Tsiribihina River Cruise and Tsingy of Bemaraha
Localisation
Tsiribihina-Bekopaka-Morondava
Duration
8 days
ONLY FROM June to 15th November
Arrival at Ivato airport, welcome and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in BB at your hotel
After breakfast, departure for Ambatolampy across the highlands and its fantastic landscapes adorned with traditional houses of Merina ethnic group made of laterite or red bricks. The place is also known for its craft workshops of aluminum cooking pots.
Then continuation to Antsirabe with its beautiful houses, monuments and its numerous crafts workshops and the coulourful rickshaws. Departure to Miandrivazo, in malagasy language “ waiting place for a wife”. According to the history, King Radama I was waiting along the river Tsiribihina for his wife, who is none other than King Sakalava’s daughter. Passage through the Menabe plain or “Big Red”, remindful of wild West.
Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in BB at the hotel
Breakfast and transfer to pier Masiakampy. Beginning the descent of the Tsiribihina river by barge, contemplating the basaltic rocks and aquatic birds throughout the Menabe region: Spectacular entrance into the Bemaraha Gorges, carved into the limestone of about 50 mt. high. Lunch on board. Arrival at the sandbank in the village of Nosy Ampela , famous for its beautiful waterfall. Overnight in FB camp.
Continuation of the descent of the river with a stop at the waterfall and the natural swimming pool for a swim. Arrival at the typical village of Sakalava Begidro, visit to the village with the program to see the plantation and the factory producing tobacco.
Baobabs and Pachypodium bicolor represent the flora of this region. The forest is populated by various species of lemurs as the “Prophitecus verrauxi”, the “lemur fulvus rufus” but also by bats and giant blue turtles (rather difficult to see). Moving on to Berevo. Arrival and accommodation in the camp along the river. Overnight in FB in camp.
Early in the morning, this will be the last day of the descent .Arrival at Belo on Tsiribihina, around noon . There, one of the most spectacular and interesting malagasy rite takes place every five years: Fitampoha or the“Royal Bath.
Arriving after about one hour transfer by 4×4 to the village of Bekopaka (50 km), a coastal village of Manambolo. Departure for the first visit to the National Park of “Tsingy of Bemaraha”, unusual site consisting of limestone picks more than 30 mt. high classified World Heritage by UNESCO,. Overnight in BB at your hotel
Early departure to the Great Tsingy, located about 20 km from the camp to explore the labyrinths of Tsingy of Bemaraha where you will walk through limestone cathedrals to reach the small gazebos overlooking the forest of karsitc picks from 20 to 30 mt high and inside the beautiful caves. Picnic lunch.
The fauna consists of 13 species of lemurs as the “Aye Aye”,, mammals such as fosa “Vontsira” ( a small carnivore endemic of the region) and the “Big Fisher”, an eagle endemic to Madagascar.The flora ranges from very dry on the limestone slabs to wet in the canyons up to 86% of endemicity. The view is breathtaking on the top of Grand Tsingy of Andamozavaky, if you don’t feel dizzy! . Overnight in BB at your hotel
Departure to Morondava with picnic lunch on the way, passing by Sakalava tombs caracterised by erotic statuettes. Then driving through “Andasonia grandidieri” territories, watching the baobab trees, one of the major natural wonders of the West.
Arrival at Morondava, the capital of the Menabe Kingdom, along the Mozambique Channel, surrounded by mangroves and lagoons. ,. Overnight in BB at your hotel.
After breakfast, according the flight details, transfer to the airport for flight to Antananarivo. Welcome and transfer to your hotel, accommodation in BB at your hotel.
– End of services –
• Overnight in Half borad during all the trip
• The full board during the navigation of the Tsiribihina river and overnight in cmaping
• All the transfer from and to the airport or harbord
• Excursion by 4×4 car with english speaking driver during all the trip
• Spanish speaking guide during the trip ( when you request it)
• The fuel for all the route mentionned in the travel program
• Entries in all the national park and reserves mentionned in the travel program
• The local guide in all the national park and reserves mentionned in the travel program
• All the excursion and visits mentionned in the program
• The tax and touristic vignet
• International flight,domestic flight and tax airport
• Lucnhes except during the navigation of Tsiribihina river
• All the drinks
• All the personal expenses
• Anything that is not included in the services included
• Insurrances
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