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WINGS Birding Tours – Itinerary

Madagascar

Wednesday 4 September to Sunday 22 September 2024
with Brian Finch and Bruno Raveloson as leaders
September 2025
with Brian Finch and Bruno Raveloson as leaders

Price: $9,350* (09/2024)

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Scaly Ground-Roller is a marvelous Madagascar endemic. Photo: Paul French

The heaviest bird that ever existed, the Elephant Bird, lived in Madagascar and may actually have survived until only 300 years ago. The Musée de l’Académie in Antananarivo has the only complete skeleton, but the rest of this great red island is even today so full of strange and wonderful life forms that we’ll soon understand how something as astounding as the 1000-pound Elephant Bird could have developed here. To most of us, Madagascar is a place where evolution has run wild. Of the 198 nesting birds, 106 are endemic and another 25 are limited to the ‘Malagasy Region’. There are no fewer than seven endemic families and 32 endemic genera. It’s a mind-boggling degree of endemism, but recent studies have led to the elevation of new families, genera, and species.

Our trip will be oriented toward the endemic birds and mammals, and we’ll spend most of our time in the eastern rainforest, the western deciduous woodland, and the southern spiny desert. In addition to the birds, we’ll look at everything natural in Madagascar – plants, reptiles and insects – as well as experience Madagascar’s friendly and hospitable people and sample widely from its delicious cuisine.

Day 1: The trip begins this evening in Antananarivo (Tana). Night in Tana.

The Madagascar tour was just fantastic. Brian and Bruno were as good as tour leaders get…; just wonderful. The itinerary was well-planned, our local guides were superb, and WINGS office assistance was excellent. I have no recommendation on how to improve this great tour.

Kent Van Vuren, Oct 2018

Days 2-3: We’ll depart early on Day 2 for the airport (conveniently close to our hotel) and a flight to Mahajanga. On arrival we’ll transfer to Ankarafantsika Reserve, one of the last stands of western deciduous forest. Many bird species here are among the last of their kind. The bizarre endemic family of mesites, of unknown taxonomic affinity, is represented by White-breasted Mesite. Another endemic family, the remarkably variable vangas, is represented by White-headed, Blue, Chabert’s, Rufous, Hook-billed, Van Dam’s, and the extraordinary Sickle-billed. One of the rarest, Van Dam’s, may be found ripping into rotten wood with its heavy hooked bill. A third endemic family, the asitys, is present in the form of Schlegel’s Asity, but they are very scarce and difficult to locate. We’ll also be looking for the bizarre Madagascar Ibis, Madagascar Fish-Eagle, Madagascar Buzzard, Frances’s Sparrowhawk, and Coquerel’s, Red-capped, and Crested Couas. A large dam nearby could produce Humblot’s Heron and Madagascar Jacana. In addition to birds, Madagascar is also renowned for its unique reptile and mammal fauna. We should be able to locate some fantastic chameleons, including Oustalet’s, the world’s largest, which can be up to a meter long. There are a number of lemur species, and with persistence we should see Brown, Western Woolly, Milne-Edwards Sportive and the diminutive Gray Mouse Lemurs, but it would take much greater fortune to see the nocturnal Mongoose and regionally endemic Golden Mouse Lemurs. The agile Coquerel’s Siffakas are frequently in the camping area. Nights near Ankarafantsika.

Day 4: After a final morning in the Ankarafantsika Reserve, we’ll return to Mahajanga in the afternoon. Night in Mahajanga.

Day 5: This morning after an early breakfast, we will take a boat out onto the Betsiboky Estuary. Here we hope to see terns and a variety of waders, hopefully including the incredible Crab-Plover on the recently exposed mudflats. Following the river upstream, we’ll look for other waterbirds like the very rare Bernier’s Teal and the entirely white-winged and white-eyed Malagasy Sacred Ibis. We’ll have a picnic lunch at Katsepy, with a chance to see Humblot’s Heron, African Spoonbill and Yellow-billed Stork if we have not already encountered them by this point. In the afternoon we’ll return to Tana and overnight there. Night in Tana. 

