We are running this trip in conjunction with Rockjumper Tours who have an unbeatable reputation in Madagascar, having run more than 40 tours over the past nine years, to the world’s fourth-largest island. Their experience level is unprecedented and our comprehensive 3-week tours are the only Madagascar tours ever to crack the magical 200-species barrier.
Madagascar is often referred to as the ‘Eighth Continent’ and its exceptional fauna and flora have evolved over millions of years of isolation. This legendary uniqueness is nowhere better reflected than in its birds. Of the two hundred species regularly recorded on the island, no fewer than one hundred and forty are endemic or near endemic! Furthermore, these include six entire families of birds endemic to the island (the ground-rollers, cuckoo-roller, asities, mesites, Madagascar warblers and vangas)! But the wonder of Madagascar extends well beyond its avifauna and we do not neglect the amazing lemurs, colorful chameleons and fascinating flora of this appropriately named “laboratory of evolution”. Virtually every plant and animal on the island is endemic but sadly most are threatened by continued deforestation, thus making Madagascar one of those “must-visit-soon” destinations.
© David Shackleford |
© Adam Riley |
We later travel south via the Tolkenesque Isalo National Park (for Benson’s Rock Thrush) and Zombitse Forest (for Appert’s Greenbul), to the astonishing Spiny Desert around Ifaty. Nowhere in the world looks anything like this region of bulbous baobabs and weird spiny pinnacles, with its plethora of peculiar endemics. Whilst here we will also visit the specialized coral rag scrub of the southwest, home to the recently discovered Red-shouldered Vanga. Other targets include Long-tailed Ground-Roller, Sub-desert Mesite, Madagascar Plover, Thamnornis and Sickle-billed Vanga. Our final days on this incredible island will be spent enjoying the natural riches of Berenty, most famous of Madagascar’s lemur reserves, before we reluctantly return to a more normal world!
Besides the birds we experience up to 27 lemurs (including the world-famous dancing sifakas), other mammals from civets to strange tenrecs (the planet’s most primitive mammals), dozens of species of chameleons, cryptic leaf-tailed geckos and other bizarre reptiles and amphibians and even some of the world’s most outlandish insects (including the celebrated Giraffe-necked Weevil!)
Upon arrival in the bustling capital of Antananarivo, or “Tana” as it is more commonly known, we transfer to our hotel in the very heart of this intriguing city for an overnight stay. Travelling from the airport into the city, one cannot help being struck by the uniqueness of the Malagasy culture, a strange mixture of African and Asian influences reflected in the landscape and architecture.
Depending upon time of arrival, we will take our first birding excursion at Lac Alarobia. This private sanctuary set within the city protects large numbers of ducks and egrets from persecution. As evening sets, the small lake literally teems with waterfowl. Large numbers of White-faced Duck and Red-billed Teal should be seen, usually accompanied by smaller numbers of Hottentot Teal, Knob-billed (Comb) and Fulvous Ducks and possibly the very rare Meller’s Duck. A fantastic assortment of egrets roost or breed in the sanctuary, including: a few splendidly adorned Madagascar Squacco Herons and Dimorphic Egret. Mascarene Martin is common overhead and we will be watching in adjacent areas for more Madagascar endemics, which may include Madagascar Kestrel, Madagascar Coucal, Madagascar Swift, Madagascar Wagtail, Madagascar White-eye, Madagascar Mannikin and Madagascar Red Fody.
Today we fly to Mahajunga on the north-west coast of Madagascar, for the first leg of our island adventure. After arriving in this sleepy town, we will drive to Ampijoroa, a forest station situated in the extensive deciduous forests of the Ankarafantsika Reserve. Ampijoroa is famous as the home of World Wildlife Fund’s Plough-shear Tortoise captive breeding program and is an ideal base from which to search for the numerous endemic birds of the region.
En route to the reserve we will scan roadside water bodies for Yellow-billed Stork, Purple, Striated, Common Squacco and Malagasy Pond Herons, and flocks of Black Egret, which we will watch as they perform their bizarre “umbrella-feeding” routine. Striking Madagascar Jacanas strut through lily-covered wetlands and we will stop off at Lac Amboromalandy to search for other waterbirds including Humblot’s Heron, Madagascar Little Grebe, African Pygmy Goose and Allen’s Gallinule.
