Natural History • Birdwatching • Flora • Wildlife • Travel Photography

The NATURAL HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR

led by Mark Smith
and Rivo Rarivosoa

October 19 to November 8, 2012

ITINERARY

Madagascar, the eighth continent! Biologically speaking, this 1000 mile-long island, fourth largest in the world, is another continent. Some 160 million years ago the island broke from Gondwanaland, the ancient megacontinent that was comprised of Australia, India, Africa and Antarctica. This long separation has fostered the evolution of thousands of endemic species of plants and animals.

Lemurs are the most famous of Madagascar's endemic fauna, and during our travels we will likely encounter sixteen or more species of these beguiling primates, including the superb black and white Indri, the graceful white Sifaka, and tiny Mouse Lemurs. In addition to lemurs, Madagascar is the only place the hedgehog-like, insectivorous tenrecs exist. The Island is home to 70% of the world's bizarre chameleons, and of the 250 bird species half are endemic, including such spectacular groups as Vangas, Ground-rollers, Mesites, Asitys, and Couas. The plants of Madagascar have also been isolated for millions of years and have evolved beautiful strange forms like bloated Baobab and Elephant Foot trees and the spindly, spiny Didiera trees. There are also more than 1000 orchids. Over 80% of this diverse flora occurs nowhere else. Culturally, too, Madagascar is not a part of Africa. The first humans arrived over 1500 years ago from Indonesia, and today much of Madagascar's fertile high plateau is covered by terraced rice paddies.

Saving Madagascar's remaining wildlands is one of the highest priorities in world conservation. Fourteen species of large lemurs, the massive Elephant Birds, and a Pygmy Hippopotamus are already recently extinct. In the 1980's the government was convinced of the value of its natural heritage and currently several international conservation groups are working with Madagascar to establish and protect reserves throughout the country. It is hoped nature tourism will supply parkside communities with alternatives to slash and burn agriculture.

Our tour, led by Rivo Rarivosoa, a Malagasy naturalist who speaks French, English and Malagasy, visits the dry forests of the northwest, rainforests on the east slope, desert spiny forests in the south, and fine coral reefs and beaches. We will have leisurely nature hikes, night walks searching for nocturnal lemurs, superb ocean snorkeling and swimming, and shopping time for fine crafts. Photo opportunities are unlimited, with spectacular landscapes, intriguing peoples and close-ups of lemurs, showy insects, flowers, and colorful harmless snakes and lizards. Join me in Madagascar, for the totally endemic time of your life!

Leadership

Malagasy, Rivo Rarivosoa is fluent in four languages including Japanese. He has been guiding nature, birdwatching and cultural tours in Madagascar for 15 years and is president of the National Guides Association. He also teaches guide training courses for the government. A fine musician and an accomplished photographer, Rivo's passion for sharing all aspects of Malagasy life has made him a favorite leader of travelers.

Mark Smith, has led nature tours throughout the world for The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, and privately. After his studies at OSU, he worked as a researcher and educator for a variety of organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, the National Science Foundation, Portland Public Schools, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and the National Marine Fisheries Service. This is the tenth tour Mark has led to Madagascar, one of his favorite places. He has special expertise and interest in birds, reptiles, mammals, insects, ecology and island biogeography, and broad interests in all natural history subjects and cultural anthropology.

Rigors and Accommodations

Nature tourism increased greatly in Madagascar during the 1980's. In recent years several new hotels have been built near the parks and today all our hotels are comfortable with attached bathrooms. The Hilton in Antananarivo is a base we return to and extra baggage can be stored there. Food is good, including French and Malagasy cuisine, and fresh seafood. Madagascar Airlines does a good job, but internal schedules may change. If our internal flight schedule changes, we will still go to all the same places, but in a different order. The island is 1000 miles long, 250 miles wide, and mountainous. This means to see a diversity of natural areas we must make some half-day drives and two beautiful all-day drives; these will be punctuated by many interesting stops. The landscape is enchanting, with lots to look at.

In the dry forest it can be hot, but we will be out early and in the evening (midday we swim). In the rainforests of the east the trails can be muddy and it can rain. At the Ranomafana Forest (two days), the terrain includes some short, steep hills. There are relaxing options in the village and thermal baths at Ranomafana, and we can also get additional guides for photographers or for those who need to stay on more level trails. Throughout the tour most walks will be about a mile, with a few optional hikes up to three miles.

