This 24-day small-group adventure explores Madagascar in depth, from the dry west and south to the rainforests of the east, with time for both wildlife and the island's people. Groups have no more than 12 travellers aged 15 and over, with a local leader and specialist guides in the parks. You stay in hotels, bungalows and a gite, with two nights camping on the riverbanks. Breakfast is included almost every day, with seven lunches and four dinners. One internal flight, from Antananarivo to Tulear, is included. The trip is land-only, starting and ending in the capital.

From Antananarivo you head west to Miandrivazo and board a traditional flat-bottomed barge for two days on the Tsiribihina River. You camp on sandbanks, stop at riverside villages and walk to waterfalls, watching for lemurs and herds of zebu along the banks. A 4×4 then takes you to Bekopaka for the Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO-listed maze of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles. There you trek through the Small Tsingy, take a canoe on the Manambolo River and cross suspended bridges in the Big Tsingy. Next comes Morondava and sunset at the Avenue of the Baobabs.

Returning through Antsirabe and the crater lake of Tritriva, the second part of the trip flies south to Tulear. Breakfast beneath the baobabs of Reniala Private Park is followed by a walk in the spiny forest and two nights by the sea at Ifaty. Isalo National Park has sandstone canyons, natural pools and ring-tailed lemurs.

Heading north through the highlands, you visit the Antemoro paper workshop at Ambalavao and the Anja Community Reserve, home to ring-tailed lemurs, then a Betsileo village near Fianarantsoa. In Ranomafana, guided day and night walks look for lemurs, chameleons and leaf-tailed geckos. In Ambositra, the woodcarving capital of Madagascar, you visit a marquetry workshop and a silk-weaving association with lunch in the village. Andasibe, home to 11 lemur species including the indri, brings a final guided walk and a night walk. Back in Antananarivo, a hands-on chocolate workshop rounds off the trip.

Expect long, rough drives, early starts and basic facilities in places. This trip suits adventurous wildlife lovers who want to see the real Madagascar, not just its highlights.

Trip highlights

Two days by traditional barge on the Tsiribihina River, camping on sandbanks (Days 3–4)
The Small and Big Tsingy of Bemaraha, with suspended bridges (Days 6–7)
Sunset at the Avenue of the Baobabs near Morondava (Day 8)
Breakfast in Reniala's baobab forest and the spiny forest walk (Day 12)
Canyons and natural pools in Isalo National Park (Day 15)
Lemurs by day and night in Ranomafana and Andasibe (Days 18 and 22)

Map of the 24-day loop from Antananarivo to the Tsiribihina River, Bemaraha, Morondava, Tulear, Isalo, Ranomafana and Andasibe — 24-day route: Antananarivo – Tsiribihina River – Bekopaka – Morondava – Antsirabe – Tulear – Ifaty – Isalo – Fianarantsoa – Ranomafana – Ambositra – Andasibe – Antananarivo

Antananarivo Days 1, 11 & 23
Miandrivazo Days 2 & 9
Tsiribihina River Days 3–4
Belo-sur-Tsiribihina Day 5
Bekopaka Days 5–7
Avenue of the Baobabs Day 8
Morondava Day 8
Lake Tritriva Day 10
Antsirabe Days 10 & 20
Tulear Day 12
Ifaty Days 12–13
Isalo National Park Days 14–15
Ambalavao Day 16
Fianarantsoa Day 16
Ranomafana Days 17–18
Ambositra Day 19
Andasibe Days 21–22

Few trips cover so much of Madagascar: the west coast, the south, the highlands and the eastern rainforests in one journey. Small groups, local guides and visits to community projects bring you close to the island's people as well as its wildlife.

Best suited to

Wildlife lovers keen to see lemurs, chameleons and baobabs
Adventurous travellers comfortable with long, rough drives
Photographers drawn to the Tsingy and the baobabs
Travellers interested in community-based tourism

Day 1 · Antananarivo Arrive in Antananarivo

Welcome to Antananarivo, Madagascar's busy capital of cobbled streets, wooden houses and churches. The trip begins with a welcome meeting at 5pm.

