If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that I love mixing travel with photography. Last summer when I was traveling through Madagascar it occurred to me that many of the places I travel to are off the beaten track and that some of you might be interested in joining me on these trips as they are always great opportunities to share a photographic adventure and come back with some awesome images.
So without further do, I would like to announce an 11 day travel photography adventure in Madagascar starting on August 16th. Eleven days of traveling through this beautiful and exotic island, exploring it’s famous capital Antananarivo, descending and camping along the Tsiribihina River, visiting the amazing Tsingy National Park and photographing the awe-inspiring baobab trees in the Baobab Avenue. We might even look for the fossa! Scroll down for the details.
Here is a day by day run through this eleven day adventure:
Day 1 – Arrival in Madagascar and welcome dinner – transfer to our hotel followed by welcome dinner so we can finally get to know each other (Hotel: Chalet des Roses) – dinner included
Day 2 – City tour of Antananarivo – the morning will be spent in the old city and then we will visit the royal citadel of Ambohimanga, a UNESCO world heritage site. (Hotel: Chalet des Roses) – breakfast included
Day 3 – Antananarivo – Ambatolampy – Antsirabe – Miandrivazo – driving along the famous national road 7, photographing rice fields, mountains and some of the traditional villages of the highlands. (Hotel: La Pirogue) – breakfast included
Day 4, 5 and 6 – The Tsiribihina River descent – after registering and provisioning for supplies in the town of Miandrivazo we embark on our traditional boat, called a chaland, for the first day of the river descent. Every evening during the descent we will be sleeping in tents on the river banks and have the opportunity to photograph the people, wildlife and landscapes along the river. The second day of the descent will see us stopping at a beautiful waterfall and natural  swimming pool. On the final day of the descent we will stop in the village of Begidro to photograph some of the villagers and witness their daily life. Once we complete the river descent we start driving towards Tsingy National Park (The 4th and 5th night will be spent camping, while the 6th night will be in Hotel Tanankoay) – breakfast, lunch and dinner included for all three days
Day 7 – Small Tsingy and pirogue trip on the Manambolo river – the pirogue trip on the Manambolo river will give us the opportunity to photograph some of the bird life, lemurs and a couple of the caves along the river. (Hotel Tanankoay) – breakfast and dinner included
Day 8 – Great Tsingy visit – We hike through caves, mazes and the breathtaking Tsingy of Bemaraha. Eleven species of lemurs live here, along with over one hundred bird species and five families of bats. (Hotel Tanankoay) – breakfast and dinner included
Day 9 – Sunset at Baobab Avenue – This will be mostly a driving day, crossing several rivers on traditional ferries (which will provide plenty of photographic opportunities) and aiming to reach Baobab Avenue in time for sunset and the blue hour. (Hotel Renala Sable d’Or) – breakfast and dinner included
Day 10 – Sunrise at Baobab Avenue and flight to Antananarivo – We wake up before sunrise and head again to the Baobab Avenue to photograph the sunrise  lighting up the beautiful Baobab trees. From there we head straight to the airport for our flight back to Antananarivo – breakfast included
Day 11 – Fly back – We have some freetime in Antananarivo before the flight back – breakfast included
Here’s what’s included in the trip:
– All domestic flights in economy class
– All transfers from airport to hotels ( and vice versa)
– River trip on the Tsiribihina with full camping equipment and boat crew
– All entrance and guiding fees for all visits and excursions
– A private car with an English-speaking driver-guide.
– Accommodation in listed hotels or equivalent in double occupation
– Day use on the day of your departure.
Costs
The price per person is US$2,800, however, until March 15, there will be an early-bird discount of US$300, which brings the grand total to US$2,500. This is for double occupancy and the single supplement costs US$300.
In terms of flights, Kenya Airways flies from Dubai to Antananarivo via Nairobi (with very good connections).
The adventure is limited to 10 people and a minimum of 4 people need to sign-up until June 1st in order for this to take place.
To secure your spot a deposit of US$500 will be needed.
To sign-up or ask for more details please send an email to info[at]momentaryawe.com.