Madagascar’s uniqueness is legendary and nowhere better illustrated than among its beautiful birds. Of the 275 species recorded from the island, approximately 140 are endemic or near-endemic. Five families of birds—the mesites, ground-rollers, cuckoo-rollers, asities, and the vangas—are Malagasy regional endemics. Contrast these numbers with the United States, which has over three times as many species, yet only 9 endemic birds, and no endemic families at all. But the wonder of Madagascar extends well beyond its special avifauna, and we will not neglect the amazing lemurs, colorful chameleons, and the fascinating flora of this island seemingly forgotten in time. Illustrative of this phenomenon, an astonishing 1000 different orchids have evolved here since Madagascar broke away from Africa approximately 165 million years ago. Perhaps the premier area for orchids is the bird-rich misty rainforest of Perinet Special Reserve and Mantady National Park. Here we should find Madagascar Cuckoo-Roller, Pitta-like Ground-Roller, Common Sunbird-Asity, and a number of the vangas, including the strange Nuthatch Vanga. This is also home to the Indri, largest member of the surviving 33 species in the lemur clan. Approximately the size of a human child, Indris communicate with wailing whale-like songs that lend an eerie component to Perinet’s ancient forests. Our coverage of the eastern rainforests of Madagascar also includes Ranomafana National Park, which is home to species such as Golden and Greater Bamboo Lemurs, Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity and Brown Mesite. Afterwards we’ll travel south via the Tolkenesque Isalo National Park searching for Benson's Rock Thrush. The so-called “Spiny Desert” around Ifaty, with its plethora of peculiar endemics and astonishing flora, is yet another jewel in Madagascar’s wildlife treasure box. Among the thorny octopus trees, baobabs, and candelabra euphorbias at Ifaty we hope to find the showy Madagascar Hoopoe, Subdesert Mesite, and the Long-tailed Ground-Roller, the last exclusively endemic to this small area of the island. A special excursion offshore to the tiny islet of Nosy Ve is sure to bring us close-up views of a nesting colony of Red-tailed Tropicbirds, and the possibility of bizarre Crab Plovers. During our stay in the Tulear area we will also visit the specialized "coral rag" scrub of the southwest, home to the recently discovered Red-shouldered Vanga. At present the three pairs near Tulear are the only known representatives of their species in the world. We’ll take time in southern Madagascar to enjoy the natural riches of Berenty, most famous of the island’s lemur reserves. Troops of Ring-tailed Lemurs and alabaster-colored Verreaux Sifakas are constant trail companions as we search for specialties such as Black Parrot, both Crested and Giant Couas, and both the white and rufous color morphs of the spectacular Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher. On the night-shift we may find White-browed Owl, as well as nocturnal Gray Mouse Lemur, at seven inches in length the smallest primate in the world. Other destinations include the seldom-visited deciduous forests of Western Madagascar, haunt of the stunning Schlegel’s Asity, White-breasted Mesite, Van Dam’s Vanga, and Coquerel’s Coua. Wetlands in the west support the last remaining populations of the almost extinct Madagascar Fish-Eagle, the equally endangered Bernier’s Teal, and the rare and local Bernier’s Sacred Ibis. Altogether we should see approximately 90 percent of the endemic and near-endemic birdlife, as well as over half of the lemur species that make this amazing island world-renowned as a living laboratory of evolution.