Discover the daily life of Mikea people in Madagscar

Let’s discover the wild Mikea people and the Baobab in Madagscar

During this tour, we'll see the Mikea people who are still living in the wild and many baobab in Madagascar

The Mikeas are part of the Malagasy ethnic group that is still entirely wild. They are found on the south-western side of the Big Island, more precisely between Tuléar and Morombe, in a dry forest covering an area of around 3,500 km2. Endowed with exceptional biodiversity, the Mikeas live in extreme conditions.

Programme for discovering the baobab and wild Mikea people

15 Days | 14 Nights

Antananarivo – Antsirabe – Miandrivazo – Kirindy – Bekopaka – Morondava – Belo sur mer -Manja – Andavadoaka – Ambatomilo – parc isalo – Ranomafana – Ambositra

Madagascar is one of the 17 ‘megadiverse’ countries, thanks to its high concentration of biodiversity; it features in the highly selective list of megadiverse countries. The majority of the species of flora and fauna it shelters are almost all endemic.

These tours lead us to discover the flora of Madagascar, which is one of the richest in the world. It is estimated that there are between 13,000 and 14,000 species, 80% of which are endemic. Among these 14,000 species is the Baobab.

Of the 8 species of Baobab in the world, 7 species are found in Madagascar, 6 of which are endemic. These are Adansonia grandidieri, A. rubrostipa, A. za, A. madagascariensis, A. perrieri and A. suarezensis. The species A. digitata is well represented in western Madagascar and is common to Africa.

This tour is only accessible from April to October.

01.Antananarivo

Arrival at Ivato international airport, welcome and transfer to hotel. Even though Madagascar is in the southern hemisphere and everyone thinks it’s very hot, on the contrary, in winter it’s cold on the high plateaux: the temperature drops to as low as 6°C.

The Zamilane tours team will accompany you to your hotel and inform you about everything you need to do during your stay in Madagascar.

Antananarivo – Antsirabe- Miandrivazo

You leave Antananarivo early, so you have plenty of time to get to know the Malagasy people, their daily lives and the styles of their houses….

The Malagasy are poor, but they manage to survive instead of begging tourists or the rich. As soon as you leave Antananarivo, you can see the brickmakers kneading the clay from the rice fields to make bricks; they bake them in an oven they invented themselves. You continue southwards, along the famous RN7, lined with Euphorbia milis plants or the ‘thorn of Christ’ plant, pines that were introduced to Madagascar during the colonial era. After 30 km from Antananarivo, you stop off at a small Raphia stand where a women’s association collects Raphia fibres (a palm plant endemic to Madagascar) to weave hats, baskets, chameleon models and lemurs: it’s the only place to buy Raphia objects.

The second stop is Ambatolampy.

This mountain town lies at an altitude of 1,600 metres above sea level. This town is famous for the talents of its young locals in the construction of aluminium objects. You’ll visit their workshops, and as you leave their building sites, you’ll ask yourself the question: where does this talent come from?

After visiting Ambatolampy, you will have another 2 hours to drive to Antsirabe to admire the beautiful scenery: terraced crops, traditional house styles, stone tombs, small stalls selling rabbits, etc.

Lunch in Antsirabe in a local restaurant.

After lunch, you still have 220 km to drive to Miandrivazo. Departure from Antsirabe at an altitude of 1500 m, arrival at Miandrivazo, 10 to 5 m above sea level: for your information, it is very hot in Miandrivazo, whether in winter or summer.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

03.Miandrivazo – Morondava – Kirindy reserve

In order to take advantage of the observation of the rhythm of life of the local population between Miandrivazo and Morondava, it is best to leave early as this is the time when the sun is not too harsh and the local population takes advantage of this to go to the fields to plough the land, fetch water, go fishing on the Mahajilo and Tsiribihina rivers. The landscape changes, with little vegetation apart from xerophytic plants that can withstand the drought, mango trees, palm trees and pig grass…. After the fork towards Malaimbandy, you will discover a green landscape, thanks to the water resources that feed the local population’s rice fields.

Lunch on the banks of the Mozambique Channel.

You continue your journey north to the town of Morondava, via the RN8; you will pass the Avenue des Baobabs for the first time: get off and touch them for the first time.

