The North: Diego Suarez & Nosy Be 9 Days

The North: Diego Suarez & Nosy Be
              9 Days

      Amber Mountain National Park
      Red Tsingy: geological curiosity
      Grey Tsingy: Ankarana National Park
      Nosy Be: the fragrant island & the archipelago

Day 1 | Landing in Antananarivo (HB)
We meet you at the airport and transfer you to your chosen hotel. From the Airport to
Antananarivo city center (12km), it can take sometimes over an hour! Antananarivo is a crowded
city full of life! On your way you will see rice paddies, houses that are all different from each
other, and the daily life in this city of about 2 million inhabitants. Tananarivians mostly live from
day to day jobs, we call it “Ady Gasy”: repairing tyres, selling Chinese-made products in the
streets, selling scrap… Antananarivo is full of life and color! Once you get to your hotel, the rest of
the day will be free. Dinner and overnight.
    • Up market: LOKANGA BOUTIQUE
    • Mid-range: RESIDENCE LAPASOA
    • Budget: CHALET DES ROSES

Day 2 | Antananarivo - Diego Suarez | 2h domestic flight – Visit the 3 bays (HB)
Fly from Antananarivo to Diego Suarez, at the northern tip of Madagascar. Depending on your arrival
time, you will be able to explore the beautiful 3 bays of Diego. A dozen kilometers away from Diego,
you will drive on a sandy track for 5km to reach the 3 bays. Sakalava Bay, the Bay of Pigeons and
the Dune Bay will blow your mind. Their long white-sand beaches are wild and almost empty. The
calm sea varies in color from green to turquoise. You will have a picnic lunch on site before ending
your loop in Ramena fishing village. On your way back to Diego Suarez, you will enjoy the colors of
the sunset on the Sugarloaf Mountain. Diego’s bay is listed among the 10 most beautiful bays in the
world. Dinner and overnight.
    • Up market: ALLAMANDA

•   Mid-range: SUAREZ HOTEL
    •   Budget: LA TERRASSE DU VOYAGEUR

Day 3 | Diego Suarez - Joffreville | 1h drive - Visit Amber Mountain National Park (FB)
Short drive heading south, passing through Joffreville (historical town with former colonial
architecture) to visit Amber Mountain National Park (25 Km). The NP is a hotspot of endemic wildlife
with 77 species of birds, 7 species of lemurs and 24 species of amphibians. More than a 1 000 plant
species are seen here. It is also here that, if you are lucky, you can see the cutest & smallest
chameleon in the world! You will have a picnic lunch on site. Dinner & overnight back in Joffreville.
   • Up market: LITCHI TREE
   • Mid-range/Budget: NATURE LODGE

 Day 4 | Joffreville - Ankarana via Red Tsingy Special Reserve | 145km – 4h drive (FB)
 4h drive to reach Ankarana special reserve, located about 100 km from Diego Suarez. On your way,
 you will visit the famous Red Tsingy (“Tsingy” means sharp, the word remains singular in Malagasy).
 These sandstone pinnacles are built from red laterite by wind and rain erosion. It looks like a
 spectacular Mars-like landscape! After the visit, you will keep on national road 6 to reach Ankarana.
 The Ankarana National park is the home of the other Tsingy: the grey ones. These are limestone
 pinnacles and are smaller than the ones in Western Madagascar, but no less impressive! Dinner and
 overnight at your hotel near the National Park.
    • Up market/mid-range: IHARANA BUSH CAMP
    • Budget: RELAIS D’ANKARANA

 Day 5 | Ankarana National Park |Visit the NP (FB)
 Walk through the limestone pinnacles populated by dry deciduous trees such as Baobabs and the
 Elephant foot plant, visit caves, spot crowned lemurs, ring-tailed mongoose and the northern
 sportive lemurs. Inside the National park you will also see the sacred lake, canyons, bats and
 crocodiles. Indeed, under the Tsingy lies the largest cave network in Africa! Dinner and overnight
 back at your hotel.
    • Up market/mid-range: IHARANA BUSH CAMP
    • Budget: RELAIS D’ANKARANA

Day 6 | Ankarana National Park- Nosy Be via Ankify |
3h drive + 45mn boat - Day at leisure (HB)
Ankify is a small village where you board on the boat to Nosy Be. The road to Ankify is magnificent,
lush and green. On your way, you will pass coffee, cocoa, ylang-ylang, sugar cane and cloves
plantations. Malagasy chocolate is one of the best in the world. From Ankify, you will travel 45mn
boat to reach Hell Ville, main city of Nosy Be Island. Nosy Be is a mecca for snorkeling & diving,
with for example the Nosy Tanikely marine protected area. This paradise tropical island also has
inland activities such as Mount Passot viewpoint. There is a 360° view from the highest peak on this
former volcanic Island. Dinner and overnight.
    •   Up market: MANGA SOA LODGE
    •   Mid-range: SARIMANOK HOTEL
    •   Budget: ARC EN CIEL HOTEL

