Two of my favorite trips have been adventures where animal encounters were the point. I love observing wild animals, whether on land, in the air, on the water, or under the water. So it should be no surprise that Madagascar has been a place I’ve been eager to visit for a long time. Over 90% of the animal (and plant) species (including the ring-tailed lemur pictured above and about 100 other lemur species) found on Madagascar are endemic. And I want to see every single one! So for me this will be a dream trip.
After researching some options for tours to Madagascar, I settled on Explore! and their tour, Madagascar: The Lost Continent, starting on Sunday, June 21. (I previously traveled with Explore! to Colombia.) Their itinerary did not include all the parts of Madagascar I want to see, though, so I found a private guide on TourHQ to take me to some additional areas for a few days at the end.
It seemed silly to go all the way to the southern Indian Ocean and not go anywhere else. I did a little research into the nearby islands and added some time on Mauritius and Réunion. All in all, I’ll be traveling for a month.
I know I just got back from my last adventure. It’s hard to believe I am going back across the Atlantic again so soon, but here I go!
My Day-by-Day Itinerary
| Date | Activity | Lodging |
|---|---|---|
Travel days | ||
| Monday, June 8 | Viva VB1065 Depart GDL 15:50, arrive MEX 17:15 | Camino Real Aeropuerto México |
| Tuesday, June 9 | Turkish Airlines TK182 Depart MEX 08:50 | |
| Wednesday, June 10 | Arrive IST 10:35 | |
Mauritius | ||
| Thursday, June 11 | Turkish Airlines TK160 Depart IST 02:15, arrive MRU 12:45 Free afternoon | Voile Bleue Boutique Hotel Pointe aux Biches, Mauritius |
| Friday, June 12 | Mauritius North: Private Paradise Tour with Gardens, Markets Discover diverse attractions like the historic sites in Port Louis, see our botanical wonders and Sugar Museum. | |
| Saturday, June 13 | Mauritius: Private South Tour Visit a deep volcanic crater and sacred temple, stand in awe of high waterfalls, and admire a natural colorful geological formation. | |
| Sunday, June 14 | Free day | |
| Monday, June 15 | Mauritius: 5 Island Speedboat Trip with BBQ Lunch and Drinks Discover the beauty of the lighthouse island, the Île de la Passe, and more on a speedboat tour. Snorkel in the crystal-clear waters of the Île aux Aigrettes and enjoy a delicious BBQ lunch. | |
Réunion | ||
| Tuesday, June 16 | Air Mauritius MK238 Depart MRU 16:35, arrive RUN 17:25 | Hôtel Le Juliette Dodu Saint-Denis, Réunion |
| Wednesday, June 17 | Salazie sightseeing tour Salazie Village, Voile de la Mariée (Bridal Veil Falls), Hell-Bourg, Mare à Poule d’Eau (Water Chicken Lake), Cascade Niagara, La Vanilleraie Sainte Suzanne | |
| Thursday, June 18 | Piton de la Fournaise volcano sightseeing tour Nez de Boeuf, Commerson Crater, Plaine des Sables (Sand Plain), Pas de Bellecombe, Hike to Formica Léo crater, La Cité du Volcan | |
| Friday, June 19 | Maïdo sightseeing tour Plaine des Tamarins (Tamarind Forest), Maïdo Summit, La Maison du Géranium (Geranium House) | |
Madagascar Explore! Tour | ||
| Saturday, June 20 | Air Austral UU611 Depart RUN 14:10, arrive TNR 14:50 Welcome meeting and group dinner | Relais des Plateaux Antananarivo, Madagascar |
| Sunday, June 21 | Morning drive to Andasibe Reserve; afternoon and evening wildlife walks We have an early start to kick off our trip, leaving the city at around 7am this morning. We’ll drive to Andasibe village, sometimes referred to by its French colonial name; Perinet. Although only eight square kilometres, Analamazoatra Reserve in Andasibe boasts nine species of Lemur, including the Indri Indri, whose morning calls can be heard piercing through the forest. After lunch, we’ll trek in search of the Indri families in the area. Although the paths are often easy to follow, sometimes pushing further into the bush is required to spot these exquisite creatures in the trees, so it’ll be an adventurous walk to kick off our two weeks searching for lemurs. This evening, after dinner, we’ll head out again with a local national park guide in search of the smallest of the lemur species, the mouse lemurs. Although nocturnal, these creatures can often easily be spotted along the one-kilometre roadside route that we’ll follow this evening. As well as spotting tiny lemurs, it’s common to see colourful chameleons, frogs and exotic insects. | Feon’ny Ala Bungalows Andasibe, Madagascar |
