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One of the many species of tree frog in Madagascar
Madagascar your way

Tailor-made Madagascar holidays shaped around your passions

One of the many species of tree frog in Madagascar

There’s no question that Madagascar’s main draw is its wildlife. Splitting off from the rest of the world millions of years ago, it evolved its own array of species that you’ll find nowhere else on Earth. After visiting this large island and exploring its habitats, our specialists have become captivated by its rich ecosystem. They’ll plan your holiday to Madagascar using their first-hand experiences.

Madagascar’s national parks and reserves ensure the protection of its unique inhabitants. Walking through deciduous forests and rainforests, you might hear the haunting call of an indri (the largest species of lemur), see a chameleon blending into its surroundings, or encounter the island’s only predator, the fox-like fossa. Our Madagascar specialists can also plan your trip around seeing migratory humpback whales, or so you can experience local culture with a riverboat cruise past tiny villages. An ocean cruise to Madagascar is a way to cover more ground. Step off your ship to walk among the twisty baobab forests and view lemurs in their natural habitat.

Creating tailor-made tours for over 25 years

Suggested tours for Madagascar

These tours give you a starting point for what your holiday to Madagascar could entail. Treat them as inspiration, as each trip is created uniquely for you.

Suggested activities for Madagascar

Whatever your interests, our specialists will build activities into your trip that connect to how you want to experience Madagascar.

  • Whale watching in Ste Marie Channel
    Whale watching, Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar

    Whale watching in Ste Marie Channel

    Île Sainte-Marie

    Whale watching in Ste Marie Channel

    In June, humpback whales come from the waters of the South Pole to the Ste Marie Channel, not far off the coast. The channel is protected by the East coast of Madagascar and by Sainte-Marie, ideal for whales who come to breed and calve.

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  • Hiking in Isalo National Park
    Isalo National Park, Madagascar

    Hiking in Isalo National Park

    Isalo National Park

    Hiking in Isalo National Park

    Hiking in Isalo is superb. In the late afternoon your guide may suggest visiting the natural rock window to watch the sunset.

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  • Moramba Bay boat trip
    Avenue of the Baobabs, Morondava

    Moramba Bay boat trip

    Anjajavy Private Nature Reserve

    Moramba Bay boat trip

    The boat heads north up the coast which is deserted save one or two fishing villages and two private houses. The rest of the coastline is wild and untouched with beaches covered in ghost crabs, tiny coves with white sand, islands covered in lush vegetation and tall baobab trees and rocky outcrops where you may see the Madagascar fish eagle.

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Why travel with Audley?

  • 100% tailor-made tours
  • Fully protected travel
  • Established for over 25 years
  • 98% of our clients would recommend us

Best time to visit

Our specialists advise on the best months to visit Madagascar, including information about climate, events and festivals.

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Useful information for planning your holiday in Madagascar

What language are spoken in Madagascar?

The official languages of Madagascar are Malagasy and French. Some English is spoken in hotels but it’s useful to have some French, and learning a few basic words of Malagasy will go a long way.

What's the currency of Madagascar?

The currency in Madagascar is the Malagasy ariary (AR or MGA). You’ll find ATMs in cities and larger towns, but in rural areas you’ll need to pay in cash. Euros are widely accepted, and US dollars and pound sterling are easy to exchange.

ATMs don’t issue small denomination ariary so it’s also useful to carry euros for use in the bigger cities, saving your local currency for regional use.

What food and drink should I try in Madagascar?

In Madagascar, traditional dishes include ravitoto (crushed sweet cassava leaves with pork and garlic), romazava (local greens cooked with beef or zebu, tomato, and onion), and vary amin’ny anana (collard greens with onion, ginger, and tomato). Rice is a staple in Madagascar and served with almost every meal.

For something sweeter, try mofo gasy (Madagascan rice flour dumplings), a popular street food breakfast, or koba ravina (rice cake steamed in banana leaves).

Ranon’ampango (a tea made from burnt rice) is the traditional drink, and you’ll find spiced rum and local beer, THB, served everywhere.

How much should I tip in Madagascar?

In Madagascar, the standard tip in a restaurant is 5-10% of the total. Elsewhere, tipping is at your discretion and it’s worth asking locally about appropriate amounts if you’d like to tip guides or drivers, for example.

Where can I find the latest travel advice for Madagascar?

For the latest travel advice for Madagascar, including entry requirements, health information, and the safety and security situation, please refer to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website.

What can I experience in Madagascar?

