We didn’t have as long at the National Park in Ranomafana, but due to an exceptional guide we managed to see more indigenous wildlife here in one day than we did in any of the others in two.

Our guide recommended that we got an early start from the hotel today; we were more likely to catch the lemurs eating at that time of the morning, and he was right. We managed to get a good view of four different species of lemur, including Brown, Gentle Bamboo, Milne-Edwards Sifaka and Red Bellied lemurs.

As it had been raining, the leeches… (more)

After visiting the paper factory at Ambalavao, we drove further north on poorly maintained roads up into the “Cloud Forrest” region of Ranomafana.

After a fortnight of fine weather, we got a taste of how cold and wet Madagascar can actually get. It was absolutely torrential from about 5am this morning; metal roofs didn’t seem like such a bad idea until now. It was quite chilly as well, so we finally got to make use of that extra blanket that always seemed a little pointless before.

As we would probably starve before the rain subsided, we dodged the raindrops and… (more)

Our time in Isalo National Park over, we’ve started our long journey back by road to the north. We’ve driven approx. 200km through well made roads and mountainous landscapes to the town of Ambalavao; being quite high in the hills it’s much chillier here, and it’s the first time we’ve had to get our sweaters out since we began our trip.

The hotel here is fairly basic in comparison to most places we’ve stayed (with the obvious exception of l’Ankàrana), but it’s clean and comfortable with hot water and electricity most of the time. Thankfully, the cost of food… (more)

After yesterday’s false start, we managed to rise early enough today visit Canyons des Makis (Canyon of the Monkeys), in hope of catching a glimpse of the local lemur population.

Arriving in Ranohira at about 8:30, we met up with our guide who had already arranged some transportation to the base of the hike. I was a little confused as to why we needed to hire another car and driver, but it soon became obvious; the road ahead was rough and dusty, which was better suited to an older car.

It didn’t take us long to get to the… (more)

Our first day in Isalo National Park was a pretty exhausting experience. Despite rising relatively early for us, we arrived at breakfast to find that almost every table had been used and vacated; it seems as though we missed a trick here, as those “in the know” had left early to catch the lemurs, which would probably be long gone by the time we’d caught up.

We met with our driver after breakfast, and after driving for about 15 minutes we arrived in the nearby town of Ranohira, passing some rugged but beautiful countryside along the way. We picked… (more)

After an early start and travelling nearly 1000km from Antananarivo, we’ve finally arrived at Le Relais de la Reine, our hotel at Isalo National Park. The landscape here is far more rugged in this region than at our previous ports-of-call, and with the weather pushing into the mid-30’s we were glad to find that our digs were suitably kitted out with air conditioning and ceiling fans.

With seven hours of travel ahead of us, we left the Hilton at around 5am, bound for the airport and a flight to our first stop in the port town of Toliara. Thankfully,… (more)

After spending the last few days in Mantadia National Park, we’ve returned to Antananarivo again for an overnight stay at the Hilton before we fly south tomorrow. It’s not the nicest or most boutique of places to stay, but it does have the advantage of a) having WiFi so we can get in touch with our loved one’s back home and b) being quite central, and an ideal base to mosey out from and explore the capital.

As we’d arrived quite late in the day, we didn’t take to the streets until about 3pm; it was about 15 minute walk… (more)

After flying south nearly 1000km from Joffreville, we’ve arrived at Vakona Forest Lodge, set in the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. We’ve just spent our first day at this modern but tranquil place, and as we’ve discovered it’s an ideal base for us to engage in our primary mission; to locate and spot as many lemur’s as possible.

Our day started at 9:00am sharp, meeting our guide at reception and driving all of 5km to the start of the trail inside the national park. For the first time on this trip we have an English speaking guide, who proved his mettle long… (more)

After an extremely hospitable stay at Le Domaine de Fontenay, we’re in the air again and on our way to our next port of call. However, we couldn’t leave here without having one last mosey around before heading for the airport.

We took a whistle-stop tour of Diego, one of the bigger towns a short distance away from Joffreville. With plenty here to see and do it’s a shame that we didn’t get to spend more time here, but we did manage to visit a few key places, including the war graves of Malagsy allied gunners killed during 1942 whilst… (more)

I’m actually out of commission today, due to a bout of “traveller’s tummy” brought on by mixture of food and anti-malarials. Emma visited the Red Tsingy and the nearby town of Diego with our guide Theogene.

“We drove for about 2 hours from Domaine de Fontaney to get to the Red Tsingy. On the way there, we stopped in a village, where our guide showed me around the local market. There are lots of foodstuffs for sale here including fresh vegetables, fish, meat etc, and also soap, machetes and clothing.