| Monday, June 22 | Morning walk in Analamazoatra reserve before a free afternoon Listen out this morning, as often the Indri’s calls can be heard throughout the forest and surrounding village areas, including our accommodation! We’ll be up early to drive to the nearby Analamazoatra reserve. Mantadia and Analamazoatra reserve are both part of the same precious forest ecosystem but due to continuous deforestation in the area, they are now separate parks. We’ll spend around four hours searching for the black and white ruffed and Diademed Sifaka lemurs, as well as taking the opportunity to spot some birdlife. After a busy morning searching for wildlife, we’ll return to Andasibe for lunch. Then, this afternoon, there will be an optional visit to the small sleepy village of Andasibe itself where we can walk amongst its quiet streets and drop in on its market. | |
| Tuesday, June 23 | Full-day drive to colonial Antsirabe in the Central Highlands We have a long travel day ahead of us today, so we’ll set off early in the morning. We’ll head south to the spa town of Antsirabe with plenty of comfort breaks and a stop for lunch. Antsirabe’s cool climate made it a favourite spot with European missionaries and French colonialists, and their influence is still present in the colonial architecture and churches. Set in the Central Highlands, the town is a clash of cultures with fading, ornate colonial architecture, colourful rickshaws pedalling up and down the streets and souk-like stalls selling goods to both local residents and visitors. | Couleur Café Antsirabe, Madagascar |
| Wednesday, June 24 | Morning walk at Lake Tritriva; afternoon drive to Ambositra. Traditional Malagasy meal This morning, we’ll drive to the volcanic Lake of Tritriva. Local myths and taboos surround this mysterious lake which seems to have many guises, changing colour from one day to the next. We’ll take a short walk to the crater’s edge, where we can relax and take in the view. There’ll be a short amount of free time to walk further if you’d like to. From here, we’ll continue our journey to Ambositra, where we’ll visit some of the local woodcarvers. Their woodwork pieces — depicting Malagasy life and detailed marquetry work — are well-known for their fine standard of craftsmanship. Tonight, we’ll visit a local development guest house to enjoy a traditional Malagasy meal and see a folk dance. By visiting here, we directly support an important base for the development of health projects, agriculture and the empowerment of women within the local community. | L’Artisan Hotel Ambositra, Madagascar |
| Thursday, June 25 | Full-day scenic drive to Ranomafana National Park Before we depart from Ambositra this morning, we’ll visit a woodcarving artisan market at the Ivato Centre. The drive to Ranomafana will take up most of the rest of the day, however, the winding roads pass through rugged landscapes, rural villages and endless rice paddies, and along the way, there will be comfort breaks, plus a lunch stop at Vohiposa. Towards the end of the drive, we’ll head down from the highlands and into the rainforest. The Ranomafana National Park is Madagascar’s third largest national park, established after a new species of lemur named the Golden Bamboo was found here in 1987. The lush forest area is also known for its hidden waterfalls and the Namorona River which flows through impressive gorges, flanked on either side by tropical rainforest. If you can’t wait to explore it, this evening there is the option to join a night walk to the outskirts of the park. | Centrest Sejour Hotel Ranomafana, Madagascar |
| Friday, June 26 | Spend the morning exploring Ranomafana National Park on foot in search of lemurs and birdlife After an early wake-up call, we’ll enter the park for a morning walk in the hope of spotting the Golden Bamboo Lemur, which is endemic to the forests in South-Eastern Madagascar. It’s the only location in Madagascar where we can see all three species of Bamboo Lemur, namely the lesser Bamboo Lemur, the greater Bamboo Lemur, and the Golden Bamboo Lemur, which gets its golden colour from the cyanide compounds found in the bamboo it eats. Depending on how lucky we are finding lemurs, we’ll spend around three to four hours trekking along the forest trails in search of wildlife. As well as the Bamboo Lemurs, we might have the chance to see Red-Fronted Brown Lemurs, Red-Bellied Lemurs and Milne-Edwards Sifaka. Most lemur species are sadly now endangered, the last survivors of a once abundant family of primates, now confined to pockets of forest and bush throughout Madagascar. Deforestation has taken a heavy toll on these arboreal creatures — it’s estimated only 80 species remain. With luck, we might also spot the Malagasy boa constrictor, chameleons, the black parrot, cuckoo roller and many other birds. The afternoon will be free to relax or to go on an additional optional walk within the park for the chance to spot the species not already seen during the morning. | |
