126TSARABANJINAISLAND, NOSYMITSIOARCHIPELAGOAs soon as you step off the boat from Nosy Beonto Tsarabanjina Island, you will be handed amask, snorkel and flippers. Then you walkbarefoot to your villa, hop into your hammockand relax - your stay has begun. TsarabanjinaIsland covers just 22 hectares, with 18 guestbungalows linked by sandy paths that weave inand out of the coconut palms and reach fourbeaches, all with powder white sand andturquoise waters. Days can be spent snorkelling,diving, kayaking and enjoying the excellent French cuisine served up by the chef in thebeachside restaurant.The Nosy Mitsio ArchipelagoThe Nosy Mitsio Archipelago is a long way fromthe mainland and accessible only by speedboat.Skimming over the water, you often glimpsebottle nosed dolphins and green turtles comingup for air. The arrival is breathtaking, as your boatslows amongst tiny islands, lush with tropicalvegetation and ringed with powder-whitebeaches. Few parts of Madagascar suffer fromlight pollution and this is no exception: at nightthe stars glitter brightly over the water. Thearchipelago is made up of about a dozen islands.La Grande Mitsio is the largest with the smallfarming villages of Antakarana and Akalava on it.Tsarabanjina is beautiful with volcanic rocks, palmsand badamier trees and four gently shelvingbeaches. Nosy Ankarea is surrounded by coralreefs, while Les Quatres Frères is made up of four imposing silver basalt rocks, covered byhundreds of nesting seabirds.Coral, TsarabanjinaOne of Tsarabanjina's beautiful beachesBungalow at Tsarabanjina IslandSailing in MadagascarChartering a yacht allows guests aunique opportunity to explore totallyuntouched islands off Madagascar'snorthwest coast. You can sail to NosyKomba, the Nosy Mitsio Islands or thefabulously remote Radama Islands. We will design a route to match yourinterests, be they snorkelling, diving,fishing or visiting private beaches. At the end of the charter, the skipper willdrop you off at your next hotel.We can arrange for you to charter oneof seven vessels, ranging in size fromsmall yachts for two or four guests tocatamarans sleeping eight or more. The yachts come with an experiencedskipper and chef and can be charteredfor anything from three days to a fewweeks. The yachts are well pricedmaking this a very affordable option.

www.audleytravel.com/madagascar ?01993 838 585 ?Madagascar127Suggested itinerariesClassic SouthernMadagascarThis is a journey through the towns, villages anddiverse national parks of Southern Madagascar.Meeting your guide at the airport, you enjoy anevening in Antananarivo before heading south at a leisurely pace. As you travel, you will see paddyfields, zebu carts and colourful roadside stalls. Inthe parks you will hike in the rainforest, acrossplains and to rock pools and waterfalls. You shouldsee numerous lemurs as well as chameleons andfrogs. The trip ends with four days relaxing on the beach.Day 1Fly from the UK to Antananarivo viaParis overnight.Day 2Arrive in Antananarivo for one nightat Pavillion de L'Emyrne.Day 3Guided drive to Antsirabe for onenight. Afternoon exploring Antsirabe.Day 4-5Guided drive to Ranomafana for twonights at Setam Lodge. Wildlife walksin Ranomafana with your guide.Day 6Guided drive to Ambalavao for one night.Days 7-8Guided drive to Isalo National Parkfor two nights at Relais de la Reine.Wildlife walks in the Isalo with your guide.Days 9-10Guided drive to Anakao for twonights at Anakao Ocean Lodge.Days 11-13Boat transfer to Ambola for threenights at Hotel Ambola.Day 14Fly to Antananarivo and then Paris.Day 15Fly from Paris to the UK. Arrive back in the UK in the morning.Stay longerYou can extend your trip by flying up to AnjajavyPrivate Nature Reserve. Stay for three nights andexplore the forests on foot and the idyllic coastlineby boat. Every afternoon, tea is taken in the 'Oasis',a beautiful garden where Coquerel's sifakas andbrown lemurs leap through the trees. Withfabulous cuisine and unparalleled service, Anjajavyoffers a luxurious end to a trip around Madagascar.Northern