Madagascar Express 2016
Hear the incredible call of the Indri, laugh at the dancing sifaka and see a chameleon change its colour right in front of your eyes. It's all on our packed 7 day adventure to Madagascar!
| When: | 7th October 2016 |
| Price: | £4,850.00 |
| Expeditons leader: | Andy Rouse |
| Group Size: | |
| Terms & Conditions | |
Introduction
Come with Andy and award winning tour operator Natural World Safaris to experience the highlights of Madagascar wildlife in a 7 day whistle stop tour. The emphasis will be on spending quality time getting quality photographs and memories with the most iconic of Madagascar's species. There are many many places to visit in Madagascar, but for the serious photographer there are just a few that yield consistently good encounters. Therefore we have setup this tour to have a southern and a central base, from which we can access the best locations. We will concentrate on these locations, returning for several days to ensure that we get great encounters and pictures, as everyday is different and Madagascar wildlife is tough to find! The base line for this tour is to get great pictures of the most iconic species rather than record shots of the complete fauna and flora of Madagascar. We are travelling only as much as we need to, instead spending quality time with the camera. Unashamedly this trip concentrates on lemurs and smaller species rather than birds.
If you want to see more culture and experience more of Madagascar then Natural World Safaris will be pleased to organise such a tour for you. If you want to come with Andy and get images that you can be proud of then read on.....
Marvellous Madagascar
Madagascar is an amazing country and home to some of the world's most endearing wildlife - lemurs. It's also home to many endemic species such as stunning chameleons, the weird leaf tailed gecko and colourful tomato frogs to name but a few. Every step inside the rainforest yields more wildlife, it's a country where every footstep is one of discovery.
Madagascar draws photographers from the world over. No matter what your interest in photography, fauna or flora, long lens or macro, Madagascar provides a wonderful canvas for you to photograph your own story.
In October 2016, the peak time for seeing young lemurs with their mothers, we are pleased to announce two tours under the Xpress concept in partnership with Natural World Safaris. Travelling around Madagascar is usually full of hassle, especially when flying by air, so to remove this totally we have chartered our own exclusive plane for the transfers.
Each tour is just over a week long, It's Madagascar in a nutshell and perfect for those people who want to get great images, learn from one of the best wildlife photographers on the planet and see a wonderful country without using up all that valuable holiday.
Our focus will be on three lemur species, the verreaux "dancing" sifaka,m the ring-tailed lemur and the Indri. We should see mouse lemurs, brown lemurs, ruffed lemurs and diademed sifakas too. Reptile wise expect to see several species of chameleons, frogs and of course leaf tailed geckos.
Madagascar Express
The concept of this Xpress tour is that we visit the two best places for photography, which will give the most amazing variety of images, whilst only using a week of your precious holiday time. We can do this because:
Experience - we know all the best places to go to get the best images and they are different from most other tours.
Air Charter - due to the hassles of travelling by Air Madagascar we have exclusively chartered our own plane for this trip. This saves a lot of waiting around and stress when flights are cancelled. This means maximum time in the good places and no "filler" overnight stays. It's pure photography.
You will get great pictures of Dancing Sifakas, Ring Tailed Lemurs, Mouse Lemurs, Indri Lemur, Brown Lemur, Black & White Ruffed Lemur, Leaf Tailed Gecko's and Chameleons plus some lovely rainforest too. Expect some surprises too!
Photographic Indulgence
Madagascar is a wonderful place for nature photography and you will learn a lot of new skills from Andy. It is a not a country for long lens 500mm shooters, it is perfect for those with a 100-400, some wide angles and a macro lens. At every step there is a potential picture, from stunning forests to engaging wildlife. Here's some images that Andy took in all of the locations that you will be visiting during this trip, as you see it's an incredible variety....
Experience = Preparation
When the tour get's closer Andy will send out regular newsletters to all delegates, with full details of what photographic gear to take, clothing recommendations and full travel hints and tips. At this stage he will also start to reveal what you will be doing at each location and what pictures you can expect to get.
On the travel side award winning tour operator Natural World Safaris will be taking all the hassle out of that side too, a perfect team!
Photographic Workshop
Madagascar can be a tough place to get great pictures as the light and conditions can be challenging. At the start of both tours AndyR will give a 2 hour workshop covering all aspects of photography during the trip. This will include gear, exposure, composition, use of natural lighting and flash.
At all stages during the trip AndyR will be using his expertise to put you in the right place at the right time. He will suggest new angles for you and help you get that great shot. You will also have plenty of time to wander freely and do your own thing when not involved in group shoots.
