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Madagascar - Mega

© White-breasted Mesite by David Hoddinott
Madagascar - Mega

USD16,750 SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Rockjumper Tour Leader TBC

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Tour Price (Per person): USD16,750 (GBP12,832 * EUR14,668 * AUD24,316)

Single Supplement: USD1,450 (GBP1,111 * EUR1,270 * AUD2,105)

Flight costs: USD2,370 (GBP1,816 * EUR2,075 * AUD3,441)

Pricing notes : Tour price based on a minimum group size of 6 guests. Please contact our Tailor-made team on tailormade@rockjumper.com for more details and accurate costs.

At Rockjumper, we’ve built an outstanding reputation in Madagascar, having led over 150 tours to the world’s fourth-largest island in the past decade. Often called the "Eighth Continent" due to its size and extraordinary biodiversity, Madagascar is a truly unique destination. Our Mega Tour is designed to target nearly every single one of the island’s endemic bird species. We’ll explore all the key habitats, building an impressive list of sightings that includes not just birds, but also lemurs, reptiles, chameleons, and frogs.

Rainforest highlights include the breathtaking Masoala Peninsula, the remote Montagne d’Ambre, and the renowned Ranomafana and Andasibe-Mantadia National Parks. Here, we’ll search for iconic species like Helmet, Pollen’s, and Bernier’s Vangas, all four rainforest ground rollers, Amber Mountain Rock Thrush, Brown Mesite, Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity, Velvet Asity, and the elusive Madagascar Serpent Eagle.

One of the tour’s standout experiences will be a visit to the remote Lac Matsaborimena, where we’ll look for rare and endangered species such as the Madagascan Pochard, Slender-billed Flufftail, Malagasy Harrier, and the elusive Red Owl. We’ll also explore the dry deciduous forests of Ankarafantsika, home to highly localized species like Van Dam’s Vanga, White-breasted Mesite, and Schlegel’s Asity.

No trip to Madagascar is complete without a visit to the spiny forests of the southwest - an otherworldly landscape teeming with remarkable species like the Long-tailed Ground Roller and Subdesert Mesite. Off-the-beaten-track stops will include Lac Kinkony, where we hope to find the elusive Sakalava Rail, and the Andohahela Mountains, stronghold of the nearly mythical Red-tailed Newtonia. Nearly every plant and animal on this island is found nowhere else on Earth. But with much of its unique habitat threatened by ongoing deforestation, Madagascar is not only a must-visit destination - it’s also a critical region in urgent need of conservation.

This tour is made available through our Tailor-made tours department. To explore this offering further for pricing, precise day to day itinerary, inclusions & exclusions, or to tailor the tour to your personal requirements, please contact our Tailor-made team on tailormade@rockjumper.com

