SPECIAL SOUTH EAST TOUR

For 16 days tour special top destination

Antananarivo - Antsirabe - Ranomafana national park - Fianarantsoa - Manakara by train - Mananjary - Mahanoro - Manambato via Palmarium reserve - Fulpoint - Périnet - Antananarivo

The Pangalan channel is an unusual phenomenon, a collection of natural rivers and artificial lakes that stretches 675km along Madagascar´s East coast. It´s coral beaches, almost continuous line of lagoons from Foull pointe to Farafangana.This is one of channels to form an inland waterway called the Pangalan channel, formed naturally by the washing of sand up on the island by the Indian Ocean and by the silting of river, has been used both as a means of transportation up and down the coast .The channel was constructed under the governance of general Joseph Galleni during the early French colonial years of 1896-1904.It was designed to facilitate transportation of goods to the main trading port of Tamatave. As a cruise along you´ll pass many fishermen village and see a fascinating assortment of local vessels piled. This channel still dominates daily life in this region as it provides the main source of trade, transport and travel. Cruising by boat on the calm waters of Pangalan is fascinating journey through time and history. So, there are many Betsimisaraka villages along the banks, as well as traditional dugout canoes, local fishermen. By the way, there are several ways to organize adventure trip on the Pangalan channel. So , most popular one is the circuit of three days and two nights from Mananjary to Mahanoro and then drive to Manambato , next transfer by boat again between Manambato via Ankanin´ny Nofy ( Palmarium reserve )then to Tamatave .The second popular is from Tananarive capital in passing park of Périnet Analamazaotra park then Manambato to Palmarium via Tamatave by boat passing through some large lakes. The best times to tour the Pangalan channel are from March till September to December.

Day 1: Welcome at the international airport of Ivato Tananarive, then transfer to your hotel.

Day 2: Tananarive to Antsirabe (170km for 4 hours)

We meet next morning at the hotel then drive on the RN7 to Antsirabe situated 170km south of capital following the highland scenery, passing Ambatolampy, visiting an aluminum foundry (renowned for its cooking pots). Continuing on to Antsirabe: home of Madagascar beer, thermal baths and of rick shaws (pousse-pousse).We arrive late in the afternoon at your hotel, then profit from an afternoon visit to some workshops such as : lapidary (precious or semi-precious stone) and zebu horn souvenirs.
Overnight in a hotel

Day 3 - 4: Antsirabe - Ranomafana (national park) - Fianarantsoa

Before leaving to Ranomafana, visit some workshops in Antsirabe as well as in Ambositra which is the capital of wood curving and the best place to buy souvenir. After lunch continue again till Ranomafana national park. Ranomafana is a small town located in the Namorona valley and surrounded by mountains covered with dense rainforest. Very impressive landscape, torrents of water and waterfalls remind us that we are entering the rainforest and this park is attracts many visitors.
Overnight in the hotel.
Then, night walk could be arranged with the local guide as visit nocturnal. Early in the morning, Visit Park during 4 hours inside rainforest, visit the town then drive to Fianarantsoa in the afternoon.
Overnight in the hotel.

Day 5: Fianarantsoa - Manakara (traveling by train)

Train program:
Fianarantsoa - Manakara: Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday
Manakara - Fianarantsoa: Wednesday - Friday - Sunday

The national road number 7 with best travel by train to Manakara. Starting in Fianarantsoa (capital of Betsileo tribe) in the morning to Manakara then passes several villages, beautiful landscape. This tour is one possibility to get close to the local Malagasy people. It is full day by raid and many stop train station along the way and meet your drive at the train station in Manakara.
Overnight in the hotel.

Day 6: Manakara - Mananjary

Before driving to Mananjary, make a tour in Manakara. It was once a thriving colonial town with vast coffee plantations. Especially now the super railway from Fianarantsoa to the coast has been rehabilitated in the Manakara river estuary, also the perfect place for strolling. Even there is a marvelous beach in Manakara, remember that you cannot swim there if you have just eaten pork because it taboo. Manakara are mainly of Islamic origin and kept « sorabe », sacred texts, in Arabic words. Those texts remind of Antemoro history, astrology and some coran verses ( Malagasy was first written in Arabic alphabet ).
Then drive up to Mananjary after visit town, along the road we will watch many things, many plantation including coffee, gloves plantation... Mananjary (manan-dzar) is an agreeable, relaxed backwater sliced into two parts by the Pangalan Channel. It is also a local center for production of vanilla, coffee and pepper. It is a major commercial centre and attractive destination. So, every seven years, the small Antambahoaka tribe make a circumcision ceremonies in Mananjary, known as sambatra ( the actual operations are now performed in the hospital ).The « sambatra » ´which means joy, cheerfulness, happiness ) is a collective circumcision ritual held every seven years during the dry season. Circumcision is an inevitable stage in the life of a young boy in Madagascar. An uncircumcised man would be exposed to public scorn, would be banished from the clan.
Overnight in the hotel

