Madagascar


		Madagascar Photography Tour Details
		Dates	Sep 12–29, 2009
		Leader	James Martin
		Fee	$8,895 from Antananarivo, Madagascar
		Deposit	$400
		Limit	12
			Terms and Conditions

Straddling the Tropic of Capricorn in the southwestern corner of the Indian Ocean is the strange and wonderful world of Madagascar. Here, acrobatic sifakas make dazzling leaps with grace and ease, vociferous indris howl plaintively like humpback whales, and spiny tenrecs snuffle blindly in the leaf litter. There are also frogs that look like tomatoes, lemurs the size of mice, and rainbow-colored chameleons with tongues as long as their bodies. In a few dozen

miles the terrain of Madagascar can change dramatically. Dry spiny forests can transition to humid rain forests and tropical savannahs—locally called the Avenue des Baobabs—can surrender to cool forested highlands.

For millions of years, life on Madagascar evolved with little competition. The monkeys, cats, jackals and hyenas that doomed lemur ancestors on the African continent never made it to this magical island. Today, Madagascar is one of the most unique—and most endangered—ecosystems on the planet. Rising human population and slash-and-burn agriculture threaten to eliminate this great wildlife treasure.

We begin our photo adventure in the amazing forests near Maroantsetra where we can find lepilemurs, sportive lemurs, dwarf lemurs, tenrecs and bug-eyed chameleons—some no longer than a matchstick.

Later, in the highlands, we visit an exceptional game farm, La Mandraka, where we can pose and photograph, all in natural settings, a spectacular variety of endemic chameleons, geckos, snakes and insects. At Perinet Reserve, we will be up with the sun to catch the dawn chorus of indris, search for sleeping chameleons on a nocturnal walk, and photograph as many of the wildlife wonders as we and our guides can find.

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, one of Madagascar’s newest parks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its unique geography and wildlife populations, is a wild landscape of stunning karst formations—highly-eroded needle-like limestone pinnacles jutting nearly 200 feet in height. Cut through with canyons and gorges filled with an improbable

assortment of plants and animals, Tsingy was formerly very difficult to access, but can now be explored by a series of wooden walkways and stairs.

To cap off our discovery of Madagascar’s wonders, we travel through dry spiny forest landscapes to Berenty Reserve, where white-furred sifakas skip across the red earth and ringtail lemurs clamber for bananas. Tiny lepilemurs peer sleepily from their nests as we walk by.

Join Jim Martin on this amazing Madagascar adventure. Time is growing short to see one of the world’s unique natural spectacles.

Day 1
Depart home for Paris.

Day 2 (Sep 13)
Fly from Paris to Antananarivo, departing this morning, arriving late evening. Overnight in "Tana."

Day 3
We spend a day exploring Tana, including a chance to photograph aye-aye at the Tsimbazaza Zoo. (BLD)

Day 4
Fly to Maroantsetra. Afternoon boat excursion to Andrifotra Reserve to photograph wildlife along the river. (BLD)

Day 5
Full day excursion to Nosy Mangabe for leaf-tailed geckos and small chameleons. (BLD)

Day 6
Morning photography at a local market. Fly to Tana. Drive to Perinet Reserve in the eastern rain forest, home of the endangered indri—largest of the lemurs. (BLD)

Day 7
Full day of photography in the reserve—several species of lemurs will be our subjects, including the legendary indri. (BLD)

Day 8
Full day to visit Manadia National Park. (BLD)

Day 9
We return to Tana, stopping en route to photograph at a private game farm with access to as many as 12 species of chameleons, leaf-tailed geckos, colorful frogs, bizarre predatory insects, dinner plate-sized moths and a good variety of butterflies. We fly to Morondava, arriving in time for sunset photography at the Avenue des Baobabs. (BLD)

Day 10
Very early morning departure for drive to Tsingy de Bemaraha. In this remote location, we will be in very basic accommodations for two nights. (BLD)

Day 11
Full day in Tsingy. (BLD)

Day 12
Early departure for full day’s drive to Morondava, stopping en route to photograph in Kirindy Forest. (BLD)

Day 13
Fly to Tana. (BLD)

Day 14
Fly to Ft. Dauphin. Afternoon at Saiidi Botanical Gardens. (BLD)

Day 15
Drive from coastal rain forest through the spiny forest to Berenty Reserve. (BLD)

Day 16
Full day in Berenty to photograph wild, but human-habituated, sifakas, ringtails and brown lemurs. (BLD)

Day 17
Morning at Berenty before our return drive to Ft. Dauphin and flight back to Tana. Dayrooms to rest before transferring to the airport for a late night transfer to the airport. (BLD)

Day 18 (Sept 29)
Flight to Paris departs after midnight very early this morning. Arrive in Paris and continue on flights home.



	Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. P.O. Box 655, Vashon Island, Washington USA 98070 Phone: (206) 463-5383 Fax: (206) 463-5484 Email: info@photosafaris.com Copyright © 2008, Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc.

Madagascar

Madagascar Photography Tour Details