RijaTours

Who is Rija

Rija is a licensed guide who has been working for many touroperators and travel agencies and has more than 10 years of experience.

He is now working as free-lance guide. In the future he will also be working again with some major adventure-tour operators.

RIja was born in West Madagascar in the city of Morondave, so he's an expert in the western and southern region. Rija can speak English, French and Italian.

"In the trips of Rija, you are really in the bath of the nature which allows you to forget yourself, the civilisation, the technology and its stress; Rija will help you to have a good relax with his description of nature, legend, story and culture of his country. The park is a good place to see the nature and the animals but you are limited there; on the river, you are not limited even when you eat, you can see birds flying."

Email: rijatours@yahoo.com
Telephone: 00261 32 07 558 48

Itineraries:

TSIRIBIHINA

The strong beats of your journey

Combine adventure and relaxation

On the road to the west. River trip on the Tsiribihina. Relax at a Bungalow in Morondava.

- 1st day :
· Meet at the airport and transfer to your hotel in the center of city.
· Afternoon at leisure, visit of king’s Palace at the Blue hill (Ambohimanga) and city–tour .

- 2nd day :
· Early morning-drive to Antsirabe in the Highlands through the green rice fields. Overnight in a hotel on choice of client .
· Visit of a lapidary and few workshop of art in the afternoon.

- 3rd day :
· Direction to Miandrivazo after visiting the sacred-lake Andraikiba or Tritriva .
· Stop at half of the road for lunch. Overnight in a hotel.

- 4th day :
· Starting he river trip with wooden boat after the breakfast.
· You’ll see many kinds of birds like different sorts of heron, wild duck, parrots, raptors, kingfishers, chameleon, insects, etc… and butterflies at the side of the river.
· The guide will make you discover also the tourism through the food because he’ll prepare for you local food like chicken, meat of zebu, fish with vegetables.
· Overnight in tent on a sand bank.

- 5th day :
· Leaving early in the morning to cross the massif of Bemaraha. It gives you a gorge, a fantastic landscape and deciduous forest, which are abundant in lemurs, birds making marvellous songs during all the day.
· Bathing in a natural swimming pool under the best waterfall of Madagascar; and picnic.

- 6th day :
· Continuation after the breakfast to see the landscape of tobacco-culture.
· Passing at a roc where nest big bats of Madagascar and black-crowned night heron.
· End of the river trip at the beginning of the afternoon. Leaving the Tsiribihina River by a zebu-car to join the village of Antseraraka . Overnight in a bungalow.

- 7th day :
· Driving by four wheel-drive to visit the sacred-baobab, the baobab in love, and the famous avenue of baobab before arriving in Morondava.
· Overnight at a bungalow.

- 8th day :
· Return to Antananarivo by plane or by car.

TSIRIBIHINA-TSINGY

The strong beats of your journey

Combine adventure and relaxation

On the road to the west .River trip on the Tsiribihina. Relax at a Bungalow in Morondava. 1rst day : ·Meet at the airport and transfer to your hotel in the center of city.

· Afternoon at leisure, visit of king’s Palace at the Blue hill (Ambohimanga) and city –tour.

- 2nd day :
· Early morning-drive to Antsirabe in the Highlands through the green rice fields. Overnight in a hotel on choice of client .
· Visit of a lapidary and few workshop of art in the afternoon.

- 3rd day :
· Direction to Miandrivazo after visiting the sacred-lake Andraikiba or Tritriva .
· Stop at half of the road for lunch. Overnight in a hotel.

- 5th day :
· Leaving early in the morning to cross the massif of Bemaraha. It gives you a gorge, a fantastic landscape and decidius forest, which are abundant in lemurs, birds making marvellous songs during all the day.
· Bathing in a natural swimming pool under the best waterfall of Madagascar; and picnic.

6th day : ·Continuation after the breakfast to see the landscape of tobacco-culture.
· Passing at a roc where nest big bats of Madagascar and black-crowned night heron.
· End of the river trip at the beginning of the afternoon. Leaving the Tsiribihana River by a zebu-car to join the village of Antseraraka
· Overnight in a bungalow.

