Day 1: Our tour starts this evening with arrivals into Antananarivo International Airport (TNR).

Day 2: Departing early, we will north while keeping an eye out for the declining Madagascar Partridge and Malagasy Harrier. It is a long travel day, but we will be in prime position for birding tomorrow!

Day 3-4: The superb Ankarafantsika National Park protects an extensive area of plateau country with dry tropical woodland, while small gullies hold slightly moister forest. It is here that the beautiful Schlegel’s Asity can be found, and we will hope to marvel at the magnificent luminescent wattles of a male! The highly-localised Van Dam’s Vanga and White-breasted Mesite are two other important targets here, along with the newly-split Red-capped Coua, plus Torotoroka Scops Owl and Banded Kestrel. This park also holds many lemurs, including the handsome Coquerel’s Sifaka, Common Brown Lemur, Mongoose Lemur, Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur, Grey Mouse Lemur, Western Woolly Lemur, Milne-Edwards’s Sportive Lemur, and we might even find the rarer Golden-brown Mouse Lemur. 

Not far from Ankarafantsika is Lac Amboromalandy, where an afternoon session will give us a good chance of encountering the Critically Endangered Madagascar Fish Eagle, the localised Madagascar Jacana, Malagasy Kingfisher, Malagasy Pond Heron, and African Pygmy Goose. We will also visit the broad estuary of the Betsiboka River, where a short boat trip will allow us to search for two of Madagascar’s most threatened species: the endemic Bernier’s Teal and Malagasy Sacred Ibis, plus a first chance for Humbolt’s Heron.

Day 5: Today, we drive back to Antananarivo and slightly past it towards Andasibe. We’ll stop and look for Madagascan Pratincole at the Mangoro River before reaching our lodgings this evening. Night in Andasibe.

Day 6-7-8: Andasibe-Mantadia National Park (formerly known as Perinet) protects some of the richest rainforest in Madagascar. The park shares many species with Ranomafana, but several of them are much easier to see here! The superb Short-legged Ground Roller and the curious Nuthatch Vanga are two such birds (the latter once considered a true nuthatch, but now understood to be a remarkable example of convergent evolution). We have chances of seeing Madagascar Owl and Collared Nightjar either at day roosts or while spotlighting, while the lovely Broad-billed Roller and White-throated Rail are quite common. In nearby areas of marshland, we will search for Madagascar Rail, Madagascar Snipe, and Madagascar Grebe. Other enticing endemics here include Blue, White-headed, Chabert, Tylas, and Red-tailed Vangas, Ward’s Flycatcher (now thought to be a vanga), Greater and Lesser Vasa Parrots, the turaco-like Blue Coua, and the striking Velvet Asity. 

The list of additional endemics is long but includes Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Wagtail, Cuckooshrike, Cuckoo, and Spinetail, Malagasy Bulbul, Paradise Flycatcher, White-eye, Brush Warbler, Coucal, Turtledove, Kingfisher, and Kestrel, Malagasy Green Sunbird, Souimanga Sunbird, Crested Drongo, Common Newtonia, Nelicourvi Weaver, Spectacled Tetraka, Green Jery, and Forest Fody. Most of these can also be seen at Ranomafana. On the mammal front, we are likely to both see (and hear!) the famous Indri, the largest of all surviving lemurs. Diademed Sifaka, Common Brown Lemur, Greater and Furry-eared Dwarf Lemurs, and hopefully the handsome Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur are among the other species we will be on the lookout for. Nights in Andasibe.

NOTE: Andasibe holds small numbers of Helmet Vanga, however the chances of a sighting are extremely low unless a nest has been found. If one is known during our visit, participants may choose to spend what is usually one full day hiking to the nesting area with a local guide. For a realistic shot at this species and all the other endemics not possible on this tour, check out our Madagascar: Special itinerary. 

Day 9: It will be a travel day on the slow Madagascan roads as we head southwest for an overnight stop. Driving through the open country, we will keep an eye out for Madagascar Buzzard, Madagascar Kestrel, Malagasy Black Swift, Madagascar Lark, Mascarene Martin, Madagascar Stonechat, Madagascar Cisticola, and Red Fody. Overnight near Ranomafana.