Day 7 | Excursion | Day at leisure (HB)
Nosy be has white sandy beaches but they are not the best place if you want to swim, dive or
snorkel. Better to take a boat to discover the islands around Nosy Be archipelago. You can schedule
a boat trip to Nosy Komba (the island of lemurs), Nosy Tanikely (the protected marine reserve), or
Nosy Sakatia (the Orchid island). One of the highlights in Nosy Be: Nosy Iranja, two small islands
linked by a narrow stretch of sand bank at low tide… amazing! If you stay longer, you can book a
boat trip further to Mitsio or Radama archipelagos. Both are wild and beautiful. Dinner and
overnight.
    • Up market: MANGA SOA LODGE
    • Mid-range: SARIMANOK HOTEL
    • Budget: ARC EN CIEL HOTEL

Day 8 | Nosy Be - Antananarivo |2h domestic flight (HB)
Time to leave the paradise island: transfer to Nosy Be airport and flight back to Tana. Your car
in Antananarivo remains at your disposal the whole day for a city tour. Dinner and overnight at
your hotel.

Day 9 | Antananarivo | International flight (BB)
Depending on your flight schedule, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back. If time
allows, you can do some last-minute shopping for Malagasy handicrafts.

PRECIOS POR PERSONA EN EUROS:
                  Válido desde el 01 de Enero al 31 de Diciembre 2020

       Base                      Up market                Mid-range               Budget
       2 pax                        € 2611                  € 1875                 € 1764
       4 pax                        € 2259                  € 1511                 € 1414
       6 pax                        € 2335                  € 1552                 € 1449
       SGL sup.                     € 735                   € 598                  € 364
                               Excl. return domestic flight: € 628

                              SUPLEMENTO GUIA EN ESPAÑOL, POR PERSONA
                                          2 pax                   € 790

                       NORTH              4 pax                   € 150

                                          6 pax                     € 90

Included in price: The services of our very well experienced Spanish tour guide during the whole tour
including his/ her: indemnities, meals, hotels and drinks, one way or round trip domestic flight.

   El Paquete Incluye:

   •   Accommodation in the hotel range of your choice
   •   Meals as mentioned
   •   4WD car rental with A/C and English speaking driver, indemnities and gasoil included (D3
       to day 6)
   •   Parks and reserves entrance fees + guiding fees as mentioned in the program
   •   Transfers between hotels/airports/ports
   •   1 Bottle of water per person per day (D3 to D6)

El Paquete No Incluye:
   • Domestic and international flights
   • VISA
   • Meals not mentioned
   • Guidance fees in parks and reserves
   • Day excursions offered by the hotels, visits mentioned at your charge
   • Beverages
   • Communications, tips and personal expenses to be paid locally. All services not
      provided and/or not mentioned in the program

VISA
A touristic visa is compulsory for any foreigner to come to Madagascar. You can get it either from
the Malagasy Embassy/consulate in your country, or directly at the airport when you arrive
(recommended). In both cases, you will need to provide your return or continuing plane ticket
and a 6-months passport validity counting from your departure date from Madagascar. For 2018,
the visa costs € 35 for a stay of less than 1 month. Cost may change depending on exchange
rates. Visa cost is payable in Euros or US Dollars. Customs do not give change.

MONEY
The local currency is ARIARY, which is currently worth around 3,800 Ariary for 1 euro.
For your travel expenses, we recommend you bring cash (Euros or dollars) and change at the
airport. Credit cards are accepted in very few hotels. ATMs can be found only in the main cities.
Do not change your money on the black market.

THE LANGUAGE
The national language is the Malagasy. People speak more or less French all over the island. Few
people speak English or German. We can provide English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and
Russian speaking guides/drivers.

HEALTH
No compulsory vaccinations are requested to come to Madagascar. However, we highly
recommend that you come i with up-to-date vaccinations against B-hepatitis, Typhoid fever,
Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio.
Malaria: The risk is worse on the coast rather than in the highlands and during the rainy season
rather than during the dry one, but consider that Malaria is present all over the island all year
round. An anti-malaria treatment must be taken before, during and after your stay in Madagascar.

WEATHER
The best season to come to Madagascar is during the dry season, from April to mid-November.
Mid-June to midSeptember is winter on the highlands (Antananarivo, Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa,
Andringitra, Andasibe). During the day, temperatures are cool (approx. 18°C) but at night,
temperatures can drop down to 5°C. On the coast, weather is always warm. The cyclone season
(mid-December to mid-March) affects mainly the Eastern part of the Island.

CLOTHING & LUGGAGE
Casual, comfortable and easy-to-wash. A warm jacket is useful during the winter on the highlands
(June to September).
Hiking boots are highly recommended as walking is the only way to get around national parks.
Keep luggage to a minimum for your own comfort and ease your life for local flights.
Don’t forget: Mosquito repellant, Sun protection, flashlight or headlamp for night hikes.