Summit Madagascar

A Photographic Tour of Madagascar

Travel with Summit Workshops on a spectacular tour of wildlife, rainforests, and culture in Madagascar.

The island country of Madagascar is a photographer’s dream. Often called the Galapagos of Africa, Madagascar is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet and is home to stunningly beautiful rainforests, deserts, cloud forests, and beaches. It is also the only place in the world where you can see and photograph wild lemurs!

Our all inclusive Madagascar workshop will offer a completely unique and immersive way to experience the country. Staying in private eco-lodges we will travel through the various ecosystems on the island learning about and photographing the incredible animal species and people who make this place their home. We will even have the opportunity to stay in a private wildlife park (reserved just for Summit) that is only accessible by chartered plane. Beyond witnessing an astounding number of species, Madagascar is also unique in that many species, including lemurs, are easily photographed in close proximity. There are so many, in fact, that you should even be prepared to photograph from the door of your hotel room! Using our expert photography staff and biology guides, let Summit take you on a once in a lifetime journey through the wildlife, culture, and conservation of Madagascar.

There is simply too much in Madagascar to cover in just a few weeks. As such, we are offering an optional one-week extension to the workshop so you can continue your adventure and fully take advantage of being in one of the most unique places in the entire world.

One Week Extension: +$500. Deposit +$4,595 Tuition

What To Know

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Topics We Will Cover

wildlifesq
Wildlife Photography
travelsq
Travel Photography
macrosq
Macro Photography
consq
Conservation Photography

2023 WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

Workshop Faculty and Travel Provider

Ian Segebarth

Workshop Owner & Director

Chris Steppig

Workshop Faculty and Travel Provider

Ian Segebarth

The founder and owner of Rainshadow Expeditions, Ian has led over 15 trips to Africa and has spent the past decade guiding in over 40 countries, covering every continent. He has a background in conservation biology and environmental science, which has fueled his passion for nature and exploration. Ian is a highly experienced scuba instructor and technical cave diver, and has completed thousands of dives all over the world, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Antarctica, and the Caribbean. He is also a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine, and his film work has appeared on Discovery Channel and BBC. In addition to guiding, Ian still has ongoing research and exploration in numerous locations around the world, and he will be happy to share his expertise on these topics.

Workshop Owner & Director

Chris Steppig

Chris owns & runs the annual series of workshops and is in charge of all workshop operations, scheduling, logistics, faculty, social media, marketing and sponsorship. Chris has a passion for conservation, travel, and education and the workshops are a dream platform to help others reach new heights as not only photographers but as people. Chris is also an affiliate of the International League of Conservation Photographers. The iLCP is a U.S. based non-profit whose mission is to further environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography. This affiliation provides a tremendous opportunity to help deliver great content and also be an advisor on matters large and small.

Workshop Information & Itinerary

Trip Highlights

Costs Included In Tuition

Not Included

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Workshop Itinerary

(Please note that the below dates reflect a past workshop. Our next Madagascar trip will run in the spring of 2022. The day-to-day schedule will be the same and we will adjust the dates here as soon as we confirm them)

Plan to be in Paris, France by morning where we will meet at the CDG International Airport and board our flight to Tana, Madagascar. Once on the island, we will transfer to Hotel Sakamanga for dinner and an early night’s rest.

*** To avoid flight delays, we strongly suggest you give yourself plenty of time to arrive in Paris. Consider arriving a few days early to explore the city!

We will wake up early and depart Tana for the Palmarium Reserve on the eastern coast of the island. Along the way, we will have several opportunities to stop and photograph wildlife, scenery, and fascinating local culture. In the late afternoon we will arrive at a river port, and transfer by boat to our comfortable lodge. After dinner we will have the option to do a short night hike in search of chameleons, frogs, nocturnal lemurs, and a wide variety of insects.
Located on the banks of the Pangalanes River in Eastern Madagascar, the private reserve of Palmarium offers incredible up-close encounters with a dozen species of Lemurs, including Indris, and Black and White Ruffed Lemurs. Most importantly, this location offers a very good chance of seeing the elusive Aye-aye. The photographic opportunities here are endless, so be prepared to take thousands of photos!

