Natural History • Birdwatching • Flora • Wildlife • Travel Photography

The NATURAL HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR

led by Mark Smith
and Rivo Rarivosoa

September 27 - October 19, 2008

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 desert 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.

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 15 available spaces. (Minimum 10 at stated price)

Air Fare
$ 500	Initial reservation deposit
$4750	Final Payment due July 27, 2008
$5250	Ground Fare Total (price increase due to changed air schedule requiring the addition of two days - a Saturday and Sunday) This includes double occupancy accommodations in hotels, transport by small bus, four internal flights, entrance fees, and all but one brunch (Madagascar has some fine French dining). Not included are international airport taxes, snorkeling costs, excess baggage charges, bar beverages, laundry, phone calls and other personal items.
($750)	(Single supplement)
$1,652	from Paris to Madagascar. (We are holding this space as a block reservation.)
$850-1150	round-trip U.S. to Europe, depending on U.S. gateway city. Air fares have increased 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 of 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

Questions, Deposit and final payment can be addressed to:

Mark Smith
PO Box 3831
Portland, OR 97208-3831

phone: 360-566-0458
email, in care of: pamd@wittravel.com

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	Sat., Sun., Mon., Sept. 27, 28 & 29	U.S. to Paris to Madagascar
Travelers will depart various U.S. gateways September 27 at mid-day, arriving in Paris the afternoon of September 28. Our Air Madagascar flight leaves Paris at 3:55 PM and arrives in Antananarivo (Tana) 4:45 AM September 29,. After meeting our guide Rivo we catch a 10:30 AM one-hour flight to Majunga on the northwest coast. Since the eighteenth century Majunga has been an important commercial port, with the local monarchs trading slaves to Arabs. We'll relax at our beachside hotel where we can swim in the pool or the Indian Ocean, and have an optional tour of the colorful and interesting city market in late afternoon. Many birds are found on the hotel grounds.
Day 4	Tues., Sept. 30	Antsirabe to Tana to Majunga
We leave 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, Van Dam's Vanga, Madagascar Fish-Eagle (one of the world's most endangered birds of prey) and the Madagascar Jacana and Squacco Heron. After dark we wander the forest in search of nocturnal lemurs like Grey Mouse, Dwarf, Sportive, and Avahi. Sleeping birds are often seen, and chameleons, like the Rhinoceros Chameleon, go pale at night and are more easily found. We stay the night in private cabins with attached bathrooms run by the park service.
Day 5	Wed., Oct. 1	Majunga to Tana
We awake with the birds and lemurs, and depending on what we found yesterday, will determine our activities. We will have two extremely talented local naturalists as in most parks, so there are many options. Some may want to spend more time photographing lemurs, while others may prefer to search for rare birds like Schlegel's Asity, Coquerrel's Coua, and Crested Ibis. After an early lunch we drive three hours back to Majunga, with possible stops for Black Egret, and African Pygmy Goose. We reach Majunga in late afternoon and relax at our beach hotel.
Day 6	Thurs., Oct. 2	Bombotoka River, Jajunga, Tana
This morning we board a sport fishing yacht for a three hour cruise on Madagascar's largest river, the Bombotoka. The estuary is vast, swelled by a 10-foot tide, and we travel upstream to investigate sandbars and mangrove islands, for endemic birds like White Ibis, Bernier's Teal, and Madagascar Swift. Flamingoes are often seen, and wintering Eurasian shorebirds like godwits and curlews. The landscape is interesting and outrigger sailboats picturesque. Travelers may also choose to relax at our comfortable hotel. After a leisurely lunch we fly to Tana at 4:45. We arrive at dusk and on our drive into Tana will get a taste of the intriguing villages and paddyfields that make the Malagasy landscape so delightful. We stay at the Tana Hilton, where we can store baggage, as we will return to this base two more times during the tour.
Day 7	Fri., Oct. 3	Tana, Fort Dauphin, Berenty
We depart Tana at 8:10 AM on a 75-minute flight to the picturesque town of Ft. Dauphin, founded in 1642 and named for Louis XIV. After checking into our attractive hotel in this small city we have lunch at a beautiful restaurant perched over the beaches of the southern Indian Ocean. This afternoon we explore the town with its old fort and markets.
Day 8	Sat., Oct. 4	Berenty
A relaxed departure for the enchanting four-hour drive south to Berenty, stopping en route to view carnivorous pitcher plants (Nepenthes) in a boggy area, and an Antanosy tomb with wood carvings depicting the dead or the circumstances of the death. By lunchtime we'll 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 Sportive Lemurs and the Gray Mouse Lemur. Birds, lizards, harmless snakes, and tenrecs are also to be found at Berenty.
Day 9	Sun., Oct. 5	Berenty
A full day to explore the delights of Berenty. Flat, broad trails wind along the river and through the open forest, which allows plenty of light for photos. Colorful Geckos and Chameleons are found, as well as two owls, the Giant Coua, and perhaps the Cuckoo Hawk. Berenty provides excellent French and Malagasy meals and a fine anthropological museum.
Day 10	Mon., Oct. 6	Fort Dauphin, Tulear, Ifaty
We depart Berenty early and drive to Ft. Dauphin for our 12:15 PM 35-minute flight to Tulear, in the "spiny desert" of the southwest. Following some shorebird watching and a tour through the small city, 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	Tues. & Wed., Oct. 7 & 8	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. These are the world's most enchanting forests. Obese Elephant's Foot and Baobab Trees are scattered amongst gangly Octopus Trees (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. International conservation groups and local hotels are working to establish spiny forest reserves in this area, as well as marine reserves. On lakes in the area we'll find migratory shorebirds and local species like Stilts and the rare Madagascar Plover, as well as flamingoes and waterfowl. 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	Thurs., Oct. 9	Ifaty, Tulear, Isalo
We leave early to breakfast in Tulear, where the mudflats throng with Eurasian shorebird migrants. We then continue northeast back up to the highlands. In the afternoon we 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 this labyrinth of canyons, photographing flowers and watching for the elegant Madagascar Partridge and the Benson's Rock Thrush. Our hotel has grand views of the Massif.
Day 14	Fri., Oct. 10	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	Sat. & Sun., Oct. 11 & 12	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	Mon., Oct. 13	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	Tues., Oct. 14	Antsirabe to Tana
En route to Tana, we have interesting cultural and shopping stops at a handmade paper factory, a village of carvers, and we watch a traditional dance troop during a Malagasy lunch feast. This evening we visit a lake with abundant waterbirds in the city. Night at the Hilton.
Day 19	Wed., Oct. 15	Tana
This morning we tour this intriguing city, visiting the attractive hilly suburbs and the small natural history museum and zoo, a fine introduction to this intriguing country. We continue to 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 20 & 21	Thurs. & Fri., Oct. 16 & 17	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 22	Sat., Oct. 18	Perinet, Tana, Paris
A final walk at Perinet, then we continue to Tana with cultural and scenic stops. At the Hilton we will share some day-rooms. In the afternoon we'll enjoy a couple hours at the craft market, featuring minerals, basketry, embroidery, handmade paper, leather and more. An early final banquet and farewells, then to the airport for our 9:30 PM flight to Paris.
Day 23	Sun., Oct. 19	Paris - US
We arrive in Paris at 7:40 AM and make connections, reaching the US by evening this same day.