we had to work hard to finally see them. We came across a family of 6 (with a young baby) all calling out. This was an amazing experience to be amongst these remarkable animals as they call to each other.

Andasibe is not only about the indri-indri and during my 4 hours in the forest we saw the beautiful diademed sifaka, brown lemurs, bamboo lemurs, scops owls, chameleons and a jungle full of birds. What a way to start my Madagascar adventure. This is quite a popular park and there are several lodges in the area including the new Grace Lodge and Eulophiella lodge.

I headed back to Antananarivo arriving quite late that evening not giving me the opportunity to explore this colourful city. I stayed at the Radama hotel which is centrally located with a nice restaurant on the ground floor.

Another early start to get the charter flight to Anjajavy at 8am – this was something I was really looking forward to. The flight takes you directly north over the highlands towards the coast. As you start to descend you look out the window and search for any signs of life or a lodge, but with no luck. As the pilot banks over the sea he starts to descend quite quickly at which point I started to panic as I still cannot see an airport!!!! The ground is rushing up very quickly when all of a sudden I see what we were aiming for; a small red piece of earth with a small thatched hut alongside it. We were here – Anjajavy International Airport!!!!

A small welcoming party is there to meet us with a damp face cloth to wipe the nervous look off our faces. Daniel the manager was there to greet us and inform us that we were in a new time zone – Anjajavy time – which is 1 hour ahead, giving us more light in the evening. During the 20 minute drive from the airfield to the lodge we see several family troops of coquerel sifakas feeding and playing in the trees. The vegetation gives me the feeling of being on mainland Africa. It is dry, hot and sandy, I almost expect to see elephant, zebra and other large animals around the next corner – but of course that was only in the movie.

Anjajavy is a wonderful lodge set along the Mozambique Channel with 7 private white sandy beaches. The lodge can only be reached by private charter plane and with a maximum of 60 guests you will always be able to find a beach to yourself. There are several walks through the reserve you can do on your own (you can have a local guide accompany you if you want) as well as organised walks and excursion that you can sign up for. This is the type of place you can do as much or as little as you want. I did the “Crique en Crique” walk which takes you along the coast to the different coves and beaches ending on a white sandy beach 1km in length (and there was NOBODY on it) it then curves round through the mangrove swamps back to the lodge. I saw iguanas, brown lemurs and coquerel sifakas during the 4 hour walk. This is a wonderful amble to do as you can stop and swim in the warm sea from any of the deserted beaches.

At 5pm every evening the staff set up “tea in the oasis” which is a fantastic way to meet fellow guests including the brown lemurs and sifakas that come to feed on the green trees. The staff at the lodge do not feed or interact with the wildlife in any way and let them get on with their natural lives.

The next morning I went on the Anjajavy village visit along with most of the other guests at the lodge. Being a Sunday meant it was market day which is always an exciting time to visit an African village. The villagers were so open and friendly with us we all felt part of the “family”. The lodge helps support the village by installing a water pump, a medical clinic and helping fund the local school as well as employing most of the staff.

That afternoon I went on an organised walk through the Tsingy Garden which is an amazing sight hidden behind hills and set almost in a natural amphitheatre. Every 2 weeks the area floods when the tide is high turning it into a mangrove swamp. I also went on a night walk which was extremely interesting as we saw giant land crabs, sportive lemurs, mouse lemurs, chameleons and scops owl.

On my last day at Anjajavy I took to the water on an organised motorboat excursion to Moramba Bay which takes you up the coast past large tsingy islands and coast line which are home to several large baobabs and also the extremely rare Madagascar fish eagle. The dramatic tsingy islands rising up out of the turquoise sea with large baobabs growing on the rocks is something everyone needs to see. We landed on a small sandy beach and walked a short distance to a sacred baobab which is said to be several hundred years old. The local tribe sacrifice zebu here to ask for protection against hurricanes and storms.

On returning to the lodge I thought I deserved a siesta before dinner, but as I was drifting off I heard some banging on my balcony. This upset me as I was really looking forward to having a quick nap and now I was being woken up by someone. I sat up to see who was disturbing me only to see the local sifaka family using my balcony as a thoroughfare. This put a smile on my face and made me realise I was in their home. At 2.30 every day the sifakas start to move into the area slowly making their way to oasis by 5pm just in time to watch the tourists.

The food is cooked by a French trained chef who uses the local produce to come up with some tasty dishes. There is even an in-house baker who bakes all the morning pastries onsite.

Even though I was on my own I always had company as the staff were so friendly and welcoming. We were even invited to play football with them one afternoon which was great fun.