Hotel
Hotel
Day 2 · Miandrivazo West to Miandrivazo

A long drive west through the highlands to Miandrivazo, a small town on the Tsiribihina River and the starting point for the river journey.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 3 · Tsiribihina River Tsiribihina River by barge

Drive about an hour to Masiakampy and board a traditional flat-bottomed barge, once used to carry tobacco. Glide downriver past villages and forest, and camp on a sandbank with the crew cooking dinner.

Hotel
Riverbank camping

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 · Tsiribihina River Tsiribihina River

A full day on the river, with stops at villages and a walk to a waterfall. With no roads here, wildlife thrives: watch for lemurs, herons and kingfishers, and for herds of zebu crossing the water.

Hotel
Riverbank camping

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 · Belo-sur-Tsiribihina, Bekopaka Belo-sur-Tsiribihina to Bekopaka

Leave the barge and stop at the market town of Belo-sur-Tsiribihina in the delta. Then drive about five hours by 4x4 to Bekopaka, the gateway to the Tsingy de Bemaraha.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 6 · Tsingy de Bemaraha, Manambolo River Small Tsingy

An early start for up to five hours trekking through the Small Tsingy, a maze of limestone pinnacles, with two viewpoints. Take a canoe on the Manambolo River past caves and tombs.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 7 · Tsingy de Bemaraha Big Tsingy

Another early start for the Big Tsingy, largely unexplored until the 1990s. Climb ladders, squeeze through narrow passages and cross suspended bridges high above the stone forest, watching for lemurs.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 8 · Avenue of the Baobabs, Morondava To Morondava and the Avenue of the Baobabs

A long 4x4 day of about eight hours, crossing the Manambolo and Tsiribihina rivers by ferry. Arrive in time to watch the sunset at the Avenue of the Baobabs before reaching the seaside town of Morondava.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 9 · Morondava, Miandrivazo Morondava to Miandrivazo

A free morning to relax on the beach or browse the market in Morondava, then drive back to Miandrivazo.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 10 · Lake Tritriva, Antsirabe Lake Tritriva and Antsirabe

Drive to Antsirabe, stopping for an easy walk through the lakes district to Tritriva, an emerald crater lake surrounded by forest.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11 · Antananarivo Back to Antananarivo

Return to Antananarivo, arriving around 2pm. A welcome meeting at 5pm introduces new travellers joining for the second part of the trip.

Hotel
Hotel
Day 12 · Tulear, Reniala Private Park, Ifaty Fly to Tulear: Reniala and Ifaty

Fly early to Tulear and head to Reniala Private Park for breakfast beneath the baobabs. A local guide leads you through the spiny forest, one of the last areas of primary forest in the south-west, before you settle into beach bungalows at Ifaty.

Hotel
Bungalows

Meals
Breakfast
Day 13 · Ifaty Free day in Ifaty

A free day by the sea. Relax by the pool or on the beach, or visit the Recycling Museum in Tulear.

Hotel
Bungalows

Meals
Breakfast
Day 14 · Tulear, Isalo National Park Tulear to Isalo

Your leader shows you Tulear, with its wide streets and colourful pousse-pousse rickshaws, then drive inland to Isalo National Park.

Hotel
Bungalows

Meals
Breakfast
Day 15 · Isalo National Park Isalo National Park

A full day exploring Isalo, a landscape of sandstone canyons, plains and natural pools, home to ring-tailed and sifaka lemurs and many endemic plants.

Hotel
Bungalows

Meals
Breakfast
Day 16 · Ambalavao, Anja Community Reserve, Fianarantsoa Anja and Fianarantsoa

Visit the Antemoro paper factory in Ambalavao and the Anja Community Reserve, a village-run forest full of ring-tailed lemurs. Continue to Fianarantsoa, staying at a hotel school.

