SAVA AND MAROJEJY: LAND OF VANILLA, FOREST, AND LEMURS

Welcome and transfer to the hotel Antananarivo, the capital, which is the beating heart of Madagascar. Indeed, the "City of Thousands" is at the same time the largest economic, political, historical and cultural pole. Antananarivo is a step not to be missed because it has an undeniable tourist attraction, which is not always discovered at first sight. The palaces, streets, squares and houses of the upper town tell a fascinating story.
Welcome at your arrival and transfer to the hotel in bed and breakfast

32 KMS +/-30 min of road
Flight to Diego Suarez Welcome by your guide at the airport. Drive and walk around the bay : the dunes and pigeons bays. Walk to Orangéa, along the beach of Ramena and the cliff, the pass leading to the Indian Ocean is very close. Walk to the lighthouse. We are here at Cap Miné. A place full of history where some vestiges of the French presence are still visible. Free lunch on the beach.
Return to the hotel in the afternoon and stop in front of the "Pain de Sucre".
Night at the hotel.

50 KMS +/-1hour dirve
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for the visit of the National Park of the Amber Mountain. In the company of the park guides we hike in the lush forest. This park is home to exceptional vegetation with tree ferns, palms, orchids, many exotic species while beautiful avenues of conifers along the trail to the forest station. Waterfalls, crater lakes embellish our walk. And of course, the Malagasy fauna with the friendly lemur. We meet the crowned lemur, the stanford lemur. 7 species share the area. We also meet chameleons, gecko and other uroplatus. The birds in the park are as numerous as colorful.
In the afternoon, we return to the hotel.

32 KMS +/-30 min hour drive + crossing by motorized or traditional dugout

Road to Ramena, we embark on a boat for the Emerald Sea.
The huge bay of Diego Suarez is the emblematic site of the northern tip of Madagascar. With its interior bays, it is among the largest bays in the world, and for many, among the most beautiful! We invite you to judge for yourself. With the fishermen of the village of Ramena we embark to go along the bay, take the pass and go out into the Indian Ocean to approach the small islands not far from there.
Here the sea is green and we call it emerald. Back to the hotel in the afternoon.
Night at the hotel

140 KMS +/-5hours drive
Breakfast at the hotel. By 4x4 we bypass the Massif de la Montagne d'Ambre and take the road to the south. Between Diego and Nosy Be we stop for 2 astonishing sites : the Tsingy rouge : a dry river bed and clay. Those of Ankarana: an ancient coral reef. And for both, water, wind and a lot of time, here is the result: amazing sculptures, a limestone massif like a stone forest!
Arrival at the hotel at the beginning of the afternoon.
Night at the hotel in bed and breakfast

We leave the hotel to visit the massif of Ankarana then discover the big Tsingy, and the caves (owls, crowned lemurs, mongooses, tenrecs, bats...). Free lunch at your expense. On the way to Ambilobe after the visit
Arrival at the hotel at the end of the day, installation at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel Departure by car with your driver-guide for Sambava, with breaks on the road. Arrival at the end of the afternoon.
Night at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel
Visit to the Ambohimanitra estate (60 ha): you will discover the vanilla plantation and the different varieties of vanilla plants, as well as the nurseries for local varieties. The tour is guided and covers in detail the plant and the process of fertilization of the vanilla flower, as well as all the phases involved in turning the flower into a vanilla pod. To round off your immersion in vanilla, you'll be served a vanilla-scented meal on the panoramic terrace. In the afternoon, you will head to Antalaha to visit a vanilla processing store: discover the different stages of vanilla production, from preparation to export. You will get to know the secrets of all the stages in vanilla processing: harvesting, scalding, drying, sorting, measuring, and you will learn about the different qualities of vanilla.
Night at the hotel

Departure from Antalaha
Arriving at the Manantenina welcome office.
Few days of exploring Marojejy National Park and the lower part of the primary rainforests. You'll encounter many species of reptiles and amphibians, a few species of lemurs, and many species of birds, including the blue coua and Prévost's eurycere. If you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of “the Simpona”, the silky sifaka with its extremely white fur, which can only be seen in the Marojejy forests. This superb massif, culminating at 2133 m, is the subject of a thrilling and rarely- visited trek. Lush vegetation, astonishing fauna, exciting - if not easy!
Camp 1 : Camp Mantella 3h of trek 445m in altitude
Night on full board in the camp

Camp Marojejia 1 or 2h30 hours of trek 775m of high
Night on full board in the camp

Camp Simpona 3 or 4 hours of Trek 1 250m of high (Park peak 2 132m)
Night on full board in the camp

Early breakfast around 5am. Beginning of the ascent to the summit (03h walk), arrival around 8am. Arrival at the summit, panoramic view of the highest point in the region (2,132m altitude). Descent to Camp 1 and arrival at Manantenina.
Road to Vohemar. Night at the hotel

After breakfast, we continue our road to Ankify the place where we take the motorboat till Hell ville. Transfer to your hotel, rest of the day free.
Night at the hotel

Enter the heart of Madagascar's legendary plantations! This crossroads town is the capital of cocoa farming and bicycles! Visit the Millot plantations, where you will learn all about the cocoa processing and tasting: from the tree to the bean ready to be melted.
Meeting with your boat in Ankify, the guide, driver and car return to Diego.
Crossing to the port of Hell Ville, then to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure
Night at the hotel

Considered one of the ten most beautiful islands in the world, Nosy Iranja is one hour and a half from Nosy Be by speedboat. The island is made up of two small islands (Small Iranja and Great Iranja) connected by aa white sandbank that is visible at low tide. With its turquoise waters, the island has a genuine paradise feel to it. It is home to sea turtles, who come there to lay egg, hence its nickname as the turtle island. Nosy Iranja has also a large share of seabirds: sterns, marine eagles… You can also visit the Great Iranja Island’s lighthouse and the Iranja village after your pic-nic lunch on the beach, under the shades of coconut trees.
Night at the hotel

Free day at the hotel in Nosy be.
Night at the hotel

After a final dive in Nosy be, we take the plane for Antananarivo. Transfer to the airport for flight to the capital, flight from Tsaradia. Transfer and night at the hotel.
Night at the hotel in bed and breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. You will make a short stop at the artisanal market for some shopping. Transfer to the airport to take international flight