After an early breakfast I was driven back to the airstrip where I boarded the plane for Nosy Be. The 50 minute flight up the coast was great as I got to see rugged coast line right through to the tropical island of Nosy Be. From the airport I was taken to my hotel on the western side of the island, on the Ambatoloaka coast which is a small fishing village on a long golden beach. The sunset from there was amazing as the local fishermen sail their dhows in front of the beach. The sea is blue, the sand is golden and smiles are wide on this buzzing island.. The Royal Beach Hotel is based at the top of the beach offering great views from the restaurant of the local fishermen as they bring their daily catches onto the beach. The Vanila hotel is further up the coast and is set in a tropical garden with 2 swimming pools cascading towards the sea.

From there I went to the main town on the island, Hellville where I got the taxi-boat back to the mainland. This is an amazing 45 minute trip as you skim over the coral reefs between the many islands that are in the bay. I was met at the port in Ankify and had a look at 2 of the hotels on the hill. The Baobab hotel has several rondavals with a large restaurant overlooking the bay. Dauphin Bleu was a little further along the coast and based out of an old grand colonial house. All the chalets have amazing views over the bay and about 12 dolphins are reported to swim past the lodge every morning.

After a 2 or 3 hour drive through cacao, ylang ylang and coffee plantations you reach Ankarana Special Reserve. I arrived late in the afternoon but had time for a quick walk to see the bat cave and small tsingy that make this area famous. We saw some crowned and brown lemurs close to the campsite which is also visited by the fossa during the months of November and December. As we neared the cave the bats were just starting to make their way out into the night’s sky. Watching the sunset over the tsingy was an amazing sight and it inspired me to wake up at 4am the next morning to get to the grand tsingy to watch the sunrise. Mornings are always an amazing time to be walking through the bush as the birds and animals start to wake. The sounds are incredible. Again we saw crowned and brown lemurs as well as the Ankarana Sportive Lemur.

As the sun rose over the tsingy the colours started to change and the jaggered rock formations started to come into view. It was only then that I saw the expanse of limestone pinnacles and spikes disappearing off into the distance. As we were walking back along the swing bridge 2 troops of crowned lemurs were having a dispute over their territory.

Making it back into camp in time for breakfast was perfect as I was starving after our early morning exploration. We set off in the car continuing north for 45 minutes on the well paved road only to turn off it onto what can only be described as a bicycle track. We were heading off into an area very few tourists make the effort to see. It took us about an hour to drive 20km along the track only knowing where we were going because we could see our end destination. We arrived in a small village at the end of the track, all dusty and sore from the bumps. Two guys came out of their huts to greet us; one of them was carrying a radio tracker. They were to be my local guides as we searched for the extremely rare and endangered Perrier’s Sifaka which is reported to be in the top 25 of the most endangered primates in the world. There is a national park where you can see these jet black sifakas, but that is a days drive away and the chance of seeing them is quite slim. I was visiting a FANABY owned corridor where 18 individuals are divided into 5 family units. FANABY have trained some of the villagers to monitor and track 2 of the families using the radio tracking equipment.

After about 30 - 45 minutes we came across a family unit that were feeding in the trees. My guides sat down and let me follow the family as they moved through the trees. I saw a baby that was barely 3 months old. I sat and observed them by myself for about 45 minutes before my guides came in search of me. This was an amazing experience to see these remarkable primates in their natural habitat and to not have to fight other tourists for the best view.

Another hour along the bumpy dusty road brought us back onto the main road and after another 2 hours we were at the Nature Lodge in Joffreville close to the entrance to the Amber Mountain Reserve. Even though Ankarana and Amber Mountain are fairly close together they offer 2 very different experiences as Ankarana is a drier park whereas Amber Mountain is very lush with tree fern and several endemic plant, reptile and bird life with waterfalls and several crater lakes. This is a very visitor friendly park allowing people to drive to most of the main sites.

Nature Lodge offers panoramic views to the bays, islands and Diego-Suarez below making it ideal to relax whilst drinking a Three Horse Beer. Before I flew back to Tana I had a quick walk around the town and its large central market.

I overnighted in Tana before driving east towards the Pangalanes Canals. After about a 5 hour drive I arrived on the shores of a large lake. It was quite a weird moment as I seemed to be in the middle of nowhere when all of a sudden someone called my name. I looked round and there was someone from the lodge waiting to show me to the boat. This was a nice transfer taking me through villages and fishing traps before arriving at Bushhouse lodge. This is a nice place to relax during your Madagascan holiday. You can sit and relax on the white sandy beaches or go swimming in the crystal clear fresh water lake. Across the lake from Bushhouse is another lodge called Palmarium which has its own reserve with a selection of lemurs from around the country. As you sit in the gardens drinking your tea or coffee the lemurs will be jumping above your head. I went on a short guided walk through the reserve which is very interesting as you find out more about the plants, birds, lemurs, chameleons, snakes and frogs that are found in the area. One highlight was meeting the indri-indri family that live in the forest. It was very cute watching the young baby exploring away from its mother for the first time, only to dive into her arms at the first movement he wasn’t sure of.

