Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Antananarivo
Welcome at Ivato International Airport. Transfer to your hotel. Afternoon orientation tour of Tana — Upper Town, Queen’s Palace, and sweeping city views. Welcome dinner and comprehensive trip briefing — the Great Ring Discovery is Madagascar’s most ambitious itinerary. Overnight in Antananarivo. (D)
Day 2: Antananarivo — Capital & Culture
Full day exploring the capital. Morning visit to Ambohimanga Royal Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the spiritual heart of the Merina kingdom. The royal enclosure with its stone walls, sacred lake, and panoramic views tells the story of Madagascar’s pre-colonial history. Afternoon: artisan workshops — wild silk weaving, Malagasy musical instrument making, and a visit to the fossil market where ammonites and petrified wood from the highlands are sold. Overnight in Antananarivo. (B)
Day 3: Fly to Morondava — Avenue of the Baobabs at Sunset
Morning flight to Morondava on Madagascar’s west coast. Afternoon at leisure to explore this relaxed coastal town. Late afternoon: the Avenue of the Baobabs. Grandidier’s baobabs, some over 800 years old, line the road like ancient sentinels. Watch the sunset paint the sky in layers of orange and gold behind these upside-down trees — this is the image of Madagascar. You’ll want to stay until the last light drains from the sky. Overnight in Morondava. (B)
Day 4: Kirindy Reserve — Dry Forest Wildlife
Full-day excursion to Kirindy Reserve. The dry deciduous forest here supports extraordinary wildlife density. The fossa — Madagascar’s apex predator — is the main attraction, patrolling the forest floor with its long body and short legs. Seven lemur species including the dancing Verreaux’s sifaka, the giant jumping rat (the island’s largest rodent), and three endemic baobab species. Birders will spot giant couas, vangas, and Madagascar harrier-hawks. The afternoon light in the dry forest creates magical photography conditions. Return to Morondava. Overnight in Morondava. (B, L)
Day 5: Morondava → Bekopaka — Tsingy Gateway
The epic drive north begins. Traverse baobab-studded savanna, cross the Tsiribihina River by local ferry, and pass through Sakalava villages where life continues much as it has for centuries. The landscape becomes increasingly dramatic as you approach the Tsingy de Bemaraha massif. Arrive in Bekopaka by late afternoon. Overnight in Bekopaka. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Grand Tsingy de Bemaraha — UNESCO World Heritage
Full day exploring the Grand Tsingy — one of the most surreal landscapes on Earth. This forest of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles, some 70 meters tall, was sculpted by millions of years of tropical rain dissolving soluble rock. Walk suspended rope bridges between peaks, climb through narrow canyons via ferrata-style, and reach the Cathedral viewpoint. Decken’s sifaka lemurs leap between the grey karst spires — white shapes against grey stone. The tsingy hosts 11 lemur species, 100+ bird species, and endemic reptiles. Overnight in Bekopaka. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Petit Tsingy & Belo sur Mer — Traditional Dhow Building
Morning exploration of the Petit Tsingy, then canoe the Manambolo River through limestone gorges past Vazimba burial caves. Afternoon: journey south to Belo sur Mer, a remote coastal village famous for traditional dhow building — wooden sailing vessels built entirely by hand using techniques passed down through generations. Watch master shipwrights at work, explore the salt pans where sea salt is harvested using ancient methods, and experience a way of life little changed by modernity. Overnight in Belo sur Mer. (B, L, D)
Day 8: Belo sur Mer → Morombe — Coastal Track
A day of adventure along Madagascar’s remote western coastal track. This is off-the-beaten-path Madagascar at its finest — few travelers venture this route. Pass through the edge of the Mikea Forest, home to the semi-nomadic Mikea people who still practice a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. The landscape alternates between spiny forest, coastal dunes, and fishing villages. Arrive in Morombe, a Vezo fishing town on the Mozambique Channel. Overnight in Morombe. (B, L, D)
Day 9: Morombe → Toliara — Southern Savannah
Continue south along the coast to Toliara (Tuléar), Madagascar’s southern capital. The drive passes through diverse landscapes — spiny desert with didiereaceae and baobabs, Mahafaly tombs with their distinctive aloalo grave posts, and sapphire mining communities. Arrive in Toliara by late afternoon. Visit the Arboretum d’Antsokay, a botanical treasure housing over 900 plant species from Madagascar’s southern ecosystems, 90% endemic. Overnight in Toliara. (B)