MadagascarExplorerThe Northern Madagascar Explorer starts with a relaxing three days on the island of Ile Sainte-Marie. From here you fly to Amber Mountain tohike in the rainforest before driving to AnkaranaNational Park with its striking limestone tsingy.From Ankarana a beautiful drive through villagesand cocoa and ylang ylang plantations takes you tothe tiny port of Ankify. Leave your guide here andsail to the idyllic hideaway of Tsara Komba forthree days' relaxation on the beach.Day 1Fly from the UK to Antananarivo viaParis overnight.Days 2-4Arrive in Madagascar. Fly to Ile Sainte Marie for three nights atPrincesse Bora Lodge. Explore IleSainte Marie.Day 5Fly to Antananarivo for one night atPavillion de L'Emyrne.Days 6-8Fly to Diego and meet your guide.Drive to Joffreville for three nights atThe Litchi Tree. Wildlife walks inAmber Mountain with your guide.Day 9Guided drive to Ankarana for onenight at Relais de Ankarana.Afternoon hike in Ankarana National Park.Days 10-12Guided drive to Ankify. Boat transferto Nosy Komba for three nights atTsara Komba.Day 13Boat transfer to Nosy Be and fly toAntananarivo. Fly to Paris overnight.Day 14Fly to the UK. Arrive back in the UKin the morning.Stay longerFrom Tsara Komba take a private yacht charteraround the islands off Madagascar's northwestcoast. Sail to the remote Nosy Mitsio Archipelagoor Radama Islands. You can spend each day as you choose; snorkelling, fishing, exploring deserted islands or visiting tiny fishing communities.At the end of each day, you can enjoy a seafoodbarbeque on a private beach of your choice,before enjoying a drink under the stars on the cool of your deck.Tailoring your tripThe itineraries shown are designed to give you aflavour of what is possible, and are routes thatwork particularly well. We can use these as abasis to plan your trip or can design a completelydifferent itinerary to suit your tastes and interests.Please call one of our Madagascar specialists tostart planning your itinerary.Telephone: 01993 838 585Getting aroundThere are two main ways to get aroundMadagascar, by air or in a car driven by an Audley guide. As a general rule, people tend to fly around the north and drive in the south. InNorthern Madagascar, distances are huge androads poor and for this reason it is best to fly. Air Madagascar has a network of domestic flights,all of which originate in Antananarivo and radiateto airports in the north where you will meet yourAudley guide and head off to explore. The mainroad south from Antananarivo, the Route 7, is atar road winding through a number of villages andtowns. It's a scenic route and a trip exploring thesouth takes around ten days.When to go??The best time to travel.?A good time to travel, but there may be some factors to be aware of.~Travel is possible, but this is not the best time of year.?Travel is not recommended.Madagascar runs across several latitudes and itsclimate varies. Broadly speaking, the north is hotand tropical, the west temperate, the east wetand the south dry. In April, May and June thereare some heavy downpours, but these areinterspersed with sunshine. The country is greenand fresh after the rain and lemurs and reptilesare active and readily seen. June, July and Augustare cool and dry and ideal for exploring. Thewhales arrive on Ile Sainte-Marie in July andremain until the end of September. September,October and November are particularly lovely asthe weather is warm, the jacarandas are in flowerand many lemurs have young. The most rain fallsfrom January to March and these are the onlymonths in which we advise against travel.Time difference:GMT+3 hoursFlight time from UK:12 hoursPricesWe offer trips to cater for a wide range ofbudgets. You can find up-to-date guideline pricesfor your trip to Madagascar on our website,alternatively please call our specialists to discussyour plans.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec???~~????????????AnkaranaJoffrevilleNosy KombaAntananarivoIle Sainte MarieAntananarivoAnakaoRanomafanaAntsirabeAmbolaAmbalavaoIsalo National Park