Food: European dishes are available most places, with French food favored, but also we'll enjoy tasty Malagasy dishes, with plenty of vegetables, rice and stews, not heavily spiced. Varied fruits and bottled water will be provided.

Preparation

Reading and bird lists, articles, maps and travel information will be sent to participants well before departure.

Cost and Reservations

A deposit of $500 is required to reserve one of the 12 available spaces. (Minimum 7 at stated price.) If the group size is smaller, a reasonable small group supplement will be added. If the group is 9 or fewer only Rivo will guide and Mark Smith will not accompany the tour. Rivo will also have several additional local guides.

Air Fare
$ 500	Initial reservation deposit
$5150	Final Payment due 60 days prior to departure
$5650	Ground Fare Total This includes double occupancy accommodations in hotels, transport by small bus, entrance fees, and all but one brunch (Madagascar has some fine French dining). Not included are four internal flights, international airport taxes, snorkeling costs, excess baggage charges, bar beverages, laundry, phone calls and other personal items.
($875)	(Single supplement)
$1,250	approx. from Paris to Madagascar.
$600-800	approx. round-trip U.S. to Europe, depending on U.S. gateway city.
$800	approx. for four internal flights Air fares fluctuate due to fuel prices and the strength of the Euro.

Pam Davis of Willamette International Travel is the tour air-ticket agent; Mark has worked with Pam for over 15 years. Participants are encouraged to make bookings through Pam, which helps to coordinate our flights and keep leaders informed.

Pam Davis
Willamette International Travel
1314 NW Irving St. #101
Portland, OR 97209-2721
Email: pamd@wittravel.com
Phone: 503-224-0180 or 1-800-821-0401

Please make deposit and final payment payable to Mark Smith Nature Tours and send to:

Mark Smith
PO Box 3831
Portland, OR 97208-3831

Work phone: 503-224-0180 or 1-800-821-0401
Home phone: 360-566-0458
email, in care of: marksmithnaturetours@hotmail.com

Please contact Pam Davis of Willamette International Travel when Mark is out of town.

Include your address and phone, and the name of the trip. You will be sent a letter acknowledging your deposit. The final payment is due 60 days before departure.

Cancellations

Cancellations made more than 60 days prior to departure payments are fully refunded less $100. Cancellations made fewer than 60 days before the departure date forfeit 65% of the tour cost. We recommend that participants consider trip cancellation insurance, which can be bought through our agent, Willamette International Travel.

