06 Jul 2025 - 20 Jul 2025 (15 days)
USD6,895 - 1 Space Available on this guaranteed departure
Tour Leader: Robert Wilcox
Tour price (Per person):
USD7,295 * GBP5,509 * EUR6,489 * AUD11,399USD6,895 * GBP5,206 * EUR6,133 * AUD10,774
Single Supplement: USD920 * GBP695 * EUR818 * AUD1,438
Flight costs: USD1,210 * GBP914 * EUR1,076 * AUD1,891
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
Tour price (Per person):
USD7,295 * GBP5,509 * EUR6,489 * AUD11,399USD6,895 * GBP5,206 * EUR6,133 * AUD10,774
Single Supplement: USD920 * GBP695 * EUR818 * AUD1,438
Flight costs: USD1,210 * GBP914 * EUR1,076 * AUD1,891
04 Dec 2026 - 19 Dec 2026 (16 days)
USD7,195 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
Tour price (Per person): USD7,195 * GBP5,433 * EUR6,400 * AUD11,243 * ZAR131,088
Single Supplement: USD980 * GBP740 * EUR872 * AUD1,531 * ZAR17,855
Flight costs: USD1,210 * GBP914 * EUR1,076 * AUD1,891 * ZAR22,045
04 Dec 2027 - 19 Dec 2027 (16 days)
USD7,400 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD7,400 * GBP5,588 * EUR6,582 * AUD11,563 * ZAR134,823
For our Madagascar Highlights birding tours, we have selected only the very best of this incredible country and offered it in a shorter package and at a more relaxed pace than our Comprehensive tours. Nonetheless, we still target all five endemic Malagasy bird families and good numbers of lemurs and other representative wildlife, making these tours ideal for travellers with limited time or less interest in targeting every single endemic bird.
Our first destination is a journey to the bird and animal-rich sites of Perinet and Mantadia National Park in the eastern rainforest zone. The unforgettable song of the Indri drifts through these forests, and we will take time out to find a family group of these, the largest lemur species. Some of the brilliant birds we will look for include several highly sought-after forest birds, including Pitta-like, Rufous-headed, Short-legged and Scaly Ground Rollers, Red-breasted, Red-fronted and Blue Couas, the stunning Velvet Asity, Cuckoo Roller, Crossley’s Babbler, Madagascar Owl, Rainforest Scops Owl, Madagascar and Collared Nightjars, Madagascar (Crested) Ibis, Madagascar Wood Rail, Nuthatch Vanga, Madagascar Blue Pigeon, Brown Emutail, White-throated Oxylabes and Nelicourvi Weaver. Other attractions in this scenically beautiful region are the vocal Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur and the elusive Diademed Sifaka, considered by many to be the world’s most beautiful lemur.
The next leg of this adventure takes us to Ifaty and Tulear for their spiny deserts and coastal habitats. Here we look for the uncommon Madagascar Plover and the beautiful Red-tailed Tropicbird along the seashores, as well as exploring the bizarre, Tolkienesque landscape of multi-stemmed succulents, squat baobab trees and thorny scrub for such spectacular endemics as Banded Kestrel, Running and Red-capped Couas, Archbold’s Newtonia, Thamnornis, Lafresnaye’s Vanga, the near mythical Subdesert Mesite, Long-tailed Ground Roller (an elusive ground dweller best located by its low, hooting call), flocks of noisy Sickle-billed Vangas, Subdesert Brush Warbler and the attractive Chabert’s Vanga.
Our final destination is Berenty, the most famous of Madagascar’s lemur reserves. This is home to no less than six lemur species and the south’s largest colony of Madagascar fruit bats (sporting 1.25-metre wingspans!). The easiness with which to observe and photograph Ring-tailed Lemurs and ‘dancing’ Verreaux Sifakas, in particular, has turned this small protected area into one of Madagascar’s prime wildlife destinations. Some of the birding highlights here could include Giant Coua strolling along the well-cleared paths, Madagascar Buttonquail scurrying through the leaf litter, Madagascar and France’s Sparrowhawks, and the smart-looking Madagascar Sandgrouse.
Subdesert Mesite, Cuckoo Roller, Long-tailed, Pitta-like, Rufous-headed, Short-legged & Scaly Ground Roller, Red-breasted, Red-fronted, Running, Red-capped, Blue & Giant Coua, Velvet Asity, Nuthatch, Lafresnaye’s & Sickle-billed Vanga, Crossley’s Babbler, Banded Kestrel, Madagascar & France’s Sparrowhawk, Madagascar Sandgrouse, Madagascar Buttonquail, Madagascar Owl, Rainforest Scops Owl, Madagascar & Collared Nightjar, Madagascar (Crested) Ibis, Madagascar Wood Rail, Brown Emutail, White-throated Oxylabes, Archbold’s Newtonia, Thamnornis, Nelicourvi Weaver
Indri, Ring-tailed & Red-bellied Lemur, Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur, Diademed & Verreaux’s Sifaka, Madagascar Flying Fox
rainforest, riparian forest, deciduous woodland, spiny desert, mudflats, wetlands
cool to warm, cold evenings in highlands, no rain expected
8 with 1 Rockjumper leaders & local leader
slow to moderate
comfortable hotels and lodges
mostly unchallenging but several difficult rainforest skulkers
120-130
Spiny Desert, Berenty, weird herps & insects, coral reefs, shopping, culture
incredible
David Hoddinott is the best!! He is tenacious about getting all participants on all birds!
This was our first tour with Rockjumper and it was absolutely fabulous. Adam Walleyn is by far the best bird guide we have ever had the privilege of working with. His combined qualities as the overall tour leader in terms of personality, ability to deal with whatever got thrown at him and interactive skills were all great. He was very good at keeping us informed of what was planned and was happening next. He was very good at imposing a gentle but essential discipline on the group - rotation in the procession, rotation of positions in the buses, ensuring that everyone got to see the bird - all made for a really good functionality in the group. His sharpness in the field, knowledge of bird calls and bird identification were simply remarkable.
Stephan was an excellent guide and leader. Excellent knowledge, bags of energy, calm and attentive to the needs of the group. Accommodation and food generally very good and local ground agent had logistics well sorted - even internal flights all to plan.
Adam Walleyn went above and beyond to find just about everything there was to see. His knowledge of herps, mammals and birds is very comprehensive.
Our Madagascar experience surpassed our wildest dreams. We didn't even realise it was a 'birding trip' but David ensured that we saw much much more. The birds were great anyway, especially the pursuit of the magical Helmet Vanga! An unforgettable experience!
Madagascar - Highlights II 2024 - November 2024
Madagascar - Ranomafana Extension III 2024 - November 2024
Madagascar - Comprehensive III 2024 - October 2024
Madagascar - Highlights I 2024 - May 2024
Madagascar - Herz & friends 2023 - November 2023
Madagascar - Comprehensive III 2023 - October 2023
Madagascar - Whitlock 2023 - October 2023
Madagascar - Highlights II 2023 - October 2023
Madagascar - Comprehensive II 2023 - September 2023
Madagascar - Kingsbury 2023 - September 2023
Madagascar - Vounnou 2022 - November 2022
Madagascar - Highlights II 2022 - October 2022
Madagascar - Comprehensive II 2022 - September 2022
Madagascar - Highlights II 2019 - October 2019
Madagascar - Comprehensive II 2019 - October 2019
Madagascar - Comprehensive III 2018 - November 2018
Madagascar - Masoala Peninsula Extension 2018 - October 2018
Madagascar - Highlights II 2018 - October 2018
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