I had to overnight in Tamatave to get the early morning flight to Maroantsetra. As we came in to land at Maroantsetra the staff had to scare the zebu off the runway. As we were taxing to the airport building I could see all the villagers had come out to see this daily spectacle. When you get into the airport building you make your way to the “baggage reclaim” which consists of a concrete barrier with a small room behind it. The trolley with all the bags then arrives into the room and that’s when the excitement begins. They start calling out the bag numbers and holding bags in the air and as soon as you see your bag you claim it, fight your way through the crowd and then barge way back out again – great fun.

Relais du Masoala is a lovely little hotel; set back from the beach behind some coconut trees. From the hotel and the beach you can see Nosy Mangabe in the bay. I went on a short boat ride along some of the rivers and past some villages that are almost on the water. They grow rice, have chickens and rely on fishing – what a life.

Another early morning departure, this time to get the 2 – 3 hour boat transfer across to the Masoala Peninsular. The wind had been blowing all night so the sea wasn’t the smoothest in the world and so we were given rain jackets to protect us from the soaking we were about to endure. You go quite close to Nosy Mangabe which is a large mountain top island covered in thick rainforest surrounded by rocks except for a small beach on the inside side of the island. This is where there is a small campsite where people can camp allowing them to do walks in search of the abundant wildlife.

From mid June to mid September the humpbacked whales come into the bay to have their calves. I was really lucky to see 2 stragglers as they made their way to Ile Saint Marie. The Masoala Forest Lodge is set in a sheltered bay behind the tree line in an old cinnamon and pineapple plantation and consists of 5 safari style tents on wooden platforms all with ensuite bathrooms. Meals are eaten together which is great way to get to know the other guests in the camp. Sandra and Pierre who own the lodge are there to look after you and help with anything you may need. You are appointed a guide for your stay giving you the freedom to choose your activities and when you want to do them. When I arrived I went for a walk along the beach to explore all the empty coves and beaches. This is a stunning coast line with thick green rainforest lining golden beaches scattered with black volcanic rocks and an emerald green sea. Every time I rounded a corner I had to take more photos as each bay offers a new sight.

This is a fantastic place for birds, in particular the helmet vanga which is a brown/red and black bird with a large blue bill. The lemur that you come here to see is the red ruffed lemur which can only be found in these forests. We saw a troop on my second day there as they fed in the upper branches of the tall trees. That afternoon I went for a canoe along the coast and this has to be one of the highlights of my trip. We saw a turtle surface quite close to the canoe and then as we got close to the beach we saw 2 ring tailed mongooses running along the shore. They stopped to fight or mate almost being washed away by a freak wave. We drifted with the waves until we were quite close and watched them for about 5 minutes before they ran into the forest in different directions. We then pulled the canoes into a quiet bay that can only be reached by boat and went and sat on the rocks to watch the sunset. As we were talking I noticed some whales in the distance so we quickly jumped back into the canoes so that we could get a closer look. Four of them were quite far out but 2 of them were swimming very close to the shore so we paddled ahead of them and waited for them to come past us. This was an extremely rare and exciting privilege to see these large mammals like that. On our way back to camp we found ourselves in amongst a fish feeding frenzy which made me alittle nervous as I couldn’t see into the water to see what was causing the commotion.

That night as I stepped out of my safari tent I was stopped in my tracks by the night sky above me. The stars were like nothing I have ever seen before, the sheer density was amazing.

My transfer back to Maroantsetra, the next day was a lot smoother and quicker and we lucky enough to see 2 dolphins swimming close to the boat. That afternoon I had a flight from Maroantsetra back to Tana.

The next day I walked around the large market in the centre of town and also visited the botanical gardens and zoo. I was very disappointed with the state of the zoo. Many of the cages were empty and when they had animals in they were too large for the cage they were in.

I had lunch at the Palissandre hotel which has a terrace that overlooks the city; this is something that I highly recommend to anyone that does a Madagascar safari.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the whole experience. The Malagasy people are so friendly, happy and welcoming which makes travelling in their country very rewarding. The wildlife is amazing and although there are no large animals like on the main land, it all about the unique smaller things that make your Madagascan holiday such a unique experience. I cannot wait to go back and see what else I can discover.