ITINERARY

Days 1-3	Friday – Sunday Oct. 19-21	U.S. to Paris to Madagascar, Majunga
Travelers will depart various U.S. gateways September 26 at mid-day, arriving in Paris the afternoon of September 27. Our Air Madagascar flight leaves Paris at 4:55 PM and arrives in Antananarivo (Tana) 4:45 AM September 28. After meeting our guide Rivo, we relax and have breakfast at the comfortable airport restaurant, before boarding our 9:20 AM flight to Majunga on the Northwest Coast, a one-hour flight. Since the eighteenth century Majunga has been an important commercial port, with the local monarchs trading with Arabs and Asians. We'll tour the city and relax at our beachside hotel where we can swim in the pool.
Day 4	Monday, October 22	Majunga, Ampijoroa
We leave very early this morning on the drive 90 miles south to Ampijoroa Forest Reserve, one of the finest wildlife areas in Madagascar and a rare vestige of the western dry forests. Lemurs we may find include the Brown and Mongoose Lemur, Avahi, and the stunning chestnut-sided Coquerrel's race of the Verreaux's Sifaka. The open dry forests and quiet lake support many fine birds including rare species like the White-breasted Mesite, Madagascar Fish-Eagle (one of the world's most endangered birds of prey) and the Madagascar Jacana and Squacco Heron. We will bring with us a picnic lunch, and have a dinner barbecue. After dark we wander in the forest in search of nocturnal lemurs like Grey Mouse, Dwarf, Sportive, and Avahi. Sleeping birds are often seen, and chameleons go pale at night and are more easily found. We stay at the newly established parkside bungalows, with attached bathrooms.
Day 5	Tuesday, October 23	Ampijoroa Reserve, Majunga
We enjoy more walks in this beautiful reserve, returning this afternoon for a relaxed afternoon on the beach and by the pool in Majunga.
Day 6	Wednesday, October 24	Majunga to Tana
An early boat ride on Madagascar's largest river, the Bombatoka, for scenery, culture, and the endemic Madagascar Teal and Ibis, as well as wintering Eurasian shorebirds and often Greater Flamingoes. We return to colorful market scenes in Majunga. At 6:30 PM we fly an hour to Tana where we stay at the Hilton.
Day 7	Thursday, October 25	Tana to Fort Dauphin
This morning a day tour of Tana, the Capital, including the zoo, hillside views, and bird-rich lakes. We depart Tana at 3:20 PM on a one hour and 15 minute flight to the picturesque town of Ft. Dauphin, founded in 1642 and named for Louis XIV. This evening we see the town and enjoy our beautiful hotel.
Day 8	Friday, October 26	Berenty
This morning we drive south to Berenty, viewing en route an Antanosy tomb with wood carvings depicting the dead or the circumstances of the death. By mid-afternoon we should be at Berenty, a 250 acre private reserve of gallery and spiny forest beside the Mandrare River. We'll have an evening walk to view the famous lemurs of Berenty, the most studied wildlife in Madagascar. Because of prolonged contact with humans, the clown-like Ring-tailed Lemurs, Brown Lemurs, and elegant white Verreaux's Sifakas are tame and easily observed and photographed. We will follow the troops at length; a rare opportunity to study details of primate behavior. In Ring-tails, the females are dominant and in October many have babies. Troops settle territorial disputes with a cacophony of wails and hoots. We will likely also see nocturnal Weasel Sportive Lemurs and the Rufous Mouse Lemur. Birds, lizards, harmless snakes, and tenrecs are also to be found at Berenty.
Day 9	Saturday, October 27	Berenty
A full day to explore the delights of Berenty.
Day 10	Sunday, October 28	Fort Dauphin, Tulear, Ifaty
After an early walk we leave Berenty and drive to Ft. Dauphin for our 1:40 PM hour-long flight to Tulear, in the "spiny desert" of the southwest. Following some shorebird watching and a tour of the markets we drive an hour north along the desert coastline, through humble fishing villages and strange spiny forest, and past herds of revered Zebu cattle to our beachside resort at Ifaty with access to fine spiny forest and fantastic coral reef. The afternoon is for swimming.
Day 11 & 12	Monday & Tuesday October 29 & 30	Ifaty, Spiny Desert
These will be relaxing days full of options. Mornings we will enter the enchanting spiny forest in search of strange birds like Vangas, Newtonias, Jerys, the Madagascar Harrier Hawk, Button Quail, and the rare Subdesert Mesite and incomparable Long-tailed Ground Roller, which dashes around like a roadrunner. There is no place like these forests. Obese Elephant's Foot and Baobab Trees are scattered amongst gangly Didiera and succulent Euphorbs, and all are endemic. Photographers will enjoy the shapes and textures of this vegetation. Across Western and Southern Madagascar these dry forests are endangered by charcoal makers. Even here we'll see where grand old trees have been felled and burned slowly in situ. The charcoal is then sold to city dwellers as cooking fuel. Our hotel's owner is involved in a project to establish a spiny forest reserve in this area, as well as a marine reserve. One day we drive to a nearby lake searching for shorebirds like Stilts and the rare Madagascar Plover. In front of our cabins lies the Indian Ocean, often dotted with outrigger dugouts at sail. Coral reef fringes much of Western Madagascar. The water is clear and a pandemonium of fish and corals will overwhelm our late-morning snorkelers. Fine scuba diving is possible, too, and even lessons for beginners; prices are the lowest I've seen. Relaxed swims, beach walks, and fresh seafood meals crown our decadent days.
