Discover the great south of Madagascar and different ethnic groups of the Malagasy population Tulear, Toliara in Malagasy, means the city of the sun, for its hot and arid climate. Tulear is the largest city in southern Madagascar. Between tradition and modernity, the city of Tulear is a true ethnic crossroads between anglers, rickshaw drivers and a diversified tourist offer. Festive and dynamic, Tulear also offers a hectic life with many possibilities for eating and going out.

Handicraft market visit, white sand beaches visit, visit of a natural aquarium, tropical atmosphere, and exceptional sunset, visit different ethnic groups.

Day 01: Departure Tana – Antsirabe

Morning Departure from Antananarivo, Have a meet and greet with our representative, your first turns of the wheel make you discover a colourful universe of rice fields and villages characteristic of the Highlands. You can take a break at Ambatolampy to discover the rather astonishing work of the manufacturers of aluminium casserole dishes.

You may give the windshield a little clean before heading back to Antsirabe. On site, another means of transport is available to you: the tuc tuc, the time for a short visit of the city in the manner of the Antsirabeans.

Meals Included: None

Day 02: Antsirabe –Ambositra –Fianarantsoa 

After early breakfast, A turn of the key and you are back on the road on the RN7, to the south.

The small town of Ambositra offers you the opportunity to take a break and stretch your legs by going antiquing in the shops of the Zafimaniry sculptors, renowned for their marquetry work. Do not forget to taste the local specialties in one of the many small restaurants on site.

Now, the road is more and more sinuous between mountains and valleys because we are close to the highest peaks of the Big Island. You arrive in Fianarantsoa and you are now in Betsileo country, the ethnic group occupying the southern part of the Malagasy Highlands.

Meals Included: None

Day 03: Fianarantsoa –Anja –Ranohira

After early breakfast, it’s time to leave for the South. You soon leave the Highlands behind. A stop at Ambalavao allows you to visit the artisanal factory of Antemoro paper, this paper made from the bark of the Avoha mulberry tree is still made according to a secular process dating from the 15th century.

About 30 km further south, you arrive at the small village reserve of Anja. The Ring-tailed Lemur hides in its forest nestled at the foot of the granite blocks!

After a short excursion and a lunch in the small local restaurant, you are now driving on the largest plateau in Madagascar, the Horombe, made up of a beautiful herbaceous steppe punctuated by giant termite mounds. Ranohira, your base, is at the foot of the ruiniform massif of Isalo, at the entrance to the National Park.

Meals Included: None

Day 04: Visit National Park Isalo

After breakfast, Accompanied by a park guide, you set off quietly with a small bag on your shoulder on a hike through astonishing landscapes made up of canyons, pools and rocks with magical erosions. Your day of walking in this spectacular setting begins in the morning with a visit to the Natural Pool lost in the middle of this immensity of rocks, it continues with a picnic near the Nymphs waterfall where lemurs live and ends with the discovery of the Black and Blue Pools.

NB: the pace and duration of the walk depend on you (minimum 2 hours). Your guide will advise you. Overnight at the same hotel.

Meals Included: None

Day 05: Ranohira –Tuléar –Ifaty

After breakfast, you leave the Isalo region to drive towards the coast and Tuléar on the banks of the Mozambique Channel. The road unrolls its ribbon of tar for 245 km and the vegetation of the South gradually takes its place in the landscape: baobabs, aloes, and euphorbiaceous. You will undoubtedly come across impressive herds of zebus and make stops at the Mahafaly tombs, surprisingly decorated and erected with wooden sculptures. , you will make a small visit of the city before taking the sandy track which runs along the beach and the mangrove towards Ifaty and your hotel, you start to enjoy your stay with your feet in the water or almost.

Meals Included: None

Day 06: Free day Ifaty Tuléar

This free day on the banks of the Mozambique Channel will allow you to taste the various activities offered by your hotel. For those who would like to enjoy the sea and the lagoon: diving, canoe trip with the Vezo fishermen, swimming or just lazing around. Hiking enthusiasts can explore the mangroves or discover, inland, a specific and singular vegetation made up of euphorbia, baobabs and aloes as well as a wide variety of spices: vanilla, cinnamon, pepper, cloves.

Day 07: Departure

After breakfast, departure for the airport Transfer. A trip has come to end. May the trip always be a sweet memory to you, Have a happy and safe Journey?