On arrival at the forestry station we should encounter numerous “campsite residents” such as Broad-billed Roller, screeching Lesser Vasa Parrots, Crested Drongo, Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Sakalava Weaver, Madagascar Hoopoe, Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher, Madagascar Green-Pigeon and Madagascar Turtle-Dove. We will spend the afternoon birding along the edge of the adjacent Lac Ravelobe, where we hope to find the critically endangered Madagascar Fish-Eagle, a pair of which is resident here. Wintering Sooty and Eleonora’s Falcons are sometimes seen hunting overhead, White-throated Rails favour the waterside vegetation and we may find noisy groups of Sickle-billed and Blue Vangas moving along the forest fringe.
We have a full day to explore the network of trails through the dry forest around Ampijoroa, in search of the many birds restricted to this region. Foremost amongst these is the secretive White-breasted Mesite, and the jewel-like Schlegel’s Asity, which recalls a miniature Bird-of-paradise! We will also concentrate on finding the highly localised Van Dam’s Vanga and the two species of coua that are restricted to these deciduous forests: Red-capped and Coquerel’s. Other birds we hope to see whilst searching for these specials include Madagascar Crested (White-winged) Ibis, Madagascar Buttonquail, France’s Sparrowhawk, Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher, and Rufous, Hook-billed, White-headed, Chabert and Red-tailed Vangas.
No less than eight species of lemur occur in the near vicinity of the camp and we will search for the comical Coquerel’s Sifaka, Common Brown Lemur and the rare Mongoose Lemur during the day, and Western Avahi (Woolly Lemur), Milne-Edward’s Sportive, Fat-tailed Dwarf and Gray Mouse Lemurs after dark. If we are lucky, we may also find the recently described (1998) Golden-brown Mouse Lemur, one of the world’s smallest primates and only known from around Lac Ravelobe (hence its scientific name Microcebus ravelobensis.) Reptiles are also plentiful along the trails and we hope to see the impressive Giant Hog-nosed Snake, as well as several smaller species of snake (all harmless- amazingly, there are no venomous snakes in Madagascar!), Oustalet’s Chameleon (the world’s largest species) and the aptly named Rhinoceros Chameleon, with its enlarged nasal protuberance. Impressively spiky Cuvier’s Iguanids scurry around the campsite.
After a final day birding, lemur watching and photographing around Ampijoroa, we will return by bus to Mahajunga for an overnight stay in a comfortable, beachside hotel renowned for its fine seafood. We will again search for waterbirds en route to our hotel.
Today we fly back to “Tana” for an overnight stay. Our flight in the early afternoon provides us with enough time to take a motorised boat ride up the Betsiboka Delta. This seldom-visited region is home to two of Madagascar’s rarest and most endangered birds, Bernier’s Teal and Bernier’s (Madagascar White) Ibis. Our 1999 Rockjumper Madagascar tour was the first birding tour ever to record these two species and we repeated this feat every year up to and including our 2005 tour. We were especially excited to find 52 Bernier’s Teals, the largest concentration seen in many years (“Only significant recent counts are 60 on Masama Lake in 1970 and 61 on Bemamba Lake in 1973” Volume 1; HBW.) Other birds we may record on this epic journey are Madagascar Heron, African Open-billed Stork, Greater Flamingo, African Spoonbill, a very rare bird in Madagascar, Madagascar Harrier-Hawk, Terek Sandpiper, Crab Plover and Lesser Crested and Saunder’s Terns.
We will have time this afternoon to visit the Tsimbazaza Zoo, with its lemur breeding station and interesting museum displaying skeletons of the Elephant Bird and extinct giant lemurs. These are also displays of most of Madagascar’s unique mammals and birds including some recently extinct species such as Madagascar Pochard. Birding around the gardens can be interesting, the prize sighting being a pair of Madagascar Little Grebes that can usually be found on one of the ponds.
We depart early for the short drive eastwards across the Highland Plateau to the famous reserve of Perinet (otherwise known as Analamazaotra). Hamerkop, Black Kite of the Yellow-billed form, Plain (Brown-throated) Martin and Madagascar Cisticola are regularly encountered en route.
