SUMMER & FALL 2012 - VOLUME 3 - Senior Tours Canada

TENTATIVE ITINERARY FOR MADAGASCARDAY 1DAY 2DAY 3DAY 4DAY 5DAY 6DAY 7DAY 8DEPARTURE. We depart with Air France forMadagascar (via Paris).ANTANANARIVO. We arrive in Antananarivoin the evening and transfer to our hotel.ANTANANARIVO. Antananarivo was alreadya major city before the colonial era, but it wasrebuilt in the 19th century and now containsmany European-style buildings. On our citytour we will see the royal palaces, the formerhouses of nobles, the French residency,Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals,stone churches and diverse neighbourhoods.ANTSIRABE. We travel by coach to Antsirabefor a tour of the "Town of Water", so calledbecause of its many thermal springs and theexistence of two crater lakes. We will visit agemstone factory and a workshop where theymake miniatures out of recycled materials.RANOMAFANA. We continue south toRanomafana, stopping en route at Ambositrato visit the Zafimaniry handicrafts centre,specializing in woodcarving. We continue toRanomafana National Park, whose purpose isto conserve the unique biodiversity of the localecosystem and to protect two species of veryrare lemur - the golden bamboo lemur and thegreater bamboo lemur. The Park covers40,000 hectares of stunning forest, rivers andbeautiful waterfalls and is considered the bestlocation to spot lemurs in the wild.RANOMAFANA. Today is a highlight of thetour as we visit the rainforest of RanomafanaNational Park and observe the various speciesof lemurs, birds, chameleons and frogs thatare unique to this island. The afternoon is freeto do further exploring or relax at the lodge.FIANARANTSOA. We travel to Fianarantsoato tour the capital of the Betsileo tribe, whooriginated in Southeast Asia. Fianarantsoameans "good education" in Malagasy and it isthe cultural and intellectual center ofMadagascar. It is home to some of the oldestProtestant and Lutheran cathedrals, andtheological seminary, in Africa, and boasts themost prestigious university on the island.AMBALAVAO - RANOHIRA. We proceed toAmbalavao, the commercial centre of thesouthern Betsileo region and wine centre ofthe island. Here we visit a wine producer (withsamples of course) and the "Antemoro Paper"factory. This paper is a delicate, handmade,DAY 9DAY 10DAY 11DAY 12DAY 13DAY 14DAY 15DAY 16DAY 17flower-decorated paper made of the fibres ofthe Avoha tree. We then visit Anja park whereyou can see families of ring-tailed lemurs intheir natural surroundings before we continueto our hotel in Ranohira.RANOHIRA. Today is devoted to exploringimpressive Isalo National Park, known for itsdiverse terrain including sandstoneformations, deep canyons, palm-lined oases,and grassland. We enjoy a walking tourthrough this unique national park, with achance to swim in its natural pool.TULEAR / IFATY. Today we drive the “straightroad” to Tulear, viewing the proudly decoratedMahafaly tombs en route. We then visit theArboretum with its many species of endemicplants before continuing to the beautiful beacharea of Ifaty.IFATY. A free day to enjoy the beach with avariety of sea activities offered. Take a beachstroll to collect shells or perhaps explore theforest looking for species of baobabs, octopustrees, spiny bush, jujube trees and cactus.IFATY / TULEAR. Morning at leisure to enjoythe beach at Ifaty. This afternoon we return bycoach to the major port town of Tulear.ANDASIBE. We fly to Antananarivo and travelby coach to Andasibe. Enjoy the passingscenery of rice fields, waterfalls and scarceforest stations. In the evening join an optionalnight walk in the heart of the primary forest tolook for nocturnal species of lemurs.ANDASIBE. Today is another highlight of thetour as we visit this rainforest reserve anddiscover the unique species of lemurs dwellinginside this forest such as Indri Indri - the tallestof all the species, bamboo lemurs and brownlemurs. The rest of the day is free to exploreor relax in the peaceful lodge surroundings.ANTANANARIVO. This morning we visitVakona Private Park for a chance to seelemurs close up and personal. We then returnto Madagascar’s capital city of Antananarivo,visiting en route Marozevo Exotic Park -known for its chameleons and butterflies.ANTANANARIVO. Further touring of thecapital city takes us to the AndafiavaratraMuseum and the Botanical and ZoologicalPark. After dinner we transfer to the airport forour flight home (via Paris).HOME. We arrive back in Canada.75.