Pangalanes channel extraordinary journey

Ideal for a first trip to Madagascar, this tour will allow you, by following the National 7, to discover the many faces of the island. Throughout the varied landscapes, you stop in characteristic sites and meet a very welcoming population. This tour in Madagascar includes a visit to 2 of the most beautiful national parks: Ranomafana National Park and Andasibe Perinet. The fauna and flora preserved in these parks will amaze you. And, a touch of originality in this trip to Madagascar: the train journey from Fianarantsoa to Manakara to discover in an unusual way the landscapes of Eastern Madagascar. The unique sensations during the descent of the Pangalanes channel will delight you... This tour in Madagascar ends with the discovery of the East of the Big Island where the encounters promise to be authentic and unpublished.

Trip to Madagascar available all year round.

DAY 1 : International flight - Antananarivo.

Green Island Discovery Madagascar team welcoming you at the Airport then transfer to the good hotel on the city, of course meeting with the guide for briefing the circuit. Dinner and night at the hotel.

DAY 2 : Antananarivo – Antsirabe.

We have breakfast in the hotel and start heading south passing through Antananarivo.Rice fields and typical villages of the Highlands represent the landscape right after Antananarivo.We stop in Ambatolampy to discover the rather amazing work of aluminum to make cooking pot for the whole country.We take lunch in town. Continuation towards Antsirabe in the afternoon. Arrive at Antsirabe, make the city tour with the “pousse-pousse” (the local locomotion ‘means). Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 3 : Antsirabe.

A day in Antsirabe dedicated to visits of the 2 volcanic lakes 17 kilometers from the city, we explore the different cultures of the region, then return to the hotel for lunch, in the afternoon the city tour on rickshows with visits to art workshops, embroidery, the gem cutter and see the local markets. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 4 : Antsirabe – Ranomafana.

Early breakfast and continuity of the trip on the national road 7, cross several villages and small towns. Mountains with its vegetation lengthen roadsides, Ambositra her notice much the trip on the RN7 because of the Zafimaniry arts, precious wooden sculptures in small shops decorated with wooden objects, travelers buy them as souvenirs. We continue to Ranomafana. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.”

DAY 5 : Ranomafana – Fianarantsoa.

Breakfast in the restaurant, view of the green hills. The appointment with the local guide to visit Ranomafana National Park, created in 1991, is located 65 kilometers northeast of Fianarantsoa province and covers almost 41,601 hectares, surrounded by mountain ranges. This park is a paradise for an incredibly varied fauna; it is possible to find 5 species of lemurs, some birds, reptiles, endemic plants. The visit will last 4 hours. Lunch at the restaurant then we reach the city of Fianarantsoa. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 

DAY 6 : Fianarantsoa – Manakara.

Early in the morning after breakfast, we reach the train station, boarding around 9 am and then on the rails, the train takes us to the mountainside and along cliffs. The view is unobstructed and offers magnificent landscapes. The railway runs through rice fields and green valley bottoms, stopping at the 17 stations that punctuate the route. Each stop is an opportunity to stock up on colorful fruits, doughnuts, cakes, etc., usually brought by women and children from the villages. Arriving in Manakara at the beginning of the evening. The car with driver waits at the station to transfer to the hotel by the sea. Dinner and night in a bungalow.

DAY 7 : Manakara.

One day in Manakara, we get up and have breakfast and then we take you to visit the Antaimoro paper mill in town and then go to the essential oil distillery on the other side of town. Lunch in the restaurant by the sea. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 8 : Manakara – Mananjary – pangalanes channel.

Breakfast and then on the way to Mananjary, about 3 hours. Direct to the pier to start the cruise on the motor boat, from there, we start the cruise on a comfortable wooden boat. A passage through the mouth with the return of the fishermen. History of the river port before departure;

On the canal, we pass convoys of boats and small rustic boats loaded with people and products.

First stop in the village of Ampandomana, crossing the village to immerse yourself in the lifestyles of the Antaimbahaoka ethnic group "those of the people".

Traditional meal lunch on board.            

In the afternoon, visit the village of Ambohitsara, to visit the white elephant", a statue carved in chloritoschist stone, which was brought by the ancestors of Mecca in the 12th century, and which until today remains a sacred monument for the inhabitants.

In the late afternoon, arrival in Analanolona, night in bivouac

DAY 9 : Analanolona - Antsohihy.

Continuation of the cruise on the Canal des Pangalanes.

We start our cruise to NOSY VARIKA, a city famous for its coffee and vanilla crops. Visit of the typical market and colorful displays.

Continue north to Analampotsy for a pleasant swim in the canal through the Betsimisaraka traps.

 Stop in a Betsimisaraka village in Masomeloka and visit the village, a large transit village for passengers and products.

The canal continues its route between the sand dunes and its bed is sometimes heavily silted up and blocked by water hyacinths. Navigation is difficult.

In the late afternoon, arrival in Antsohihy, between the Indian Ocean and the pangalane channel, bivouac and night

DAY 10 : ANTSOHIHY – MAHANORO.

After breakfast, we slowly leave for our last destination, Mahanoro.

Crossing part of the coastal forest. Bird lovers will be able to observe

birds of prey and kingfishers that inhabit the bushes of the canal, the

botanists will appreciate the "pandanus", "ravenales" and "alocasias"

which border the banks and invade the canal, not to mention the hyacinths and water lilies.

A few kilometers from MAHANORO, we cross the mouth of the MANGORO river. Visit of a very interesting cash crop plantation. Lunch on board before arrival at our destination.

DAY  11 : Mahanoro - Andasibe.

In the morning after breakfast we will continue our journey to Andasibe perinet but we will have to feel the feeling of the east of the great island Madagascar by the green landscapes that decorate the mountains, another ethnic group Malagasy with its traditions. We arrive in Andasibe in the early afternoon, settle in at the hotel and prepare to visit the national park the next day. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in the heart of the forest.  

DAY 12 : Andasibe national park.

Meeting with the local guide at the park entrance and ready to go on a 4-hours hike. We have a great opportunity to discover the largest lemur in Madagascar and other endemic species, also to think about finding birds, reptiles. This is not bad for botanists, in fact it is a park can visit all year round outside of cyclone. Lunch at the hotel restaurant, in the afternoon we will visit the private reserve of Vakôna which there are groups of lemurs, crocodiles, chameleons... Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 13 : Andasibe – Antananarivo.

During the day we go back to Antananarivo, 3 hours drive, we stop from time to time. We can visit the peyreras reserve or the chameleon park, other animals also exist like snakes, observe you the Boa of Madagascar then we continue the road to Antananarivo, installation at the hotel. Dinner and overnight in the heart of the capital.  

DAY 14: Antananarivo-Departure flight

We have time to buy souvenirs if we need them, and transfer to the airport to return to your home country.