After breakfast at the lodge, we will transfer back to our bus and begin the 3 hour drive to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. After checking in to our rooms at the Vakona Forest Lodge, we will do a late afternoon excursion into the park.

From our base at the iconic Vakona Forest Lodge, we will explore the nearby Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in search of a huge variety of wildlife. Each morning we will be awakened by the haunting calls of the Indri, the largest species of lemur. In addition, we will find numerous chameleons, frogs, insects, etc. The primary forests in this park are some of the best preserved in the country.

In the morning we will drive to Antananarivo to catch a commercial flight to the Berenty Private Reserve. We fly over the central plateau of Madagascar, en route to the far southeast corner of the island, where we will encounter a starkly different habitat. Here, the dry spiny forest is home to troops of friendly Ring-tailed Lemurs and “dancing” Verreaux’s Sifakas. This location is a paradise for photographers, with most of the wildlife being extremely friendly and charismatic.

Berenty is a scene straight out of America’s desert southwest and is home to dry spiny forests and troops of friendly ring-tailed lemurs and the iconic ‘dancing’ Verreaux’s Sifakas. This location is a paradise for photographers with most of the wildlife being extremely friendly, curious, and charismatic.

After one last morning in Berenty with the Sifakas and Ring-Tails we will fly back to Tana and transfer to the Sakamanga Hotel for dinner.

Today we will have some free time to recover after our journey and repack for the long flight home. There will also be an option to explore the city and gem and fossil market. After a farewell dinner, those not continuing on the extension will head to the airport for the late flight home.

Early morning flight from Tana to Paris

For those who will continue with us, we will depart on a long drive through the central plateau of Madagascar en route to the cloud forests of Ranomafana National Park. This drive will likely take 8-10 hours, but we will stop several times along the way to photograph scenery and local villages.

Extension

One Week Extension:
+$500 Deposit +$3,595 Tuition

Departure day for those not continuing on the one week extension.

For those who will continue with us, we will depart on a long drive through the central plateau of Madagascar en route to the cloud forests of Ranomafana National Park. This drive will likely take 8-10 hours, but we will stop several times along the way to photograph scenery and local villages.

Ranomafana National Park is a truly special place. The cloud forest here is home to a vast array of wildlife found nowhere else on the island. The animals found here include 12 species of lemurs (including the critically endangered Golden Bamboo Lemur), 7 species of tenrecs, and over 160 species of reptiles and amphibians. We will spend two full days on the trails here, and have the chance to do a few night hikes along the road.

Today we will bid farewell to the cool, misty cloud forest and begin a drive to a very different habitat. During the 6-8 hour drive to Isalo National Park we will pass through the cattle ranching region of Madagascar. The habitat in this region is largely open, arid grassland dotted with palm trees and the occasional village. Late in the afternoon the habitat will transition again to a rocky, desert environment reminiscent of the southwestern US. Here we will find our spectacular lodge, which is built into the surrounding rock formations.

After an early breakfast we will venture into the park for a 3-4 hour hike. It can get quite hot here, so we will try to begin our hike in the cool of early morning. Along the trail we will search for strange plants in the genus Pachypodium, and troops of Ring-Tailed Lemurs that live on the cliffs. In the late morning we will return to our hotel for lunch and some free time. Late in the afternoon we will venture out again to a spectacular rock formation for sunset.

Today we will have an early departure to continue south along the central highway. After about 2 hours, we will reach Zombitse National Park. This park contains a different type of spiny forest than what we encountered in Berenty. Here we can find several different lemurs, ground boas, chameleons, and a diversity of orchids. After lunch, we will drive another 2-3 hours to the port city of Toliara. Here we will check in to our beachside hotel overlooking the turquoise waters of the Mozambique Channel.

This morning we will venture past the village of Ifaty to a small reserve where we can see massive Baobab trees, several endemic birds, and the largest Swallowtail Butterfly in Africa. After lunch back at our hotel, we will have the afternoon free to enjoy the beach or go snorkeling on the reefs just offshore.

After a free morning at the hotel to relax and repack our luggage, we will fly back to Tana.

A free day to explore Tana, Madagascar’s capital. After a long trip we will lounge at the hotel, explore Tana’s vibrant fossil and mineral markets, and spend the day shooting street photography.

Return flights to the US from Paris, early at 12.55am

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