Boat trip on Tsiribihina river - Madagascar

Boating and Sailing tour in Antananarivo, Miandrivazo, Morondava

Tour Price : From $1250 Duration : 7 days Languages: English

The boat ride on Tsiribihina river is a wildlife experience which you should not miss to do when you visit to Madagascar. You ride in a motorized boat during 3days and 2 nights and after the boat trip, you can stop at the famous Kirindy forest national reserve to spot to species of lemurs and the endemic carnivorous in Madagascar called fossa.

One of the best attraction when you do this trip is to stop at the famous baobab avenue to admire the sunset.

I would like to give you below details of the plan when you will do this tour from my services

1st Day - pick up from airport + transfer to your Hotel by car. Overnight in Antananarivo at San Crystobal Boutique Hotel  

At any time you arrive at the airport, the driver will pick you up from there and he will bring a label ‘’JEAN CLAUDE TOUR’’ in hands.

He will assist you to purchase the local sim card for your internet connexion during the trip and then will show you a bank where the exchange rate is better.

If you do not want to exchange your foreign currency money into local currency money, there is also ATM machine inside the bank and you can withdraw the money from there directly in local currency.

After all of these , you will be transferred to your Hotel on board he private car.

San crystobal boutique Hotel  is situated at 7km from the airport so you will ride less than 10mn and you will get to your Hotel.

The driver will drop you off at your Hotel then check-in

- When everything is fine over there, the driver can brief the whole plan which will start on the following day.

End of the day 1

2nd Day - Direct drive from Antananarivo to Miandrivazo. (390km) O/N at La princesse de la Tsiribihina Hotel

The driver will pick you up from your Hotel at 7:00am and after loading all your bags in the car, you will get on board of it and drive to Antsirabe.

So, you must have your breakfast at 6:30am so you can depart at 7:00am.

The ride lasts 4 to 5 hours over the National road 7 because on the way, you can have multiples stops to click pictures’ of the landscapes and the artisanal markets on the road side.

You arrive in Ambatolampy city and over there, you will visit the aluminum foundry workshop. This is an unavoidable stop and you must do it because you will meet the talented people on making different items from the aluminum such as pot, spoon, fork, frying pan, baobab tree, zebu, birds and many others. You will attend a demonstration on how they make a pot for instance.

After Ambatolampy city, you keep driving to Antsirabe and  you will arrive in Antsirabe around 12;30pm.

Lunch in Antsirabe at Zandina restaurant

After lunch you keep driving western ward in order to reach Miandrivazo.

On the way, you can click pictures of the beautiful landscapes.

You will arrive in Miandrivazo at 6;00pm and you drive directly to your Hotel.

The driver will drop you off at your Hotel- check-in

End of the day 2

 

3rd, 4th and 5th Day.
Motorized boat ride on Tsiribihina river and then transfer to Kirindy forest..O/N at  Kirindy forest lodge

At 7;00am, the driver will pick you up from your Hotel and then you will be transferred to the dock where you start your boat trip.

From your Hotel to the dock there is 40km and you have to ride on board the car for 11h30mn.

You arrive at the dock in a village called Masiakampy at 9;00am and you will get in the boat right away.

Loading your staffs and bags in the boat and then the pilot stars the engine and ready for departure.  

Your first stop and first night is near the big waterfall of Anosy ny Ampela.

The waterfall is situated at 500m from the river bank and you will hike up hill to see it. On the way to the waterfall, it is possible to encounter the common brown lemurs. For sure they are the first lemurs you see in Madagascar. The common brown lemurs are always stay in group of  5 to 10.

Just near the waterfall, there is also a very blue swimming pool and you can swim there.

After your visit and bathing and clicking pictures at the waterfall, you walk back to the river bank and you will get on board the boat again. Depending on the season, you can camp just at the waterfall entrance or you will camp on the river bank.

On the following day, you depart from your camp site and you can go back to the waterfall again to take a shower.

Then, you keep riding down the river to reach your second stop.

Your second stop is near a village called Tsaraotana. You must camp on the river bank over there again.

Along the ride, you will visit the village of Begidro. This is the main village along this Tsiribihina river and it is very known of its Tobacco plantation. You will have a quick visit over there and you can see the local people daily life style.

There are forests along the river and in the forest, you can see also the white lemurs but this species is always seen from far away and if you have a good lens of your camera you can get its pictures.

There are also many species of water birds such as the king fisher, wild duck, flamingo bird ( only between July and October) and you can see laso another species of birds like bee eaters, Malagasy coua, kite, kestrel, bats or the flying fox, Madagascar drongo and if you are lucky you can see the big eagle fisher on the river side.

Sometimes, tourists can see crocodiles and chameleons on the river side. So if you are lucky ones you may see them too. These animals are totally in wild so we should not expect to see all of them when doing this boat ride.

You will arrive at your second camp site at 5:30pm and stay overnight on the river bank again.

On the following day or more specifically on the third day of the boat ride, you will target to dock at saint Marie. Over there, a driver will pick you up and you will get on board the vehicle 4x4 and you will drive to Kirindy forest natural reserve.