Day 13	Wednesday, October 31	Ifaty, Tulear, Isalo
We leave early to breakfast in Tulear, where the mudflats host Eurasian shorebird migrants. We then continue northeast back up to the highlands. In the afternoon we will reach Isalo National Park, the most spectacular landscape in Madagascar. Varicolored sandstone cliffs and gorges, reminiscent of the American Southwest, host rare Pachypodiums, Aloes and other succulents. We'll walk through these enchanted canyons, photographing flowers and watching for the elegant Madagascar Partridge and the Benson's Rock Thrush. We overnight at a beautiful new lodge built into the rock in the heart of Isalo.
Day 14	Thursday, November 1	Isalo to Ranomafana
We leave early for a driving day that passes through some of Madagascar's most beautiful countryside. Our route crosses the homelands of several different tribes, pastoralists as well as rice farmers. The rich green paddy fields and shimmering ponds have a backdrop of slick granite monoliths. We will make many photo stops as well as visiting an Antemoro paper factory. Late afternoon we arrive at our pleasant hotel beside the village of Ranomafana at the edge of the national park.
Days 15 & 16	Friday & Saturday November 2 & 3	Ranomafana
Ranomafana is one of Madagascar's largest and newest rainforest parks, and harbors the greatest diversity of lemurs found anywhere. Attention was drawn to the area when researchers discovered a new primate, the Golden Bamboo Lemur, in 1986. One of the discoverers, Patricia Wright, then of Duke University, spearheaded the campaign to establish this park. The Ranomafana Project, which is funded by U.S.A.I.D., the MacArthur Foundation and others, aims to safeguard the park (also a hydro-electric watershed) through regional projects in education, agriculture, forestry and tourism development. We take day-long walks into spectacular Ranomafana. A clear stream cascades down through the reserve, and many well-maintained trails radiate across the hills. Led by local naturalists we'll seek out lemurs like the Grey Bamboo, Red-bellied, Brown and Mouse. With luck we'll find the splendid Diademed Sifaka, Golden and Greater Bamboo Lemurs, and perhaps the Ring-tailed Mongoose. There are birds, like Vasa Parrots, Ground-rollers, Cuckoo-rollers, Blue and Red-fronted Couas, and many Vangas. Watch too for chameleons and geckos, and scurrying tenrecs. We'll bring picnic lunches, while some may opt to return to the hotel and village for relaxed afternoons and a thermal bath.
Day 17	Sunday, November 4	Ranomafana to Antsirabe
After a final early morning in Ranomafana we continue north through the highlands, passing picturesque villages of two and three-story mud houses with tile roofs. Everywhere the valleys have been terraced for rice cultivation. We arrive in Antsirabe for dinner and stay at the Hotel Des Thermes beside the hot springs. The city was founded in 1872 by Norwegian missionaries and has several interesting colonial buildings.
Day 18	Monday, November 5	Antsirabe to Perinet
A relaxed departure for Perinet, a forest reserve 100 miles east of Tana on the moist eastern slope of the Island. En route we pass through the densely populated central highlands where the majority of Malagasy live, cultivating paddy rice, vegetables and vast tracts of Eucalyptus. This area and Tana are the homeland of the Merina people, whose ancestors began immigrating to Madagascar from Indonesia 1500 years ago, and who today dominate the politics and economy. We will have a relaxed evening walk into the rainforest.
Day 19	Tuesday, November 6	Perinet and Mantadia Parks
These days we have diverse morning and afternoon forest walks. Perinet Reserve and Mantadia Park cover over 20,000 acres of eastern slope rainforest, a habitat that has been slash-and-burned until only a few sizable "islands" of forest remain. Although the region is hilly, many of the trails are relatively level and pass along beautiful ponds, streams and ridges. Here we may find the Diademed Sifaka, Grey Bamboo Lemur and Brown Lemur, and at night Greater Dwarf and Eastern Mouse Lemurs are spotted by their eyeshine. But the largest and most beautiful of all lemurs, indeed one of the grandest primates on earth, is the Indri, which local guides will help us find. Family groups of Indris "sing" to each other with eerie wails that carry over a mile. The tailless black and white Indri sits upright against a free trunk and with powerful hind legs launches itself from trunk to trunk, turning in mid-air. The open, broken nature of Perinet forest, perhaps caused by frequent cyclones, makes forest birdwatching a bit easier. We'll see endemic birds like Vangas of many types, Couas, Asitys, Weavers, Jerys, Sunbirds, and Blue Pigeons. There are chameleons and tenrecs, and plants like tree-ferns, Travelers Palms and orchids, as well as many others our Malagasy guides will know.
Day 20	Wednesday, November 7	Perinet, Tana, Paris
More explorations of Perinet, and after lunch we continue to Tana with cultural and scenic stops. At the Hilton we have an early final banquet and farewells, then to the airport for our 9:45 PM flight to Paris.
Day 21	Thursday, November 8	Paris–US
We arrive in Paris at 7:40 AM and make connections, reaching the US by evening this same day.