End of Services…

• Accommodation for 01 Night in H1 Antsirabe
• Accommodation for 01 Night in Zomatel Fianarantsoa
• Accommodation for 02 Nights in H1 Isalo
• Accommodation for 02 Nights in Hotel de la plage Isalo
• 07 Breakfast during the trip
• All transfer by car during the trip

• Anything not mentioned in “Package Inclusions”
• Entrances to the parks and sites indicated
• Local guides in the parks
• All meals except breakfasts
• Airfare, Train Fare, Travel Visa & Travel Insurance & Medical Premium, Medical tests, etc.
• Individually extended accommodation, sightseeing, transfers, excursions pre, post or on tour.
• City Tax / Tourism Dirham tax / Green Tax etc. (if applicable)
• OK to board for the airline (if applicable)
• Personal expenses on items such as Laundry, Juices, Sodas, Soft & Hard Drinks, Bottled Water etc.

Please check online or with our authorised representative if Travel visa is required to visit our country. It is your responsibility to submit all relevant documents and obtain a legal travel visa (as per requirement) before you travel.

In case your tour is cancelled or curtailed short due to visa issues, we will be unable to provide you any refund of the tour cost.

For E-Visa, we are happy to provide you the visa requirement charges and documents required at highly competitive rates on our portal: https://www.visadone.com

You may click the above link and check the details there*

For Sticker Visa, please check with our local branch for the costing, documents required and processing time.

It is Traveller’s responsibility to obtain and be in possession of the comprehensive travel and cancellation insurance, including medical insurance with provision for air evacuation, insurance in case of accidents, sudden sickness, medical expenses or death, before embarking on a tour. Our company is neither responsible nor liable for any claims, damage or loss as a result of Client’s failing to obtain necessary insurance cover.

We are however, happy to provide you travel insurance as per the plan you select which can offer you comprehensive coverage at highly competitive costs.

Age limit to provide Insurance – Up to 75 years. For Insurance, all rates given are per person in USD.

Current Exclusion:

• To & from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal & Bangladesh.
• From India (However to India (Inbound) is allowed).

Insurance fees once paid is totally non-refundable. For further details you can check with us on insurance@solidarityinvest.com

*Disclaimer:

Please do check with our Branch / Authorised representative about the latest requirement as visa requirement / fees / travel insurance charges are dynamic and subject to change. The consulate at their discretion may ask for additional documents also for visa processing. Visa issuance is purely at the discretion of the consulate and not us.

PAYMENT TERMS:

• 50% payment at the time of confirmation
• Balance 50% within 07 days of confirmation or travel date whichever is earlier.

We accept payments via bank transfer/Debit & Credit cards also. In case of a bank transfer please add USD 30 per transfer per time you transfer.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

We need to receive a cancellation request in writing for us to proceed with cancellation. The following charges will be applicable based on the cancellation request received by us.

If you cancel –

• 60 days prior to departure there will be a 10% deduction on the package cost.
• 59 – 45 days prior to departure: 25% deduction on the package cost.
• 44 – 30 days prior to departure: 35% deduction on the package cost.
• 30 – 15 days prior to departure: 60% deduction on the package cost.
• 15 – 07 days prior to departure: 85% deduction on the package cost.
• 06 days or less: 100% deduction on the package cost.

TERM AND CONDITIONS:

• All rooms, rates and services are subject to availability at the time of confirmation.
• Rates are not valid for Events / Fairs / Long weekends / Festivals / Blackout dates.
• In case the same hotels / lodges / camps / resorts are not available we reserve the right to change them in the same star category.
• Standard check-in time at the hotel is normally 1400 hrs and check-out 12 Noon.
• Early check-in, late check-out is solely based on the discretion of the hotel and not guaranteed unless paid for.
• We reserve the rights to reschedule the itinerary or routing.
• Unused inclusions in a tour package are non-refundable.
• Tours will be seat in coach basis (Unless mentioned otherwise) where guests have to reach on time at designated pick up point.
• Any delays from your side are considered a no show.
• No refund applicable in case of no show.
• Rates are not valid during any events & festivals and blackout dates.
• Most of the Hotels/ Lodges may ask for a security deposit at the time of check-in, which is refundable at the time of check-out and is subject to the hotel/lodge’s policy.
• We reserve all rights.

You must have done a RTPCR test before arrival (not more than 72 hours) and the result must be negative.

