Wild Mission

Stage 1: Antananarivo – Sambava
Our team welcomes you to the red island and picks you up at Antananarivo airport. We will take you to a nearby hotel. There you can relax after the long journey and get your first impressions of Madagascar. The very next morning, we take a domestic flight to the north-east coast of Madagascar. In Sambava, we are greeted by the constant scent of vanilla in the city. The region is the main cultivation area for this valuable spice. Today we still have time to acclimatise, look out for the first panther chameleons or take a stroll through the colourful market in Sambava. The next day we are busy preparing for our expedition. Food and drinks are bought, the luggage is slimmed down – only the essentials are taken to Marojejy. Everything we want to eat or use on site has to be brought from Sambava. There is no possibility of stocking up on the way. If you want to take soft drinks, beer or small snacks with you, you can buy them in the neighbouring supermarket. Everything is then packed in rice sacks weighing a maximum of 15kg.

Stage 2: Sambava – Marojejy: Camp Mantella
Off we go! All our luggage is loaded up at sunrise, then we travel by car or bus around 70 kilometres to Manantenina. The porters are waiting at the park office to transport our provisions and equipment up the mountain. We recommend hiring a “porteur permanent” for the photo backpack for a small fee. Photo rucksack porters remain reliably with us throughout the expedition in Marojejy. Then it’s time: we walk past the two small villages through the rice fields and hills. In the distance, we can already see the UNESCO World Heritage Site that awaits us. On the way, we will encounter panther chameleons and perhaps the extremely rarely photographed day gecko Phelsuma masohoala. After six kilometres, we reach the park entrance and thus the rainforest. We follow a narrow path up to Camp Mantella at an altitude of 450 metres. There we move into very simple huts with bunk beds. We spend the next day looking for reptiles and frogs in the area around the camp. Mantella laevigata is a very common sight in the bamboo, along with a variety of other frogs, and the largest leaf-tailed gecko, Uroplatus giganteus, is also often found here. The chameleons Brookesia griveaudi, Calumma marojezense and the day gecko Phelsuma dorsivittata can also be marvelled at here. We can refresh ourselves in the crystal-clear water of the nearby natural pool between extensive photography sessions.

Stage 3: Marojejy: Camp Marojejya
After breakfast, it is a strenuous two-hour walk to Camp Marojejya. It is located at an altitude of around 780 metres and, situated on a steep slope, offers a breathtaking view of the untouched rainforest. Here, too, we move into very simple huts. We spend two days exploring the surrounding area, travelling cross-country through the gorges of Marojejy. There is hardly anything more strenuous in Madagascar, but also nothing where you can find so many reptiles and amphibians in such a short time. There’s almost nowhere we’d rather be than in Marojejy! Calumma guillaumeti, Brookesia betschi and the unusually colourful Brookesia vadoni are just a few of the many chameleons found here. We can even observe Mantella nigricans and Mantella manery during breakfast. We regularly find Uroplatus lineatus and Uroplatus finaritra not far from the camp. The memory cards glow quickly and hopefully you have enough with you. Because there is no electricity anywhere up here! We are also out and about at night and experience the rainforest from its other – perhaps a little eerie – side. We are cooked for by chefs from the two villages below Marojejy. And we bathe directly in the small natural pools of the nearby waterfall.

Stage 4: Marojejy – Sambava
After a fantastic expedition, we take the long way down the mountain. We say goodbye to the porters, the local guides and our cooks, who return to their villages. What a great adventure we have had together! Finally, we head back to Sambava. After the intensive hike and the journey back to the town, everyone is looking forward to a shower. Camera batteries and headlamps can now be recharged. The rest of the day is spent relaxing, which in our experience is usually necessary.

Stage 5: Sambava – Antananarivo – Andasibe
The very next day, a small aeroplane takes us back to Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo. A vehicle is already waiting there to take you into the rainforests of the eastern highlands. In the late afternoon, we reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Andasibe-Mantadia rainforests. We reside with a view of the rainforest in a nice lodge and can go on our first night stalk along the road in the evening. Several new frog species have already been described along this very road – one even bears the name of our hotel. Boophis viridis and Boophis pyrrhus as well as the ubiquitous short-horned chameleon Calumma brevicorne are common sightings on the first evening. Perhaps a young dog-headed boa, Sanzinia madagascariensis, is meandering through the branches?