| Saturday, June 27 | Drive to Isalo National Park (Ranohira) Returning to the main road this morning, we’ll continue south via the regional capital of Fianarantsoa. Leaving the highland plateau and descending through superb mountain scenery to the plains, we’ll pause at the Ambalavao paper workshop before arriving at Anja Community Reserve. Here, we’ll have the chance to watch troupes of ring-tailed lemur among the granite boulders. Continuing south the pine trees thin out and the fertile soil of the highlands gives way to drier savannah, cactus, termite mounds, and the dust of the midsouth. We’ll finally reach our destination late in the afternoon; Ranohira, situated on the edge of the Isalo National Park. | Hôtel le Relais de la Reine de l’Isalo Ranohira, Madagascar |
| Sunday, June 28 | Explore Isalo National Park ‘Madagascar’s Grand Canyon’ One of the highlights of our trip has to be Madagascar’s Grand Canyon in Isalo National Park. Dervla Murphy, in her book Muddling through Madagascar, describes the terrain as “Landscapes that are literally incredible. You don’t believe it. You think you’re hallucinating. How can wind and water have done all this?“ Natural erosion has produced fantastic canyons and bizarre outcrops of wind-blasted sandstone and we’ll head out on a walk to take it all in. The walk will last around 90 minutes, along dry, dusty paths with a slight ascent to a natural oasis pool known as Piscine Naturelle where we’ll stop for a picnic lunch. After eating, we’ll continue exploring to see the tombs of the Bara people and the sparse, dry forest species of dwarf-like baobab. This afternoon, there’ll be the opportunity to take an optional walk with a local guide to Namaza to see the Cascade des Nymphes. We’ll meet again as a group to enjoy the sunset with a sundowner in the hotel grounds overlooking the park. | |
| Monday, June 29 | Drive to Ifaty through the Spiny Desert, stopping at Mahafaly Tombs This morning, we’ll continue our journey south for about five hours. The temperature rises as we lose height and head for the coast, crossing the savannah plain that’s dotted with herds of Zebu cattle. The south of Madagascar is largely desert and obscure cactus-like plants, unique to the island, smother the land giving the area the name the ‘Spiny Forest’. We’ll stop at Zombitse National Park, where we’ll stretch our legs on a two-hour walk through the remarkable dry forest which is home to many birds, including black parrots, the Madagascar buzzard and the cuckoo roller. There’s also the opportunity to spot the shy ring-tailed lemur here. As we continue our drive, we’ll pass by several fascinating Mahafaly Tombs before reaching the costal town of Ifaty once an important port of call for Dutch and English ships plying the trade routes during the 16th and 17th centuries. | Le Paradisier Toliara, Madagascar |
| Tuesday, June 30 | Morning activities at the coastal town of Ifaty. Free afternoon to enjoy the beach After breakfast this morning, we’ll have a chance to enjoy Ifaty Beach, a small resort on the west coast. We’ll slow down here and have time to enjoy the white sand beaches. You might like to take a stroll along the beach dotted with fishing vessels, relax by the hotel pool or take a stroll in the spiney forest which is rich in birdlife. | |
| Wednesday, July 1 | Full day at Ifaty Today is free to relax or explore the area. Ifaty Beach is a huge sandy bay which looks out over a lagoon protected by a barrier reef up to seven kilometres (four miles) from the shore. Traditional fishing villages are scattered along the bay and fishing is still done in sail-powered outrigger canoes. There is an excellent forest walk in the Reniala Reserve just inland from the beach area, where strange spiny forest can be found and some of the most attractive of the endemic bird species, such as the long-tailed ground roller, sub-desert mesite and sickle-billed vanga. | |
| Thursday, July 2 | Fly to Antananarivo Depending on the flight schedule, we’ll either have a very early start or a more relaxed morning in Ifaty, our tour leader will advise what time we need to leave. We’ll fly from Toliara (TLE) back to Antananarivo airport (TNR) from where it’s a short transfer to our hotel. As the time of the domestic flight varies, the rest of the day is free to relax. | Relais des Plateaux Antananarivo, Madagascar |
