Embarking on our expedition to the Eastern realm of the island, we depart from the bustling and vibrant city of Antananarivo. Our course leads us onto Route Nationale 2, the nation’s primary commercial thoroughfare that guides us to Madagascar’s East coast and its principal harbor. Over the span of 150 kilometers, a journey spanning 3.5 hours, we traverse diverse landscapes of the highlands. These encompass quaint traditional villages nestled on hill slopes, as well as picturesque rice fields. The road meanders through a twisty, steep, and verdant stretch, signaling our entry into a distinct region of Madagascar. Our destination is Andasibe, renowned for its National Park, which envelopes primary and secondary forests.

Peyrieras Butterfly Farm awaits our visit at Madagascar Exotic. This privately maintained reserve, also recognized as the Peyrieras Butterfly Farm, Peyrieras Nature Farm, and Mandraka Reptile Farm, occupies a small corner in Marozevo. Situated on National Road N2, 75 kilometers (47 miles) east of Antananarivo, between the locales of Manjakandriana and Moramanga, it was established and is owned by the French entomologist and naturalist André Peyriéras. Hence, it is also referred to as the Reserve Peyrieras. Among its inhabitants are a multitude of creatures, including reptiles such as chameleons, iguanas, geckos, and frogs; Batraciens (Bats); crocodiles; and butterflies. The contiguous forest area accommodates families of relocated and acclimated Verreaux’s Sifaka and Common brown lemurs, affording opportunities for close-up photography during feeding times.

Our journey also encompasses the Analamazaotra special reserve, a site of significance for observation. To ensure optimal viewing conditions, we depart from our hotel around 7:30 am, reaching the reserve’s entrance. Here, we aim to encounter the grandest lemur of them all, the famed “Indri Indri,” endemic to this location and an emblem of the region. A leisurely 2 to 3-hour hike introduces us to groups of Indri Indri, while also unveiling other lemur species, avian wonders, chameleons, and a wealth of endemic flora, including orchids and medicinal plants.

Within the expansive grounds of Vakona Reserve, an island embraced by freshwater, a mosaic of lemur species resides: common brown lemurs, bamboo lemurs, ruffed lemurs, and diademed sifakas. This presents an extraordinary chance to engage with these primates up close, resulting in remarkable photo opportunities and cherished souvenirs. The property’s lakes harbor numerous crocodiles, remnants of a past farming endeavor.

As the night descends, we prepare our headlamps and flashlights for a nocturnal foray into the VOIMMA Reserve. Established by Andasibe villagers in 2012, this reserve emerged as an independent sanctuary adjacent to the neighboring government-led national park. Local residents reclaimed control over their land, becoming active participants in the realm of ecotourism. For enthusiasts of reptiles and amphibians, the reserve’s crystal-clear river teems with an array of frogs, including Boophis pyrrhus, Boophis viridis, and madagascariensis. The forest also hosts a captivating assortment of chameleons, such as Furcifer wilsii, Calumma parsonii cristifer, Calumma nasuta, and brevicornis. Among the remarkable inhabitants is the distinctive satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus), while curious creatures like the renowned giraffe-necked weevil (Trachelophorus giraffae) inhabit the forest’s depths. This community-operated reserve welcomes night-time explorations, inviting participants to seek out lemurs, savor the symphony of frogs, or chance upon slumbering chameleons in the darkness.

In Day 9, concluding our Andasibe sojourn, we ascend towards the highlands and the capital city. This transition affords a striking perspective on the altitude disparities between these two regions. The elevation variance supports a hydroelectric power station along the way, a testament to the region’s resource utilization. Following a journey of 150 kilometers, spanning about 3.5 hours, we arrive back in Antananarivo, our journey’s starting point.

On the present day, we will facilitate your transfer to the domestic terminal, ensuring your smooth transition for your Tsara Dia flight.

Most televised portrayals of Madagascar spotlight Berenty’s ringtailed lemurs, gracefully moving with tails aloft, and the captivating sight of Berenty’s white sifakas as they dance across the terrain or leap between thorn-adorned trees. The de Heaulme family, proprietors of Berenty Estate, established a sisal plantation alongside the Mandrare River in 1936, in collaboration with local clans from the Antandroy tribe. As part of this endeavor, they preserved 1000 hectares of natural forests, which persist as reserves to this day. The largest portion, the 200-hectare Berenty Reserve proper, enshrines a closed-canopy gallery forest inhabited by ancient tamarind trees, drier open scrubland, and the surreal “spiny forest” characteristic of southern Madagascar. This sanctuary harbors six distinct lemur species, the largest colony of Madagascar fruit bats in the southern region, and a diverse assembly of 103 bird species, among which 56 engage in breeding within the reserve. Berenty is a confluence of diverse cultures and societies, where the gallery forest flourished between the current Mandrare River and one of its historical channels, blessed with fertile soil in an arid landscape. This enclave sustains remarkably dense lemur populations, boasting several hundred individuals of each species per square kilometer.

Our expedition embarks on a two-day, one-night odyssey to Berenty Reserve, aimed at unearthing the distinctive fauna and flora of the Southern region. Nestled within a vast sisal plantation, Berenty Reserve occupies a segment of the gallery forest that fringes the Mandare River. Globally renowned for its approachable lemurs, notably the ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux’s sifakas, the reserve offers a captivating encounter. Evening excursions into the spiny forest unveil the sounds and sights of grey mouse lemurs and whitefooted sportive lemurs, accompanied by an assortment of insects, slumbering birds, and reptiles.

Subsequently, we will commence our journey back to Fort Dauphin, embarking on a scenic three-hour drive encompassing approximately 90 kilometers of dusty terrain.