Our accommodation for the next four nights is a delightful hotel, ideally located overlooking a lake at the edge of the forest. Being so close to the reserve means that wildlife is often right on our doorstep: fluorescent green day geckos scuttle on the outside walls of our chalets, Madagascar Wagtails flit along the paved walkways and we may well be serenaded by the beautiful songs of the world’s largest species of lemur, the handsome Indri. During previous tours, we have been fortunate enough to find Madagascar Crested Ibis feeding on the lawns of the hotel and a family of tame Greater Dwarf Lemurs frequent the palms next to our lodge restaurant.
The moist rainforest cloaking Madagascar’s eastern escarpment protects the richest assemblage of birds on the island, including many that are rare or poorly known. Over 100 of these have been recorded from within the small reserve of Perinet and we will search for such specials as Madagascar Flufftail, the elusive Madagascar Wood-Rail, Madagascar Blue-Pigeon, Greater Vasa Parrot, Madagascar Cuckoo, Madagascar Spinetail, Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher, Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher, Madagascar Cuckoo-shrike, Ward’s Flycatcher, Tylas, Madagascar Starling, Long-billed and Spectacled Greenbul, White-throated Oxylabes, Nelicourvi Weaver and Souimanga Sunbird.
Amongst the most sought-after of Madagascar’s birds are those of the six families endemic to the Malagasy region: the peculiar mesites, exquisite ground-rollers, Cuckoo-Roller, the asities, Madagascar warbler and the vangas. Some of these, such as the ubiquitous Madagascar Cuckoo-Roller, Pitta-like Ground-Roller, Common Sunbird-Asity and a number of the vangas are reasonably common and regularly encountered, whilst most of the others remain rare, local or elusive. We will make a special effort to locate as many representatives of these charismatic families as possible, as well as those of the endemic sub-family, the couas.
In the forested hills around Perinet, we hope to find the localized Red-fronted and Blue Coua, Velvet Asity, and flocks of vangas that may include White-headed, Chabert, Blue, Red-tailed, Hook-billed or the bizarre Nuthatch Vanga (the last aberrant species is also known as Coral-billed Nuthatch). If we are lucky, we may locate some of Perinet’s forest rarities such as Madagascar Serpent Eagle or Dusky Greenbul. |
© David Shackleford |
© David Shackleford |
Whilst in the Perinet area, we will make a special effort to see the reserve’s most famous residents: the huge, singing lemurs known as Indri. A journey in search of these magnificent creatures is on a par with gorilla-trekking in the mountain forests of Uganda, and if we are fortunate we will be treated to a close encounter with a family group, their eerie, whale-like howling echoing through the forest. |
Other lemurs we hope to see include Common Brown and Grey Bamboo Lemur, and we will also search known roosting sites for the nocturnal but inquisitive Small-toothed Sportive Lemur. Another “must see” member of the island’s fauna is the Giraffe-necked Weevil, a tiny red and black insect named for its unusually proportioned neck!
In the evenings, we will embark on night walks. Nocturnal outings are a thrilling and indeed, essential part of any trip to Madagascar and Perinet is one of the best sites to search for the island’s night birds. Specialities here include Madagascar Long-eared Owl, Rainforest Scops-Owl and both Madagascar and the rare and little known Collared Nightjar. Whilst seeing these birds will be the focus of our walks, we will not neglect the immense variety of non-avian life that emerges after dark. Although Madagascar is famous for the spectacular lemurs that have adapted to a daytime existence, a number of species of these primitive primates remain, like their African cousins the galagos, denizens of the night. We will search for and should find Eastern Woolly, Greater Dwarf and the diminutive Brown Mouse Lemurs, and may also encounter some of Madagascar’s other evolutionary masterpieces such as the bizarre Lowland Streaked Tenrec. The island’s reptile and amphibian (“herp”) fauna is equally fascinating and even the most hardened birder would not fail to be impressed by the plethora of colourful and bizarre frogs, chameleons and geckos to be seen on an evening’s stroll through the rainforest. In particular, we will search for the giant Parson’s Chameleon and two species of eccentric leaf-tailed geckos: the huge Uroplatus fimbriatus and the aptly named Uroplatus phantasticus.
