The island of Madagascar straddlesthe tropic of Capricorn approximately400 kilometres off the east coast ofAfrica, across the Mozambique Channel. Aformer French colony until the 1960s, it isthe fourth largest island in the world andtwo and a half times the size of GreatBritain. The island is thought to haveseparated from the 'Dark Continent' about160 million years ago when the prehistoricsuper-continent, Gondwanaland, began tosplit apart. Today, Madagascar is home toan outstanding range of habitats, from thelush rainforests of the east coast to the drycentral uplands and low-lying SpinyForests of the south-west, and a trulyunique natural history which we willdiscover and enjoy on this holiday. Ourprimary focus, though, will be on theisland's flora; this includes over 12,000species of plant, of which 9,600 areendemic! For example, six of the world'seight species of baobabs ('Upside DownTrees') are endemic to Madagascar, four ofwhich we stand a good chance of finding.There are 40 species of endemic aloesand over 1,000 species of orchid, 85% ofwhich are endemic. Mention must also bemade of the bizarre thorn-coveredDidiereaceae, perhaps the most intriguingplants of all and a totally endemic familythat occurs nowhere else on Earth!This unusual and pioneering holidaybegins with a flight to Antananarivo, theMalagasy capital, known locally as 'Tana'.Here we spend our first night before flyingon to Toliara (Tuléar) on the south-westerncoast of the island. A short drive will bringus to the coastal community of Ifaty for a2-night stay. Our main target here will bethe Spiny Forest, a fascinating and bizarreecosystem dominated by a unique familyof trees, the endemic Didiereaceae.Through the tangle of thorns and brancheswe should be able to pick out the shape ofthe curious multi-branched Octopus Tree(Didierea madagascariensis) whose trunkscurve to grow into the prevailing southerlywind, and the tall thorny trunk of theSongo-be (Alluaudia ascendens) whichcan reach 15 metres in height. Known locally as 'Ala Maiky', the Spiny Forestenjoys a maximum of only 610 millimetresof rain a year, but supports anextraordinary range of plants and otherwildlife, including such birds as thebeautiful Long-tailed Ground Roller andSub-desert Mesite. We next head north-east to Isalo NationalPark, located on Madagascar's high anddry central plateau, breaking the journeywith a visit to the dry western forests of theZombitse Reserve. Isalo National Park isrenowned for its bizarre sandstonelandscape of canyons, rocky pillars andother extraordinary wind-sculpted shapes.These outcrops are of particular spiritualsignificance to the local Bara tribe and thecaves and rock walls house numerousburial sites and tombs. This park is hometo the endemic Tapia trees (Uapaca bojeri),and the bizarre rock-clinging Pachypodiumrosulatum, also known as the Elephant'sFoot. In addition, we hope to find yetanother endemic, the Isalo Aloe (Aloeisaloensis), along with Feather Palm(Chrysalidocarpus isaloensis), DwarfBaobab (Adansonia rubrostipa) and birdssuch as Reunion Harrier and Benson'sRock Thrush.Retracing our steps back to Toliara, wenext fly to Fort Dauphin on the south-eastern coast of the island. From here wetransfer to the privately owned BerentyReserve for a 2-night stay. Established bythe D'Heaulme family, this 260-hectarereserve protects a mix of Spiny Forest andimpressive Tamarind Gallery Forest. Thebotany is certainly fascinating, but here wecan also enjoy another endemic Malagasyfamily, the endearing lemurs. Berenty isworld famous for its confiding troops ofRing-tailed Lemurs and Verreaux's Sifakas;indeed the Ring-tailed Lemurs in particularare sure to be our day-time companionsas we explore the network of trails thatprovide access through the reserve. Night-time forays may also yield one or twonocturnal species such as Grey MouseLemur and White-footed Sportive Lemur.On the return journey to Fort Dauphin wewill stop to see the Three-cornered Palm,insectivorous pitcher plants and a varietyof plants to be found in the lowlandrainforest and transitional forest to thewest of the town. For our final two nights we catch a returnflight to Tana and then transfer east to therainforests of Andasibe. The lush forestshere are extremely rich in endemic orchidand palm species, but are also home tothe beautiful Indri, the largest and mostvocal of the lemurs. Before embarking onour botanical walks we will visit the forestsearly one morning to hear the Indri sing, a mesmerising and haunting sound that is sure to remain with us long after wehave returned to Tana for our overnightflight home. Madagascar's Endemic FloraA pioneering 14-day botany holiday to Madagascar in search of the island's endemic flora and other unique wildlife.Sunday 23rd September - Saturday 6th October Cost: £4,395Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Tana.Day 2/3Ifaty.Day 4/5Isalo National Park.Day 6Toliara (Tuléar).Day 7/8Berenty.Day 9/10Fort Dauphin.Day 11/12Andasibe (Périnet).Day 13Depart Tana at midnight.Day 14Arrive London.AccommodationSimple but comfortable hotels andeco-lodges. All rooms have privatefacilities. FoodAll included in the price.GradingGrade A/B. Easy to moderate daywalks only.FocusPlants (primarily), though lemurs,birds and other wildlife will also beenjoyed.LeaderPaul Harmes, plus local guide.Single room supplement£595.Web quick search: MDG02184Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryANTANANARIVOANDASIBE(PÉRINET RESERVE)RANOMAFANANATIONAL PARKTAOLAGNARO (FORT DAUPHIN)BERENTYNOSY VEISLANDTOLIARAIFATYISALONATIONALPARKINDIAN OCEANMADAGASCARIndriRainforest OrchidsBottle Baobab, Ifaty Forest

