Great Island Adventure Safaris

10/06/2025

MADAGASCAR
IFATY SPINY FOREST A MUST-SEE DESTINATION FOR BIRDWATCHERS
Ifaty Spiny Forest located in the dry southwestern Madagascar boasts a very rich avifauna in terms of endemicity and rarity. This dry and sub-desert forest inhabits some endangered species including the rare Long-Tailed Ground Roller, Sub-Desert Mesite, Running Coua, Green Capped, and Lafresnay’s Vanga …
This forest is preserved by Mosa’s family to protect not only the rare endemic bird species but also the lemurs including the newly discovered sportive lemur nick-named by Mosa “Black Shoulder’s Sportive Lemur”.
Let us lead you to Ifaty and encounter those rare species.
Great Island Adventure Safaris
https://www.gias-madagascar.com

26/05/2025

26/05/2025

MADAGASCAR BREATHTAKING DESTINATION
One of the 10 best wildlife sanctuaries in the world
https://www.gias-madagascar.com

12/05/2025

RUFFED LEMUR SPECIES, ONE OF THE 12 MOST ENDANGERED MALAGASY PRIMATES
Ruffed lemur (Varecia) is an eastern pristine rainforest species including the 2 sub-species Black- and- White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia Variegata) and Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia Rubra).
Red Ruffed Lemur is restricted to Masoala Peninsula and Makira Nature Park (northeastern Madagascar), while Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur occurs along the eastern lowland rainforest to mid-altitude rainforest (1200m) from Makira Nature Park in the north-eastern rainforest (west of Masoala Peninsula) through Manombo Special Reserve in the south-eastern rainforest
Red Ruffed and Black and White Ruffed Lemur are among the largest living lemur weighing about 4kg-5kg. Both feeds mainly on fruit, nectar, seeds and leaves
Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur and Red Ruffed Lemur are critically endangered because of forest destruction for timber and slash-and -burn cultivation and hunting.
https://www.gias-madagascar.com

26/04/2025

MAHAJANGA TOURISM
ROUNDTABLE DEBATE FOR THE PROMOTION OF MAHAJANGA DESTINATION
Great Island Adventure Safaris represented by Bakoly Razanamiarantsoa organized a roundtable debate in English about the promotion of Mahajanga destination last Saturday April 11th, 2025 at American Corner Mahajanga; with strong participation of the young people interested in tourism including tour guides, Association of Mahajanga Guides, students at the University (Tourism, Sciences), artist and job seeker.
These sharing and interactions were not only very productive but have been created a sense of togetherness among the participants, which allowed everyone to contribute their insights concerning the two topics below:
1- Is Mahajanga a tourist destination?
2- How to make Mahajanga one of the best destinations for foreign visitors
Since the last 15 years Mahajanga is a popular destination for domestic tourism, and it boasts several highlights from unique wildlife sanctuaries and unspoiled beaches to amazing culture.
Mahajanga holds great potential for tourism industry but it is less exploited by investors. Despite of its rich biodiversity, unspoiled beaches and unique culture (Fanompona), Mahajanga is less visited by foreign tourists because of:
• lack of hotel infrastructures and the bad impact of hotel tariffs in foreign currency (euro)
• lack of transports and poor road infrastructures which connected Mahajanga to enclosed hotspots like Lake Kinkony, Baly Bay protected areas, Tsingy of Namoroka, Ampitsopitsoka estuary, Antsoheribory old Arabic trading post, Antsoherindava unspoiled beach, Mariarano new wildlife hotspot, Anjohibe Cave…
• expensive airline tickets and lack of domestic flights which connected Mahajanga to Antananarivo, Nosy Be and Antseranana
The participants have suggested also to get an efficient training about natural history, hospitality, and foreign languages (English, Spanish, Italian, German…) in order to offer a better service to visitors.
Great Island Adventure Safaris
https://www.gias-madagascar.com

26/04/2025

Mahajanga Tourism
Roundtable debate for the promotion of Mahajanga destination
Great Island Adventure Safaris represented by Bakoly Razanamiarantsoa organized a roundtable debate in English about the promotion of Mahajanga destination last Saturday April 11th, 2025 at American Corner Mahajanga; with strong participation of the young people interested in tourism including tour guides, Association of Mahajanga Guides, students at the University (Tourism, Sciences), artist and job seeker.
These sharing and interactions were not only very productive but have been created a sense of togetherness among the participants, which allowed everyone to contribute their insights concerning the two topics below:
1- Is Mahajanga a tourist destination?
2- How to make Mahajanga one of the best destinations for foreign visitors
Since the last 15 years Mahajanga is a popular destination for domestic tourism, and it boasts several highlights from unique wildlife sanctuaries and unspoiled beaches to amazing culture.
Mahajanga holds great potential for tourism industry but it is less exploited by investors. Despite of its rich biodiversity, unspoiled beaches and unique culture (Fanompona), Mahajanga is less visited by foreign tourists because of:
• lack of hotel infrastructures and the bad impact of hotel tariffs in foreign currency (euro)
• lack of transports and poor road infrastructures which connected Mahajanga to enclosed hotspots like Lake Kinkony, Baly Bay protected areas, Tsingy of Namoroka, Ampitsopitsoka estuary, Antsoheribory old Arabic trading post, Antsoherindava unspoiled beach, Mariarano new wildlife hotspot, Anjohibe Cave…
• expensive airline tickets and lack of domestic flights which connected Mahajanga to Antananarivo, Nosy Be and Antseranana
The participants have suggested also to get an efficient training about natural history, hospitality, and foreign languages (English, Spanish, Italian, German…) in order to offer a better service to visitors.
Great Island Adventure Safaris
https://www.gias-madagascar.com

08/04/2025

ANKARAFANTSIKA A MUST-SEE PARK FOR BIRDWATCHERS
Ankarafantsika National Park located in the northwestern Madagascar boasts a very rich avifauna in terms of endemicity and rarity. It’s a must-see destination for bird watchers to observe the rare and indigenous birds including Madagascar Fish Eagle, Red Capped Coua, White Breasted Mesite, Van Dam’s Vanga, and Schlegel Asity.
Great Island Adventure Safaris
https://www.gias-madagascar.com

27/02/2025

MADAGASCAR (Morondava region)
Baobab Avenue landscape changes according to season
Visiting the Baobab Avenue during rainy season offers you unusual and stunning landscapes of the dry west, while these stands of dry deciduous plants are covered by green leaves from December to April.
Baobabs are drought-resistant and fire-resistant plants they shed their leaves during dry season from May to November.
The Baobab Avenue consists of several stands of Grandidier's baobabs (Adansonia grandidieri) lined along Road No.8 between Morondava and Belo-sur-Tsiribihina in the Menabe region of dry western Madagascar. It offers a picturesque landscape and became a tourist destination.
The towering flat-topped Grandidier’s baobab (30m height) one of Madagascar 6 endemic baobabs, is listed as endangered species, and includes among IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of habitat loss. Since 2015 the Baobab Avenue became a protected area.
https://www.gias-madagascar.com

10/02/2025

SCARCITY OF MADAGASCAR PYGMY KINGFISHER IN DRY DECIDUOUS FOREST?
It's been awhile I did not view anymore Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher in the nice dry deciduous forest of Ankarafantsika National Park, almost one decade.
Is it the impact of global warming which dried-up streams and ponds in the forests of western Madagascar?