Welcome to Madagascar! Firstly, we welcome you at the airport and then private transfer to the Hotel San Cristobal. Once we arrive, you will be greeted by friendly and caring staff. While your bags are unloaded from the minibus, we could sip a typical drink while admiring the view of the city from the terraces of the Hotel!

After that, dinner briefing with the guide that will accompany you throughout the tour. We do this to best organise your days schedule and answer questions about each stop.

PS: Keep in mind that airline flights are not included in the package. So you can decide from which airport you leave, at what time and with the airline you prefer… This is to give you maximum freedom of choice!

Transfer day to the town of Miandrivazo.

That is an 8 hours-driving will take us back to the highlands among hills and beautiful rice fields. But we will pause often to admire the industriousness of the people of the highlands and the rural life that surrounds the route.

Also we will stop halfway in the spa town of Antsirabe for lunch. Then we continue downhill towards the great plains of the west.

After that, in the afternoon we arrive in Miandrivazo, a quiet town situated on the banks of the Tsiribihina. That is a river that we will cross to join the Tsingy.

At this point we go to the Eden de la Tsiribihina, a brand new hotel for the overnight stay and dinner.

Here we are in the thick of our journey. After leaving Miandrivazo we enter the immense plains of the region. At this point we begin to encounter the majestic Baobab trees, the true kings of Madagascar.

Likewise the landscape has already changed a lot compared to the highlands. Also the green hills have given way to a new, more barren and arid landscape.

Then we reach the coastal town of Morondava to have lunch in a typical beach restaurant that makes excellent fish. Once we have finished, we reach the Kirindy forest, passing through the baobab avenue for the first time.

In addition, with the help of torches we enter the Kirindy forest at nightfall. At this time, under a typically African starry sky, we spend a good time discovering the nightlife that animates this protected area.

To conclude, dinner and overnight at the Relais of Kirindy.

Firstly, in the morning we visit the park of Kirindy in search of its lemurs but, above all, in search of the fossa. That is Madagascar’s largest carnivore. Then we take again the track until we arrive at the landing stage at Belo sur Tsiribihina. At this point we will cross one of the largest rivers on the west coast of Madagascar by motor barge. Overall, the river crossing takes about half an hour. Once arrived on the other side we will stop for lunch in town.

After that, the road will get worse until we arrive, after about four hours, at the Manambolo River. At this point, another barge will be waiting for us to cross.

In this occasion, overnight stay and dinner at the Olympe de Bemaraha Hotel.

If the previous day’s landscape was already spectacular, then today we exceed all expectations. Particularly by visiting the large Tsingy of Bemaraha.

Indeed, here the karst activity has created a lunar world that will leave you astounded. At this point immense pinnacles tens of metres high, gorges that suddenly open up, bizarrely shaped canyons will leave you speechless. Overall, the circuit is certainly challenging but completely safe. For example ladders, Tibetan bridges and handrails will allow you to access this otherwise unreachable world. That is definitely challenging but within everyone’s reach.

Moreover, the observation points on the landscape are numerous. So the small oases among the rocks will reveal a nature growing in the middle of a lunar and inhospitable landscape.

We will take the track back to the town of Morondava and take advantage towards the end both to admire the baobabs in love and to enjoy the magical moment of sunset at the baobab avenue. Overnight and dinner at the Kimony Hotel

So this is a day of travel to the town of Antsirabe.

That is eight hours of driving back to the highlands among hills and beautiful rice fields. pausing often to admire the industriousness of the highland people and the rural life surrounding the route.

Once arrived, in the afternoon and on the following day, we will visit the surroundings of the town and its typical rice fields and volcanic lakes.

In conclusion, dinner and overnight at the Royal Palace Hotel

Now we move on to the region’s historic capital, Betafo, a meeting point between the people of the west coast and the highlands.

Here we will admire the large terraced rice fields built more than a century ago. We will also be part of savor moments of bucolic life, sharing moments of work in the fields and the daily life of the villages.

After that, we visit the volcanic lakes, the region’s tourist attraction. Keep in mind that hide ancient legends and taboos that are still valid.

That is a day dedicated to the highlands, the Merina people and their calm pace of life.

We leave in the morning in an easterly direction, toward the Indian Ocean. Just after leaving Antananarivo, forests and rice fields follow one another in a panorama typical of the highlands of Madagascar.

After just a hundred kilometers, the first stop is at ferme Peyrieras. At this time, accompanied by a local guide, you can learn about the very interesting fauna of the humid forests of the east of the island. For example some of them are: very rare chameleons, geckos of different shapes, crocodiles and butterflies. In addition, this is the place where you will be able to see up close and hold in your hand species of animals that are rare and often difficult to see in the wild. The ideal place for your photos to the small animals of Madagascar!

After lunch we continue on our road to the lemur island of Vakona. That is a place of reintroduction of species that were in captivity. We take small canoes to reach the island. Once there, the first curious lemurs will join us in search of bananas. As they are not yet wild, they have no problem coming on our shoulders and being touched. Without a doubt the thrill of discovering their lightness, of touching their palms so similar to ours is a unique experience.

At dusk we will do a walk in the forest to discover the rich nightlife. At this time we can see lemurs of the microcephalus family, the world’s smallest primates, frogs, geckos and lots of chameleons.

To end the day, for dinner and overnight we’ll stay in comfortable bungalows at Mantadia Lodge. That is a nice hotel nestled in the Andasibe forest with a beautiful patio close to the forest so you can also observe the animals while sipping a drink!

Awakened by the screams of Indri, the world’s largest lemurs, who live close to our hotel we begin a day of wet forest discovery.

In the morning we will have a 3 to 4-hour flat circuit with excellent trails in the Analamazoatra Special Reserve to observe Indri and other lemur species from a few meters away.

Instead, in the afternoon we will be exploring another part of Andasibe Park, visiting a reserve cared for directly by the local community; after that we will go directly to help projects for the villagers themselves.

Dinner and overnight stay at the Mantadia Lodge hotel as the previous day.

At the end we resume sailing north towards the large port city of Tamatave. During this road, the canal becomes more and more animated as we approach the city. Meanwhile we meet the collective canal taxis, long boats laden with people and merchandise. Moreover, the fishermen who skilfully create fish traps and the transporters of all kinds of fruit that grows on the edges of the canal; bananas, lychees, mangoes…

Once we reach the town of Tamatave, we visit its central market, perhaps the world’s most important spice market. Lastly, we see the works of local artisans and stroll along the lively local waterfront full of small restaurants and music venues.

To conclude, we leave the town of Tamatave to reach the landing stage of the ferry that will take us to Sainte Marie. Consider it will take about 3 hours. But it allows, during the whale season, to observe hundreds of them doing their dances and jumps in the ocean waters. Then the arrival is scheduled for lunchtime at the port of Sainte Marie,  when we transfer to your hotel by the sea.

While you are in Sainte Marie, we can organise whale watching excursions, snorkelling at the coral reef, a visit to the beautiful Ile aux Nattes and its coves. In addition also the sand islands on the east coast, the mangroves, the natural pools… Ask us for advice on what to do and where best to stay!

We come to the end of such an intense journey! Surely the moment of saying goodbye will leave everyone with a little bitterness in their mouths. However, we will leave you with lasting memories, in the hope of seeing you again in the future for a new adventure with MyMadagascar!