- 7th day :
· Driving early by 4*4 vehicle to Bekopaka passing by Belo/Tsiribihina.
· Camping at the side of Manambolo River.

- 8th day :
· Visit of TSINGY or stone forest after the breakfast· The strict Nature Reserve of Bemaraha is classified world cultural riches since 1990 and regarded as Reserve of Biosphere; with its 150 km2, the TSINGY of Bemaraha is the biggest protected area in Madagascar. For many years the wind and rain have been transforming the limestone in long and sharp stones.
You’ll discover by the trekking tour in the big TSINGY or other small TSINGY many endemic plants such dwarf baobab (Pachypodium, euphorbiacea, orcheeds. You can also see other kinds of chameleon, gecko, birds such as Madagascar fish eagle (biggest bird of the Island)

- 9th day :
· Transfer to Morondava
· Discovering the sacred baobab, the lover baobab, and the fabulous baobab alley.
· Relax in a bungalow at the seaside.

- 10th day :
· Return to Antananarivo by plane or by car.

*First, THE EASTCOAST OF MADAGASCAR ANTANANARIVO – ANDASIBE – MAHAMBO – ST – MARIE

- 1st day
· Leaving Antananarivo to Andasibe where the biggest species of lemurs are found, there are some other species as well, including cameleons, and birds.. so on, one night at the hotel Feon’ny ala.

- 2nd day
· Drive from Andasibe to Toamasina, the biggest harbour of Madagascar, nice city with coconuts rimmed.

- 3rd day
· Leave Toamasina to Mahambo, one hour stop at Ivoloina Garden to see a few species of Lemurs and Turtles, very beautiful place. Arrive in Mahambo, relax at the beach – white sand, plenty of Vegetations, nice for snorkling and rich of sea food.

- 4th day
· Drive to Soanieran’Ivongo to take the boat to the island Sainte-Marie. The boat leaves Soanieran’Ivongo to Sainte Marie at 12 o’clock, the best beach of Madagascar, and the only place to see the whales. The north, la Crique and south Ile aux nattes are the best beach to stay. Two or four days at Hotel La crique (north) or Maningory Hotel (south)

Fly back to Antananarivo,

THE SOUTH WITH RANOMAFANA AND 7 DAYS
(backward from Toliary to Tana)

- 1st day:
· Leave Antananarivo to Antsirabe through the highland landscape mountains and rice fields.
· Sleeping at a hotel on choice of the client in Antsirabe.

- 2nd day:
· After breakfast, visit the lake Andraikiba.
· Drive from Antsirabe to Ranomafana national park.
· Stop one hour in Ambositra to see the craft workshop (woodcarving….) and at the biggest waterfall of Namorona.
· Sleeping in a hotel after the night walks to see the lemurs’ active during the night.

- 3rd day:
· Visit the national park of rainforest to admire the bamboo lemurs, birds, cameleons, insects …..And different kinds of plants (orcheed, ficus, palm…)
·Relax at the hot spring swimming-pool; then driving to Fianarantsoa and night at a hotel.

- 4th day:
· Leaving the capital of tribe Betsileo after the breakfast.
:Stop in Ambalavao during few hours to taste the wine of Madagascar at a wine cellar and visit the factory of Antaimoro paper (it is a paper made with a bark of a wood called “havoa” and it keeps its traditional character and used as a decoration).If you are lucky, you can see the zebu market of Wednesday.
.Continue to Ranohira where is the national park of Isalo. Night at hotel

- 5th, 6th day:
· visit:-the monkey canyon
· natural swimming-pool
· museum
· lemurs
This national park is famous in its western landscape of sandstone like far west in U.S.A and ringtail lemurs.

7th day:
· Leaving Ranohira to Toliary and stop one hour on the road to admire the traditional tombs.

Intinerary document can also be downloaded here