Along the ride on this third day, you will admire the baobab trees forest along the river side. The ride from your camp site to Saint Marie dock lasts roughly 4 hours if you go inside the baobab forest and take their pictures very close up.

You will arrive at Saint Marie dock around 12;00pm and before you go out the boat to get on board  the vehicle who takes you to Kirindy forest, you still have your lunch on board the boat.

You depart from the dock on board the vehicle at 2;00pm and you will drive to Kirindy forest natural reserve . You will drive over a dirt and bumpy road from the dock and then after 2 hours30mn  ride, you will get to Kirindy forest. So you will arrive at Kirindy forest at 4;30pm.

Around 17:00, you will meet your park guide and you brief with him about your program for the night walk inside the park.

The night walk usually starts at 6:30 and you will walk through the dry forest for 2 hour. During the night walk, you will try to spot the smallest lemurs and you can see also chameleons. The chameleons are easy to spot during the night.

Before you do the night walk, I recommend you to order your dinner because when you come back from your visit, your dinner would already be ready and you can have it.

End of day  3,4 and 5

 

6th  Day- Ride from Kirindy forest and head to Morondava with a stop at the famous baobab alley, O/N at Le vezo Hotel in Morondava.  

On this day, you still have a busy day because you still have a day walk in kirindy forest again with the same park guide who guided you last night.

The day walk lasts 3 to 4 hours in this dry forest and you will try to spot mainly 2 species of lemurs and then if you are lucky one, you can see the lemur’s predator, an endemic animal in Madagascar called Fossa. It is very difficult to find but the park guide usually does their best for this Fossa safari.

After the great hike in this dry forest, you will come back to your Hotel and you will have lunch at the restaurant.

The restaurant where you will have lunch is not in the park but the driver will take you to there. Near this restaurant, there is a swimming pool thus, Please kindly be advised that you can swim at the swimming pool and at the meaning while you can wait for your lunch

In the middle of the afternoon, you drive to Morondava but on the way, you still visit the following
-The giant sacred baobab
-The baobab in love
-And the famous baobab alley

You will get to this amazing baobab alley around 17:00and you stay there until the sun goes down to admire the sunset at this location.
After sunset, you will slowly drive to Morondava.

You will get to Morondava around 19h:00

End of Day 6

7th Day: Domestic flight from Morondava to Antananarivo. O/N at San crystobal boutique Hotel

Depending on your flight schedule , the driver will pick you up from your Hotel and will take you to the airport in Morondava.

Upon your arrival in Antananarivo, a driver from the Hotel where you stay will pick you from the airport and will transfer you to the Hotel.

Drop you off at your Hotel then our services are totally delivered nicely and safely

End of Day 7

PLAN  OVERVIEW

 

D1 - From abroad to Tana

D2 - Tana to Miandrivazo

D3 - 4 and 5 Miandrivazo –boat ride to Kirindy forest natural reserve

D6 - Kirindy forest to Morondava

D7 - Morondava to Tana, domestic flight

 

Budget:  From 1250USD/person

Minimum traveler: 2 people

Maximum traveler: 10 people

 

IINCLUSIVE: 

- A private car + driver + gas during the whole trip

- All transfer services from/to airport and Hotel and then From/to Hotel and parks. Except the transfer from your Hotel in Antananarivo to the airport when you will fly to abroad

- The motorized boat from Miandrivazo to Saint Marie dock

- Tent, mattresses, blanket during the bat ride

- Domestic flight tickets from Morondava to Antananarivo

- All your night staying in Hotels during the whole trip

- Your meals ( Breakfast, lunch and dinner) in the restaurant, menu a la carte.

- Your meals on board the boat (breakfast, lunch and dinner (menu complete)

- Bottled water ( 3 bottled/person/day)

- Your park admission and entrance fees

- Park guide fees

 

EXTRAS:

- Visa and insurances cost 
- Snacks and beverages 
- Your personal needs related to your souvenirs purchasing

 

THINGS YOU NEED TO BRING: 

Apart from your clothing, dress, T-shirt, pants...etc, you need to bring also both sandals and hard shoes

- Swim suits for your bathing at the waterfall 
- Pair of sun glass 
- Hat 
- Sun cream

 

 

Additional information

Tour information:
Tour Price: From $1250
Duration: 7 days
Group Size: 2-10 tourists
Languages: English
Tour package includes:
Airport Transfer :	YES
Hotel pick-up:	YES
Drop-off :	YES
Tour Transportation (car, van, limo, boat, etc…):	YES
Food and Drinks :	NO
Other services (fees apply):
Attraction tickets (concerts, theater, museum, circus...) :	NO
Translation services :	YES
Reservations (hotels, restaurants, airline) :	YES
Visa support :	NO
Additional information:
This tour must be booked at least 7 days in advance of your travel date :	YES
Tour groups must include a minimum of 2 passengers :	YES
Tour prices are flexible and based on your requirements :	YES
This Tour is Kid Friendly :	YES