Package rates per person for the above package:

Taxes Extra.  Above 12 years Child will be considered on adult rates only.

Notes:

• Child with bed – may be given extra bed / mattress in the same room sharing with 02 fully Paid adults.
• Child No bed – will share the same room with 02 fully paid adults without any extra bedding
• Infant – will share the same room with 02 fully paid adults without any extra bedding.
• All ages will be calculated as per the date on the passport.

Rate per adult / Child for additional sightseeing/excursion/monument fee etc:

Please do note that the below points are shared with you for your reference only. Please use them at your own discretion.

Your Health: It is your (Traveller’s) responsibility is to ensure that you are in good health and medically fit to undertake safari tour. If the tour passes through the malaria area, precautionary treatment is advised. Consultation with medical practitioner/doctor and obtaining prophylactic and precautionary anti-malaria treatment is necessary.

Local Currency: Malagasy ariary (MGA)

The Malagasy Ariary (MGA) is the local currency of Madagascar. The most accepted foreign currency is the Euro, but US dollars and GBP are easily changed. You can exchange money at banks or make withdrawals from local ATMs. If you use a money exchange office, count your money immediately to make sure you haven’t been short changed.

As on 30 Nov 2021, 01 USD = 3990 MGA approximately.

As on 30 Nov 2021, 01 EUR = 4500 MGA approximately.

The above rate of exchange may change at the time of your booking.

Helpful items for your packing list:

• Clothes
• Comfortable shoes (including hiking shoes)
• Sun glasses
• Sun-screen lotion
• Binoculars
• Camera
• Personal medicaments with proper prescription
• Sun hat
• Torch or Headlamp

Photography: Madagascar is completely different to mainland Africa in every way possible. The major draw card of Madagascar is its wildlife. With some 100,000 species of fauna, the sheer volume of photographic opportunities is mind boggling. Over 100 species of lemur, 300+ species of birds, 260 types of reptiles and 266 amphibian species call this island home. And there’s still more being discovered today—more than 600 new species of wildlife have been recorded since 1999. Just about everything you lay your eyes on in Madagascar exists nowhere else on Earth. In fact, approximately 9% of its reptiles, 89% of its plant life, and 92% of its mammals are completely unique to the island. It’s this sheer volume of biodiversity that provides us photographers with so many opportunities to create images of the wild, strange and rare.

But it’s more than just the wildlife that makes Madagascar so special. The ‘Rainbow Island’, as it’s also known, is home to a wealth of cultural diversity and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. From the capital of Antananarivo to the rural seaside fishing villages of Morondava, there are endless opportunities to take portraits and capture the locals’ unique way of life.

Please do ask people for their permission before you click pictures of them.

People: Malagasy. The Malagasy (French: Malgache) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the island country of Madagascar. Traditionally the population have been divided by subgroups (tribes or ethnicities), but the relevance of this subdivision is disputed.

The Malagasy peoples, moreover, do not consider themselves to be Africans, but, because of the continuing bond with France that resulted from former colonial rule, the island developed political, economic, and cultural links with the French-speaking countries of western Africa.

The Malagasy language of Austronesian origin, is generally spoken throughout the island. The official languages of Madagascar are Malagasy and French. Madagascar is a Francophone country, and French is spoken among the educated population of this former French colony

Climate: The climate of Madagascar is subtropical, with a hot and rainy season between November and the end of March (summer), and a cooler dry season from May to October (winter). … The west coast is drier than the east coast, whilst the far south and southwest is a semi-desert region that experiences very little rainfall.

Staying safe on Wildlife Viewing Activities: There are no dangerous animals in Madagascar. Most wildlife viewing is done on foot, so sturdy walking shoes and protective clothing is essential. A walking stick can come in handy as well. All parks and reserves are very safe – all you have to do is follow your guide’s instructions.

Staying safe in Cities and Towns: Most cities in the world see some crime and urban areas in Madagascar are no exception. Most issues are minor, such as petty theft and pickpocketing and you are very unlikely to encounter any trouble on guided activities. When venturing out in cities and towns alone, you should follow a few simple safety precautions: seek advice from your hotel before taking a walk; don’t wear jewellery or other valuables and only take the money you need with you; always take a taxi after dark. Steer clear of any protests, demonstrations or political gatherings which can turn violent quickly.

Mandatory Medical /Tests or Vaccination details: None