Birding in Madagascar

A birding tour to Madagascar to see some of the world's rarest and most unusual birds.

Madagascar Birding Tour
Dates: 30 Sept - 16 Oct 2005
Tour leader: Roger Garina

World Birdwatch and Rainbow Tours again join forces to offer a small group of keen birdwatchers the opportunity to visit some of Madagascar's birding hotspots accompanied by birding tour leader Roger Garina. A portion of the tour price goes to BirdLife International’s Madagascar bird conservation projects.

The Tour Leader
Roger Garina studied primatology at Princeton, USA, and resides in Antananarivo. One of the foremost field birders and bird tour leaders in Madagascar, his experience includes managing the Andohahela National Park Project (WWF) for four years. During recent years, he has led highly rated birding tours for respected American, French and UK specialist tour operators.

The Tour
Madagascar boasts five endemic bird families and is home to some of the world's rarest birds. The itinerary takes in some of the best of Malagasy birding localities in different floristic zones: the humid eastern rainforests, the tropical dry deciduous woodlands, the semi-arid spiny-desert, and the last remaining wetlands. The Austral spring (end August to November) is the best time to bird in Madagascar, since many species are in breeding plumage and are more likely to be calling and displaying.

ITINERARY

September
30 Fri
Depart from the UK* to Paris CDG and connect with the Air Madagascar overnight flight to Antananarivo.

October
01 Sat
On arrival, Roger Garina will meet us. We travel to Périnet Reserve (Andasibe-Mantadia National Park), an easy 3-hour drive east.
We go for an introductory birding walk into Périnet. Broadly distributed species we should find include: Madagascar pond heron, Madagascar coucal, Madagascar hoopoe, Madagascar wagtail, Madagascar red fody and Madagascar white-eye, among others.
3 nights at Vakona Forest Lodge.

02 Sun
After an early breakfast, we drive to Mantadia National Park,, a 10 000 ha primary rainforest 37km from Périnet. Mantadia is one of Madagascar’s prime sites for rainforest birding. All the rainforest-dependent Ground-rollers are present, as are other sought-after rainforest specials like Brown mesite, Collared nightjar, Grey-crowned greenbul, White-throated and Yellow-browed oxylabes, Velvet asity, Brown emutail and Red forest fody. The unusual Helmet Vanga is also known to occur here and the nationally rare Pollen’s Vanga is regularly seen. After birding Mantadia, we return to the lodge and work the rank roadside vegetation for Madagascar flufftail and White-throated rail. A small marsh near the lodge is a reliable stakeout for Madagascar rail, Madagascar swamp warbler and Grey emutail. After dinner, we will take a night walk in Perinet to look for Madagascar long-eared owl and Rainforest scops owl. We should see many herps (reptiles and frogs), notably various chameleons, geckoes and tree frogs.

03 Mon
In the early morning, we venture into Périnet’s rainforest to seek Madagascar wood-rail, Blue and Red-fronted couas, Cuckoo-roller, Madagascar blue pigeon, Madagascar spinetail, Common (wattled) Sunbird-asity, Long-billed and Spectacled greenbuls, Crossley’s babbler, various Vangas (notably the local ‘special’, the Coral-billed nuthatch Vanga) and Ward’s flycatcher.
The reserve is probably best known for its populations of habituated Indri lemurs, as well as Grey bamboo and Brown lemurs and we will be sure to encounter these appealing primates in their natural setting while we tick off the birds. Our 2002 group claimed the first sighting of the rare Bernier’s Vanga in Périnet!

04 Tue
After a final early morning walk in Périnet, we visit Ampasipotsy Marsh, just off the road to Antananarivo. In the marsh, we will look for Madagascar rail, Madagascar snipe and Grey emutail. We then drive to Antsirabe.
Overnight in Arotel.

05 Wed
As we travel along the road to Ranomafana National Park, we keep a lookout for species such as Madagascar (now split from the Réunion) harrier, Mascarene martin, Madagascar bee-eater and Madagascar cisticola.
Stay 3 nights at Hotel Centrest Sejour.

06 Thu
Ranomafana is one of Madagascar’s richest sites for rainforest wildlife, particularly birds. It is excellent for rarities like Madagascar crested ibis, Henst’s goshawk, the beautiful rainforest-dependent ground-rollers (especially the Pitta-like, which is reasonably plentiful in the park), Velvet asity, Common sunbird asity, various Vangas (notably Blue, Rufous, Hook-billed, Chabert’s, Red-tailed and Pollen’s), Forest rock-thrush, Green Jery, Brown Newtonia and the Cryptic warbler. At higher elevations, Rufous-headed ground-roller and Yellow-bellied sunbird asity are present in fair numbers, making Vohiparara the best place to seek these species. As in Périnet (and the other places we visit), we are bound to see plenty of mammals, reptiles, frogs and fascinating invertebrates. Remember, nearly everything you see and touch in Madagascar is found nowhere else.

