Madagascar Adventure: 14 Days — Nosy Be Beach & Island, Amber Mountain & Lokobe Lemurs, Diego Suarez & Emerald Sea

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1-2: Antananarivo — The Thousand Hills

Arrive Tana. Two days exploring Madagascar’s highland capital: Queen’s Palace, Ambohimanga (UNESCO, the sacred royal hill), Analakely Market, and Lemurs’Park (a private reserve near Tana where 9 lemur species roam free, excellent for close-up photography and an introduction to Madagascar’s flagship animals).

Day 3-5: Nosy Be — The Perfume Island

Fly to Nosy Be (1h30m), Madagascar’s premier beach destination off the northwest coast. Nosy Be (“Big Island” in Malagasy) is an island of vanilla plantations, ylang-ylang distilleries (the perfume flower that gives Chanel No. 5 one of its key notes — Nosy Be produces much of the world’s supply), rum distilleries, and turquoise waters. Three days of paradise: snorkeling at Nosy Tanikely marine reserve (sea turtles, reef fish, coral gardens in crystal-clear water), whale watching (humpback whales migrate through the Mozambique Channel July-September from Antarctica — watching a 15m, 30-ton creature breach is unforgettable), and the Lokobe Reserve (Nosy Be’s last remaining primary rainforest, home to the black lemur — the male is black, the female is reddish-brown, one of the few lemur species with such dramatic sexual dimorphism — and the world’s smallest chameleon, Brookesia minima, at just 29mm).

Evenings: fresh seafood on the beach, the scent of ylang-ylang on the breeze, and the sound of the Indian Ocean. The pace is perfectly relaxed — this is a tropical island after all — with options for scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, or simply doing nothing on white-sand beaches. Overnights on Nosy Be.

Day 6-8: Diego Suarez & Amber Mountain — The Deep North

Fly to Diego Suarez (Antsiranana, 1 hour), the northernmost city in Madagascar, set on the world’s second-largest natural bay (156 km of coastline). Diego Suarez was a French naval base and the architecture reflects its colonial past — art deco buildings, wide avenues, and the remains of French fortifications. Spend Day 6 exploring: the bays, the French Mountain viewpoint for panoramic views of the bay and the Indian Ocean, and the lively market in the city center.

Days 7-8: Amber Mountain National Park (182 km²), Madagascar’s oldest national park (1958) and one of its most biodiverse. The park is an isolated massif of volcanic origin reaching 1,475m, capturing moisture from the Indian Ocean to create a microclimate of montane rainforest surrounded by dry plains. The temperature here is 10-15°C cooler than the coast — a welcome relief. The park is home to 8 lemur species, including the crowned lemur (endemic to the far north), Sanford’s brown lemur, and the tiny Amber Mountain fork-marked lemur. The hiking trails pass through giant strangler figs, waterfalls (the Cascade d’Antomboka drops 80m through misty forest), and crater lakes. 75 bird species, 60 reptile species, and 35 frog species (all endemic) make this a biodiversity hotspot. The park’s signature image: a crowned lemur silhouetted against a giant rainforest tree, with mist rising from the canopy after rain. Overnights in Diego Suarez and at Amber Mountain.

Day 9-10: Ankarana — The Tsingy of the North

Drive south to Ankarana Special Reserve (182 km²), a fortress of limestone needles — the “Tsingy of the North.” Like Tsingy de Bemaraha, but smaller and more accessible, Ankarana’s razor-sharp limestone formations harbor isolated pockets of forest within their canyons. Unlike Bemaraha, Ankarana still has its forest cover intact, so the experience is of walking through dense forest that suddenly opens onto a limestone labyrinth. The reserve is famous for its caves — the Crocodile Cave (home to Nile crocodiles living in complete darkness, surviving on bats that fall into the water), the Cave of the Bats (exactly what it sounds like — thousands of bats roosting on the ceiling), and the Perte de Rivière (a river that disappears underground for 10 km through the limestone). Crowned lemurs, Sanford’s brown lemurs, and the occasional fossa inhabit the forest patches between the tsingy. The walking involves suspension bridges and viewing platforms overlooking the needle forest. Overnight near Ankarana.

Day 11-12: Emerald Sea & Nosy Hara

Return to Diego Suarez for two days of coastal exploration. The Emerald Sea (Mer d’Émeraude) is a lagoon of impossibly turquoise water studded with small limestone islands, home to sea turtles, dolphins, and exceptional snorkeling. Spend a day boating between the islands, snorkeling among coral gardens, and having a barbecue on a deserted beach. Optional trip to Nosy Hara archipelago, a UNESCO tentative site — dramatic limestone karst islands rising from the sea, home to the world’s smallest chameleon (Brookesia micra, 29mm, discovered 2012). The islands are also a nesting site for green and hawksbill turtles. Evenings in Diego Suarez, trying the local specialty — romazava (a leafy green stew with zebu meat, considered the national dish) and fresh seafood from the bay.

Day 13-14: Return to Tana & Departure

Fly from Diego Suarez back to Tana. Last afternoon for artisan shopping — Antaimoro paper, vanilla beans, wild pepper, raffia bags, and zebu-horn crafts. Farewell dinner of Malagasy cuisine: vary amin’anana (rice with greens and meat), ravitoto (pounded cassava leaves with pork), and for the adventurous, Malagasy chocolate (Madagascar produces some of the world’s finest criollo cocoa). Day 14: transfer to airport for departure.

Inclusions

• 13 nights accommodation (hotels, eco-lodges, beach resort)
• Daily breakfast, 6 lunches, 4 dinners
• Domestic flights: Tana-Nosy Be, Nosy Be-Diego Suarez, Diego Suarez-Tana
• All transfers
• Professional guide
• Amber Mountain guided walks, Ankarana exploration, Nosy Tanikely snorkeling, Lokobe Reserve
• Emerald Sea boat day
• Park entrance fees

Exclusions

• International flights, visa ($37), travel insurance
• Personal expenses, scuba diving (optional)