Madagascar Trip: 22 Days In-depth Wildlife Trip & Private Guide

After you land at the airport of Antananarivo (aka Tana), meet your driver guide who will transfer you to your hotel. Check in and spend the remaining time of today as you like. ­ ► Note: Considering tomorrow’s flight to your next destination Morondava, please arrive in Tana on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. If you have your own plan, please let us know so we can tailor a trip perfectly fit your schedule.

This morning, fly to Morondava, a city on western coastal Madagascar. On arrival, be picked up from the airport and continue on to your hotel for check-in. If time allows, take a stroll around this port city on your own.

After an early breakfast, drive to Kirindy and start your safari in the Kirindy Forest. You will pass by dry deciduous trees, shrubby plants, and many fat baobabs that make up a unique environment for native animals. Follow your spot guide to spot “crocodile trees” whose skin has curious conical spikes all over, as well as lemurs, their only predator and Madagascar’s largest carnivore fossae, reptiles, and more. Keep an eye on those small tree holes to search for alert big eyes gazing you back, and be charmed by the fuzzy white-black tails of ring-tailed lemurs from a long way away. Afterwards, hit the road northwards to Bekopaka, with a boat trip through the Tsiribihina River to Belo sur Tsiribihina. Check in at the hotel after arrival in Bekopaka.

We will spend the major part of today at Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, one of the three UNESCO heritage sites in Madagascar. Here, marvel at the karst spectacle of countless limestone spikes - “Tsingy” in local language - reaching skywards and the contrast set by the lush wildlife sanctuary at their foot. 11 species of lemurs are there to fascinate you. If you come around July, you are more likely to see a baby sifaka clinging to its mother’s back among leaves. Have a self-prepared picnic lunch this noon and continue to explore the park afterwards. We will transfer back to hotel about 16:00. ­ ► Please Note: We will cancel the excursion to Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park from December to April, when the park is closed for heavy rainfall. If you have an alternative you’d like to experience, feel free to let us tailor your agenda and add it in.

Today, we will have an 8 hours’ drive back to Morondava. En route, boat cross the Tsiribihina River and stop by the Avenue of the Baobabs, where a sunset is waiting for you. If you’ve ever seen many baobabs in a single frame on social media, you are being introduced to none other than the avenue, which is lined by hundreds of sentinels of the towering trees, some having stood there for over 800 years. We will take you to a perfect spot to wait for the sun setting, the dreamy backdrop to capture silhouettes of those awe-inspiring giants. After hotel check-in, take your time to stroll Morondava Beach in front of your hotel.

On the way, enjoy a visit to villages in Betafo, UNESCO-preserved for their traditional rice-growing culture. On arrival, check in at the hotel.

After breakfast, continue off south to Ranomafana National Park via RN7 road. On the way, stop by the town of Ambositra, nicknamed the “Capital of Woodworking” for its exquisite wooden carvings from boxes, chessboards, sculptures to coffins and tombs. Your guide will teach you how to appreciate the patterns carved on those wooden works, most beautifully geometric or depicting daily affairs. Upon arrival, check in at the hotel.

This morning, a local guide will take the lead from your driver guide at the entrance of Ranomafana National Park for a 4-hour hike. The park is the perfect spot for a rainforest exploration as it sits in the mountainous area with the largest rainfall. Here, you will spot from 12 lemur species and other countless kinds of birds, reptiles and amphibians. Encounter black ruffed lemur applying the fluid secreted from giant millipede which they use for repelling insects. Transfer back to your hotel after the hike.

We will have a stop at Anja Community Reserve for you to get your fix of ring-tailed lemurs where there are over 400. The chance is high to see those fuzzy critters in their habitual “meditation”, sitting and resting their claws on knees, towards the sun - that’s why these lemurs are also called monk lemur.

On arrival in Ranohira, if time permits, go on to see a wonderful sunset from Isalo Window, a frame-like hole through a sandstone rock carved over millions of years. Check in and enjoy dinner at the beautifully-designed hotel we’ve prepared for you.

