Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Antananarivo
Welcome at Ivato International Airport. Transfer to your hotel. Afternoon: city tour of Antananarivo — Upper Town, Queen’s Palace, and the vibrant Analakely Market. Welcome dinner with your expert naturalist guide who will accompany you throughout this extraordinary 22-day journey. Comprehensive trip briefing. Overnight in Antananarivo. (D)
Day 2: Antananarivo → Andasibe — Indri Territory
Morning drive east through highland rice paddies to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. The landscape transforms from open plateaus to dense primary rainforest. Afternoon walk in Analamazaotra Special Reserve — your first lemur encounter. Look for the indri, brown lemurs, and the impossibly fluffy eastern woolly lemur. The chameleon diversity here is stunning — from the enormous Parson’s chameleon to the tiny Brookesia leaf chameleon, one of the world’s smallest reptiles. Overnight near Andasibe. (B)
Day 3: Andasibe — Indri Dawn Chorus & Mantadia
Pre-dawn walk for the indri’s haunting song — the primal call of Madagascar’s largest lemur echoing through the misty rainforest. This is one of the continent’s greatest wildlife encounters. After breakfast, explore Mantadia National Park, Andasibe’s wilder neighbor with primary forest and fewer visitors. Excellent chances for diademed sifaka (the most beautiful lemur), black-and-white ruffed lemur, and red-bellied lemur. Afternoon: Vakona Lemur Island for close encounters. Evening: night walk for mouse lemurs, tree frogs, and sleeping chameleons. Overnight near Andasibe. (B, L)
Day 4: Fly to Morondava — Avenue of the Baobabs
Morning return drive to Antananarivo, then fly west to Morondava. The contrast is immediate — dry heat, baobab trees, and a completely different ecosystem. Late afternoon: the Avenue of the Baobabs. Dozens of Grandidier’s baobabs, ancient and immense, line the dirt road. The sunset here is legendary — the trees become black silhouettes against a sky of burning orange, pink, and purple. Stay until the last light. Overnight in Morondava. (B)
Day 5: Kirindy Reserve — Fossa Tracking
Full-day excursion to Kirindy Reserve, Madagascar’s premier dry forest wildlife destination. The fossa is the star — Madagascar’s apex predator, resembling a small puma. With patience and expert tracking, you may observe this elusive carnivore. Kirindy hosts seven lemur species including the dancing Verreaux’s sifaka, plus the giant jumping rat, narrow-striped mongoose, and three endemic baobab species. The birdlife is excellent — giant coua, crested coua, and sickle-billed vanga among over 60 species recorded. Overnight in Morondava. (B, L)
Day 6: Morondava → Bekopaka — Tsingy Gateway
Full-day drive through the baobab-studded western savanna to Bekopaka. Cross the Tsiribihina River by local ferry and pass through Sakalava villages. The landscape grows increasingly dramatic as the Tsingy massif appears on the horizon. Overnight in Bekopaka. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Grand Tsingy de Bemaraha — The Stone Forest
A day that defies description. The Grand Tsingy is a UNESCO World Heritage site protecting 152,000 hectares of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles — a “stone forest” where suspended rope bridges connect peaks and via ferrata routes navigate impossibly narrow canyons. Decken’s sifaka lemurs navigate this vertical world with supernatural grace. The tsingy ecosystem supports 11 lemur species, over 100 bird species, and endemic reptiles found nowhere else. Reach the Cathedral viewpoint for the definitive panorama. Overnight in Bekopaka. (B, L, D)
Day 8: Petit Tsingy & Manambolo River
Morning: Petit Tsingy exploration, then a traditional dugout canoe journey on the Manambolo River through limestone gorges. Pass Vazimba burial caves hidden in the cliffs — the Vazimba were Madagascar’s legendary first inhabitants. Afternoon return drive to Morondava, arriving for a second sunset at the Avenue of the Baobabs. Overnight in Morondava. (B, L)
Day 9: Fly to Tana → Drive to Antsirabe
Morning flight to Antananarivo, then drive south on RN7 to Antsirabe. This colonial-era spa town at 1,500 meters offers a refreshing change of climate. Afternoon rickshaw tour: tree-lined boulevards, thermal springs, and gemstone workshops — Antsirabe is Madagascar’s center for semi-precious stone cutting and polishing. Overnight in Antsirabe. (B)
Day 10: Antsirabe → Ranomafana National Park
Continue south through highland landscapes. Stop in Ambositra at Zafimaniry woodcarving workshops — their intricate geometric patterns are UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage. Arrive at Ranomafana National Park by afternoon. This cloud forest was established in 1991 to protect the golden bamboo lemur, a cyanide-eating specialist discovered here in 1986. Evening: night walk for mouse lemurs, chameleons, and Malagasy tree frogs. Overnight near Ranomafana. (B)
Day 11: Ranomafana — Cloud Forest Lemur Tracking
Dawn walk for the golden bamboo lemur and Ranomafana’s other 11 lemur species. The park’s star is the golden bamboo lemur, but Milne-Edwards’ sifaka (velvet-black with white patches), greater bamboo lemur, red-bellied lemur, and red-fronted brown lemur are equally compelling. Afternoon: thermal hot springs and the research station. Optional second night walk — different species emerge on different nights. Overnight near Ranomafana. (B, L)
Day 12: Ranomafana → Isalo National Park
