Highlights of Madagascar & beach holiday in Anakao

Today, you will depart from your chosen airport. The tour goes – with connecting flight(s) along the way – to Madagascar, the large red island in the Indian Ocean.

You arrive at Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, where you will be met at the airport by our local partner.

We recommend that you exchange euros to the local currency, Ariary, at the airport, and our partner can help you with this. If you want to buy a local SIM card, it is also a good idea to do this at the airport. You will then be driven to your hotel, where you will have a single night.

The rest of the day is at your leisure.

After breakfast, you will depart from the capital – to which you will fortunately return at the end of this tour. First, however, the tour heads east.

Today’s final destination is the well-known Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, which was founded by the French in 1970.

But first, you have to leave the capital.

Antananarivo is located in the central highlands. There are 18 different tribes in Madagascar, and the dominant tribe here in the highlands is the Merinas. They originate from Southeast Asia, and when they arrived on the island more than 1,000 years ago – presumably in carved canoes – they brought rice with them. They settled in the central highlands and laid out rice fields, which still dominate the landscape today. In many places, trim rice terraces have been constructed on the hillsides and mountain sides, and it almost feels like you are in Bali.

As you go further east, the landscape changes. The hills become taller and the forests denser, and there are more hairpin bends on the road.

You have a packed lunch with you, which you will eat somewhere along the way.

You will arrive in Andasibe-Mantadia during the afternoon, and you will have the rest of the day at your leisure to get settled in the beautiful nature.

It almost goes without saying that one of the absolute highlights of a tour to Madagascar is the endemic half-monkey species, the lemur. There are over 100 different lemur species, and, as recently as 2020, a previously unknown species was discovered.

Andasibe-Mantadia is one of the best places in Madagascar to see lemurs, and you have a very good chance of spotting them here, especially the largest of them all, the Indri-Indri (or just Indri).

However, it requires an early start to the day, so, already at sunrise, you will depart for the national park, where you will go looking for lemurs together with a guide and a ‘spotter’.

You will probably hear the Indri lemurs before you see them. Their call, which sounds like a cross between screaming and singing, can be heard at a distance of up to 5 km. The sound is penetrating and absolutely magical. It’s hard not to get goosepimples when they start singing. It’s almost as if, immediately after sunrise, with their piercing singing voices, they are checking to see how each of them is doing – whether everything has gone as it should during the night.

However, the spotter’s trained eyes will hopefully soon spot an Indri family in the trees, and then it is just a matter of making your way through the forest so that you can get the best view of them. They sometimes perch high up in the treetops, but you may also be lucky enough to see a pair of young, playful lemurs jumping from branch to branch a little further down – as always with wild animals, there are no guarantees.

Of course, there are also many other animals in the national park. You might be lucky enough to see bamboo lemurs, Sifaka lemurs, brown lemurs, chameleons, and rich bird life.

At lunchtime, you will head back to the hotel, where lunch is ready. There will then be time for a little rest or perhaps a dip in the pool. You can also choose to go for a walk in the area and enjoy the beautiful nature on your own.

Towards the end of the day, another walk in the national park awaits you – again with the local guide, who will show you frogs, stick insects, birds – or whatever you happen to spot. The biodiversity in the park is enormous and there is always something to see.

After a tasty dinner at the hotel, it is time for a good night’s sleep.

From Andasibe – Mantadia, the tour today heads back to the capital, Antananarivo. The drive lasts approx. 4-5 hours, so you will reach ‘Tana’, as the city is often called, just in time for lunch.

After lunch, you can ask your driver and guide to stop at one of the many excellent petrol stations you find in Madagascar, so that you can refuel with some snacks, soft drinks, iced coffee, or whatever you like.

South of Tana, you will, in fact, drive onto one of the most legendary roads in Madagascar, the RN7. A real road trip awaits you. The car – a four-wheel drive – is new and modern. There is good shock absorption, air conditioning, and comfortable seating. You will spend a fair number of hours in this car over the next few days, but luckily it never really gets boring to look out the window. The landscape often changes character, and the further south you go, the more dramatic it becomes.

