This tour will take you on an adventure through the South and the East of Madagascar, where you will explore diverse landscapes, wildlife and culture.
You will start in Antananarivo and fly to Tulear, where you will drive to Isalo National Park, a stunning area of canyons, waterfalls and natural pools. You will then head to Ambalavoa, a town with colonial charm and a nearby eco-tourism project.
From there, you will drive to Antsirabe, the main town of the pousse pousse, and then to Andasibe National Park, home to the Indri Indri, the largest lemur.
You will then take a boat ride along the Pangalanes Channel, a network of lakes and canals, to reach Palmarium, a nature reserve with many species of lemurs and plants.
You will also have a chance to see the elusive Aye aye at night. Next, you will take another boat to Mahambo, a beach town where you will catch the ferry to Sainte Marie Island, a former pirate haven with beautiful beaches and coral reefs.
You will spend three days relaxing on this island before flying back to Antananarivo, where you can explore the capital city and its markets, palace and history.
You will then depart for your flight back home after 17 days of unforgettable experiences.
Day 1 – Arrival in Antananarivo
After arriving at the airport, you will be transferred to a comfortable hotel near the airport.
Hotel: Au Bois Vert
https://auboisvert.com/
Day 2 : Domestic flight to Tulear
The transfer will take you to the nearby airport in time to check in for your flight to Tulear. Once there, you will be picked up by yet another transfer service that will take you to the hotel not far away. Our driver/guide is on his way and will report to the hotel later in the day.
Hotel: Hotel Bakuba
https://www.bakuba-lodge.com/?lang=fr
Day 3 : To Isalo NP
After breakfast, depart for a five-hour drive to Isalo NP through a landscape that, with a little imagination, is reminiscent of the mid-western United States, complete with phantom villages and table mountains.
Hotel: Isalo Ranch
https://www.isalo-ranch.com/
Day 4 : Isalo National Park
Today, accompanied by a guide, you will explore this park with its waterfalls, natural pools and adventurous gorges. In the middle of the wilderness you will be served a delicious lunch while ring-tailed lemurs and red-headed lemurs play in the bush around you.
Hotel: Isalo Ranch
https://www.isalo-ranch.com/
Day 5 : To Ambalavoa
After breakfast you will depart for Ambalavoa, a drive of about four hours. You will stay at a great hotel with stunning views of the rugged region.
Hotel : Tsienimparihy
https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Hotel_Review-g1468138-d8700403-Reviews-Tsienimparihy_Lodge-Ambalavao_Fianarantsoa_Province.html#/media/8700403/153579451:p/?albumid=101&type=0&category=101
(They don’t have an website, but you can see the pictures here !)
Day 6 : Ambalavao
Today, you are going to visit this highly successful eco-tourism project of Parc d’Anja. Hidden between a cluster of granite boulders is an oasis that houses several colonies of ring-tailed lemurs. All morning you will visit this beautiful little park accompanied by a nice guide .
Hotel : Tsienimparihy
https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Hotel_Review-g1468138-d8700403-Reviews-Tsienimparihy_Lodge-Ambalavao_Fianarantsoa_Province.html#/media/8700403/153579451:p/?albumid=101&type=0&category=101
(They don’t have an website, but you can see the pictures here !)
Day 7 : To Antsirabe
A drive of about seven hours will take you to Antsirabe. This lovely town is the main town of the pousse pousse, a brightly colored rickshaw pulled by human power pulled. A few historic colonial buildings make this town a pleasant place to stop.
Hotel: Couleur Café
https://www.couleurcafe-antsirabe.com/
Day 8 : To Andasibe National Park
A drive of about seven hours will take you to Antsirabe. This lovely town is the main town of the pousse pousse, a brightly colored rickshaw pulled by human power pulled. A few historic colonial buildings make this town a pleasant place to stop.
Hotel: Mantadia Lodge
https://mantadialodge.com/
Day 9 : Andasibe National Park
All morning, you will hike through the Analamazaotra section of the park with a guide. You are bound to see the Indri Indri, but you also have a chance to see bamboo lemurs, brown lemurs and the largest of the chameleons : the Parsons chameleon. This afternoon you can visit (optional) the Vakona domain. An island located there houses a sanctuary for lemurs.
Here you can photograph the previously spotted animals very well. You can see the brown and the black and white ruffed lemur as well as the dancing sifaka. On the other side of the property is a former crocodile farm. The lake still holds dozens of these prehistoric monsters.
Hotel: Mantadia Lodge
https://mantadialodge.com/
Day 10 : To the Pangalanes Channel
This morning you will drive about 4 hours to Manambato. Here you will say goodbye to your driver. Manambato is a town on the Pangalanes Channel where the boat from Palmarium awaits you. The boat will take you there across Lake Akanin’ny Nofy and several arms of the canal. A unique nature reserve, and your accommodation is right in the middle of it ! You will spend two nights in very comfortable bungalows on a peninsula in the nature reserve.
Hotel: Palmarium
https://www.palmarium.biz/palmarium-madagascar-hotel-et-reserve/
(They don’t have an website but, you can see some nice pictures here/such a beautiful place in the middle of nature)
Day 11 : Pangalanes Channel
Today a guide from Palmarium will take you into the vast reserve. A unique forest area where you can spot sifakas and Indri in addition to brown and red lemurs. In a hidden swamp you will search for endemic carnivorous plants. Tonight a guided evening walk is scheduled to look for the illustrious Aye aye (or finger animal). After sunset, you’ll travel by boat a long way up the canal to land on a small island where a nature guide will guide you into the dark forest.
Hotel: Palmarium
https://www.palmarium.biz/palmarium-madagascar-hotel-et-reserve/
(They don’t have an website but, you can see some nice pictures here/such a beautiful place in the middle of nature)
Day 12 : Tamatave to Mahambo
This morning the boat from Palmarium takes you across the northern arm of the Pangalanes Channel to the river port of Toamasina. Here a transfer awaits you and drives you up to Mahambo. Mahambo is the jumping-off point for the ferry “El Condor”. You spend the night in a hotel in a beautiful garden on a very pleasant beach.
Hotel: La Pirogue
https://www.booking.com/hotel/mg/la-pirogue.fr.html
(They don’t have an website, but you can see the pictures here)
Day 13 : To Sainte Marie
The “El Condor” will take you to the port of the former pirate nest of Sainte Marie in about two hours this morning. The hotel transfer service will then be waiting to take you to your hotel for the next three days.
Hotel: Ecolodge Le Ravoroha
https://www.ravoraha.com/fr
Day 14 + 15 : Sainte Marie
Enjoy your stay on this beautiful island.
Hotel: Ecolodge Le Ravoroha
https://www.ravoraha.com/fr
Day 16 : Domestic flight to Antananarivo Currently, that flight is scheduled as follows
The hotel transfer will take you to Sainte Marie airport in the morning in time for your flight to the capital. Once there, another transfer will pick you up and take you to the hotel in the center of town.
Hotel: Sakamanga
https://sakamanga.com/
Day 17 : Buffet day Antananarivo
Today you will keep your room until the transfer picks you up tonight to take you to the airport. Today you can explore the capital. Lots of bustling activity down at the Avenue de l’Indépendance and the markets around it. You can also climb the city’s highest hill to visit the Palace of the Queen.
Hotel: Sakamanga
https://sakamanga.com/
Day 18 : Flight Back
