Small-Group Madagascar Extended Birding Tour

Arrive in Antananarivo and check in at Relais des Plateaux or a similar hotel. The field journey begins the next morning.

Fly to Tulear and begin birding at Arboretum d'Antsokay near Toliara. Continue north toward Ifaty, using suitable stops along the drive for additional birding before reaching the hotel.

Devote the day to birding around Ifaty. The area's distinctive spiny forest provides the main habitat focus before a second night at La Mira Hotel or a similar property.

Transfer from Ifaty to Anakao, then take an afternoon boat trip to Nosy Ve, where the route visits a Red-tailed Tropicbird breeding colony. Continue afterward to Tsimanampetsotsa National Park for the night.

Spend much of the day birding in Tsimanampetsotsa National Park. Return to Anakao in the late afternoon and stay at Prince Anakao or a similar hotel.

Travel from Anakao through Tulear to Zombitse National Park and bird there during the day. Continue in the late afternoon to Isalo National Park.

Use the full day for birding in Isalo National Park. Return to Relais de la Reine or a similar property for a second night.

Transfer to Ranomafana National Park during the morning. Begin exploring the rainforest in the afternoon after arrival.

Bird the Talatakely section of Ranomafana National Park in the morning. Shift to a highland swamp near Vohiparara for the afternoon session.

Spend a full day birding in the Vohiparara section of Ranomafana. This part of the tour may involve strenuous rainforest walking while searching for local endemics.

Continue birding at Ranomafana during the morning. Leave the park in the afternoon and transfer to Antsirabe for the night.

Return to Antananarivo in the morning. Use the afternoon for birding around Tsarasotra Lake within the city.

Begin the northern section with a full-day road transfer to Ambondromamy. This is primarily a travel day within a route that includes several long overland journeys.

Bird near Ambondromamy during the morning before setting out in mid-morning for the long drive to Antsohihy. Stay overnight at Belle Vue Hotel or a similar property.

Travel first by paved road and then along a difficult four-wheel-drive track toward Bealanana. The final approach to Bemanevika requires an approximately two-hour hike, followed by the first night of tent camping.

Spend the day birding around Bemanevika, with Madagascar Pochard and Red Owl among the principal searches. Sightings remain dependent on conditions in this remote area.

Continue exploring Bemanevika for a second complete field day. The program again uses muddy, uneven and sometimes steep trails before a third night in camp.

Retrace the remote access route during a full-day transfer back to Antsohihy. Overnight again at Belle Vue Hotel or a similar property.

Travel for much of the day to Beamilaka and the Ankarafantsika area. If timing permits, begin birding in the national park during the late afternoon.

Spend a full day birding in Ankarafantsika National Park. Return to Asity Lodge or a similar property in the evening.

Continue with a second full field day in Ankarafantsika National Park. The additional time allows the route to cover more of the dry-forest birding area without implying any guaranteed sighting.

Transfer to Mahajanga in the morning. Spend the afternoon birding around Lake Ampitolova north of the city before checking in at Karibu Lodge or a similar property.

Take a full-day boat trip along the Betsiboka River and into its estuary. Return to Mahajanga for a second night.

Fly to Antananarivo in the morning, then drive to the Andasibe area. Visit VOIMMA community reserve after arrival for a chance to encounter Indri lemurs, followed by night birding in Mitsinjo Forest Reserve for owls and other nocturnal wildlife.

Spend the day birding in the Mantadia section of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Return to Longoza Lodge or a similar property in the evening.

Explore nearby Maromizaha Reserve during a full field day. The visit adds another eastern rainforest site to the final section of the route.

Undertake a demanding day in the more remote Iaroka Forest Reserve. The principal searches are Helmet Vanga and Bernier's Vanga, but neither species should be regarded as guaranteed.

Use the morning for birding at Analamazaotra, within Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Leave the eastern forests after lunch and transfer back to Antananarivo.

Make an early return to Tsarasotra Lake to look for rails or other species missed on the earlier visit. Transfer to the airport after lunch, where the tour concludes before the international departure.