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

Madagascar lies off the coast of eastAfrica, across the MozambiqueChannel, and straddles the Tropicof Capricorn. Separated from the Africanmainland for some 165 million years, theisland has developed in its own ecologicalniche and today possesses a unique andextremely diverse natural history. About80% of its plants, 40% of its birds andvirtually all of the mammals, reptiles andamphibians occur nowhere else in theworld. It harbours 34 known species ofchameleon (whereas Africa has only nine!),30 lemurs (primates unique to Madagascar)and seven baobabs (Africa has only one).Even now, new species are still beingdiscovered as biological survey workcontinues. Its exceptional biodiversity andthe disturbingly fast pace of environmentaldestruction make Madagascar a worldconservation priority.Madagascar enjoys an extensive network ofprotected areas, most of which are open tovisitors. Park fees go towards maintainingreserves, with some economic benefits tolocal people ensuring that Madagascar'stourist industry provides a good incentive toconserve its valuable ecology.Our holiday begins with a flight toMadagascar's capital, Antananarivo, knowncolloquially as 'Tana'. From here we headsouth through the terraced hillsides of theHauts Plateau to the lush highlandrainforests of Ranomafana National Park,spending one night in Antsirabe en route.Ranomafana is one of Madagascar's mostrecently designated national parks. Herewe hope to see our first lemur speciesranging in size from the large Milne-Edwards Sifaka to the tiny Rufous MouseLemur. If fortunate we may even glimpse aGolden Bamboo Lemur, a species endemicto the park and only discovered in 1986!We are also ensured of a wide variety ofexciting birds which we hope will includeYellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity, Rufous-headedGround Roller, Brown Mesite andCrossley's Babbler. We next head south-west, across typicalhigh plateau scenery of rice paddies,villages and smooth granite mountains,known as 'Inselbergs'. We will visit IsaloNational Park, an eroded karstic limestonemassif. Here we will find several species ofthe bizarre Pachypodium('thick foot')plants as well as Benson's Rock Thrushwhich is confined to this site.Moving on, we drive to the coastal town ofTuléar and then complete our journey toAnakao by sea, passing the largest barrierreef in the Indian Ocean en route. We willspend one night at the traditional 'vezo'fishing village of Anakao, from where wewill visit the nearby island of Nosy Ve. Here we can snorkel amongst the coralsand visit a colony of graceful Red-tailedTropicbirds, along with various terns and waders, which occasionally includeCrab Plover.Returning to Tuléar, we head north to Ifaty,our base for the next two nights whilst weexplore Madagascar's dry south-westerndomain, rich in plant-life and with thehighest proportion of endemic plantfamilies in the country. From ourcomfortable beach-front hotel we willexplore the famous Malagasy Spiny Forest,characterised by the cactus-like trees of theDidiereaceaefamily, where we will searchfor the elusive Sub-desert Mesite and thestunning Long-tailed Ground Roller,arguably the most beautiful ofMadagascar's many endemic birds.Next we will take the short flight to FortDauphin on Madagascar's south-easterntip and drive to Berenty, its most famouslemur reserve. Here we will stay for twonights allowing us plenty of time to enjoythe resident troops of Ring-tailed Lemursand the opportunity to see the celebrated'dancing lemurs', the Sifakas of Berenty,which come down to the ground to cross incrab-like hops between the trees. Berentyis also home to a wide variety of otherwildlife and during our stay we will be onthe look out for birds such as MadagascarCuckoo-falcon and MadagascarSparrowhawk and reptiles such as Austalatiand Lateralis Chameleons and perhaps thelarge Ground Boa. Next we fly north to the coastal town ofMahajanga, from where we transfer toAmpijoroa Forestry Station, part of thelarger Ankarafantsika Nature Reserve, for a2-night stay. The reserve protects some ofMadagascar's very best western dry forestsand is home to the Coquerel's Sifaka, abeautiful silky-white and chestnut lemur,together with Mongoose Lemur, WesternWoolly Lemur and the recently discovered(1998) Golden-brown Mouse Lemur. Birdsare equally plentiful and include Van Dam'sVanga, Schlegel's Asity, White-breastedMesite and the critically endangeredMadagascar Fish Eagle.We end our holiday with three nights atAndasibe (also known as Périnet) and theunforgettable experience of entering theforests at dawn to hear the eerie cries ofthe Indri, the largest and most vocal of thelemurs. We also hope to see this beautifulanimal during our stay, along withDiademed Sifaka, Grey Bamboo Lemur andRed-bellied Lemur. Birdlife is equallyabundant and should include MalagasyPygmy Kingfisher, Red-fronted Coua,Madagascar Wood Rail and Scaly GroundRoller. All these are a supporting cast,however, for they cannot hope to competewith the sound of the Indri at dawn, a fittingfinale to our tour and an experience toremember as we drive back to Tana tocatch our flight home.MadagascarA 23-day wildlife holiday in search of the unusual birds, plants and mammals of the forests of Madagascar.Tuesday 16th October - Wednesday 7th November Cost: £5,595Outline itinerary Day 1 Fly Tana.Day 2 Antsirabe.Day 3/5Ranomafana. Day 6/7Isalo.Day 8 Toliara (Tuléar).Day 9 Anakao.Day 10/11Ifaty.Day 12 Fort Dauphin.Day 13/14Berenty. Day 15 Tana.Day 16/17Ampijoroa. Day 18Mahajanga. Day 19/21Andasibe. Day 22Depart Tana at midnight. Day 23Arrive London.AccommodationThe best hotels and lodgesavailable (some of these are fairlybasic), most with private facilities;camping at Ampijoroa. FoodAll included in the price. GradingGrade B. Day walks only. FocusBirds, mammals and plants. LeaderCathy Harlow, plus local guides.Single room supplement £895.Web quick search: MDG01186Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryANTANANARIVO ANDASIBE (PÉRINET RESERVE) FIANARANTSOA RANOMAFANA NATIONAL PARK IHOSY TAOLAGNARO (FORT DAUPHIN) BERENTY NOSY VE ISLAND ANAKAOTOLIARAIFATY ISALONATIONALPARKANTSIRABE MAHAJANGA AMPIJOROA INDIAN OCEAN MADAGASCARVerreaux's SifakaRing-tailed LemurLong-tailed GroundRoller