| Friday, July 3 | Visit Madagascar’s oldest palace, Ambohimanga, and take in the views across the city Today we’ll absorb the atmosphere of the capital city but before heading into the chaos of its bustling streets, we’ll first drive out of the city to explore the oldest palace in Madagascar, situated on Ambohimanga, a forested hill, north of Antananarivo. It was from this fortress that the Merina, a highland tribe, first established an effective administration and military command under King Andrianampoinamerina. The fort boasts the original king’s hut and later European buildings, and from this high vantage point you can take in magnificent views over the fertile rice fields below, the surrounding hills and the city in the distance. We’ll stop somewhere for a lunch break, before returning to the city later this afternoon, and if traffic allows, there will be time for some last-minute shopping in Tana before our final dinner of the trip. | |
Madagascar Private Tour | ||
| Saturday, July 4 | Madagascar Airlines MD700 Depart TNR 10:10, arrive MOQ 11:20 | Hôtel Vezo Beach Morondava, Madagascar |
| Sunday, July 5 | Morondava to Bekopaka – Journey to Tsingy Meet your guide early in the morning at your hotel or the airport in Morondava. Depart by 4x4 vehicle for the Tsingy of Bemaraha National Park. Pass through small villages, including a stop at the famous Baobab Avenue. Cross the Tsiribihina River and Manambolo River by local ferry. Stop for lunch at Belo sur Tsiribihina around midday. Continue the journey to Bekopaka village, located near the entrance to the park. Arrive in the late afternoon and spend the evening at leisure in the village or rest at your accommodation. | L’Olympe du Bemaraha Bekopaka, Madagascar |
| Monday, July 6 | Manambolo River Canoe Trip and Small Tsingy Exploration Drive to the banks of the Manambolo River and begin a 10-minute ferry crossing. Embark on a 2‑hour traditional canoe ride to visit two caves and ancient Vazimba tombs. Explore the Small Tsingy limestone formations on a 2 to 3‑hour guided hike. Observe diverse wildlife, including white and brown lemurs, chameleons, geckos, and many bird species. Learn about the medicinal plants and endemic flora of the reserve. Return to your hotel for lunch and a short rest. In the afternoon, walk to the nearby village of Bekopaka to learn about local life and the Vazimba culture. | |
| Tuesday, July 7 | Big Tsingy Adventure – Hike and Panorama Views Drive 17 km north to the entrance of the Big Tsingy section of the park. Begin a 5‑hour guided hike through dramatic limestone pinnacles, hanging bridges, and caves. Climb to the top for breathtaking panoramic views of the Tsingy massif. Observe diverse flora and fauna, including lemurs, reptiles, and rare birds. Enjoy a packed lunch inside the park amid the incredible scenery. Return to your hotel by mid-afternoon and relax or explore at your own pace. | |
| Wednesday, July 8 | Bekopaka to Morondava – Baobab Avenue Sunset Begin the return journey to Morondava by road, crossing the same rivers via ferry. Stop for lunch in Belo sur Tsiribihina. Pause at the Sacred Baobab, an important local landmark. Arrive at Baobab Avenue in the late afternoon and witness the golden sunset over Madagascar’s most iconic trees. Continue to Morondava and check in at your hotel. | Hôtel Vezo Beach Morondava, Madagascar |
Journey Home | ||
| Thursday, July 9 | Madagascar Airlines MD701 Depart MOQ 12:05, arrive TNR 13:10 Turkish Airlines TK161 Depart MRU 16:20 | |
| Friday, July 10 | Arrive IST 04:55 | |
| Saturday, July 11 | Turkish Airlines TK181 Depart IST 01:50, arrive MEX 07:05 Viva VB1398 Depart MEX 16:00, arrive GDL 17:15 | |
Maps
Click on each map to visit Google Maps and zoom in and get details on the places I’m visiting.
Mauritius
- The bed is the hotel where I’m staying.
- The airplane is, you guessed it, the airport. It’s about a one-hour drive to my hotel.
- The green stars are places I’ll visit on the Mauritius North tour on June 12.
- The purple cameras are sights I’ll visit on the Mauritius South tour on June 13.
- The orange sailboat is where I’ll go for the 5 Island speedboat trip on June 15.
Réunion
- The bed is the hotel where I’m staying.
- The airplane is the airport.
- The green stars are sights I’ll visit on the Salazie tour on June 17.
- The purple cameras are sights I’ll visit on the Volcano tour on June 18.
- The pink binoculars are sights I’ll visit on the Maïdo tour on June 19.
Madagascar
You can’t see everything on this map, because hotels and sights are overlapping. Best to click on it to open a zoomable view in Google Maps.
- Green beds are lodging for the Explore! tour.
- Blue beds are lodging for the private tour.
- The airplanes are airports I’ll fly into and/or out of.
- The purple cameras are sights I’ll visit on the Explore! tour.
- The pink binoculars are sights I’ll visit on the private tour.
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