After this we travelled for at least an hour on… (more)

After taking it relatively easy yesterday, we ventured out to the Amber Mountain National Park, a short (but bumpy) 4x4 drive from the hotel.

The day started off fine and sunny, and we walked about 4km over some comparatively easy terrain, visiting two of the three waterfalls in the area and stumbling upon some more interesting flora and fauna. It was actually a little late in the day to get a close up view of the local lemur population, but we did manage get a passing glimpse of a few in the distance.

It began to rain heavily in the… (more)

After an early (and hasty) departure from the relative primitiveness of l’Ankàrana, we’ve arrived at our next port of call in the village of Joffreville. We’re staying at Le Domaine de Fontenay, a luxurious colonial style guest house not far from the Amber Mountain National Park. After shying away from last night’s basic amenities, I’m looking forward to having a nice cup of tea and a hot shower.

We were all but welcomed with open arms by the owner and her brother, who are both from the Seychelles and speak absolutely flawless English. They seemed genuinely pleased to have… (more)

Our afternoon trek at an end, we finally made it back to the lodge for some dinner and a well earned night’s sleep - or so I thought…

As the previous occupants had finally moved on, we were able to take possession of our accommodation for the night, though despite being forewarned I wasn’t quite prepared for how basic our “bungalow” would be. A 4x3m wooden hut with nothing but a foam mattress the size of the floor and oil-lamp proved a little *too* basic for my comfort, but I figured it was good enough to get some shut-eye before… (more)

We’ve spent the afternoon on a whistle-stop tour of the Réserve Spéciale de l’Ankàrana, enjoying the landscapes, fauna and flora that’s unique to this part of the world. It’s incredibly hot and the biting insects are out in full force, though being lunch to the local mosquito population hasn’t spoiled the experience of this rugged wonder.

We arrived at the reserve shortly after midday; unfortunately, we were too early to take possession of our bungalow and settle in before the afternoon’s activities, but were (reluctantly) able to leave our belongings with the driver whilst we had lunch. Ushered to a… (more)

With our stay on Nosy Be completed, we’ve traveled approx. 150km north-east to our next port of call - the Réserve Spéciale de l’Ankàrana. It’s the first mainland destination of our journey, and one that will involve a little bit of roughing it before we move on.

After leaving Vanila Hotel, we found ourselves back at Hell Ville port by means of the same driver from tour yesterday;  I have a sneaking suspicion that there are either a dearth of taxi drivers in Hell Ville, or (more likely) he’d overheard we’d be going back into town and took the initiative… (more)

After spending most of yesterday acclimatising to the environment (i.e. relaxing on the beach), we finally made it out of the hotel, booking a small tour around Nosy Be and the nearby town of Hell Ville.

We employed the services of a local guide by the name of Phillipe, who met us with a 4x4 and driver at the hotel reception. We weren’t entirely sure of where we were going, but it was soon very obvious why we needed those off-road capabilities; the well worn dirt tracks that make up a good proportion of Nosy Be’s roads had turned to… (more)

After nearly 24 hours of traveling, we’ve finally arrived at our first port of call - the “big” island of Nosy Be off the north-east coast of Madagascar. We’re staying at Vanilla Hotel and Spa, a gorgeous three-star place located smack-bang on the coast overlooking the sea and out to the island of Nosy Sakatia.

It’s was late morning when we arrived, and after a few language hurdles checking in (which is entirely our fault for not learning any bloody French), we were led to our room. Being quite a new place everything is very clean and attractive, with… (more)

After what seems like a lifetime, we’ve finally made it to Antananarivo, capital city and home to the Madagascar’s only international airport. The flight was smooth, the service superb and despite being wide awake for the duration (I can never sleep on long-haul flights), I feel alert.

Like most developing countries, the airports here are a completely different affair from those in rich Western Civilisation. Getting from the aircraft to the terminal was a much more direct affair, walking off steps and across tarmac, with the decaying sound of spinning-down engines and the smell of jet fuel hanging in the… (more)

After a short hop over from the UK, we’re currently hanging out in a departure lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport, waiting for our Air Madagascar connection to our next destination. We’ve got about three hours to wait before our next flight leaves, giving me plenty of time to peruse the concrete wonder that is France’s largest airport.

We left at about 715am from Brighton, and after an uncharacteristically smooth journey to Heathrow airport, we caught our first flight of the day. It was our first journey with BMI, and I was pleasantly surprised by the seating and legroom… (more)