Days 6-8: We’ll set off early on Day 6 for the long journey toward the large university city of Fianarantsoa. Shortly before the city we’ll turn eastward to the magnificent Ranomafana National Park, arriving in the evening. Ranomafana National Park will provide our first look at the eastern rainforest, the richest region in Madagascar for all forms of wildlife. We will have nearly three full days here, which will allow us to sample most of the area’s specialties. The Golden Bamboo Lemur was discovered here in 1986, and almost simultaneously the Greater Bamboo Lemur, once thought extinct, was rediscovered. These events led to the park’s creation. Birds have profited from these discoveries, and we’ll be alert for the huge Henst’s Goshawk, the timid Brown Mesite, Madagascar Wood-Rail, the stunning Blue Coua, the secretive Yellow-browed Oxylabes, and mixed flocks containing Spectacled and Gray-crowned Tetraka, spectacular Pitta-like Ground-Roller, Green Jery, and (following recent taxonomic changes) Rand’s Warbler. The more highland forest areas produce a different group of birds including Rufous-headed Ground-Roller, Brown Emutail, and the very elusive but stunning and sometimes very confiding Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity. In the nearby river and swamps we could find the greatly endangered Meller’s Duck, plus Madagascar Pratincole, Madagascar Snipe, and (with luck) Madagascar Partridge. Gray Emutails hide in the rank marshy grasses of the swamps. In these highland areas the secretive Milne-Edward’s Siffaka may be found. We will also have a night walk for the curious and varied frog fauna, and usually find a number of sleeping chameleons and quaint Rufous Mouse Lemurs. Butterflies can be spectacular if there has been good rainfall. Nights at Ranomafana.

Day 9: After another nearly full day in Ranomafana we’ll depart and drive for our overnight stay in the city of Fianarantsoa, from where we’ll get an early start the following morning to the Anja Community Reserve. Night in Fianarantsoa.

Day 10: Shortly after breakfast we’ll depart Fianarantsoa and drive to the Anja Community Reserve. Some enterprising locals, seeing that Ring-tailed Lemurs were fast disappearing from the region, set aside their rocky hill as a reserve, which now hosts several large family groups. This reserve brings these entrepreneurs a reasonable income and encourages them to protect the area. We’ll also keep an eye out for Madagascar Buttonquail.

Afterwards we’ll head for the Jaccaranda Restaurant, a small pleasant establishment run by the community. If the shop is open, we’ll be able to purchase special papier antaimora, paper with pressed flowers. We’ll pass through some stunning scenery with vast monolithic granite formations before crossing the flat Plateau l’Horombe. Here we’ll keep a watchful eye out for the rapidly declining Malagasy Harrier, and we’ll eventually arrive at Isalo National Park. Night at Jardin du Roy.

Day 11: Often the local endemic ‘Benson’s’ Rock Thrush is the first bird to greet us after our early wake up, as it has found the roof of the lodge to its liking. The dawn might also reveal Greater Vasa Parrot, Madagascar Lark, or Madagascar Cisticola. There is a nearby seasonal pond, which in the past has provided birds such as Madagascar Grebe, Malagasy Pond Heron, Baillon’s Crake, and Madagascar Sandgrouse. Some years, however, it may be dry. Later, we have the entire day to explore Isalo National Park, including a visit to the beautiful “La Piscine Naturel,” where Ring-tailed Lemurs and Verreaux’s Siffakas can be found. Night at Jardin du Roy.

Day 12: After an early breakfast we’ll continue our journey to Zombitse Forest, where we’ll stop to look for Giant Coua and the endemic Appert’s Tetraka, found only here! Other birds may include Cuckoo-Roller and White-browed Owl. The largest of all the diurnal green geckoes, the spectacular Standing’s, is found here. Sleepy Verreaux’s Siffakas might look curiously down on us and Zombitse Dwarf Lemurs, endemic to this forest, may peer at us from their tree cavities. After our picnic lunch we’ll set off for Tulear, continuing another 20km to Ifaty, arriving at our lodgings in the early evening. Dinner may be interrupted by noisy Madagascar Nightjars. Night in Ifaty.

