Rivers and wildlife of Western Madagascar

Today you begin your journey by boarding your international outbound flight to Antananarivo.

Arrive at your hotel in Antananarivo. This afternoon you can enjoy a guided city tour, taking in key points of cultural interest, markets and local architecture as your guide tells you about the city's history.

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Today you'll be driven the short journey to the boat. Once all your provisions are on board you'll set off downstream. You'll spend the day passing small villages and watching life unfold before you. Towards the end of the day you're likely to take a break near a small waterfall - a refreshing place to take a swim.

Today you'll continue your journey - you can relax in the sun on the boat's open deck, keeping your eyes peeled for the occasional lemur in the forest on the banks of the river.

Your final day on the boat. You'll continue in a westward direction towards Belo sur Tsiribihina. On arrival, you'll be met by your driver and head north for four hours to Tsingy de Bemaraha. After crossing the river on a river barge you'll head to your hotel for the night.

Today you'll set off early for the Grand Tsingy - a forest of limestone pinnacles. The walking is absolutely spectacular here, but you'll need to have a head for heights. There are different walking options available, some more strenuous than others but all taking in the incredible landscape.

Today you might want to take a boat trip on the Manambola River. During the trip, you can visit some great caves and look out for the rare Madagascar fish-eagle. In the afternoon you may want to visit the Little Tsingy, which although not as spectacular as Grand Tsingy, offers some lovely walking trails and a chance of seeing Decken's sifaka, which are endemic to this side of the island.

Today you'll return to Belo-sur Tsiribihina. Here you'll stop for lunch in a good quality restaurant before continuing onwards to Kirindy. Here, if you have the energy, you can take a late afternoon walk. As night descends, you'll have the chance to see some of the area's nocturnal animals. You might also see fossa - the main predator of lemurs in the country.

This morning you'll have the chance to head back into the park. As this is a dry deciduous forest, sightings are often easier than in the country's rainforests. In the afternoon you'll head onto the Avenue of Baobabs in time for sunset, giving you a chance to take some excellent photographs, before continuing onto Morondava where you'll spend the night.

Today you'll fly back to the capital, where you can stay in a day room at a nearby hotel before heading back to the airport for your onward flight.

Arrive home today to complete your journey.