The afternoon drive from Tana to Antsirabe takes just over 4-5 hours. There are only main roads and no actual motorways in Madagascar. Most roads are of good quality, but, locally, there may be stretches with many potholes. The driver is used to navigating these roads, so driving is by no means unpleasant. It may just go a little slow sometimes. Every once in a while, one of the old, beautiful Mercedes-Benz trucks from the French era breaks down and blocks the road until it has been fixed again. Or maybe a local farmer on his way to the market on his zebu cart delays traffic over an extended stretch. That’s Madagascar for you. But that’s all part of its charm! Mura-mura, as the locals say. Just take it easy.

Along the way to Antsirabe, you will stop at an aluminium foundry, where it is possible to see how pots and pans are made by hand.

Upon arrival in Antsirabe, you will check in at your hotel, where you will have a single night.

Antsirabe was founded by Norwegian missionaries in the late 19th century. They taught the local inhabitants how to make bricks. This benefited the French during the colonial period, and several prominent buildings were constructed: hotels, a post office, a cathedral, and a stunningly beautiful railway station building.

Like all of the other cities in Madagascar where the French were present, there is a long, wide boulevard in the city centre – and at the end of the boulevard, you will find the railway station, which is, however, no longer in use.

In the morning, a rickshaw ride around the city awaits you. Rickshaw is the most-used means of public transport here in Antsirabe, and the ride is a nice way to experience the city. The rickshaw ride will take you past some of the city’s distinguished colonial buildings, and you will also visit a few of the local handicraft workshops and shops. Here, you will, for example, see a demonstration of how an old washing machine motor has been converted into a polishing instrument used for making spoons and jewellery out of zebu horn.

At the end of the morning, the tour continues to Ambositra, where you will have lunch. If there is enough time, we highly recommend taking a walk in the city centre, where a large part of the city’s many local handicraft shops are located.

The last stretch of today’s drive goes to Ranomafana National Park, where you will arrive in the afternoon. Here you will stay two nights.

The whole day is devoted to experiencing the unique biodiversity of Ranomafana National Park. The mountainous terrain is covered with lush rainforest, moss grows on the trees, the ferns are man-high, and the rivers roar in the valleys. In many places, water trickles down over the path, turning the dust into mud. Ranomafana is a rainforest as you imagine a rainforest to be.

The national park was established in 1991 after scientists discovered the golden bamboo lemur that lives here in 1986. However, it is only one of 12 lemur species which live in the rainforest – along with, for example, 115 bird species, which is just over a quarter of those that are endemic to this particular small patch of Madagascar.

The morning offers a guided hike in the national park. Here, too, you will be accompanied by a local guide and a spotter, which will increase your chances of seeing some of the many lemur species. And there ARE good chances. Also remember to enjoy the chameleons, frogs, butterflies, birds, and the beautiful, wild orchids. There are over 1,000 different orchids in Madagascar – and, once again, a large number of them are endemic to the island.

Towards late morning, you will head back to the hotel, where lunch is served and you can relax.

Ranomafana means ‘hot water’ and refers to the many hot springs which can be found in the area. You are going to experience them this afternoon. They are said to have healing powers – if nothing else, the warm water is relaxing.

Back at the hotel, dinner awaits.

You will depart from the hotel after breakfast. We recommend an early departure today so that you reach the final destination of the day, Isalo National Park, in time to enjoy the magical sunset.

After a two-hour drive, you will reach the city of Fianarantsoa, which is also called the ‘gateway to Southern Madagascar’. From here, you will continue for another hour to the nature reserve called Anja Reserve, where you have a very good chance of seeing ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta).

Along the way, the landscape changes dramatically from the now-sofamiliar and well-kept rice terraces to a wild landscape with impressive rock formations.

The Anja Reserve is a small reserve, but it is a very exciting project. Several local villages have joined forces to protect the reserve, which can only be visited with a local guide. The income from the visits goes to the villages involved, and helps ensure, among other things, schooling for the children, mosquito nets, and the planting of trees – as well as the preservation and expansion of the reserve.

The Anja Reserve has the largest concentration of ring-tailed lemurs in Madagascar, so there are really good chances of seeing their beautiful striped tails here!

