12 days and 11 nights
Itinerary
DAY 1: Diego Suarez Airport / Diego Suarez (city tour)
- Welcome at Diego Suarez airport (according to flight schedule), transfer and check-in at the hotel.
- Historical city tour to discover its beauty. It is the capital of northern Madagascar and a strategic port of the country. The city will reveal its monuments, witnesses of its glorious colonial past.
- Admire the bay of Diego Suarez, the 2nd largest (156 km), after Rio de Janeiro’s, as well as its Sugarloaf.
- Dinner and overnight at La Terrasse du Voyageur hotel.
DAY 2: Diego Suarez / 3 Bays / Diego Suarez (by quad or 4x4)
- Day dedicated to visiting the 3 Bays (Sakalava Bay, Dunes Bay, Pigeons Bay) passing by an old baobab tree over 300 years old.
- Picnic lunch at Dunes Bay, an ideal spot for swimming.
- Possibility to see turtle dances depending on the season.
- Departure to the fishing village of Ramena, meeting and exchanging with the villagers, as well as the primary school students and teachers.
- Stop in front of the Sugarloaf to admire the sunset.
- Dinner at La Kaza restaurant and overnight at La Terrasse du Voyageur hotel.
DAY 3: Diego Suarez / Emerald Sea / Diego Suarez
- Transfer to the village of Ramena.
- Day excursion by pirogue to the Emerald Sea with the color of its clear water, a lagoon like a natural aquarium with turquoise waters. A place of almost supernatural beauty.
- Discovery of its underwater treasures including its stunning marine tsingy.
- Snorkeling,
- swimming,
- seafood picnic lunch on the fine white sand beach.
- Return to Diego Suarez in the afternoon.
- Dinner at the L’Etincelle restaurant and overnight at La Terrasse du Voyageur hotel.
DAY 4: Diego Suarez / Amber Mountain / Joffre Ville
- Early transfer to the Amber Mountain National Park and Special Reserve.
- Morning dedicated to visiting this dense humid forest with a very high level of endemism including thousands of precious wood species (Dalbergia chlorocarpa and Canariummadagascariensis). Amber Mountain is a true melting pot of biological diversity.
- The main attraction is the smallest chameleon in the world, the Brookesia Minima Tuberculata. Picnic lunch during the visit.
- In the afternoon, discovery of its rich fauna and flora, its lakes and waterfalls (Antomboka waterfall and the Sacred waterfall) to conclude the visit beautifully.
- Dinner and overnight at the Benedictine Sisters' Monastery.
DAY 5: Joffre Ville / Red Tsingy / Ankarana
- Early morning departure by car to the track leading to the Red Tsingy, a breathtaking exceptional site shaped by the whims of wind, sun, and erosion. Their lateritic nature gives them their unique charm.
- Lunch at the restaurant Chez Violette.
- Transfer to Mahamasina (the eastern entrance of the Ankarana Reserve) in the afternoon.
- Optional: in the evening, discovery of nocturnal lemurs.
- Dinner and overnight in bungalows at Chez Laurent.
DAY 6: Ankarana
- Departure by 4x4 to Mahamasina, the "eastern entrance of the Ankarana Reserve".
- Visit this 18,220 ha reserve, home to caves, underground rivers, and the Tsingy (limestone formations carved over time by wind and erosion, forming a massif of sharp peaks) which gives it its uniqueness.
- Picnic lunch. Continue the visit in the afternoon.
- Optional: in the evening, discovery of nocturnal lemurs.
- Dinner and overnight in bungalows at Chez Laurent.
DAY 7: Ankarana / Loky Manambato
- Departure by car to Daraina to visit Loky Manambato Park. This protected area, where the endemism rate reaches 84%, counts 1,273 plant species, 74 reptile species, and at least 11 lemur species, including the famous golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus Tattersalli), one of the most threatened primates on the planet, which is among the protected species of the reserve. It is also home to 127 bird species, 75 reptile species, 36 amphibian species, and 2 species of sea turtles.