07 Fri
We have another full day to work Ranomafana and Vohiparara.

08 Sat
After a final early morning walk to catch up on missed species, we drive out of the highlands and across the heart of Madagascar’s desolate, semi-arid central southern interior to the sandstone massif of Isalo. Overnight at Relais de la Reine d’Isalo, where Benson’s rock-thrush breed on the building.

09 Sun
Depart before daybreak for Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, which protects the last transition forest where western and southern habitat types merge. Birders come from around the globe to seek the locally endemic Appert’s greenbul, as well as Zombitse’s many other specials. We will look for Madagascar partridge, Madagascar buttonquail, the stately Giant coua, Crested coua, Madagascar green pigeon, Madagascar sandgrouse, Madagascar hoopoe, Greater and Lesser vasa parrots, Grey-headed lovebird, Madagascar lesser cuckoo, various Vangas (particularly White-headed, Blue, Hook-billed and Rufous), Madagascar cuckoo-shrike, Thamnornis warbler, Common newtonia and Common jery.
Afterwards, we drive to Tulear on the arid south-west coast and 30km north to Ifaty. The area is productive for waders and shorebirds. The increasingly rare Madagascar plover is often seen near the hotel.
We stay 2 nights at Le Paradisier.

10 Mon
In the early morning, we visit the bizarre, unprotected Ifaty Spiny Forest to seek various highly localised endemics. It is easy to see why the vegetation here has been referred to as ‘Nature’s Botanical Lunatic Asylum’ – it is a tangled mass of bloated and/or thorny, drought resistant trees and plants, including Baobabs, Pachypodiums and Moringas. The two star attractions here are the Sub-desert mesite and Long-tailed ground-roller, both declining in numbers in their narrow range. We will also look for Lafresnaye’s and Sicklebill vangas, Archbold’s newtonia and Sub-desert brush-warbler, which are abundant. Afterwards, we can swim and snorkel among colourful coral reefs off the sandy beach.

11 Tue
We travel to St Augustin Bay, 30km south of Tulear, where the habitat looks very different: it is far flatter and known as coral ragg scrub. The Octopus trees and Bottle baobabs, so impressive at Ifaty, are replaced by Moringas and bushy Euphorbia. Sought-after local endemics include the rarely seen Verreaux’ coua, Littoral rock-thrush and the recently described Red-shouldered vanga. We stay overnight at the simple Melody Beach Hotel.

12 Wed
We bird at the La Table formation and then drive to Tulear airport to fly to Antananarivo, where, time permitting, we visit a local wetland for some birding. We stay overnight at Hotel du Louvre.

13 Thu
Transfer to the airport to fly to the west coast port of Mahajanga.
On arrival, we drive to Ampijoroa Forest Reserve (Ankarafantsika National Park), one of Madagascar’s most impressive remaining examples of tropical dry deciduous forest. All the island’s western forest endemics are here, and we will aim to find White-breasted mesite, Coquerel’s coua, Schlegel’s asity and the extremely localised Van Dam’s Vanga. They represent just a fraction of what there is to see in Ampijoroa, a site often regarded by wildlife enthusiasts as the highlight of the trip. A night walk into the woods should reveal Dry forest scops owl and Madagascar nightjar, as well as a variety of nocturnal lemurs and many reptiles. Near the simple and locally-run Gite de Ampijoroa, where we overnight, is a lake where Madagascar fish eagles are resident. Today this critically endangered eagle is one of the world’s 6 rarest raptors.

14 Fri
After the day exploring Ampijoroa, we drive back to Mahajanga. En route, we visit a wetland where Madagascar jacana is often seen.
Overnight at Sunny Hotel.

15 Sat
We take an early morning excursion by boat on the wide, red Betsiboka Delta where we will look for rare endemics such as Madagascar white ibis and Madagascar (Bernier’s) teal, which frequent small oval shaped islets clad in mangroves. We fly back to Antananarivo for to visit one of the artisans markets before we check in for the overnight flight to Paris†.

16 Sun
Arrive in Paris and connect with flights to the UK (or elsewhere).

Trip Reports

Price per person, sharing in twin or double room: £3,155
Single room supplement: £220

Price includes: All international and domestic flights (ex London Heathrow), departure taxes, airport assistance and transfers; all excursions to reserves and other places of interest with transport, fuel, drivers & permits; all accommodation as outlined with all meals; services of Roger Garina and local specialist birding guides throughout the tour.
Add-on fares are available from certain UK regional airports.

Group size: minimum 6 - maximum 10

Not included: visa (approx. £22/US35 Euro on arrival); travel insurance; items of a personal nature (drinks, tips, phone calls, laundry).

* Participants from North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand may wish to make their own air travel arrangements and start the tour from Paris, Johannesburg or Antananarivo. Please contact us for details.

Created 12 August, 2004.