Drive south through Fianarantsoa, the Betsileo cultural capital. Stop at Anja Community Reserve, where ring-tailed lemurs inhabit dramatic granite boulder formations with the Andringitra Mountains as backdrop. This community-managed reserve is a model of conservation success — local guides share how protecting lemurs transformed their economy. Arrive at Isalo National Park by late afternoon. Short orientation walk to the Window of Isalo for sunset. Overnight near Isalo. (B)
Day 13: Isalo National Park — Jurassic Landscapes
Full-day trekking through Isalo’s 200-million-year-old sandstone massif. The Canyon des Singes (Monkey Canyon) for ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux’s sifaka. The Piscine Naturelle — an emerald natural pool fed by a waterfall, framed by pandanus palms — for a refreshing swim. Isalo’s eroded sandstone formations create a landscape that feels prehistoric, with deep canyons, natural arches, and bizarre rock formations glowing gold at sunset. Overnight near Isalo. (B, L)
Day 14: Isalo → Toliara → Ifaty
Morning drive to Toliara through the southern spiny desert — baobabs, didiereaceae, and Mahafaly tombs with their elaborately carved aloalo grave posts. Visit the Arboretum d’Antsokay with its collection of 900+ plant species, 90% endemic to Madagascar. Continue to Ifaty on the Mozambique Channel coast. White sand beaches, turquoise water, and Vezo fishing pirogues. Overnight in Ifaty. (B)
Day 15: Ifaty — Spiny Forest & Coral Reef
Morning exploration of the Reniala Spiny Forest Reserve — a surreal landscape of baobabs, octopus trees, and didiereaceae. This ecosystem is unique to Madagascar’s deep south. Afternoon: snorkeling or diving on the Ifaty barrier reef, one of the longest continuous reef systems in the world. Over 150 coral species and countless tropical fish in warm, clear waters. Visit a Vezo fishing village to learn about their seafaring culture. Overnight in Ifaty. (B)
Day 16: Ifaty → Toliara → Fly to Antananarivo
Morning at leisure on the beach. Afternoon drive to Toliara, then fly to Antananarivo. Evening at leisure in the capital — last chance for souvenir shopping at the Digue Market. Overnight in Antananarivo. (B)
Day 17: Fly to Antsiranana (Diego Suarez)
Morning flight to Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) in Madagascar’s far north. The north is a completely different Madagascar — drier, hotter, with the world’s second-largest natural bay (after Rio de Janeiro). Afternoon city tour: the colonial architecture of Diego Suarez, the bay viewpoints, and the vibrant local market. Overnight in Antsiranana. (B)
Day 18: Amber Mountain National Park — Montane Rainforest
Full day exploring Amber Mountain National Park (Montagne d’Ambre), a lush volcanic massif rising from the dry northern landscape. The park’s montane rainforest is a green island in a sea of dry forest, with spectacular waterfalls (including the 80-meter Cascade Sacrée), crater lakes, and an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. The star species here is the crowned lemur — a beautiful lemur with an orange crown found only in northern Madagascar. Also look for Sanford’s brown lemur and the Amber Mountain leaf chameleon, one of the world’s smallest reptiles. The birdlife includes the endemic Amber Mountain rock thrush. Overnight near Amber Mountain. (B, L)
Day 19: Ankarana Special Reserve — Tsingy & Underground Rivers
Drive south to Ankarana Special Reserve, another extraordinary tsingy landscape but completely different from Bemaraha. Ankarana’s limestone massif is honeycombed with underground rivers, bat caves, and subterranean passages. Trek through the tsingy forest where crowned lemurs navigate the razor-sharp pinnacles. Visit the bat caves — enormous colonies of fruit bats and insectivorous bats roost in the darkness. If conditions allow, enter one of the underground river systems where crocodiles and blind fish inhabit the subterranean waters. Overnight near Ankarana. (B, L, D)
Day 20: Ankarana → Nosy Be — Perfume Island
Morning drive to the port, then boat transfer to Nosy Be — Madagascar’s premier tropical island destination. Known as “Perfume Island” for its ylang-ylang plantations that supply the world’s perfume industry, Nosy Be combines rainforest, volcanic lakes, and spectacular beaches. Afternoon orientation: visit an ylang-ylang distillery to see how the essential oil is extracted, then settle into your island resort. Overnight on Nosy Be. (B)
Day 21: Nosy Be — Lokobe Reserve & Nosy Tanikely Marine Reserve
Morning visit to Lokobe National Park, a remnant of primary rainforest on Nosy Be itself. Lokobe is the stronghold of the black lemur — a spectacular species found only on Nosy Be and the nearby Sambirano region. The park also shelters the rare Nosy Be sportive lemur and the tiny Nosy Be mouse lemur. Afternoon boat trip to Nosy Tanikely Marine Reserve, an uninhabited island surrounded by pristine coral reef. Snorkel with sea turtles (hawksbill and green turtles are common), tropical fish, and if lucky, dolphins on the crossing. The reef here is some of Madagascar’s best-preserved. Evening: farewell dinner at your island resort — grilled seafood, rum arrangé (Madagascar’s infused rum), and the sunset over the Mozambique Channel. Overnight on Nosy Be. (B, L, D)
Day 22: Nosy Be → Fly to Antananarivo & Departure
Morning at leisure — one last swim, one last walk on the white sand beach. Fly from Nosy Be to Antananarivo. Time permitting, visit a craft market for last-minute purchases. Transfer to Ivato Airport for your international flight. You leave having experienced Madagascar’s complete ecological spectrum — from the baobab savannas of the west to the tsingy of Ankarana, from the cloud forests of Ranomafana to the reefs of Nosy Be, and over 20 lemur species across seven protected areas. This is the ultimate Madagascar wildlife expedition. (B)