In Madagascar, you can see wildlife found nowhere else on Earth, hike through lush rainforest, visit marine parks, or relax on white-sand beaches. Steep cliffs, pristine jungle, and a wild coastline combine to make the scenery dramatic, while the absorbing culture is a product of the island’s rich history and relative isolation. Most of all though, Madagascar’s wildlife is the biggest draw.

You could combine time spotting wildlife in one of the national parks with a riverboat cruise to learn about local life, or a challenging hike though otherworldly rock formations. Alternatively, you could visit coastal marine parks on the untouched coastline, stroll along powdery beaches without seeing another soul, or relax by the pool with lemurs swinging in the trees above you.

Where can I stay in Madagascar?

In Madagascar, you can stay in beachfront boutique hotels, historic homesteads, rustic guesthouses, and small forest camps. In general, places to stay here tend to be more simple than in our other Africa destinations, but we’ve found the best hotels and most characterful guesthouses in the most popular places you’d visit.

For example, you could stay in a luxury tented camp at the foot of steep cliffs, an ecolodge on a forest-fringed bay, or in a historic boutique hotel. Along the coast, you could opt to stay in a simple stone rondavel, a wooden villa, or a private thatched lodge overlooking the beach.

For more ideas, browse our collection of places to stay in Madagascar.

Where should I go in Madagascar?

Madagascar is an enormous island, and most visitors make their way to Masoala, Ranomafana, or Isalo national parks, Berenty Reserve, or the islands of Nosy Be and Ile Ste Marie. Most visitors arrive in the capital Antananarivo, then choose to explore either the north or the south of the island.

Masoala National Park is the island’s largest protected area, and its pristine rainforest and wild beaches offer absorbing trekking and wildlife viewing. Andasibe National Park is a great place to spot indri, the largest of Madagascar’s lemurs, while Ranomafana National Park is known for its golden bamboo lemurs.

You can hike through a cinematic landscape of jagged limestone karsts and needles in remote Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, see towering baobab trees in Moramba Bay, and finish an island circuit with some time relaxing on the powdery sands of Ile Ste Marie or Nosy Be.

What wildlife will I see in Madagascar?

In Madagascar you’re likely to see a wide variety of lemurs, including sifakas, indris, ring-tailed lemurs, mouse lemurs, and aye-ayes, as well as fossa, chameleons, geckos, vivid frogs, and more than 285 bird species. Madagascar is megadiverse, and with the wildlife here evolving in isolation, about 80% of the species are found nowhere else on Earth.

The parks and reserves teem with lemurs swinging between the trees, civet, and mongooses rustle through the understory, and on closer inspection you’ll find bizarre-looking insects climbing tree trunks.

Of the nearly 300 bird species, 100 are endemic, including couas, vangas, and Madagascan red owls. Along the coast, you can spot humpback whales in waters home to 3,000 fish species, as well as manatees and dugongs. To learn more about what you might see and where you might find it, take a look at our guide to Madagascan wildlife.

How long does it take to fly to Madagascar from the UK?

It takes around 14 hours to fly from the UK to Madagascar.

What's the time zone in Madagascar?

The time zone in Madagascar is UTC+3 hours. Daylight Savings Time is not observed.

What's the best way of getting around in Madagascar?

The best way to get around Madagascar is either by car or by plane. Generally, people tend to fly around the north and drive in the south. In northern Madagascar distances are huge and roads poor and for this reason it’s best to fly. Air Madagascar has a network of flights, all of which originate in Antananarivo and radiate to the major towns and islands.

You’ll be met at the airport by your guide with a 4x4 — or even a boat — ready to head off to parks, reserves, or private islands. We’ll provide a private vehicle and driver for all car journeys in the south, and if you’d like to explore the coastline, yacht charter is a surprisingly affordable option.

Do I need a visa to visit Madagascar, and what do I need to check with my passport?

Use our travel tool to find up-to-date visa and passport requirements for madagascar. Enter where you’re travelling to and from (including any stopover destinations en route or flight layovers), along with your intended travel dates and passport details, for a full list of requirements.

Do I need vaccinations to visit Madagascar?

Speak to your doctor about vaccine advice for Madagascar and ensure you’re up to date with the recommended vaccinations for your home country. You can also check the suggested vaccinations on the Travel Health Pro website.

What’s the risk of malaria in Madagascar?

Malaria is a risk throughout Madagascar. Speak to your doctor for advice about which antimalarial medication you should take.

The best way to reduce your risk of catching malaria is to avoid mosquito bites. Wear long, loose clothing that covers your arms and legs, apply a repellent with 50% DEET, and use a mosquito net if sleeping in an unscreened room. It’s best to take repellent with you in case there’s a local shortage.

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