Accommodation and Food
You are coming to Madagascar for the wildlife and the rainforest, not the hotels or the cuisine. Whilst the standard of hotels and food is perfectly acceptable, and has been to previous groups, you should not expect international standard 5 star luxury. All accommodation will be safe and clean, with all the basics that you need, and in some cases may surprise you in a nice way. The food can be quite basic but it will be tasty and filling, at Fort Dauphin we will be offered a lot of fresh seafood which is a delight.
Itinerary
Since this tour visits some locations that are not commonly known the itinerary here will only mention approximate locations. Just trust us that AndyR knows exactly where to go to get the best images for you. At Andasibe you will photograph Indri, Black & White Ruffed lemurs, chameleons, leaf tailed geckos and do some night walks too. Of course you will be surrounded by the stunning rainforest all the time and we will often encounter unexpected wildlife too. A visit to the chameleon farm will be included on the way back to Tana, this always yields great images. Fort Dauphin will be a more relaxing pace, targeting ring-tailed lemurs and the famous dancing sifakas. If we get time we may visit a local fishing village, this very much depends on the group and will be arranged locally.
So at this stage the itinerary is very general, you just have to trust that Andy and Natural World Safaris are experts in Madagascar.
Tour 1
Sat 8th October 2016: Arrive on Kenya Airways, met by Andy Rouse with guide and transfer to hotel o/n in Tana
Sun 9th: Morning workshop, lunchtime transfer to Andasibe. O/N
Mon 10th - Tue 11th: Andasibe full day excursions. O/N.
Wed 12th: Morning Andasibe lemurs, afternoon chameleon farm, drive to Tana O/N
Thur 13th: Private charter flight to Fort Dauphin, afternoon shoot then O/N
Fri 14th - Sat 15th 2 full days shooting lemurs O/N
Sun 16th: Private charter flight to Tana, day room at airport hotel to freshen up then departure to airport for late afternoon flight home. Once check-in is complete Andy will depart to meet group 2 arriving on flight at airport
Tour 2
Sat 16th October 2016: Arrive on Kenya Airways, met by Andy Rouse with guide and transfer to hotel o/n in Tana
Sun 17th: Morning workshop, lunchtime transfer to Andasibe. O/N
Mon 18th - Tue 19th: Andasibe full day excursions. O/N.
Wed 20th: Morning Andasibe lemurs, afternoon chameleon farm, drive to Tana O/N
Thurs 21st: Private charter flight to Fort Dauphin, afternoon shoot then O/N
Fri 22nd - Sat 23rd: 2 full days shooting lemurs O/N
Sun 24th: Private charter flight to Tana, day room at airport hotel to freshen up then departure to airport for late afternoon flight home. Once check-in is complete Andy will depart to meet group 2 arriving on flight at airport
Cost and Booking
The cost for this amazing trip is £4850 per person, which is based on sharing a twin room. This includes all accommodation and meals, the exclusive charter flights, all transfers and the services of Andy Rouse and his team of english speaking guides. Single supplement £350. Whilst this maybe higher than comparative tours it ensures that we are not at the mercy of internal flights in Madagascar as they were on strike for 33 days straight last year stranding everyone. In order for this Express tour to work properly it is essential that we charter our flight south.
The price does not include your international flights (which will be handled by Natural World Safaris) , tips or items of a personal nature.
To secure your place on this tour we require a non refundable deposit of £1500 per person.
If you want to come then please email Andy on andyrouse@mac.com
Terms and Conditions
Everyone has their terms and conditions, here are ours:
1 - Once your registration has been confirmed the deposit is totally non-refundable under any circumstances. Similarly once you have paid your final balance the total amount is non-refundable. By paying your deposit you agree to these conditions.
2 - In any dispute the decision of Andy Rouse Wildlife Photography Ltd and Natural World Safaris Ltd will be final and no discussion will be entered into.
3- Prices are quoted on current rates from our ground agents and we reserve the right to apply a surcharge should an unexpected local rate increase occur. We will of course try to avoid this at all costs. By committing to the trip and paying the deposit you agree to this surcharge if it is necessary, if you decide not to pay it and pull out then you will not be entitled to any refund.
4 - All materials and photographs within this brochure are the copyright of Andy Rouse Wildlife Photography Ltd and this may not be printed or distributed in anyway without prior written consent from Andy Rouse or his representatives.
5 - Payments by credit card are subjected to a 2% additional fee which will be advised by Natural World Safaris Ltd at booking time.
6 - In order to cover yourself for an unfortunate change of personal circumstance or an unforeseen medical condition we strongly suggest that you take out sufficient travel insurance to cover this eventuality. In the event that you have to cancel we will provide you with the necessary documentation necessary to claim this back from your policy.
7 - All flights for this trip must be booked through Natural World Safaris Ltd and this is a requirement of this booking. You will be sent a full set of terms and conditions during the booking process.
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