Mantadia National Park lies a short distance from Perinet, protecting a large expanse of primary forest at a somewhat higher altitude. Though it has only recently been opened to the public, Mantadia is now an essential destination on any birding trip to Madagascar, having rapidly gained a reputation as an excellent site for a handful of highly sought-after forest birds. Not least amongst these are a number of species formerly considered to be restricted to the poorly accessible rainforests of the far north-east, such as Red-breasted Coua and Scaly Ground-Roller. We will concentrate on finding these specials, also watching for more widespread yet no less desirable forest birds such as Madagascar Blue-Pigeon, Rufous-headed and Short-legged Ground-roller, Crossley’s Babbler (recent DNA-analysis suggests this species is an aberrant terrestrial vanga!), Common and Dark Newtonias, Wedge-tailed, Green, Stripe-throated and Common Jery, the newly described Cryptic Warbler and Forest Fody.
Other attractions in this scenically beautiful park include the vocal Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur, the elusive Diademed Sifaka (considered by many to be the world’s most beautiful lemur) and Painted Mantella, a spectacularly coloured forest frog. Much of the birding in Mantadia National Park can be enjoyed from the wide road that runs up into the reserve, although seeing the skulkers of the forest understorey will require that we take to the steep and at times slippery trails.
We depart early for the drive to Anjozorobe for a two-night stay. This is a new and exciting site that we have only recently added to our itinerary. Anjozorobe provides us with the opportunity of finding more forest and wetland birds which are hard or near impossible to find elsewhere. En route we may see the striking France’s Sparrowhawk, Madagascar Lark and Madagascar Starling.
We will spend the morning exploring the network of trails in the ridge-top forests. Birds we will search for here include the secretive and elusive Madagascar Wood-Rail, Red-tailed Newtonia, Pitta-like and Short-legged Ground-roller, Brown Emutail, Crossley’s Babbler, Gray-crowned Greenbul, Yellow-browed Oxylabes and Common Sunbird-Asity. In the afternoon we will visit the wetlands, some of the least disturbed anywhere in Madagascar and we have a good chance of finding the rare Meller’s Duck, Madagascar Little Grebe, Madagascar Snipe and Madagascar Rail. If we are very fortunate we may even find the extremely rare Slender-billed Flufftail (seen exceptionally well during some of our previous tours.) Other birds seen here on previous Rockjumper tours include Madagascar Partridge, Madagascar Buttonquail and Henst’s Goshawk.
We depart early for the drive to the capital and then take a short flight to Fort Dauphin (also known as Toliagnaro), in the south-eastern corner of the country. Upon arrival we will transfer to the world-famous private lemur reserve of Berenty. The 2-1/2 hour drive takes us from the wind-blown but picturesque town of Fort Dauphin through well watered valleys packed with paddy fields and finally into the rain-shadow of the Andohahela Mountains where the octopus like Didierea trees are diagnostic of the spiny desert. As we near Berenty, this natural habitat is replaced by extensive tracts of sisal plantations stretching as far as the eye can see. Berenty Preserve belongs to the De Haulme family who have set aside sections of gallery forest along the Mandrare River to conserve its population of lemurs and other wildlife.
We shall venture out in the evening in search of Torotoroka Scops-Owl and the impressive White-browed Owl but may also encounter a host of other nocturnal creatures such as the strange Greater Hedgehog Tenrec and several species of attractive geckos (including the remarkable Big-headed Gecko and unique Fish-scaled Gecko).
Berenty is justly famous for its lemurs, not only because its deciduous woodland is home to five species of these primitive primates but also for the ease with which they may be seen and appreciated in the wild. Red-fronted Brown Lemurs occur in large numbers during the day and both White-footed Sportive and Gray Mouse lemurs are regularly encountered on night walks through the reserve, though the undoubted favourites are the Ring-tailed Lemurs and Verreaux’s Sifakas. Whilst the bands of cat-like, quizzical Ringtails are often the first to steal visitors’ hearts (as well as any spare fruit they may have on their persons!), their appeal is easily matched by the strikingly patterned sifakas, with their soulful expressions and bizarre, bipedal dancing locomotion. To spend time with groups of these gentle creatures will certainly be one of the highlights of our Madagascar adventure.
