« Verreaux sifaka lemurs, reptiles, museum, sisal fields »
TOUR ROUTES :
FLY FROM TANA or TULEAR TO FORT DAUPHIN THEN 4WD WITH DRIVER TO BERENTY RESERVE THEN RETURN TO FORT DAUPHIN AND FLY TO TANA .
Day 1 :
ANTANANARIVO OR TULEAR TO FORT DAUPHIN BY FLIGHT .
Day 2 :
EXPLORING BERENTY RESERVE WITH A LOCAL GUIDE .
After the morning breakfast, you and your local guide will start the morning visits through the reserve to find the beautiful mammals and insects, including giant birds, pill bugs, crocodiles, geckos, frogs and several types of chameleon and veraux sifaka, ring tail lemurs and others.
Recommended accommodation : Overnight at Berenty lodge . (Bed and breakfast are included).
Day 3 :
4WD FROM BERENTY BACK TO FORT DAUPHIN .
Today, Depart from Berenty reserve return to Fort Dauphin with the same road. while you arrive in fort dauphin, you can take walk by your own to see around the city.
Recommended accommodation : Overnight at Hotel le dauphin . (Bed and breakfast are included).
Day 4 :
FORT DAUPHIN TO TANA OR TULEAR BY AIR .
Our hotel le dauphin will transfer you to the airport where you can take an onward flight to tulear and make the south tour or to tana to make the east tour. Note that we still can combine this trip also to the west and visit avenue of baobab trees with tsingy of bemaraha park.
PRICE FOR THE TOUR : 1 150 Euro for 2 people . ( one double or twin room sharing option )
INCLUDED:
EXCLUDED :
FORT DAUPHIN : The town of fort dauphin is known as tolagnaro or dream place, is situated on rocky peninsula. Mountains, such as the Saint Louis peak, surround it and coves, beaches and large bays keep appearing in an endless succession. Fort Dauphin was founded in 1643 by the French East India Company who built a fort there, named in honor of the crown prince of France. It’s the capital of the antanosy country (the islanders). Their livelihood is based on fishing and on mixed farming.
BERENTY RESERVE :Berenty Reserve is a small private reserve of gallery forest along the Mandrare River, set in the semi-arid spiny forest ecoregion of the far south of Madagascar. The reserve is also a favorite for visitors who want to see some of Madagascar's endemic bird species, which include Owls and Couas.The reserve has accommodation in the forest and a set of forest trails to explore. It attracts the most visitors of any Madagascar nature reserve. It lies 90 km western from Fort Dauphin. The reserve was created 70 years ago by the de Heaulme family as a private park to protect 250 hectares encompassing spiny forest and dry tamarind gallery woodland along the Mandrare River. The reserve is home to six species of lemur and the south’s largest colony of Madagascar fruit bats. The easiness to observe sauntering ring-tailed lemurs and ‘dancing’ Verreaux’s sifakas has turned this small protected area into one of the prime Madagascar’s primary destinations. It is a nature sanctuary where birds, butterflies, chameleons, tortoises, bats live completely free. Berenty can be visited all year round. It has cold, dry winters and hot summers (November to February). Ringtails generally give birth in September/October, at the end of the dry season, enabling them to wean their young in February/March, the season of abundance.
You can fly from Antananarivo or ever from Tulear to fort dauphin then meet our driver and car (four wheel drive) at the airport in fort dauphin and we can start the trip right away to Berenty Reserve. This ride takes about 4 hours on jeep road . This reserve is the easiest way to see Lemur catta (ring tailed lemurs) and Propithecus verreauxi (Verreaux sifaka) in the wild. The reserve is home to 5 species of lemurs, flying foxes (a large fruit bat) and 96 bird species. Bordering the Mandrare river, is a small patch (100 hectares) of gallery forest in the middle of what used to be spiny forest and is now mostly sisal fields.
On route, you will visit an ethnological interesting museum, which depicts the life of the local tribe, the Antandroy, as well as a re-built Antandroy village and visit the sisal fields. After you have unpacked and rested in the bungalow style lodge, ask your local guide to take you on a night walk to look for white-footed sportive lemur, Grey mouse lemur, the newly recognized red-and-grey mouse lemur. This is a really unique way of exploring the many nocturnal wonders of the forest, which would not be visible during the day.
Recommended accommodation : Overnight at Berenty lodge . (Bed and breakfast are included).