Day 7 - 8 - 9: Mananjary - Nosy varika - Mahanoro. ( Adventure trip for 3 days by wooden boat and 2 nights camping)

Along the trip adventure just north of Mananjary, we pass at Auberge Ambohitsara is the beautiful bungalow and you can visit some things in this village.

Start again in Ambohitsara then passing in Nosy varika (The Island of lemurs).Nosy varika was once covered with a thick primeval forest and inhabited by lemurs. Then one day, fishermen from a small nearby village (Ambodisana 5km south) came to settle on the Island.

Next, continuous again on the way to Mahanoro town and arrive in the afternoon. Mahanoro town is one point to start again the Pangalan channel down to Mananjary .Mahanoro also the ending point for Pangalan excursions from Mananjary because no way to join Vatomandry town .
Overnight in the hotel or camping

Day 10: Mahanoro - Manambato (by car) - then transfer by boat to Ankanin´ny Nofy

After breakfast, leave from the hotel then drive again to through up Manambato village. Mahanoro is a town nearby the sea and this town is also the ending point for Pangalan channel in the first trip adventure and then drive to Manambato to transfer again by special boat to Palmarium reserve, Ankanin´ny Nofy. Manambato is the way to pass the Pangalan channel to east coast and one way to visit Palmarium reserve. The village of Manambato, at the banks of the Rasoabe Lake forms an integral part of the Pangalan channel. Manambato is a truly enchanting place, one of the most attractive spots of the East Region. Overnight in the hotel

Day 11: Visit the reserve of Palmarium and transfer again by boat to Tamatave.It´s also an access town for boat trips to Ankanin´ny Nofy and Lake Ampitabe.This peaceful and relaxing haven is home to white sand beaches, forests, scattered orchids, strings of lake and mangroves. This is one of the most popular visits in the Pangalan channel. It located on a peninsula of about 35ha; this protected area is home to nearly 100 000 palm trees specific to Madagascar. This reserve is protecting a wide variety of palms, ten species of lemurs live in freedom in the reserve as well as reptiles, chameleons, amphibians and crocodiles, frogs, birds... Visitors can watch Indri-Indri very close and you can take photos about 1m, sifakas, mouse and crowned lemurs... Overnight in the same hotel.

Day 12 - 13: Akanin´ny Nofy - Tamatave via Full Pointe or Mahambo (beach)

After exploring fauna and flora in reserve of Palmarium, prepare leaving to Manambato and then drive to Mahambo beach for relaxing, swimming . Mahambo is a coastal village with a safe swimming beach and luxuriant vegetation that comes right down to the shore in some places. For the moment it´s much quieter and generally more enticing than Mahavelona (Full Pointe), primarily because it´s further from the main road, and while facilities are already expanding it should still be some time before resort life starts to take over in the same way. Overnight in the hotel

Day 14 - 15: Mahambo - Tamatave - Andasibe (Périnet national park)

Along the way you´ll pass many beautiful landscape .This part of coast is one of the Madagascar´s most travelled. Madagascar´s biggest lemurs. Andasibe is muddy former logging village that makes a convenient base for visiting the national park of Analamazaotra (Périnet) and Vakona Forest Lodge (the Island of lemurs, visit farm of crocodile and birds...) and then exploring nocturnal visit. Overnight in the hotel

Day 16: Périnet - Tananarive

After breakfast, drive back to the capital in Tananarive then stopping in reserve of Mandraka. it´s possible to visit Mandraka reserve in two hours .Formerly known as Mandraka reptile farm, this is one of Madagascar´s prominent naturalists, pereyras.This reserve is one of the way to get most photograph like: chameleons, lemurs, invertebrates, leaf, tailed geckos, Some mammals moths and park of butterflies. Then drive through up to Tananarive and Night in the hotel.

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