Hotel
Ecole Hoteliere La Riziere or similar

Meals
Breakfast
Day 17 · Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana Betsileo village to Ranomafana

Explore the old town of Fianarantsoa and visit a Betsileo village to see rural life among the rice terraces, then drive to Ranomafana. In the evening, join a night walk in search of chameleons and mouse lemurs.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch
Day 18 · Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana National Park

A four-hour guided walk in Ranomafana's rainforest looks for lemurs, striped civets, mongooses, frogs and, if you are lucky, one of the world's smallest chameleons.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 19 · Ambositra Ambositra

Travel to Ambositra, home of the Betsileo people and Madagascar's woodcarving capital. Visit a marquetry workshop to see local craftspeople at work.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch
Day 20 · Sandrandahy, Antsirabe Silk village and Antsirabe

Visit the Sandrandahy association to learn how silk is produced and woven into the lambamena burial shrouds central to Malagasy tradition, with lunch in the village. Continue to Antsirabe.

Hotel
Gite

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 21 · Andasibe To Andasibe

A long travel day east to Andasibe, Madagascar's most visited park and home to 11 lemur species. The afternoon is free to relax.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 22 · Andasibe National Park, Analamazaotra Andasibe National Park

A guided walk in Andasibe looks for lemurs, including the indri with its haunting call, plus endemic birds and frogs. In the evening, take a night walk in the community-managed Analamazaotra reserve.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast
Day 23 · Antananarivo Chocolate workshop in Antananarivo

Drive back to Antananarivo for a hands-on workshop with a local chocolate maker, learning how Madagascar's prized cocoa becomes chocolate.

Hotel
Hotel

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch
Day 24 · Antananarivo Trip ends in Antananarivo

The trip ends after breakfast, and you can leave at any time. Extra nights in Antananarivo can be arranged when you book.

Meals
Breakfast

A group of ring-tailed lemurs resting on a branch

Antananarivo (1 night) Hotel
Miandrivazo (1 night) Hotel
Tsiribihina River (2 nights) Riverbank camping
Bekopaka (3 nights) Hotel
Morondava (1 night) Hotel
Miandrivazo (1 night) Hotel
Antsirabe (1 night) Hotel
Antananarivo (1 night) Hotel
Ifaty (2 nights) Bungalows
Isalo National Park (2 nights) Bungalows
Fianarantsoa (1 night) Ecole Hoteliere La Riziere or similar
Ranomafana (2 nights) Hotel
Ambositra (1 night) Hotel
Antsirabe (1 night) Gite
Andasibe (2 nights) Hotel
Antananarivo (1 night) Hotel

Hotel names are indicative and may be replaced with a property of similar standard and location.

Included

Accommodation — 23 nights 16 in hotels, 4 in bungalows, 2 camping on river sandbanks and 1 in a gite
Meals 22 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 4 dinners
Flight Antananarivo to Tulear
Transport private vehicles with 4x4 sections, a two-day barge trip on the Tsiribihina River and river ferries
Parks the Small and Big Tsingy, a Manambolo River canoe trip, Reniala, Isalo, Ranomafana and Andasibe, with local guides
Community visits the Antemoro paper factory, the Anja Community Reserve, a Betsileo village, a woodcarving workshop, a silk association and a chocolate workshop
Local leader throughout

Not included

International flights to and from Antananarivo
Visa for Madagascar
Meals not listed and drinks
Optional activities, such as the Ambohimanga Rova tour
Single supplement (not available on camping nights), tips, travel insurance and personal spending

Honest disclaimer — please read

You want international flights included — they are not
You dislike long days on the road — some drives take up to eight hours
You need comfort every night — there are two nights camping with basic facilities
You want most meals included — 22 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 4 dinners

FCDO advice UK FCDO travel advice for Madagascar

11 Oct 2026 Twin share

£5,065pp

Single from £5,625

Trip highlights

Best suited to

Included

Not included

Not quite the right fit? Make it tailor-made.

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