One hundred and sixty-five millionyears ago the huge prehistoricsuper-continent of Gondwanalandbegan to break up. As the new continentsembarked on their slow, inexorable driftstowards their present locations, the islandof Madagascar was left isolated in an ever-widening sea. This isolation allowed theisland's prehistoric fauna and flora freerein to evolve in their own unique way and,today, over 80% of all Malagasy wildlife isendemic, occurring nowhere else on Earth. Perhaps the most familiar, and endearing,of these endemic creatures are thelemurs, one of the very first primatefamilies to evolve and one that is nowrestricted to Madagascar. This 14-day tourfocuses on them (offering an alternative toour popular and successful 23-day tour),and will take you lemur-watching to four ofthe island's very best wildlife reserves,Berenty, Isalo, Ranomafana and Andasibe.Whilst the lemurs will no doubt take centrestage, you can be assured that thesupporting cast of birds, reptiles and otherwildlife will not be ignored.Our holiday begins with a flight to theMalagasy capital of Antananarivo (Tana forshort!). From here we catch an internalflight to Fort Dauphin and then drive theshort distance to Berenty, Madagascar'sforemost lemur reserve. Berenty is situatedbeside the Mandrare River and iscomprised of Tamarind gallery forest andpockets of the bizarre spiny forest. We willexplore it using the extensive network ofgentle trails which makes wildlife-viewingstraightforward and Berenty the idealintroduction to Madagascar's variedanimal and plant-life. We will be basedhere for two nights to enjoy the reserve'sconfiding troops of Ring-tailed Lemurs andthe celebrated 'dancing lemurs' of Berenty,the Verreaux's Sifakas which venture downto the ground to cross in crab-like hopsbetween trees. There are also nocturnallemurs to look for here, including GreyMouse Lemur and White-footed SportiveLemur, while amongst a wide range ofother wildlife are tenrecs, civets andchameleons, plus a range of endemicbirds that include the beautifulMadagascar Paradise Flycatcher. We next make the short flight to thecoastal town of Tulear from where we driveto Ranomafana National Park, breakingthe journey with a 2-night stay at IsaloNational Park. Ranomafana is a beautifulmountainous reserve enveloped in lushrainforest. This is one of Madagascar'snewest national parks, established toprotect the rare, and only recentlydiscovered, Golden Bamboo Lemur whichoccurs nowhere else on Earth. We will bebased here for three nights whilst weexplore the network of forest trails insearch of a wide variety of lemurs andother wildlife. Species to look out forinclude Milne-Edwards Sifaka, Red-belliedand Red-fronted Lemurs, Greater andLesser Bamboo Lemurs, the nocturnalEastern Woolly Lemur and, if fortunate,maybe even the rare Golden BambooLemur itself. This is also a great place tosee the Malagasy Striped Civet or'Fanaloka' as it is known in the locallanguage. Birds to look out for includePitta-like Ground Roller, Brown Mesite,Pollen's Vanga and Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity. For our grand finale we journey back toTana and then east to the rainforestreserve of Andasibe (also known asPérinet). Here we will enter the forests atdawn to hear the eerie cries of thebeautiful Indri, the largest and most vocalof the lemurs. It is a truly mesmerisingexperience to stand in the forest at firstlight listening to the different Indri familiescalling to one another from the tree-tops, asound which, once heard, is never forgotten. We will spend two nights atAndasibe to fully appreciate the sight andsound of the Indri, and the other lemurspecies present. These are likely toinclude Brown Lemur, White-ruffed Lemurand Diademed Sifaka; whilst, if veryfortunate, we may even catch a glimpse ofthe bizarre Aye-aye. Although sightings ofthis nocturnal lemur are on the increase,and past Naturetrek groups have beenlucky, though Aye-ayes are still a rare andvery fortunate treat! Additionally, we aresure to find plenty of birds, including theRed-fronted Coua, Malagasy PygmyKingfisher, Rufous-headed and Scaly-legged Ground Rollers and Velvet Asity,plus a range of reptiles such as Parson'sChameleon, Brevicornis Chameleon orperhaps a Ground Boa. With the plaintive cries of the Indri still freshin our minds, we must reluctantly return toTana for our early morning flight back toLondon, leaving the unique creatures ofthis lost world far behind and returning tothe more familiar wildlife of home. Madagascar's LemursA 14-day holiday to the island of Madagascar in search of lemurs, birds and other special wildlife.Friday 28th September - Thursday 11th October Cost: £3,895Friday 5th October - Thursday 18th October Cost: £3,895Friday 12th October - Thursday 25th October Cost: £3,895Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationANTANANARIVOANDASIBE(PÉRINET RESERVE)FIANARANTSOARANOMAFANANATIONAL PARKTAOLAGNARO (FORT DAUPHIN)BERENTYNOSY VEISLANDTULEARISALONATIONALPARKANTSIRABEINDIAN OCEANMADAGASCAROutline itineraryDay 1Fly Tana.Day 2/3Berenty.Day 4Fort Dauphin.Day 5/6Isalo.Day 7/9Ranomafana.Day 10Antsirabe.Day 11/12Andasibe (Périnet).Day 13Depart Tana at midnight.Day 14Arrive London.AccommodationSimple but comfortable hotels andeco-lodges. All rooms have privatefacilities. FoodAll included in the price.GradingGrade B. Easy to moderate daywalks only.FocusLemurs, other mammals and birds.LeaderCathy Harlow, Tony Williams or CliffWaller.Single room supplement£495.Web quick search: MDG04185Red-bellied LemursGrey-brown Mouse Lemurs