Highlights of Madagascar - 12 Days

Arrive in Antananarivo and make your own way to the hotel. The rest of your first day in the Malagasy capital is at leisure.

Antananarivo - Andasibe. This morning, we drive east through a string of small villages towards Andasibe, a more humid region known for its forests and lakes. En route we pass Merina villages set against rocky hillsides, offering a glimpse of daily life in Madagascar's central highlands.

We arrive in Andasibe in the afternoon and check in to the hotel. At around 19:00, we set out on a guided night walk to observe nocturnal wildlife, including night-active lemurs that are often heard before they are seen.

This morning we visit Andasibe National Park to see the Indri, the largest lemur species on the island. The reserve is home to a remarkable concentration of endemic flora and fauna, including a rich variety of orchids, dense canopy forest, and species such as chameleons, tenrecs, and numerous bird species.

In the afternoon, we visit Andasibe village, home to the Betsimisaraka community, whose name means "The Many Inseparables". As the second largest tribe in Madagascar, they traditionally cultivate rice and rely heavily on the surrounding forest. This short visit offers a valuable insight into daily life in the region.

Andasibe - Antsirabe. Today we drive south to Antsirabe, travelling across highland scenery marked by expansive rice fields. The striking eroded hills, known as lavaka, create a landscape reminiscent of parts of the Far East, with terraced fields and pockets of vegetables and fruit trees.

En route we stop in Ambatolampy for a brief visit to this important agricultural town before continuing to Antsirabe, where we arrive in the late afternoon and check in to the hotel.

Antsirabe, meaning the place of salt, is an elegant highland city and the centre of Madagascar's beer industry - you can often catch the aroma from the Star Brewery as you enter town. Founded by Norwegian missionaries in 1856, it is the one place on the island that retains a distinctly European feel in both layout and architecture.

Antsirabe - Ranomafana National Park. We depart Antsirabe and travel to Ambositra, the centre of Madagascar's wood-carving industry. The highlands are known for their distinctive architecture, with houses featuring brightly coloured shutters and carved wooden balconies.

Continuing south, we pass through the le col de tapia, where tapia trees grow in abundance. These fire-resistant trees support local silk production and are a characteristic feature of the region. The surrounding landscape remains shaped by rice fields, pine forests, eucalyptus trees and rocky mountain slopes. Eventually we leave the main road and continue towards our final destination for the day: Ranomafana National Park.

Covering roughly 40,000 hectares, Parc National de Ranomafana is one of Madagascar's premier wildlife reserves. Its rainforest-covered hills and rich biodiversity have long made it one of the country's most visited parks. The entrance sits about 7 km from Ranomafana village, with altitudes ranging from 800 m to 1200 m. Although large areas around the park have been logged, the eastern section still protects significant stretches of primary forest.

Today we take a long walk in the national park to look for some of the lemurs, chameleons and other species that thrive in this lush environment.

Ranomafana National Park - Fianarantsoa - Ambalavao - Ihosy - Isalo. We retrace our route from Ranomafana and stop at a local wine farm near Fianarantsoa, known as the city where one learns good things. As the gateway to the south, it is the capital of the Betsileo people and an important centre of Catholic life. Fianarantsoa is also the heart of Madagascar's wine industry. Although the climate is not considered ideal for viticulture, wine-making endures as a tradition introduced by priests and monks who once lived in the region.

We continue south to Ambalavao for a visit to the Anteimoro Paper Factory, a craft inherited from early Arabian settlers on the island. From here we travel to Ihosy, capital of the Bara people, who are recognised for their zebu herding traditions. The road then leads us through the Andringitra mountain range, a natural transition between the dry south and the greener highlands, marked by the well-known three hillocks and the imposing formation known as the archbishop's cape. En route you will also see, from a distance, the dramatic granite dome with its twin rock towers known as the gate of the south, which signifies the end of the highlands and the beginning of the southern region.

We then cross the vast Plateaux de Horombe, its deep red soil evoking a striking, almost otherworldly landscape, before arriving at our accommodation on the outskirts of Isalo National Park.

Today we visit Isalo National Park for a hike through one of Madagascar's most striking landscapes. Covering 81,540 hectares, the park encompasses the entire Isalo massif, a dramatic expanse of eroded sandstone formations shaped over millions of years.

As we walk, we pass distinctive vegetation such as Uapaca bojeri, Pachypodium rosulatum or elephant's foot, and Aloe isaloensis, an aloe species found only in Isalo. Wildlife is often active in this area, and we may encounter sifakas, brown lemurs and ring-tailed lemurs, along with a variety of birds, lizards and snakes.

Our route leads us to a natural swimming pool fed by clear spring water - a welcome and refreshing reward after a long, hot walk.

Isalo National Park - Tulear - Ifaty. After breakfast, we continue to Tulear, the end point of National Road No 7. This section of the journey brings a noticeable change in scenery as we travel through the dry forests of the west and the spiny desert of the south. Along the way we see the distinctive Mahafaly and Antandroy tombs, known for their elaborate decoration and carvings.

After a short visit in Tulear, we drive on to Ifaty, about 27 km north of the city. Here in the Deep South, the landscape is shaped by cactus-like spiny forest made up of euphorbiaceae and didieraceae species. Mangroves fringe parts of the coast, interspersed with Vezo fishing communities. You will see many small pirogues heading out twice a day as men go fishing, while women and children wait along the shore to collect the catch before it is taken to Tuléar for sale.

Today you have the day at leisure. Ifaty sits on a long sandy beach and is an excellent spot for diving and snorkelling, with a large coral reef just offshore. The area is also well regarded by birdwatchers, with several coastal and dry-forest species found nearby.

If you choose, in the afternoon you can walk to the village of Mangily to visit a local school and gain a deeper understanding of the Vezo fishermen's way of life.

Ifaty - Antananarivo. Early this morning you are transferred to the airport in Tulear for your included flight back to Antananarivo. After checking in at the hotel, you have the afternoon free for sightseeing. The capital, often called the City of Thousands, is where the island's first king began unifying Madagascar's many kingdoms.

You can walk up to the high city to visit the Rova, the queen's palace, and the former prime minister's residence, now a museum. The mid-city, home to many administrative buildings, stretches towards the Rainiharo tombs, while the lower town centres on L'avenue de l'independence, the main avenue dominated by the old railway station.

Your tour comes to an end today, after breakfast and check-out. No transfer is included, so you are free to make your own way to the airport or your next destination.