Day 13: In the morning we’ll have our first look at the bizarre spiny forest for which the region is renowned. Among the stunted baobabs, sinister-looking didiereas, and assortment of sclerophyllous plants we’ll look for such birds as Subdesert Mesite, Running Coua, Thamnornis, Archbold’s Newtonia, Subdesert Brush-Warbler, and Lafresnaye’s Vanga. With a little luck, a search might yield the difficult-to-find Long-tailed Ground-Roller. Two butterflies attract attention here, firstly the giant swallowtail Pharmacophagus, a close relative of the New Guinea Birdwings, and the stunning Morpho Pansy, as bright a blue as there is. After lunch we’ll search extensive swamps that harbor widespread though secretive species such as Little Bittern, Baillon’s Crake, and Greater Painted-snipe. There are frequent outbursts from other rails plus a variety of herons, ducks, and waders. Along the muddy bays, if the tide is low, we should see migrant waders: Greater Sand-Plovers trotting across the mudflats with Curlew Sandpipers, and maybe flamingoes. Near the salt fields there is often a pair of the increasingly rare Madagascar Plover. The sand dunes are surprisingly rich in reptiles, and the curious Three-eyed Lizard (with a primitive pineal eye on top of its head) will scatter before us. Night in Tulear.

Day 14: Depending on what we have not yet seen, we will have some early birding and lunch in the Tulear area before catching our flight back to Tana. In the afternoon we will visit the Tsimbazaza Museum, Zoological Gardens and Arboretum, where we will hopefully get to see the only complete Elephant Bird skeleton in existence. At some point there will be opportunity to purchase some souvenirs from an Art Centre. Night in Tana.

Days 15-17: On the morning of Day 15 we’ll visit Tsarasaotra Reserve where a lake protected by the resident Malagasche family holds a breeding colony of several species of heron. Among the more widespread Great and Cattle Egrets are numerous Dimorphic and Black Egrets, and with the abundant Squacco Herons are a few pairs of Malagasy Pond Herons. Along with the many White-faced Whistling-Ducks and Red-billed Ducks we might find a few Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Knob-billed Ducks, Meller’s Ducks and the diminutive Blue-billed Teal. Other endemic birds found here include Malagasy Kestrel, Malagasy Coucal, Malagasy White-eye, Madagascar Swamp Warbler, Malagasy Brush-Warbler, Red Fody, and Madagascar Munia. Afterward, we’ll leave for Perinet, perhaps the best known of Madagascar’s reserves, as it is home to the largest of all the lemurs, the tail-less Indri. Our accommodation will be adjacent to the neighboring Mantadia National Park, where many species not found in Perinet/Analamazaotra can be seen with relative ease. The understory provides cover for all four species of rainforest ground-roller including Scaly and Short-legged. The extremely wary Red-breasted Coua is on the edge of its range here and lives in the shade of the luxuriant growth with Red-fronted Coua. Mixed flocks of vangas and flycatchers often contain the extraordinary Nuthatch-Vanga as well as Ward’s (Flycatcher) Vanga and Nelicourvi Weaver. Both Velvet and Common Sunbird-Asitys are not uncommon, but the latter is often difficult to see well in the forest, and other birds here include Madagascar Rail, Madagascar Flufftail, and Madagascar Spinetail. In the nearby Analamazaotra Reserve, in addition to appreciating Indris, we’ll look for roosting Collared Nightjar (whose song is still unknown), Madagascar Owl, Madagascar Ibis, Wedge-tailed Jery, and Forest Fody. We will not forget the lemurs, with luck adding Greater Dwarf Lemur, Common Bamboo Lemur, Eastern Avahi, and possibly even Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur to our list. On night walks we should encounter a good variety of frogs and some more spectacular chameleons such as Parson’s and Short-nosed. Nights in Mantadia.

Day 18: After a final morning birding in these rich forests we’ll have our last delicious lunch and bid farewell to Perinet. We’ll drive back to Tana in the afternoon, stopping along the way if opportunities present themselves. Night in Tana.

Day 19: The tour concludes this morning in Tana.

Updated: 02 October 2023

Prices

  • 2024 Tour Price : $9,350
  • Single Occupancy Supplement : $860
  • 2025 Tour Price Not Yet Available

Notes

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Questions? Tour Manager: Erin Olmstead. Call 1-866-547-9868 (US or Canada) or (01) 520-320-9868 or click here to email.

* Tour invoices paid by check carry a 4% discount. Details here.

This tour is limited to ten participants with two leaders.

Please note the final itinerary may differ somewhat from the published itinerary; due to shifting internal flight schedules, last-minute changes may be necessary. 

Participants may opt for latenight/early morning international departures, transferring to the airport after dinner on Day 18.  

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