In addition to the lemurs, the reserve has a beautiful rocky landscape, which you can admire on a short walk, where you will also be able to see a traditional burial site situated high up on the rocks.

From the Anja Reserve, you will continue in a more south-westerly direction, where the landscape changes again. You will drive through the mountains and up to a highland plateau, the Horombe Plateau. You have arrived at the home of the Bara tribe.

The Bara people are semi-nomadic and are – like the Maasai in East Africa – cattle people. In fact, they are so fond of their zebu that if a young man is to have any hope of being allowed to marry, he must first steal a zebu and present it to his future in-laws.

From here, just over an hour’s drive is left before you reach Isalo. The landscape is characterised by long deserted stretches with knee-high grass as far as the eye can see. It almost looks like an East African savannah, and it is easy to understand why the Bara people herd their cattle here.

When the savannah gives way to a lunar landscape with stunning sandstone rocks, you know that you have arrived at Isalo National Park.

Here, you will spend the next two nights, and tonight (weather permitting) you will experience a magical sunset over Isalo.

Isalo National Park is spectacular!

The Isalo massif, which consists primarily of sandstone, is several hundred million years old. Wind and weather have eroded the massif and created amazing formations in the landscape: pointed cliffs, round hills, deep ravines, oases with emerald green lakes encircled by palm trees, and flat plain-like areas. The landscape here takes most people’s breath away.

The 800 km2 that the park covers offers unique flora and fauna. In addition to being one of the best places to see ring-tailed lemurs, you can also experience, for example, Sifica lemurs, more than 100 different species of birds, and a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians such as lizards and frogs.

Several plant and animal species are only found here in the park – for example, the fine elephant’s foot or ponytail palm plant, which almost resembles a mini-baobab tree with its bright yellow flowers.

Today has been earmarked for experiencing Isalo.

You have to be a fairly practised walker to go hiking in the national park. The paths are reasonably well-maintained, but there are lots of ascents and descents, and they can be narrow at times. In turn, there are many different routes to choose from, and together with your guide, you will choose the one that suits you best. Just like in the other national parks, here, you will also be accompanied by a local guide who can tell you about both the nature and wildlife, the geology, and the great cultural importance that Isalo has for the Bara people.

There is also an opportunity to cool down along the way. Bring your swimsuit and jump into one of the beautiful natural pools that the park offers.

Depending on your choice of hike, you will either bring a packed lunch or return to the hotel for lunch.

There is beauty everywhere, so even if you settle for a morning walk in the park, you will not miss out on the wonderful landscapes.

It is time to say goodbye to beautiful Isalo, but, fortunately, more beautiful and exciting nature and animal experiences are in store for you ahead. The course is set south-southwest with Toliara as the final destination.

About halfway between Isalo and Toliara, you will make a stop at the lesser-known national park, Zombitse National Park. The national park plays an important role in the preservation of indigenous biodiversity in Madagascar. The park has a great location right in the middle between two different types of forest. The driest part of the forest is very exposed to nature fires, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change, and the less dry part is coveted by the local residents for both its agriculture and cattle breeding. Much of the forest has therefore disappeared over time. With the creation of the national park in 1997, the remaining part of this important ‘transitional forest’ was preserved.

The flora in the national park is rather unique. For example, it is one of the only places in Madagascar where you will find the small weasel lemur. The weasel lemur is a nocturnal animal, but you may be lucky enough to spot it sitting asleep in a hole in a tree.

The main attraction in Zombitse are the Sifaka lemurs. The Sifaka lemur is related to the Indri lemur, and Sifakas thus also sing when they communicate. However, the Sifaka lemur has gone one step further, as it is also called the dancing lemur. The nickname is due to its rather funny way of moving on the ground. Sifakas are so used to jumping from branch to branch that when they occasionally have to move from one piece of forest to another, where there are no trees in between, they jump along on their hind legs in an upright position with their arms out to the side. It looks very droll, and it actually seems a bit like they are dancing. However, the Sifaka lemur spends most of its time in the trees.