Towards the end of the afternoon, you arrive at your hotel, set in the middle of nature. Leave your luggage at the hotel, order your evening meal and set off on a nocturnal tour to explore other species such as the nocturnal lemur, the famous lemur predator, the ‘Fossa’ or Cryptoprocta ferox….

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

04.Reserve kirindy – Morondava

Departure for a daytime visit to the Kirindy reserve. The Kirindy forest reserve is located 70km from Morondava. It is notable for its rich flora (medicinal plants, precious wood trees, baobabs, etc.) and high levels of endemicity.

The Kirindy forest also offers the opportunity to observe various types of animal species at close quarters without any danger: lemurs, Cryptoprocta ferox or fossa, 6 species of nocturnal lemurs, Vositse (giant rat), a local endemic species, snakes, etc.

After visiting the reserve, return to the restaurant for lunch.

In the afternoon, off to Morondava. Visit the baobab in love, then wait for the marvellous sunset on the Baobab Alley, before returning to the hotel.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

05 Morondava / Belo sur mer

Breakfast at the hotel

We take a red dirt track through an arid landscape of dry bush forest, crossing several rivers that can only be navigated in a 4*4 car. Arrive towards the end of the day in the coastal village of Belo sur Mer. Lunch at leisure. In the afternoon, visit the village and the craftsmen who make wooden ‘Botry’ boats, the typical local craft; possibility of taking a pirogue trip into Belo Bay to see a vast Mangrove forest.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

06 Belo sur mer – Manja.

Départ de Belo le matin, en fonction de la marée, ou l’après-midi pour éviter de perdre beaucoup de temps en passant par les salines d’Antsirasira. Déjeuner pique-nique.

Arrivée à Manja, installation à l’hôtel et, si le temps le permet, petite visite de la ville de Manja. Il est à noter que Manja n’est pas une destination touristique, mais pour avoir le temps d’admirer les beaux paysages entre Manja et Andavadoaka, il est préférable d’y passer la nuit.

Dîner et nuit à Manja.

07 Manja – Andavadoaka

Petit déjeuner à l’hôtel ; poursuite du voyage par la longue piste à travers la forêt tropicale, où l’on peut voir des baobabs et des animaux typiques comme l’iguane, l’Uroplatus, etc. Déjeuner libre (pique-nique recommandé).

Ᾱ En fin d’après-midi, arrivée à Andavadoaka, village de la tribu Vezo, pêcheurs sur le canal du Mozambique.

Dîner et nuit à l’hôtel.

08.transfert à Ambatomilo

Transfert à Ambatomilo pour admirer la plus belle plage face au canal du Mozambique.

Neuvième jour : Ambatomilo

Journée libre à la plage

09.Ambatomilo – Ambolomailaka

Petit déjeuner à l’hôtel

Le matin, départ pour Ambolomailaka : en cours de route, sur les rives du canal du Mozambique, vous verrez les magnifiques et extraordinaires paysages de l’Ouest, une vue panoramique…

Dîner et nuit à l’hôtel.

10 Ambolomailaka

After breakfast, visit to the local Renala reserve, where you will find medicinal plants, typical of the region, fauna and flora, and the thorny forest. The emblem of this small reserve is the presence of a species of baobab Adansonia rubrostipa with several different shapes.

In the afternoon, visit the villages and meet the local fishermen and craftsmen. We will have the opportunity to take a ride in a zebu-drawn cart.

Free day on the Mozambique Channel

During the free day, there are a number of activities to make the day complete: seaside massage, snorkelling, boat trip, etc.

Swimming in the Mozambique Channel, sailing to see the immensity of Africa’s largest coral reef and its importance.

13 Ambolomailaka- Toliara – Antananarivo

Return to Antananarivo by domestic flight. Hold luggage 20kg, hand luggage 5kg.

Arrival in Antananarivo, transfer to hotel or visit to the upper town depending on arrival in Antananarivo.

14 King Ambohimanga’s Palace

After breakfast, departure for a visit to the Palace of King Andrianampoinimerina at Ambohimanga or Blue Hill. This hill is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It includes a royal city, a royal burial site and a series of sacred places.

In the afternoon, visit the dyke market. This is a craft market where you can buy small souvenirs from Madagascar before returning home.

Day use at the hotel and after dinner, transfer to the airport.