Stage 6: Andasibe – Vohimana – Maromizaha

Whilst enjoying a delicious breakfast, we observe Phelsuma lineata warming up in the first rays of sunshine on the ravenalas in front of the terrace. We drive along the winding roads to a small village, from where we walk to the Vohimana reserve. We cross a river and follow the railway tracks for a while until we reach an enchanted rainforest – if you’ve already been to Marojejy, this is a piece of cake. A well-known colour variant of the Parson’s chameleon Calumma parsonii parsonii lives here, as well as the tiny but all the more photogenic Pinocchio chameleon Calumma gallus. We also set off along a river in search of frogs such as Mantella baroni and Boophis boehmei. In the evening, we go on a night walk in a small community park not far from Andasibe.

We spend the next day herping in the rainforest of Maromizaha. Although only a short distance from Andasibe, the herpetofauna here is completely different. The protected area is rarely visited, although only a few years ago a new chameleon, Calumma roaloko, was described here. We head into the depths of the rainforest and into the home of Calumma malthe and Calumma cucculatum. From a viewpoint in the middle of the rainforest, we have a fantastic view over the treetops. In the evening, we return to Maromizaha – this time in search of frogs and leaf-tailed geckos such as Uroplatus phantasticus. They only become active in the dark and then go hunting for insects. The perfect opportunity for great photos!

Stage 7: Andasibe – Antananarivo
One last breakfast with a view of the rainforest, then it’s time to return to the capital. In the colourful hustle and bustle of Antananarivo, we visit the local craft market, where you can stock up on spices and souvenirs. We use a last dinner together to reminisce about the last few weeks. The next morning, it’s time to say goodbye to new friends and this fantastic country. Veloma, Madagasikara! We’ll surely see you again.

Tour itinerary
Wild Mission
On this trip you will experience the most diverse and exciting rainforest in Madagascar – Marojejy. The herpetofauna of this difficult-to-walk sacred mountain range is so unique that you could fill entire field guides with it alone. But also the stay on site in the middle of the rainforest always provides material for adventures and stories. An absolute paradise for adventurous reptile and amphibian lovers! After your Marojejy expedition, you can relax in the eastern highlands. The region with the most frog species in Madagascar and home to the indri awaits you in Andasibe. Our insider tip Maromizaha will surprise you with many other chameleons and geckos in the middle of a fantastic rainforest backdrop. And finally, we visit the Vohimana Experimental Reserve, another refuge for rare reptiles and amphibians. The trip is specially designed for herping, includes extra extensive day and night excursions and guarantees a maximum of reptiles and amphibians in just two weeks holiday on Madagascar.

Travel period
We only offer this exclusive photo tour in January. This is the main activity and breeding season for almost all of Madagascar’s reptiles and amphibians. They are particularly active then, chameleons are more colourful and frogs are easier to spot.

Next date for a group trip:
04. January to 18. January 2027 waiting list available

Can it be a group trip?
‘Group holidays, they’re just coffee trips with weird strangers!’ This is probably exactly what many travellers imagine group travel to be. We at Tanalahorizon would like to prove to you that there are other ways of travelling than ‘all-inclusive and boring’! Each of our group tours is made up of hand-picked guests who share similar interests and are just as nature-loving and open to new things as we are. Humour and good humour quickly bring our small groups of a maximum of ten people together – on exclusive safaris even just four people. We help and support each other as we explore the red island, learn about foreign cultures and search for animals. Many eyes see more than two! For us, travelling in small groups is the most fun and every year we look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones. We have already made many lifelong friends in Madagascar.

Or would you prefer something of your own?
Would you prefer to travel to Madagascar alone or as a couple? Do you already have a circle of friends with whom you are travelling, but don’t know your way around Madagascar? Then we have just the thing for you! With individually planned trips, you can experience your dream trip with just your family, friends or partner. We offer you our best guides, experienced drivers and the entire planning and organisation of your complete trip to Madagascar as a complete package (without flights). We are only limited by the local conditions, which we have known for 30 years. Let us organise your perfect Madagascar dream trip together – with heart, mind and the right feeling for the country and its people on the eighth continent.

What makes this trip special?
This exclusive photo tour offers plenty of time for photography with intensive herping – a dream come true for every reptile and amphibian lover! We don’t just dash in and out of the forest, but spend as much time on location in nature as you like. The small group is particularly important here: only four travellers and one guide are on the Wild Mission trip together. The following highlights are also part of this special trip:

During the rainy season in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Marojejy National Park
Excursions around Camp Mantella, Marojejy
Safari to the critically endangered silky sifakas
Expedition around Camp Marojejya, Marojejy
Extensive night excursions in all destinations
Night safari in the V.O.I.M.M.A. Community Park (approx. 2-4 h)
Expedition to the Maromizaha conservation area
Night hike in the Maromizaha conservation area (approx. 3-5 h)
Excursion in the rainforest of Vohimana