Day 10-11: Initially gazetted as a national park after the discovery of Golden Bamboo Lemurs here in 1985, Ranomafana is now known as one of the best forest birding destinations in all of Madagascar. Pride of place among our many targets here are the iridescent Pitta-like Ground Roller and furtive Rufous-headed Ground Roller, two of Madagascar’s most exciting birds. There are many other endemic species here, of course, so we will be listening for Common, Green, Wedge-tailed, and Stripe-throated Jeries, Rand’s and Cryptic Warblers, Brown Emutail, Madagascar Starling, Madagascar Cuckoo, and the striking Madagascar Blue Pigeon. Our first Cuckoo-rollers might be seen here as they give their dramatic aerial displays while calling wildly. Hitting the trails we will be focused on Madagascar Yellowbrow, the chunky Pollen’s Vanga, Grey-crowned Tetraka, the iridescent Common Sunbird-Asity, and the typically vocal Henst’s Goshawk. The list of additional species we may see here is long, but includes Madagascar Flufftail, Madagascar Cuckoo Hawk, White-throated Oxylabes, Hook-billed Vanga, Forest Rock Thrush, and Dark Newtonia. 

In a nearby area of damp heathland, we will search in particular for the skulking Grey Emutail, as well as Madagascar Martin, Madagascar Swamp Warbler, and Madagascar Mannikin. We will have another chance to find Madagascar Snipe and, if we are lucky, we will come across Meller’s Duck. Several species of lemur have been studied here for many years, resulting in the animals becoming unconcerned by the presence of humans and giving us the privileged opportunity of watching them at close range. We have a good chance of encountering Golden Bamboo Lemur, Eastern Grey Bamboo Lemur, Red-fronted Brown Lemur, Red-bellied Lemur, Milne-Edwards’s Sifaka, Brown Mouse Lemur, and perhaps Eastern Avahi. Other mammals may include Eastern Red Forest Rat, Ring-tailed Mongoose, and Fanaloka. Nights near Ranomafana.

Day 12: After a final morning at Ranomafana, we will start the scenic drive towards Isalo. Our first stop at Anja Reserve will allow us to admire some wonderfully tame Ring-tailed Lemurs, and then after reaching the Horombe Plateau, we will be keeping an eye out for the uncommon Madagascar Partridge. We may well also encounter the attractive Malagasy Harrier quartering the arid grasslands. Once at the dramatically beautiful Isalo Massif, an area of contorted limestone pinnacles surrounded by grasslands, we will look for “Benson’s” Forest Rock Thrush on the roof of our hotel! Night at Isalo Massif.

Day 13: Driving further west, we will first stop at Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, which protects a remnant of what was once a much more extensive forest. The extremely localised Appert’s Tetraka and astounding Giant Coua are our big targets here, along with Coquerel’s Coua, Madagascar Spinetail, Madagascar Hoopoe, and Rufous Vanga. Sometimes, the local guide knows where to find a roosting White-browed Owl or Torotoroka Scops Owl, and we have a good chance of seeing both the charismatic Verreaux’s Sifaka and Hubbard’s Sportive Lemur. Nearing Madagascar’s arid west coast, we will target the scarce Madagascar Sandgrouse during the afternoon. Night at Toliara.

Day 14: The highly range-restricted Red-shouldered Vanga and Verreaux’s Coua are at the top of our wishlist this morning, but we will also be searching for Lafresnaye’s Vanga and the increasingly rare Thamnornis. Other new species during our wanderings may include Madagascar Buttonquail, Madagascar Green Pigeon, Olive-capped Coua, Grey-headed Lovebird, and Olive Bee-eater. Then at the small fishing village of Anakao, we will sip cold drinks at a beachside bar and watch several localised but tame Littoral Rock Thrush before motoring back to Toliara. Short visits to mudflats and saline lagoons in the area should produce Madagascar Plover and Humblot’s Heron before we transfer into 4WDs for a short hop up the coast in time for some initial exploration in the afternoon. Night at Ifaty.

Day 15: Our full day around Ifaty will see us concentrating on the spiny Didierea forest, walking along sandy trails through a landscape of unique and unfamiliar vegetation. The most sought-after birds of this habitat are undoubtedly the strange Subdesert Mesite and attractive Long-tailed Ground Roller, but the striking Sickle-billed Vanga is always a favourite here too. Both the beautiful Running Coua and distinctive “Rufous-vented” Crested Coua are typically quite obvious. Other specialities of this habitat include Subdesert Brush Warbler, Madagascar Nightjar, Sakalava Weaver, Archbold’s Newtonia, and Madagascar Harrier-Hawk. We also have another chance for the increasingly rare Banded Kestrel if we did not see it earlier in the trip. Night at Ifaty.

Day 16: After a final morning of birding in the spiny forest, we will transfer back down the coast to Toliara for a flight to Antananarivo, where the tour ends this afternoon.