Top Birds

Meller's Duck; Bernier's Teal; Madagascar Pochard; Madagascar Partridge; Collared Nightjar; Crested, Verreaux's, Blue, Red-capped, Olive-capped, Red-fronted, Coquerel's, Running, Giant & Red-breasted Couas; White-breasted, Brown & Subdesert Mesites; Madagascar Sandgrouse; Madagascar Green Pigeon; Madagascar Blue Pigeon; Madagascar Forest & Tsingy Forest Rails; Madagascar & Slender-billed Flufftails; Madagascar & Sakalava Rails; Madagascar Grebe; Madagascar Buttonquail; Madagascar Plover; Madagascar Jacana; Madagascar Snipe; Madagascar Ibis; Humblot's Heron; Madagascar Harrier-Hawk; Madagascar Serpent Eagle; Madagascar Cuckoo-Hawk; Madagascar Sparrowhawk; Henst's Goshawk; Madagascar Fish Eagle; Madagascar Buzzard; Red, White-browed; Torotoroka Scops, Rainforest Scops & Madagascar Owls; Madagascar Hoopoe; Short-legged Ground, Scaly Ground, Pitta-like Ground, Rufous-headed Ground & Long-tailed Ground Rollers; Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher; Banded Kestrel; Lesser Vasa Parrot; Grey-headed Lovebird; Schlegel's & Velvet Asitys; Common & Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asitys; Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Hook-billed, Bernier's, Lafresnaye's, Van Dam's, Pollen's, Sickle-billed, White-headed, Chabert, Madagascar Blue, Rufous, Helmet, Tylas, Crossley's & Nuthatch Vangas; Dark, Common, Archbold's & Red-tailed Newtonia; Ward's Flycatcher; Madagascar Cuckooshrike; Madagascar Lark; Madagascar Martin; Subdesert Brush, Madagascar Swamp, Cryptic & Rand’s Warblers; Grey & Brown Emutails; White-throated Oxylabes; Long-billed Bernieria;; Wedge-tailed Jery; Thamnornis; Spectacled, Appert's, Grey-crowned & Dusky (?) Tetrakas; Madagascar Yellowbrow; Common, Green & Stripe-throated Jerys; Madagascar Starling; Madagascar Magpie-Robin; Amber Mountain Rock, Forest Rock & Littoral Rock Thrushes; Nelicourvi & Sakalava Weavers; Forest Fody; Madagascar Mannikin; Madagascar Wagtail.

Top Mammals

Indri; Ring-tailed, Crowned & Mongoose Lemurs; Diademed, Crowned, Milne Edward’s, Van der Decken’s & Verreaux’s Sifakas; Golden & Greater Bamboo Lemurs; Golden-brown Mouse Lemur; Hubbard’s & Ankarana Sportive Lemurs; Sambirano Avahi; Amber Mountain Fork-marked & Red Ruffed Lemurs; Lowland Streaked & Greater Hedgehog Tenrecs; Fossa; Aye-Aye.

Habitats Covered

lowland and montane rainforests, dry deciduous forest, riparian forest, spiny forest, mudflats, wetlands

Expected Climate

warm to very hot, cooler evenings in highlands, some rainfall possible

Max Group Size

8 & 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

DIFFICULT: This is a high-intensity “mega” tour designed for passionate listers and serious birders who enjoy a fast-paced schedule. Due to its demanding nature, it’s not recommended for avid photographers, inexperienced birders, or anyone with mobility or health limitations.

Fast to brisk paced tour suited for those in good health with very good level of fitness & stamina. Not suited for anyone with mobility challenges or serious medical conditions.

Accommodation

Comfortable standard of hotels & resorts in contrasted with more basic lodges & basic camping.

Ease of Birding

Moderate, several difficult rainforest skulkers that may require repeat efforts. Target focussed trip.

Number of Species Expected

200+

Other Attractions

spiny forest, Berenty, strange herps & insects, coral reefs, shopping, culture

Photographic Opportunities

Excellent to incredible.

What our clients say about us

xHeinz Ortmann
JT, Madagascar 2015

Just a short note to say that I thought Heinz did a great job with the Masoala extension---he's a a sharp birder, energetic, and very personable with a lot of good stories! I look forward to traveling on another trip with him…

Stephan Lorenz
SW, Madagascar 2022

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
RR, Madagascar

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.

Adam Walleyn
KO & MD, Madagascar 2018

Adam Walleyn was amazing, and we will definitely be looking into arranging a private Rockjumper tour with him in the future. Not only did he have extensive knowledge of the birds, but also the other flora and fauna, as well as some of the historical aspects of Madagascar.

Gregory de Klerk
SC - Madagascar

We had been with Greg before on the Ethiopia tour. We selected this tour because Greg was leading it. Not only does he have excellent birding skills, but he also has excellent people skills. He kept the tour running smoothly, handled problems quickly, and was most anxious that every member of the tour got to see the birds if at all possible. We would definitely travel with him again. We got lots of new birds, had lots of laughs, and enjoyed our fellow birders.

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Route Map

Tour Route Map