Before reaching Zombitse, you will drive through a remarkable place. The area around the town of Ilakaka is very rich in precious stones, and there are a large number of small villages where you can buy, for example, sapphires. It is quite clear that the villages have sprung up very quickly after the first precious stones were found here in the 1990s, and some of the houses have a fairly ramshackle appearance. People literally walk along the streets carrying a gold-digging pan and a pickaxe in hopes of finding the small stone that will secure their future. It is reminiscent of the United States during the gold rush in the 1800s.

From Zombitse, the tour continues towards the coast. The landscape changes once again – this time to semi-desert.

Out here on the coast, the Vezo tribe dominates. They are – like the Bara people – semi-nomadic. But where the Bara people are cattle breeders, the Vezo people are fishermen.

Here and there you can see small settlements, which primarily consist of grass huts, and if you look closely, you will discover that some of the wooden houses can be folded so that they are easily movable if necessary.

Many of the women have painted faces. They paint their faces both as decoration and as protection from the bright sun. It is also said that the paint (which is actually a kind of paste consisting of pulverised bark mixed with water) results in nice, soft skin. We do not know whether this is true.

On arrival in Toliara, you will check in at your hotel and have lunch. The afternoon is at your leisure for relaxation and perhaps lounging by the pool.

After many days on the road, it is time to change your means of transport. From Toliara, you will take a speedboat to the village of Anakao, south of Toliara. The boat ride takes about an hour, and along the way, you may be lucky enough to be accompanied by dolphins.

In Anakao, you will check in at your lodge, where you will stay three nights, and lunch will soon be ready for you.

In the afternoon, there is an excursion to the small uninhabited coral island of Nosy Ve, which is located only a short boat ride from Anakao. Here you can snorkel, walk around the island, or observe the tropical birds that live on the island. It is a lovely, relaxed afternoon on a genuine tropical island.

Back in Anakao, dinner awaits you at the lodge.

You have had several experiences to keep you busy the past week, and therefore, you now have a couple of well-deserved days off. Enjoy the beautiful beach at the lodge and digest the impressions of the past week.

If you need more relaxation, you have the option to extend your stay in Anakao (talk to your travel specialist).

Today, you will depart from Anakao towards Toliara – again by boat.

A visit to the private reserve, Reniala, then awaits you.

This reserve was also created by a group of locals to ensure the preservation of the area’s original nature. The income from the guided tours goes to the local community, while also creating guide jobs. The guides also act as bridge-builders in relation to the rest of the local population, and they help spread knowledge about the necessity of preserving the nature and wildlife.

In the reserve, you will find stunning, old baobab trees that stand side by side with thorny trees and shrubs (including octopus trees), all of which are endemic to the area here. A local guide will show you around and tell you about the ecosystem in the reserve. There is also a visit to a turtle centre, where they rescue turtles that have been living in captivity, and (if possible) release them back into nature when they have recovered.

After the visit, you will have lunch before departing for the airport, from where you will fly back to the capital Antananarivo. Here, you will be driven to your hotel for a final night in Madagascar.

As you may recall, the central highlands of Madagascar – and the capital Antananarivo – are home to the Merina tribe.

It was also a local Merina king, King Andrianjaka, who founded the city in the early 17th century and began building his kingdom. The headquarters of the government building were naturally situated on the highest hill in the city. From here, the views of the surrounding landscape were unbeatable.

In 1787, through cunning alliances and shrewd political moves, the Merina king, Andrianampoinimerina, succeeded in uniting the country under him to become the first king of all of Madagascar.

However, it was not until under the reign of Queen Ranavalona I, who ruled from 1828-1861, that the castle was indeed expanded into what it is today. She was called the mad queen, and you can look forward to hearing more about her today! You will also meet the country’s last queen, Queen Ranavalona III, who was exiled when the French invaded and colonised Madagascar in the late 19th century.

The guided tour is very interesting and provides a good insight into Madagascar’s history.

Depending on when your flight departs, we will make sure that you can get a shower at a hotel close to the airport and possibly dinner before your departure. It is also possible to use the pool here and maybe even treat yourself to a massage.

You will land at your chosen airport after an adventurous tour.