Chatters et al, A 5 week trip took a friend and me throughout Madagascar. We hit all the major spots that tours usually go through with added trips to look for Aye-ayes (lemurs), in a new location that has not been explored previously. We were the first tourists to ever see them there. We also, added a journey to Pochard Lake (Bemanevika) to look for what some call the rarest duck in the world. I also added a trip on to the Masoala Peninsula to especially look for Helmet Vanga, and Bernier’s Vanga among other species. Many of you asked me to post the particulars to aide you in possible upcoming trips. I’ll focus on that and leave out species list and longer more detailed information which you can easily find in a spate of trip reports located on the well known birding trip report sites. Enough to say did very well seeing fabulous birds, many lemurs, chameleons, geckos, insects, spiders, plants. Just basically nature to the max, if you can find it. Too many deforested areas, but it will only get worse if you choose to wait. How to get started? Our intention was to find an affordable trip with the knowledge that at each park you will be supplied with a local usually very knowledgeable guide. There are a few ways to do this depending on your level of comfort. We ruled out taking the local bush taxi mini buses. Crowded, and they don’t leave locations until filled to the brim. Great for those on a very limited budget, but otherwise little to recommend unless you want the cultural experience. Next was the possibility of renting our own vehicle. Great freedom. Decided against that as well. The roads are really difficult to negotiate. Tires can easily blow out. Vehicles are often patched together to make them serviceable, but not reliable. This will leave you losing time. Wouldn’t recommend this either. A third more palatable option was going with a friend of a friend. He owns a vehicle and in Madagascar that is huge. He had another friend lined up to be the driver. We eventually went this route mostly because of the economics and the knowledge that he had led friends on a previous tour. The cost was about 40% what the biggest tour companies charge and about 28% less than the next option listed below. We paid for our own food, hotels and gas. By managing that that was how we cut the cost.The driver was great (certainly one of the best I’ve had on a trip), the vehicle did fairly well. The cost was obviously a big draw. Overall a good experience, though I would recommend it with a few important riders attached. The motorcycles we used to get in to Pochard Lake were driven by unreliable drivers, We had one turn over and my friend hit his head on a rock. Luckily he had a helmet on. Also, the motorcycle drivers didn’t want to go on the date agreed upon, lying about wet conditions at the lake. This ended up costing us, as that day was the only time in an 8 month stretch that the iconic Serpent Eagle was seen. Finally the operator was 3 hours late on the first day with no call or explanation. I ended up having my wallet stolen in Ivato while we were waiting. The operator is well aware of these shortcomings and I’m sure he will be working on fixing them. He wants very much to have this be a viable business. So, much to recommend, but I would be very clear about making sure that you don’t end up feeling like you paid less and ended up with that amount. For the next option, we were also in contact with 3 independent Madagascar tour operators. We had recommendations for Bruno Raveloson, Fano Andrianirina and Bakoly Razanamiarantsoa. Met up with both Bruno and Fano while in Madagascar. And liked both a lot. Bruno and I exchanged holiday gifts and he seemed extremely knowledgeable about locations for all the species throughout the country. He has worked on many projects over all of Madagascar and if someone wanted to get the highest number of species possible, I’d recommend him highly. Fano also seemed knowledgeable and very friendly. The clients he was leading seemed very pleased with his service. This was their second trip with him. Never met up with Bakoly, but a she was recommended by a Birding-aus member and was very forthright and prompt with tour information. The pluses, these guys know the country very well. They also are really aware of what tourists need and cater to that. So you pay more than the option above, but might well feel that it was worth it. The last option was going through some of the bigger tour operators. We decided against this, but those of you who prefer this option, know well what you will get for the extra dollars, euros, etc. With that taken care of we were left to decide where we wanted to go. The standard route along the main road (Ifaty, Zombitze, Isalo, Ramanafana, Andasibe-Mantadia (AKA Perinet),Ankarafantsika or Ampijoroa) gets you to as many of the different habitats necessary to see the wanted species. So that is pretty much set for you. After that you have to decide if there is anywhere else you will want to visit. Masoala in the northeast. Best spot for Helmet Vanga and a few other species. The serpent eagles are not being seen there at this time. Nice trip, beautiful spot with very good forest, recommended, though fairly expensive for most of us. At this point the most viable place for Helmet Vanga, though there is some talk that other easier to reach places might hold them. Amber Mountain in the north for the Rock-Thrush. Did not make the trip. Might have been fine but very difficult to reach in the wet season. Andohahela and Berenty in the southeast. Mostly for lemurs, many of the bird species you will probably have already seen, Also pretty expensive. Majunga (Aka Mahajunga) to the west for the boat trip for Bernier’s Teal, Crab Plover and other species. As well as a trip to see the Sakalava Rail and possibility of Red-tailed Newtonia. All expensive but we enjoyed the day to look for the teal a lot. Did not go out to the rail site. Kirindy in the west. Good for lemurs and seeing the tsingy’s (formations). Local Guides used were Armand at Masoala (very good), Maurice at Mantadia (very good), Drema at Ampijoroa (excellent), Emile at Ranamafana (excellent), Relats at Ifaty (skilled, but lied about us owing him more money, then changed his story, you get the idea). So overall you’re covered at each known stop. That’s where the tour guides come in. They get you the rest of the birds. It’s where we missed quite a few, because our tour guide didn’t know that information. Time of the year is important. Many tours go in October-November. That allows you to circumvent the rainy season. We lucked out and late Nov-December worked well for us. The weather was good everywhere we went. Most days in the 80’s Fahrenheit to low 60’s being the coldest temperature. Can be really hot in the southwest and also was very hot at Masoala. The main road is in good condition. The rest of the roads can be nightmares waiting to happen especially in the rainy season. This is one of the poorest countries in the world and fixing roads costs a lot. The road to Pochard Lake should be undertaken only with experienced drivers. Most of the bigger tour companies avoid this site. If you go, contact the Peregrine Fund (or have your operator do so) before you arrive. They can get all this set up. We had help from Dr Lily Arson (head of the fund in Tana), Andy Bamford (in charge of the project on the local level) Dubi Shapiro, Russell Thorstrom, and others. Without the permits you could be wasting your time. Certainly not for the faint at heart. Hotels are reasonably priced. Check previous trip reports and you’ll be fine. The Gite (digs at Ampijoroa) were the only funky place that we stayed in. Food is inexpensive for the most part. December is great as much fresh produce is coming in to the markets. Buy your Malarone in Madagascar. Much cheaper than here in the states where it’s 4 times as much. Tell you something? Be careful about getting sick to your stomach. Seemed to part of almost everyone’s story. If you need money wired it’s a quick process through Western Union. It will cost 100 dollars but it’s there very quickly with a lot less hassle than waiting hours in long bank lines to get money in other ways. Bought a cell phone and minutes on arrival at the airport. Phone about 20 dollars, minutes cost about 60 dollars for the 35 days I was in country. That allowed me to call the states almost daily and talk for 7-10 minutes. Great coverage throughout the country. Some choose to bring a phone from home that has been unlocked. Don’t know how well that works. Skyping was hard from most places. Internet was available from some places only. Usually hard to open, then very slow and then might cut out completely. Internal plane tickets are much cheaper if bought in country, though you run the risk of being shut out on days you want to fly. They were hard to set up in the US and I was asked to send my passport number and other info over the internet via an email. Refused to do so and that made the reservation harder to complete. The planes were often off schedule so I would add an extra day in to make sure you’re not left in the cold if you’re on a tight schedule. Overall, loved Madagascar for it’s nature and beauty, but not the easiest country to travel in. For most it will be a one time excursion and a memorable one at that. If you’d like more information feel free to email me. All the best
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