We are very proud to be offering this Enigmatic Wildlife Tour in collaboration with our partners Tropical Birding, to a fine selection of Madagascar's awe inspiring wild places. As is the case with other Enigmatic Wildlife Tours, the objective of the tour is to reveal to a small group of participants more than just the usual flagship species; which the majority of tour groups come to see.
In this regard, the tour leader is absolutely key, and we are absolutely delighted to once again be working with respected author and herpetologist, wildlife photographer and conservation biologist, Marius Burger, who has been to Madagascar some 30 times, mostly to lead tours but also to do research. (Marius has a Malagasy tree frog named after him, Boophis burgeri).
The Tour Leader:
Marius Burger is an author, researcher and wildlife photographer. He has compiled 120 faunal specialist reports for a variety of environmental consultancies and biodiversity projects; published 43 scientific, peer-reviewed papers and 73 semi-scientific/popular articles and he has presented 49 papers at international or national symposia.
Marius spent many years conducting field research and conservation work in countries such as Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Mozambique. He is co-author of Chameleons of South Africa, and the Atlas and Red List of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, For the latter, he led the South African Reptile Conservation Assessment field surveys over three summers, covering more than 100,000 km. With his phenomenal prowess when it comes to locating a myriad elusive species in oftentimes challenging terrain, and his extensive experience in Madagascar, this group will be sure to chalk up many more critters than would otherwise be the case.
The itinerary:
The itinerary begins with a stint in the central western lowlands, where we explore the fascinating Kirindy Forest, part of Menabe Antimena Protected Area. Our targets here include the likes of Fosa (Madagascar's biggest carnivore); Narrow-striped mongoose and a plethora of lemurs such as Verreaux's sifakas and Red-fronted brown lemurs by day, and at night, Pale fork-marked lemur; Coquerels giant mouse lemur; Red-tailed sportive lemur and the diminutive Gray and Madame Berthes mouse lemurs - the latter (Endangered) exists only here and is scarce at best. We will also seek the endangered Giant jumping rat and Western big-footed mouse, among others . In terms of herps we should locate - among others - Oustalets chameleon and Fish-scaled gecko.
We fly back from Morondava to Antananarivo, which acts as a centrally located hub for tours encompassing various regions. The next part of our journey involves a flight to the far north coast. (Diego Suarez).
From this very dry area, we make a quick trip to Montagne des Francais Reserve and then head an hour's drive south to the rainforest-clad Montagne d'Ambre for a 2-night stay. Like Kirindy, the private reserve at Domain de Fontenay, is usually exceptionally rewarding for nocturnal wildlife viewing. Many people come to Fontenay Private Park to seek the herpetofauna, which includes a few species of the remarkable Leaf-tailed geckos (Uroplatus). We have a strong chance to see various species of Leaf-tailed geckos, a wide variety of chameleons and frogs, as well as nocturnal lemurs (Arnhold's mouse lemur and Amber Mountain dwarf lemur are both common here). Montagne d'Ambre National Park also delivers mammals such as Sanford's lemur, Ring-tailed mongoose and Red forest rat.
We then travel to the recently protected area of Andrafiamena Andavakoera, where a population of one of the world's 25 rarest primates, Perrier's black sifaka, is the main attraction. Day and night walks in the tropical deciduous forest here, are delightful. Mammals resident apart from the sifaka, include Daraina sportive lemur, Ankarana sportive lemur and Crowned lemur. We will also look for Northern rufous mouse lemur and 'herps' including the robust Madagascar velvet gecko, Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko, colourful Madagascar giant day gecko and chameleons including the unusual Petter's chameleon.
The next area on our programme is the otherwordly Ankarana National Park, which has that world class WOW factor when it comes to incredible landscapes. Here we're talking 'tsingy' limestone pinnacle-fields; caves and wildlife-rich deciduous dry forests. We'll look for Crowned and Sanford's lemurs; Ankarana sportive lemur and a variety of birds including Crested coua, Sickle-billed, Blue and Rufous vangas and 'herps' including the unusual spectacle of Madagascar cat-eyed snakes aggregating by the lakeshore at night to prey on frogs. Many of the island's endemic bat species frequent Ankarana's caves.
We then travel through Sambirano countryside to Ankify and cross by speedboat to Nosy Be island. Here, an excursion to Lokobe National Park should reveal Black lemur, the critically endangered Hawk's sportive lemur and locally endemic Claire's mouse lemur. Herpetofauna is prolific in this small tract of Sambirano forest, with key species including Minute leaf chameleon (Brookesia minima); Red-legged girdle lizard, Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko and Northern big-eyed snake.
The final section of our itinerary involves flying back to Antananarivo and travelling to the eastern escarpment for some time in the humid eastern region. First, we travel to the lowlands to explore the Palmarium Private Reserve by tranquil Lac Ampitabe. Here, people come to see habituated Aye ayes on a wooded islet in the lake. These epitomise all that is weird and wonderful about Madagascar's wildlife. Wildlife is prolific in this small tract of east coast littoral forest, with notable species present including the Critically Endangered Black and white ruffed lemur.
Finally, we drive inland to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, the country's number 1 protected eastern rainforest area. Here we'll explore the wildlife-rich rainforest by day and by night, to seek its diverse inhabitants Iconic mammals on the list include Indri, Diademed sifaka and at night, Eastern woolly lemur, Weasel sportive lemur and Goodman's mouse lemur. Birding is superb, with specials such as Blue coua and Coralbilled nuthatch vanga regularly being encountered. The area's herpetofauna is rich, with chameleons including the gigantic Parson's chameleon and the far smaller Nose-horned chameleon and Brown leaf chameleon. From Andasibe, we travel back to the capital after a busy but fascinating wildlife tour.