Highlights of Madagascar
- Explore Nosy Be Archipelago by boat
- The islands surrounding Nosy Be are waiting to be explored by boat, or with snorkel and flippers. The beaches are deserted, untouched and the perfect place to relax.
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- See chameleons in Amber Mountain National Park
- Home to an abundant and diverse array of wildlife Amber Mountain is a beautiful park. The chameleons here are magnificent and the views spectacular.
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- Stay at the beautiful Anjajavy l'Hôtel
- Anjajavy is a little bit of Madagascan heaven. On the remote west coast this beautiful hotel is the perfect place to combine excellent wildlife and deserted beaches.
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- Visit the Antandroy tribe in Ifotaka
- Ifotaka is found deep in the heart of the south. A fascinating place with fabulous lemurs and an amazing chance to visit the fascinating Antandroy tribe.
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- Spot lemurs in Andasibe National Park
- Andasibe is a wonderful place to wander in search of some of the best and easily viewed wildlife in the country, such as the black and white ruffed lemur. Hearing the indris eerie call is also fantastic.
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- Go whale watching off the coast of Ile Sainte Marie
- A beautiful, colourful and vibrant island Ile Sainte Marie is like nowhere else. Explore on foot or bike and take a boat in search of the passing humpback whales.
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- Watch the sun set over Isalo National Park
- The ever changing colours of Isalo's vast savannahs will take your breath away. Watching the sunset over the park is a real delight.
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- Discover unusual wildlife in Masoala National Park
- The wildest and most pristine national park in Madagascar, home to the weirdest wildlife and most spectacular rainforests you can find.
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- Explore Tana on foot
- Tana (Antananarivo) is a lovely place to explore on foot. Pottering through the winding streets and markets. The views over the city are wonderful from one of the many hills.
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- Dive or snorkel in Tsarabanjina
- Tsarabanjina means 'beautiful look at' and this island paradise lives up to its name. One of the best beaches in Madagascar with great diving and snorkelling.
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Our country specialists have travelled the length and breadth of Madagascar - here are a few of their favourite things to do
165 million years ago Madagascar broke free from Africa and drifted 400 kilometres out into the Mozambique Channel. Geological forces thrust up dramatic mountain ranges along the spine of an island a thousand miles long.
Isolated from the rest of the world, there were no large predators: here wildlife evolved on its own distinct path. Of Madagascar’s 200,000 species, more than 80% are endemic.
Wildlife of Madagascar
The most famous are the lemurs. This is the place to hear the eerie wail of the indri echo across misty rainforests and see sifakas leap across ochre earth. Walks through the forests will reveal more than lemurs though. Pushing past wild ginger ferns and over buttress roots you will see a kaleidoscope of chameleons, frogs and butterflies. Birds screech in the trees and uncharted insects march through the leaf litter.
Man arrived late: only 2,000 years ago, on small boats from Indonesia. Today, there are many different tribes, each with their own languages, beliefs and customs and each amongst the most spiritual you’ll find anywhere.
Islands of Madagascar
Finally, Madagascar is surrounded by a halo of small islands. The beaches are long and sandy with pirogues moored in the shallows. Kick off your walking boots, lie back and watch the frigate birds soar overhead.
Popular Places to visit in Madagascar
Antsirabe is a small spa town roughly half way between Antananarivo and Ranomafana. The cool, clear air of the high plateau makes Antsirabe an attractive stop on the route to the south. A visit to the thermal baths is also worth a visit.
View place
Isalo National Park is home to some of Madagascar’s most stunning scenery, and is a sacred place for the Bara tribe, whose burial sites are marked by mounds of tiny stones placed in crevices in the rock face.
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Andasibe covers an area of montane rainforest at altitudes between 930 metres and 1,040 metres. It is the best park for the indri, the largest lemur, and two of the 62 resident groups have been habituated, making them easy to see.
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Masoala National Park is Madagascar’s largest park and one of its least visited. Primary rainforest covers a range of mountains and drops down to the deserted beaches of Antongil Bay where hump-backed whales come to breed and calve.
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Amber Mountain National Park is home to huge strangler figs, quinine trees and enormous birdsnest ferns, as well as several lemur species. Joffreville, just 4 kilometres from the park gate, is a relaxing village to wander around to catch a flavour of rural Malagasy life.
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Ankify is a small fishing and farming village on the north-eastern tip of Madagascar. The area is known for having a number of plantations – cocoa, vanilla and ylang ylang. On either side of the village there are a number of sandy beaches behind which some small simple hotels have been built.
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Ile Sainte-Marie is a sleepy island off Madagascar’s east coast, ringed by deserted beaches, traditional fishing villages and just a handful of small lodges. As well as a colourful history of piracy in the old days, it now boasts some of the best whale watching in Africa.
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One hour by boat southwest of Nosy Be, at low tide Nosy Iranja is a single island but splits into two as rising waters cover the connecting white sandbank. The islands are an important breeding site for hawksbill turtles and scientists are currently working on a turtle monitoring project.
View place
Nosy Komba is a beautiful island a few kilometres away from Nosy Be, placed on the map for its population of habituated black lemurs. There are numerous deserted coves to explore as well as paths that lead through tavy farms and into the hills where you will find birds, chameleons and black lemurs.
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Idyllically remote on Madagascar’s northwestcoast, Anjajavy is reached only by air. Wildlife is prolific and walks through the forest reveal chameleons, frogs and spore of bush-pigs and the elusive fossa. There are two diurnal lemur species, the common brown lemur and Coquerel’s sifaka, both of which are easily seen.
View place Practical Info
Flight time
12 hours (Antananarivo via Paris)
When To Go
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