A further mammalian highlight of Berenty is visiting the Madagascar Flying Fox roost, were about 300 of these impressive animals sporting 1-1/4 metre wingspans spend their day squabbling and presumably sleeping.
We will be on the look-out for the numerous Giant Couas that stroll along the well-cleared paths through the woodland, any many other woodland birds. Potential new species we may find here include Long-tailed Cormorant, Peregrine Falcon, Madagascar and France’s Sparrowhawk, Helmeted Guineafowl, Madagascar Sandgrouse, Bat Hawk (a very rare bird in Madagascar) and Alpine Swift.
We will have a final morning to enjoy and photograph the approachable wildlife in Berenty, and visit the well presented local museum, which displays one of the few complete Elephant-bird eggs in the world. We will return to Fort Dauphin in time to make the connecting flight to the south-western city of Tulear. Upon arrival we will transfer directly to our hotel in the small resort of Ifaty for a two-night stay. We will stop en route to bird some wetlands and salt pans which may hold numbers of Greater Flamingo, Black-necked Stilt, Kittlitz’s Plover, assorted migratory waders and Madagascar Harrier if we are very fortunate.
Much has been written about the strange Didierea woodland, or “Spiny Forest”, around Ifaty but this in no way lessens the feeling of awe that overcomes one as we set foot in this botanical wonderland. Venturing out at dawn, before the day’s heat, we will stroll amongst the myriad multi-stemmed succulents, squat baobab trees and thorny scrub in search of such spectacular endemics as Banded Kestrel, Running and Green-capped Coua, Archbold’s Newtonia, Thamnornis, Subdesert Brush-Warbler and Lafresnaye’s Vanga. Two very special birds here are the near mythical Sub-desert Mesite, which we may find adopting its strange, cryptic posture on a thorny branch, and the Long-tailed Ground-Roller, an elusive ground dweller best located by its low, hooting call. Flocks of noisy Sickle-billed Vangas are another feature of this bizarre, Tolkienesque landscape. As the day warms up, so too does the reptile activity increase. We should see the numerous Three-eyed Lizards and may be lucky enough to find a beautiful Spider Tortoise or rare Dumeril’s Boa.
The tropical ocean off Ifaty is alive with marine life and we will have some time to don masks and snorkels and appreciate the myriad colours of a coral reef or relax in the warm shallows in front of our hotel. An optional afternoon excursion will be taken to bird some wetlands to the south of Ifaty where previous Rockjumper tours have found Greater Painted-Snipe, Little Bittern, White-throated Rail and Baillon’s Crake.
After some final birding in the Ifaty area, we will make our way southwards to Tulear, for a two-night stay. In the afternoon, we will make our first excursion to a flat-topped mountain aptly known as La Tabla. The habitat of this desolate area is known as coral rag scrub and consists of dense thorny scrubs, Euphorbias and twisted Baobabs. Our target birds in this area include two species with highly restricted ranges: Verreaux’s Coua and the recently discovered Red-shouldered Vanga. Reptile life here is particularly rich and we should find large, sleek Zonosaurus plated lizards and if very lucky the stunning Dumeril’s Boa and endangered Radiated Tortoise. We can expect to enjoy a sumptuous sea-food dinner tonight.
This morning, we will board a speedboat for an excursion to the small uninhabited islet of Nosy Ve to the south of Tulear. The main attraction of Nosy Ve is its colony of Red-tailed Tropicbirds, which allow close approach as they are left unmolested by local people due to a taboo or fady. We may also find Crab Plovers roosting on the sandbars here, as well as good numbers of other migrant waders and a large gull and tern roost. In 2005 Rockjumper discovered a Sooty Gull at this site, a new bird for Madagascar. We will also have another chance to snorkel on the pristine coral reef encircling the island. We will enjoy a packed lunch on the island, then stop off on the mainland opposite the island to search for Madagascar (Humblot’s) Heron, Dimorphic Egret, a variety of waders and the localised Littoral Rock Thrush. In the afternoon we will explore the San Augustin Road and La Tabla.