- Moreover, the coastal part represents a huge economic opportunity for the local population.
- The Ankao archipelago, ranked among the top 5 most beautiful destinations in the world, borders the eastern part of this protected area.
- Excursion day to visit this park and discover its rich fauna and flora.
- Picnic lunch inside the park.
- Dinner and overnight in bivouac.
DAY 8: Vohémar / Sambava
- The town of Vohémar, capital of the Anjoaty ethnic group.
- Visit to this historic town, which is certainly one of the earliest human settlements in Madagascar. Around the 8th century, Persian and Arab traders established a trading post here and founded a civilization: the "Rasikajy," origin of the Anjoaty ethnic group.
- Historical and cultural discovery of the town.
- Departure mid-morning to Sambava, with a picnic lunch en route.
- Excursion to Lake Andranotsara to discover this enchanted place.
- Dinner and overnight at Ocean Momo Hotel or similar, subject to availability.
DAY 8: Sambava
- Early departure for a full day of intense exploration of Sambava and its surroundings. As the capital of the SAVA region, Sambava hosts vanilla plantations, which made this region famous and once earned the town the title of the richest city in Madagascar. However, this financial boom is unstable: vanilla prices sometimes drop year to year, and the cost of living in Sambava has soared. In 2017, the passage of Cyclone Enawo made vanilla even more precious, causing prices to skyrocket, making life very difficult for the residents of this town.
- Historical tour of the town, including visits to some vanilla plantations.
- Then begins the great descent of the Bemarivo River in a flat-bottomed canoe.
- Picnic lunch.
- Continuation of the visit through the large Soavanio Coconut Plantation of 4700 ha, considered one of the largest coconut plantations in the world.
- Visit the Soavanio Coconut Plantation, including the 3 artisanal processing workshops (straw, trunk, and bark); the plantation 5 km south to observe the male flower emasculation process and the nursery; and a few kilometers further south, the copra ovens and coconut oil distillation workshop. A very fascinating visit.
- Departure for the village of Ambariomiambana, meeting and exchanging with villagers.
- Visit the Andriagnambo waterfall accompanied by the guardian of the falls, which are 20 m high, a sacred place for purification and making wishes.
- Sunset aperitif by the sea to admire the sunset.
- Dinner and overnight at Ocean Momo Hotel or similar, subject to availability.
DAY 9: Sambava / Ambohangibe
- Departure by car to the village of Ambohangibe (more than 8 hours of driving). Picnic lunch en route.
- Arrival in the village late afternoon.
- Friendly aperitif evening with some men and women from the village, an opportunity for exchange and sharing.
- Dinner (Malagasy cuisine) at a local home and camping overnight.
DAY 10: Amboahangibe / Sambava / Marojejy
- Early departure from the village of Amboahangibe, return to Sambava.
- Lunch en route.
- Continue the journey to Marojejy National Park, arrival in the evening.
- Dinner and camping overnight at Mantella Camp.
Day 10, Day 11 and Day 12: Marojejy
- Marojejy National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an impressive massif with dense low-altitude humid forest, habitat of the Propithecus candidus or Simpona fotsy, palms and pteridophytes, secondary low-altitude forest, dense mountain humid forest, and heath bush.
- Reaching the summit at 2,132 m altitude is a real sporting adventure. Humbert waterfall about 40m high with a natural pool 50cm to 4m deep. Discover the primary low-altitude humid forests; you will have the chance to encounter species of reptiles and amphibians (such as Mantella laevigata, boophis, Sanzinia, etc.), lemur species (such as bamboo lemur, Eulemur albifrons), and bird species (including the blue Coua, Prevost’s ground thrush, etc.). Along the trail, take a short break at a natural pool by a waterfall; about 30 minutes from Mantella Camp, you will also visit the beautiful Humbert waterfall. 4 km for 2 to 3 hours of trekking.
- Picnic lunch in the park.
- The excursion continues with the connecting trail between Mantella Camp and Marojejy Camp.