Day 10: Toliara → Ifaty — Spiny Forest & Coral Reef
Morning drive to Ifaty, a string of Vezo fishing villages on white-sand beaches. Visit the Reniala Spiny Forest Reserve — Madagascar’s spiny thicket is like nowhere else on Earth: octopus trees, bottle baobabs, and the bizarre didiereaceae family. Afternoon: snorkeling on the Ifaty coral reef, part of the Mozambique Channel’s extensive reef system. The warm, clear waters teem with tropical fish and coral formations. Overnight in Ifaty. (B)
Day 11: Ifaty Beach Day
Full day at leisure on Ifaty’s beach — swim, snorkel, or simply relax under a palm tree. Optional: additional reef snorkeling, deep-sea fishing with Vezo fishermen, or exploration of additional spiny forest trails. Visit a Vezo fishing village to learn about their seafaring traditions — the Vezo are Madagascar’s “sea people,” with an intimate knowledge of ocean currents, fish behavior, and traditional navigation. Overnight in Ifaty. (B)
Day 12: Ifaty → Isalo National Park
Morning departure from Ifaty, driving inland toward Isalo National Park. Pass through sapphire mining towns, cross the Ilakaka River, and ascend from the coastal plain into the highlands. The landscape transforms as you climb — spiny desert gives way to savanna, then to the dramatic sandstone formations of Isalo. Arrive at your lodge with views of the massif. Afternoon: short orientation walk to the Window of Isalo for sunset. Overnight near Isalo. (B)
Day 13: Isalo National Park — Jurassic Canyons
Full-day trekking through Isalo’s Jurassic sandstone landscape. Walk the Canyon des Singes (Monkey Canyon) tracking ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux’s sifaka. The highlight: Piscine Naturelle, a crystal-clear natural pool framed by pandanus trees and sheer rock walls — the perfect swimming hole. Isalo’s 200-million-year-old sandstone formations have been sculpted by wind and water into a labyrinth of canyons, natural arches, and bizarre rock shapes that glow golden at sunset. Overnight near Isalo. (B, L)
Day 14: Anja Reserve & Ambalavao — Paper Making
Morning departure from Isalo. Visit Anja Community Reserve, where ring-tailed lemurs pose on dramatic granite boulders with the Andringitra Mountains as backdrop. This community-managed reserve is a conservation success story — 100% of revenue stays with the community. Continue to Ambalavao, home to the Antemoro paper-making tradition. Watch artisans produce handmade paper from the bark of the avoha tree using techniques introduced by Arab traders centuries ago. Visit a wild silk workshop. Overnight in Ambalavao. (B)
Day 15: Ranomafana National Park — Cloud Forest Lemurs
Drive north to Ranomafana National Park, established in 1991 to protect the golden bamboo lemur. This montane cloud forest hosts 12 lemur species and extraordinary biodiversity. Afternoon orientation walk, then a night walk along the park road — the forest after dark reveals mouse lemurs, chameleons, and spectacular comet moths. Overnight near Ranomafana. (B)
Day 16: Ranomafana → Antsirabe
Dawn walk in Ranomafana — your best chance for the golden bamboo lemur, the cyanide-eating specialist discovered here in 1986. Also look for Milne-Edwards’ sifaka, red-bellied lemurs, and red-fronted brown lemurs. After breakfast, continue north through the highlands. Stop in Ambositra to visit the Zafimaniry woodcarvers, whose UNESCO-recognized geometric designs adorn furniture and decorative panels. Arrive in Antsirabe by evening. Colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards, and the cool highland air make this a pleasant stop. Overnight in Antsirabe. (B)
Day 17: Antsirabe → Antananarivo
Morning rickshaw tour of Antsirabe — wide avenues, colonial buildings, and the ever-present thermal springs. Visit gemstone cutting workshops — the region is rich in semi-precious stones including amethyst, tourmaline, and aquamarine. Afternoon drive back to Antananarivo on RN7, passing through highland villages and rice terraces. Late afternoon arrival in Tana. Farewell dinner at a restaurant in the Upper Town. Overnight in Antananarivo. (B, D)
Day 18: Departure
Morning at leisure for last-minute exploration or souvenir shopping. Transfer to Ivato Airport. You leave having completed the Great Ring — the definitive Madagascar circuit spanning the island’s entire ecological and cultural spectrum. (B)