An early morning departure will take us to Zombitse Forest in order to search for one of the world’s most endangered birds: the dainty Appert’s Greenbul. A variety of other interesting species are resident in the dry, deciduous forest and we may find Madagascar Crested Ibis, Madagascar Harrier-Hawk, Giant and Crested Coua, raucous Cuckoo-Rollers displaying high overhead, Ashy Cuckoo-shrike, Long-billed Greenbul, Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher, Rufous, Blue and Red-tailed vangas, and Madagascar Starling. During previous tours, we were fortunate in having superb views of the highly elusive Fosa here, Madagascar’s largest predator.
Next will be the long drive across the Central Plateau, to the isolated limestone massif of Isalo. The arid grasslands en route are generally fairly unproductive for birds but we will stop to scan for Madagascar Partridge, Madagascar Buttonquail, Madagascar Sandgrouse, the elegant Namaqua Dove, Madagascar Lark and the attractive Madagascar Harrier, now split from the Reunion species. Watercourses through the bizarre limestone formations of the Isalo National Park act as a magnet to the birds of this dry area and we may find Madagascar Harrier-Hawk, White-throated Rail, small flocks of Gray-headed Lovebirds, Stripe-throated Jery and the region’s special bird, Benson’s Rock-Thrush.
Ranomafana, like Perinet, is situated on the eastern slope of Madagascar’s mountainous backbone. However, this national park is much greater in extent, spanning a wide range of elevations and forest types. We will round off our adventure in Madagascar by exploring these rich forests, concentrating on the many specials of the park and any forest birds that we may have missed at Perinet and Anjozorobe.
Ranomafana National Park was originally proclaimed to protect its population of Golden Bamboo Lemurs, an animal first described to science as recently as 1987. In addition to this and both Greater and Gray Bamboo Lemurs, we may find Red-fronted Brown, Red-bellied and Small-toothed Sportive lemurs, the impressive Milne-Edwards’ Diademed Sifaka and other mammals such as Common Tenrec and the handsome Ring-tailed Mongoose. Night walks in this area are especially rewarding, owing to the nightly spectacle of Greater Dwarf Lemurs, Brown Mouse Lemurs and Madagascar Striped Civets (Fossa) attracted to food put out for them by park officials, and the high concentration of “herps”. Chameleons are particularly well represented and we are likely to see several species, most notable of which are the cryptically coloured and armoured dwarf chameleons.
In the lower elevation forest near our lodging, we hope to find Madagascar Crested Ibis, Henst’s Goshawk (seen at the nest on our 2005 tour), the elusive Brown Mesite with its strange duetting call, Common Sunbird-Asity, Gray-crowned Greenbul, the scarce Yellow-browed Oxylabes, Forest Rock-Thrush, Wedge-tailed Jery, and Rufous and Pollen’s Vanga. The delightful Pitta-like Ground-Roller is also fairly common here.
The higher elevation forests and swamps around the village of Vohiparara are home to some birds that we would not yet have encountered on our trip. Foremost amongst these is the highly localised Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity and this is the most accessible places to see this endangered and very elusive species. We shall concentrate our searches in some stunted ridge-top forest where we may also locate Red-fronted Coua, the elegant Rufous-headed Ground-Roller, the creeping Brown Emutail, Rand’s and the recently discovered Cryptic Warblers, Pollen’s Vanga and, if we are lucky, Madagascar Cuckoo-Hawk. A marsh several kilometres from Vohiparara may produce the very rare Meller’s Duck, Madagascar Harrier, Madagascar Rail, the highly endangered Slender-billed Flufftail, Madagascar Snipe and Gray Emutail. If the road conditions allow, we will visit this marsh in order to search for these seldom encountered species.
After some final early morning birding, we will make our way back north to Tana, breaking our journey for lunch at the quaint, highland town of Antsirabe, famous for its locally manufactured handicrafts. The road winds northwards across the open landscape of the Horombe Plateau, offering insight into the traditional lifestyle of the Malagasy people. Steeply terraced rice paddies, tall earthen houses with thatched roofs and roadside markets displaying a wide variety of handicrafts form part of the passing pageant, all against the backdrop of golden-yellow grasslands and bare granite inselbergs, a fitting end to our exploration of this enchanted island.
Cost: Approx $6000 from Antananarivo based upon double occupancy.
Single supplement approx $655
Policy Information |
Trip Insurance |
2005 Trip Report & List |