You will experience a trip like no other
Gemology Sapphire Tour
Antananarivo – Antsirabe – Fianarantsoa – Ranohira – Ilakaka – Tuléar – Air flight to Antananarivo
The concept of our Sapphire Tour is to take you to discover the gemological treasures of Madagascar, from the depths of the mines in the bush to the traders in the capital. The Madabrousse company invites you to discover this very specific world, through an elaborate gemological trip in the field where we have been traveling for more than 20 years.
The most of the trip:
-Private reception at the airport.
-Visits to different mining sites and gemstones and mineral markets.
-Visit to the main traders.
-Permanent assistance of the English-speaking gemologist guide.
-Transport by private air-conditioned 4×4 vehicle with driver.
-Assistance from the Malagasy guide and a travel assistant (on request).
-Accommodation in superior category hotels only.
-Selected quality meals. Tasting of Malagasy-made “caviar and foie gras”.
-Assistance for all formalities.
Tour category : Gemology, discover and lux
Contact par mail : agence@madabrousse.com
Agency : + 261 32 02 10 080 Vola Tiana
+ 262 692 77 77 94 Mr Thierry Frizon
Gemmologist : + 262 692 87 29 62 Mr Francis Vallier
Votre voyage : "From the highlands to the Mozambique Channel" a A 12 days field-trip. Organisation and price depend of season, accommodations and activities in option.
In 2008, Madabrousse took 80 members of the AFG-French Gemological Association and their families to explore the mines of Madagascar on an incredible gemological discovery tour. This unique tour will allow everyone to meet small and large traders and negotiate gemstones on specialized markets.
From professional and amateur gemologists to simple enthusiasts or accompanying people, we invite you to follow in their footsteps by reliving this unique tour, the only long gemological field-trip that we have decided to organize in order to make the adventure as incredible as the AFG experience.
You will be accompanied every day by local guides and especially by our AIGS graduate gemologist from Bangkok, French and English speaking, 20 years experience in Madagascar, who will assist you throughout your gemological adventure.
We have tested and chosen each luxury accommodation and meal, and organized special extra activities.
Here is the “Sapphire Mada Tour”…have your loupe, tweezers and dichroscope ready !
Maps
Description of the itinerary
You will arrive in Antananarivo, the bustling capital of the “Red” Island.
We will welcome you at the airport to take you to your hotel but before, if the day and time permit, we will visit one of the capital's stone markets, Andravohangy, the “thieves” market which has only the name!
Dinner at the luxury restaurant "le Marais" with "caviar and foie gras experience" and night at the hotel.
Dinner at the luxury restaurant "le Marais" and night at the hotel.
You will have to get up early to take the legendary National Road 7 to reach the town of Antsirabe, specialized in all kind of fine stones. Located only 170 kilometers away but 5 hours away!
Fortunately, we will have special lunch in Behenjy, a village of natural "foie gras", renowned in Madagascar! We will taste it for lunch...
You will discover the market for precious and fine stones, the “Officers’ Mess” circle with its numerous sales stalls in Malagasy colors. Local traders, gathered in an association, excluding any synthetic or treated stone from their collections! You move in complete safety but it's up to you to negotiate if you decide to buy...... At the end of the day, the traders will come to your hotel with numerous rough and cut stones.
We will stay at the Hotel des Thermes, place of residence of King Mohamed V in exile with his family from 1954 to 1956.
Dinner outside and night at the hotel.
Prepare your walking shoes and your cameras... We will be early in the morning at breakfast to begin a very beautiful excursion in 4x4 then walking through the magnificent landscapes of the highlands to reach the mines of Mount Ibity.
You will discover pegmatites rich in tourmalines and many other fine stones. This walking day will allow us to be in contact with the miners and their families by crossing typical villages, to descend in safety to the bottom of traditional exploitation wells with the miners and surely to acquire some rough stones and minerals. Of course, the descent into the pits is only offered to volunteers... Picnic-lunch on site with the miners then back to town.
Return to the stone market depending on time.
Dinner outside and night at the hotel.Courage and passion...Today we are leaving for the rose quartz and beryl mines.
We cross the landscapes of the highlands in 4x4, roll past the typical villages, tarmac road then chaotic track, before finishing on foot through fields, hills and forests. The path is gradually paved with rose quartz and then we discover the quartz and beryl mines, where a magnificent aquamarine crystal weighing several kilos was found a few years ago by your French guide!
We will spend part of the day with the miners at work, then return to the village, where samples of beryl and quartz will be probably show to us.
At the end of the afternoon, back to Antsirabe.
Dinner outside and night at the hotel.
Come back to the famous Nationale 7 towards the South.
The road is magnificent, surrounded by high mountains, rice terraces, eucalyptus forests and punctuated by many lively villages. We are in the middle of one of the many ethnic groups of Madagascar: the Betsileo. We arrive at Ambositra, the capital of wooden crafts. Visit its shops and workshops.... Short walk in this very pleasant locality, one of the main production centers for Zafimaniry marquetry.