Start today with a drive to Ranohira village for an entire day’s adventure at Isalo National Park. Taking up 815 square km (315 square mi), this geological miracle enjoys a landscape made up by nature-carved sandstone formations and canyons, an ensemble of ponds, and an abundant array of wildlife in forests. At least 14 species of lemurs consider here their home and ring-tailed lemurs are still the mostly seen, and seen in groups! Also be ready to spot sifakas and brown lemurs. After the excursion, return to the hotel with your driver guide.

This morning, drive 1.5 hours to Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park for a visit. The park is where you can find both dry and moist forests and we will guide you through the southern dry one to see wildlife who take this area as their home. More ring-tailed lemurs, sifakas, and brown lemurs will be shown to you, among total 8 lemur species, not to mention colorful birds, chameleons, and geckos. Next, continue with a 5-hour ride to the coastal town of Ifaty. After hotel check-in, spend the rest of the day as you like.

Witness super bulgy Fony Baobab, Octopus Tree among other cacti, and, of course, lemurs and other wildlife unique to the reserve! A special lemur species here is the cutie white-footed sportive lemurs - don’t “ew” if you see them eating their own droppings, which are just to be re-digested for more nutrients. As the visit finishes, transfer back to your hotel and enjoy the rest time of today freely. ­ ★ Optional Whale Watching Tour from July to September As July to September sees groups of humpback whales swimming to the warm waters off Madagascar to mate and breed, the chance comes for you to observe at a close distance! If you are interested, we can tailor your agenda in Ifaty or Nosy Be and add a whale-watching tour which would take 2-3 hours.

Transfer to Toliara’s airport and take a flight back to Tana. Meet your local driver guide in Tana and be escorted to your hotel.

On arrival, hop in the local driver guide’s vehicle for the unspoiled picturesque Three Bays, namely Pigeon Bay, Dunes Day, and Sakalava Bay, before heading to the hotel for check-in.

After breakfast, continue driving forward to Joffre Ville. After check-in at the local accommodation, meet your local guide who will then accompany you to hike in Amber Mountain National Park. Where the best-preserved rainforest in the north, crystal-clear rivers, waterfalls and crater lakes form a paradise for biodiversity, you get to view some of 7 lemur species, 75 bird species, and over 1,000 species of plants among other wildlife. Spot the world’s smallest lemur and chameleon, or madame Berthe’s mouse Lemur and Nosy Hara leaf chameleon.

As the name suggests, the little world of Red Tsingy is Mars-like, known for the wind-sculpted red laterite soil pinnacles in clusters scattered all over. To have a 360° panoramic view where the formations are most dense, you will climb stairs to reach a tree-shaded platform surrounded by them. Onwards to Ankarana, another 5 hours’ drive away. Check in at the lodge on arrival.

dry forests, a karst limestone forest with caves and subterranean rivers, and canyons to find rare wildlife. Here you will be introduced to the Perrier Baobabs different than all the baobabs you’ve seen before, as well as the Grey Tsingy of Ankarana. Of course, dive into cool caves for bats and look for new lemurs like Ankarana and Northern sportive lemurs. After a whole day’s trip, transfer back to the hotel for a good rest.

Spend the rest of today as you wish after hotel check-in. Nosy Be is the largest coastal island of Madagascar and one of the country’s biggest tourist cards, with local life to experience and natural beauties to take in. Why not take a tuktuk to travel around or rent a motorbike for rustic charms?

Take a stroll, bathe yourself in the tranquil sunlight, or ask concierges about reserving self-financed adventures like a boat trip to nearby islets. Visit Nosy Tanikely for snorkeling or scuba diving, see tropical fish playing hide and seek among coral reefs, as well as encounter glowing manta ray and whale shark, which normally turns up here July to September.

What sets this islet apart is the sandbank that peeps out every now and then from a blue jelly of the sea water between Big Iranja and Small Iranja, a photogenic view that makes each photo stand out. Visit Iranja between October and April if you find it so much fun to watch green turtles nesting and laying eggs on the beaches.

This morning, you will catch a flight back to Tana. Upon your landing, your driver guide will take you to the hotel. ­ ► As mentioned above, the schedules of Madagascar’s domestic flights are unstable, so is your flight back to Tana. That’s why we leave a whole day to accommodate any delay, so as not to impact your departure tomorrow.

Today sees the end of your Madagascar wildlife safari. You will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight home. Safe journey!