- Along this trail, passing through low-altitude forest allows you to find Brookesia karchei, endemic palm species (Marojejya insignis); on this trail, you may also encounter the silky sifaka, a lemur species covered in extremely white fur endemic to this park. At Marojejy Camp, you will admire the border between low-altitude and high-altitude forest. Beautiful views of granite cliffs and mountains covered in the intense green of forests delight visitors at Marojejy Camp, 1 km from Mantella Camp, a 1 to 2 hour walk. The trail is maintained with stone paths from 450m to 775m altitude.
- Dinner and camping overnight at Marojejy Camp.
Day 13: Marojejy / Andapa
- Early breakfast to start the visit early. In the mid-altitude forest, discover an ancient fossil of the famous Takhtajania perrieri, a plant from the dinosaur era discovered 120 million years ago, located 1 km from Marojejy Camp.
- This trail from Marojejy Camp to the summit (ascending from 775 to 2,132 m altitude) crosses high-altitude humid and cloud forests to reach the open high-altitude shrubland dominating the whole region. From this unique site, you can see thousands of square kilometers, extending to the Indian Ocean on clear days.
- The famous Simpona camp (1,250 m altitude) is totally isolated in a wild natural setting.
- 4 km for 6 to 7 hours of trekking.
- Picnic lunch in the park.
- The trail includes a fairly difficult section on a slippery slope with granite rocks, making it a real sporting adventure.
- Departure for Andapa in the afternoon.
- Dinner and overnight at Beanana Hotel or similar, subject to availability.
Day 14: Andapa
- The Andapa basin has a volcanic origin, transformed over time into a lake and then into marshes when the first inhabitants arrived in the 19th century. Since then, the population has grown and small scattered hamlets have given way to large villages, forming an almost continuous cluster of homes in the heart of the rice fields. Andapa is the rice bowl of the entire northeast region of Madagascar. This 'wonderful' little world is where people have kept a simple, almost naive spirit, offering visitors a remarkable serenity that can only be felt. Andapa is a haven of peace, and wandering leisurely through it is a path of discovery, contemplation, and sometimes surprises.
- Cultural and historical visit of the town of Andapa.
- Lunch at a restaurant in town.
- Dinner and overnight at Beanana Hotel or similar, subject to availability.
Day 15, Day 16: Andapa / Anjanaharibe Sud
- Day of wildlife visits in the Anjanaharibe Sud Special Reserve, which shelters 149 species of herpetofauna, 37 species of mammals, 125 species of birds, and 12 species of lemurs. The cries of Babakoto heard in the peripheral villages of the Anjanaharibe-Sud Reserve may be faint, but the opportunity to see Babakoto in a wild and isolated natural environment is what visitors seek. The Babakoto trail allows discovery of the family group of the Indri, showing an almost uniformly black color in the extreme northeast region of the big island. 1 km for 1 to 2 hours of hiking; a tough adventure from 500 to 1000 m altitude. Also encounter the Takhtajania, a living fossil, a very ancient tree species that appeared on Earth since the Dinosaur era, 120 million years ago.
- 4 km for 2 to 3 hours of hiking.
- Altitude range 800 to 1200 m.
- Picnic lunch in the park.
- Dinner and camping overnight.
Day 17: Anjanaharibe Sud / Andapa / Sambava
- Departure by car to Sambava via the return path of the Green Triangle.
- Lunch en route.
- Dinner and overnight at Ocean Momo Hotel.
Day 18: Sambava / Sambava Airport
- Transfer to Sambava Airport.
For a quote from 4 people, please contact us
This price includes
- All visits and excursions mentioned in the program
- Rental of a 4x4 vehicle with driver and fuel included (Day 4 to Day 18)
- A French-speaking guide accompanying throughout the circuit
- Two bottles of mineral water per person during excursion days
- Porters in the parks during treks
- All meals mentioned in the program
- Accommodations in the hotels mentioned or similar according to availability at the time of booking
- Entrance fees to parks and natural reserves
- Camping fees
This price does not include
- Extras, tips for guides and drivers
- Drinks
- Health insurance, evacuation and repatriation