Madagascar Photo Tour & Workshop

 

A unique photography tour and workshop with Roger Nelson

July 22 - Aug 4, 2012

 

Madagascar is like no other place on earth. Technically it is part of Africa but it is an island separated from the rest of Africa that has allowed its plants and animals to evolve differently. They have over 100 different kinds of lemurs alone, an animal rarely seen anywhere else and their chameleons are big enough and slow enough to easily photograph. But the people are no less interesting. Many came from Southeast Asia instead of Africa and their culture is full of magic and superstition. The people are friendly and polite and easy to photograph. This combination creates a photo rich environment and a great place to take your photography to the next level. You will visit many national parks and animal reserves and nearby villages while learning how to improve the pictures you take. You will come home with jaw dropping photos of unique plants and wildlife, farmers, merchants, fishermen, and of course kids as you fly, walk and ride around this unique county.

 

 

 

Madagascar Photo Tour & Workshop is specifically designed for people that want to experience this unique travel destination while improving their travel photography skills. You will start your journey in Tana (short for Antananarivo), founded in 1625, the capital of the country. Here you will get your first glimpse at their unique culture. You won’t spend long in the big city, though, because the best sites are in the countryside. To make the most of your time here you will fly to most destinations on a chartered plane.

 

 

From Tana you will fly to Finanarantsoa and head to Ranomafana to see some of the unique plants and wildlife that make this place famous – forests of Travelers Palms, troops of brown and bamboo lemurs and your first rural village. You can try your hand at night photography here to capture images of Chameleons and nocturnal wildlife too.

 

 

Next you fly to Isalo a rocky area in the interior of the country with several canyons to explore. You can photograph the Window of Isalo at sunset when the sun shine through a hole in a rock wall. You will hike through canyons to waterfalls with many types of unique plants and animals. The canyons are burial grounds too as the dead are buried in caves high up on the walls of the canyon. The local people here are called Bara and you will get a chance to photograph one of their village ceremonies.

 

 

 

The third stop is Morondava on the west coast of Madagascar. You will stay in bungalows on the beach where you can watch kids play with handmade boats and fishermen come and go in canoes and larger boats. One of the highlights of this area is the Avenue of the Baobabs, a nearby area where a dirt road cuts a path through dozens of these huge trees. Sunrise and sunset times are really special here. You will also visit Kirindy National Park where you have a chance to see Sifakas, one of the largest lemurs, and maybe even a Fosa, a panther like cat found nowhere else. You will visit the morning market and the streets of Morondava to photograph daily life in this town. Later you will visit a rural fishing village for a better look at the boats and the fishermen that use them.

 

The forth destination is Andasibe where you can walk through the reserve to photograph Sifakas, Brown Lemurs, Bamboo Lemurs and Indry. You will also have a chance to photograph several types of lemurs up close in a private reserve at your hotel. A visit to the Village of Andasibe will give you another chance to photograph village life and a folklore performance while the trails around the hotel will provide more opportunities for night photography. On the way back to Tana, you will stop at the Reptile farm in Mandraka for close up photography of Chameleons in daylight. The trip will end in Tana after a farewell dinner as most international flights depart at night.

 

Trip Ratings

 

Physical Demands: 3      Comfort: 3      Culture Shock: 3

 

• Tour Cost: $9,500 per person

• Single Supplement Fee: $875 per person

 

 

For more information, a detailed itinerary and application can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

 

Madagascar Photo Tour & Workshop Itinerary - 2012

 

Madagascar Photo Tour & Workshop Application