A luxurious picnic is waiting for us in the landscape.
The road continues to Sahambavy where we reach "le Lac Hôtel", near Fianarantsoa, a very nice hotel with a very special atmosphere on the lake. A change of scenery guaranteed!
We will leave the national 7 to go to the tourmaline mines of Alakamisy passing by its picturesque local market.
The track to reach the mines will probably not be in very good condition but the detour is worth it!
After this visit, will then stop at Ambalavao, a typical town whose immense market is also worth a visit.
Dinner and night at the hotel.
Before leaving the region, we will visit the lemurs of the Anja reserve.
We must then leave for the Deep South. The landscapes will change completely, made up of vast dry expanses. We will cross the impressive arid and desolate highland of Horombe to reach Ranohira, a small village at the gate of the Isalo massif.
We finally arrive at the luxury hotel "Relais de la Reine" or "Jardin du Roy", for a very luxury rest. You have to go walking behind the hotel between the rocky massifs for the sunset, or enjoy the swimming pool in its natural setting.
Dinner and night at the hotel.
Here we are on the incredible Sapphire mining site of Ilakaka. It was discovered in 1996 and is the largest open-air corundum deposit in the world. All colors of sapphires in the same mine !!
Our local contacts will take you to the large manual sapphire extraction mines, with surprising and promising names: Swiss Bank, World Bank, African Bank...
You will attend and participate in the sieving of the gemstone gravel on the Ilakaka River. Lunch at “Color Line” will allow you to discover their “show-room” where many quality precious and fine stones will be presented to you.
The end of the gemological trip is almost coming. We take the road again to Tuléar. New change of atmosphere, of landscape, the yellow-red savannah is replaced by dry forest with baobabs. We will only pass through Sakaraha, a small agricultural town which is now colonized by many rough stone traders.
We arrive in Tulear early in the afternoon for a visit to this coastal town, the second largest city in Madagascar. End of afternoon free before a special dinner...
A short visit to the seaside and it will soon be time to transfer to Tuléar airport to flight to Antananarivo. On arrival, transfer to the hotel. End of day free but we can advise you...
Dinner outside and night at the hotel.The morning will be devoted to the “route digue”craft market where you will find absolutely every kind of crafts and with a little luck and haggling, one or few gemstones and minerals...
Return to town for the afternoon to visit the top gemdealers and their workshops. Precious and fine stones as well as jewelry will be there...Last dinner in a luxury restaurant.
Dinner outside and night at the hotel.
The free morning is necessary and will allow us, if flight schedules permit, to review the main traders of your choice before leaving for the airport.
We will assist you with the last essential formalities before thank you and say you goodbye after this incredible Sapphire Tour !
Dinner and night at the hotel.Estimated budget
Depending on season, type of tour and accommodation
Depending on season, number of participants, accomodation and options. Please ask for official estimation.
MADABROUSSE Fares - Excluding Air
On simple request, depending on the number of participants, a quote and complete program with precise description will be sent to you by email.
The Gemological Sapphire Tour is a privatized program. We do not group people who do not know all together on the same trip.
Also, if you wish to modify the number of days of the circuit, your dates, hotels, stages, air flights…
Our agency and our team in Antananarivo will respond to all your requests.
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Le tarif comprend :
The price includes:
The price does not include:
Your desires
-Complete day for Malagasy gastronomy. Caviar and foie gras from local production...So delicious!
-Additional hiking days in the Isalo Park with the choice of hotel or bivouac accommodation .
-Seaside stays in typical and luxury accommodation in Ifaty or Nosy-Iranja.
Request information
Do you want to take a personalized trip? Madabrousse is able to offer you a reliable and quality service.
Payment Information
Payment by Bank Transfer to a MADABROUSSE Company account:
- On BNP PARIBAS if your bank is located in FRANCE
- on BMOI – MADAGASCAR for the rest of the World
It will be perceived:
- 30% deposit upon booking
- 30% deposit upon confirmation 30 days from your departure
- 40% – balance to be paid 15 days after your departure, by transfer, and/or in cash or by CB Visa (no Master Card) on site upon your arrival in Antananarivo
Any trip booked less than 30 days before departure is considered confirmed:
- 60% deposit upon booking
- 40% – balance to be paid 15 days after your departure, by transfer, and/or in cash or by CB Visa (no Master Card) on site upon your arrival in Antananarivo
Madabrousse undertakes to provide all the services mentioned in this program contract subject to payment of all services before departure.
Annulation
Any cancellation must be made by e-mail toagence@madabrousse.com. Your cancellation will be taken into account on the date of receipt of the e-mail. We reserve the right to apply the charges below: From 40 days before departure, the cancellation fee scale will apply as follows:
Services offered
Support
24 hours a day
Wifi
Concierge
on request
Notebook
travel
Catering
on site
possibilities of
change routes
