Tour through the High Plateaux
Localisation
Antsirabe-Fianarantsoa-Manakara-Ranomafana
Duration
11 days
Reception on your arrival at the airport. Settling at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel. Then you will leave the capital and head for the South. You will travel along the RN7 Road. You will have a stop at Ambatolampy to visit a workshop of pots and other kitchen utensils made with salvaged aluminium.
You will journey through mountain chains, ricefields and typical villages of the high plateaux. Then you will continue the journey onto Antsirabe which you reach at the end of the morning. Antsirabe is a town called “The City of water” because of its thermal springs with therapeutic properties.
Discovery of Antsirabe in the afternoon.
Royal Palace. BB.
After the breakfast at the hotel, you will go to Betafo, situated at a 40 minutes’s drive from Antsirabe for a trek to encounter the farmers of the highlands as well as the cultural, the wildlife and the floristic biodiversities of the area. This walk will get you through the ricefields.
Along the way, you can visit the houses, which is an opportunity to see the structure and the layout of a typical Malagasy house. We will see here and there traditional tombs. Picnic during the visit. Then, going down to Betafo to visit this town which is the former administrative capitale of Vakinankaratra, with its houses constructed with wrought iron balcons.
On the way back to Antsirabe, a stop at Talata where you will have the opportunity to visit a workshop of traditional silk weaving and other fields for subsistence crops.
Royal Palace. BB
After breakfast, you will continue the trip towards Ambositra, situated at 90 kilometres southward from Antsirabe.
Ambositra is the capital of Malagasy craft industry. Here you will have the opportunity to discover the works of the Zafimaniry, an ethnic group living in that area and whose members are skillful woodcarvers.
You will visit some workshops of sculpture and marquetry. Then you will continue the journey towards Fianarantsoa, the “Town where people learn what is good”.
Arrival in the afternoon.
Zomatel. BB.
You will take breakfast very early in the morning to be on time at the railway station of Fianarantsoa.
The departure of the train is scheduled at 7. You will be in the first-class compartments for more comfort and go for a day full of adventure.
This train links the town of Fianarantsoa with the southeast area of the country where the last railway station is located at Manakara. The train conveys both passengers and goods.
Choose a left seat to enjoy seeing the most beautiful landscapes of this area, the cascades, the forests, the fishermen’s villages, etc. there are so much things to look at.
If the train has no breakdown, you will arrive at Manakara at the end of the day.
Parthenay Club. BB.
After the breakfast at the hotel, you will go on a canoe excursion over the Canal des Pangalanes. Discovery of the fishermen’s villages along the crossing.
The lunch composed of fresh products of the area, especially the seafood, will be served at the mouth of the Canal.
Note : pork and red clothes are forbidden over the Canal.
Parthenay Club. BB.
You can choose to either leave in the morning or after lunch.
This time, you will travel by the car which will go back up the high plateau towards Ranomafana where the National Park called by the same name is situated.
In the evening, you will go along the national road to discover the nocturnal lemurs.
Setam Lodge. DBB.
The morning will be devoted to the discovery of the National Park of Ranomafana.
It will be a great opportunity to see several species such as lemurs, birds, and amphibians, but also the endemic plants of Madagascar.
You can opt for either 2 hours or 4 hours of visit depending on your physical conditions.
Free time in the afternoon. You can visit the village or have a bath in the thermal pool.
Setam Lodge. DBB.
After breakfast, you will continue the trip back up the high plateaux, this time towards Antsirabe which you will reach in the afternoon.
Royal Palace. BB.
Return to Antananarivo.
Chalet des Roses. BB.
Transfer to the airport when it’s convenient for you to take your flight back home.
– End of services –
Price per person :
– 2 : 780 / person
– 4 : 620 / person
– 6 : 620 / person
– 8 : 615 / person
– 10 : 585 / person
– The accommodation in the rooms and breakfast in the named hotels and similar places
– The all-terrain vehicle with the driver and the fuel
– The park tickets and the guiding fees
– All the visits and excursions mentioned in the schedule
– Transfers to the airport and the hotel
– The ferry services
– All the meals not mentioned and the drinks
– The visits not mentioned in the schedule
– The personal expenses and the tips
– The local and the long-range flights
Image gallery
