Itinerary
- Day 1
Antananarivo
You'll arrive in Antananarivo and meet up with your group at 5 pm. If you get there early, the cobbled streets of Haute-Ville are worth wandering through, and the Analakely street market gives a real sense of the city's character. After the welcome meeting, there's an optional dinner with your travel companions if you want to join.
Optional Activities
- Explore Haute-Ville district
- Visit Analakely street market
- Optional dinner with group
Landmarks/POIs Analakely Market Haute-Ville - Day 2
Antananarivo to Miandrivazo
Settle in for a long drive heading west to Miandrivazo, where your river adventure kicks off. It's a good time to get to know the people you'll be traveling with. Once you arrive, you'll check into the hotel and get a briefing about what to expect on the two-day river cruise ahead. Spend the rest of the day exploring town and grabbing any supplies you might need.
Included Activities
- Briefing on river cruise information
Optional Activities
- Explore local markets for supplies
- Day 3
Miandrivazo to Tsiribihina River
An early start takes you 35 kilometers (about 2 hours) to Masiakampy where a flat-bottom barge is waiting. You'll board, meet the crew, and have lunch while the boat moves through farming plains. As the landscape changes, the dramatic gorges of the Tsiribihina River appear. An afternoon trek leads to a hidden waterfall before you set up camp on a large sandbank for the night.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch during river cruise)
Included Activities
- Miandrivazo - Tsiribihina River Trip
- Trek to waterfall
Optional Activities
- Wildlife spotting along the riverbanks
Landmarks/POIs Tsiribihina River - Day 4
Tsiribihina River
Spend the full day cruising along the Tsiribihina through remote western Madagascar. Watch for zebus crossing the river and colorful birds like bee-eaters, herons, and egrets. The boat stops occasionally so you can walk to villages and trek for animal spotting. By evening, you'll camp at a village on the shore where locals share traditional Malagasy music and dancing around a campfire.
Included Activities
- Full day river cruise
- Village walks
- Animal spotting treks
- Traditional Malagasy music and dancing
Landmarks/POIs Tsiribihina River - Day 5
Tsiribihina River to Bekopaka
Your last morning on the river includes saying goodbye to the crew. The boat stops at Belo-sur-Tsiribihina, a small village in the marshes and mangroves, where you'll explore the market and grab lunch. Then it's a 5-hour 4x4 journey off-road to Bekopaka. After arriving, you'll have time to swim or shower and rest before tackling the Small Tsingy tomorrow.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at Belo-sur-Tsiribihina)
Included Activities
- Disembark river cruise
- Visit Belo-sur-Tsiribihina village market
Optional Activities
- Explore market
Landmarks/POIs Belo-sur-Tsiribihina - Day 6
Small Tsingy
Rise early for up to five hours trekking through the Small Tsingy in Bemaraha National Park, navigating the labyrinth of limestone formations that look like a forest of rock. Two lookout points give great photo opportunities and views. In the afternoon, you'll float down the Manambolo River on a pirogue with towering rock cliffs overhead. An easy cave walk follows, featuring stalactites, stalagmites, and the tombs of the Vazimba, said to be Madagascar's earliest inhabitants.
Included Activities
- Bemaraha National Park - Small Tsingy walking circuit
- Bemaraha National Park - Manombolo River Canoe Ride
- Cave exploration with stalactites and stalagmites
Landmarks/POIs Bemaraha National Park - Small Tsingy Manambolo River - Day 7
Great Tsingy
Another early start for the Great Tsingy, an area that wasn't explored until the 1990s but now has bridges, climbing equipment, and fixed anchors to make it manageable. There's a suspended bridge with a sheer drop that's thrilling but challenging if heights bother you. You might spot 11 lemur species, 100 bird species, and 45 endemic reptiles and amphibians including the Madagascar iguana and Antsingy leaf chameleon.
Included Activities
- Bemaraha National Park - Big Tsingy Trek
Optional Activities
- Wildlife spotting for lemurs, birds and reptiles
Landmarks/POIs Bemaraha National Park - Great Tsingy - Day 8
Bekopaka to Morondava
Expect a long 8-hour 4x4 day on bumpy roads crossing the Manambolo and Tsiribihina rivers by ferry before reaching Morondava in time for sunset. Head to the Avenue of the Baobabs to watch these massive, odd-shaped trees lit by the setting sun. Many are around 800 years old. The sky will turn pink and yellow before these ancient trees disappear into shadow. You'll rest overnight in Morondava.
Included Activities
- Morondava - Sunset at Baobab Alley
Landmarks/POIs Avenue of the Baobabs - Day 9
Morondava to Miandrivazo
The morning is yours to do as you like. Relax on Morondava's beach or check out the local markets. In the afternoon, you'll travel back to Miandrivazo.
Optional Activities
- Relax on the beach
- Visit local markets
- Day 10
Miandrivazo to Antsirabe
Head to Antsirabe, capital of the Vakinankaratra region, for an easy trek through the countryside. You'll see local lakes including Tritiva with its emerald-green water, an extinct crater ringed by lush forest. Hike through the lakes district with lunch included. Antsirabe itself has bustling street markets and French-inspired buildings, plus it's known for hot springs and thermal baths in the highlands. Colorful rickshaws are the main way people get around town.
- Meals
- Lunch (Picnic-style lunch in the countryside)
Included Activities
- Countryside trek
- Lakes district hike
Landmarks/POIs Lake Tritiva - Day 11
Antsirabe to Antananarivo
You'll return to Antananarivo, arriving around 2 pm. The second part of your adventure starts with a welcome meeting at 5 pm where you'll meet a new group and possibly a new leader. After the meeting, there's an optional dinner at a local restaurant with your new travel companions.
Optional Activities
- Optional dinner with new group at local restaurant
- Day 12
Antananarivo to Tulear
An early morning flight takes you to Tulear. Head straight to Reniala Private Park for breakfast under towering baobab trees. A local guide walks you through the Spiny Forest, one of Madagascar's last remaining primary forests. You'll see different baobab varieties including rare 'dwarf,' 'teapot,' and 'rhinoceros' types, some over 13 meters around. The reserve has 65 bird species including the Long-tailed Roller and Red-headed Coua. Learn about the local plants and their traditional uses.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast beneath baobab trees at Reniala Private Park)
Included Activities
- Tulear - Reniala Private Park
- Spiny Forest walk with local guide
Landmarks/POIs Reniala Private Park Spiny Forest - Day 13
Tulear
Today is free time. Relax by the pool or beach or stroll through the hotel's gardens if you prefer something quieter. If you want to do something different, the Recycling Museum in Tulear focuses on environmental protection and teaches both locals and visitors about conservation.
Optional Activities
- Relax by pool or beach
- Explore hotel gardens
- Visit Recycling Museum
Landmarks/POIs Recycling Museum - Day 14
Ifaty to Isalo National Park
Leave Ifaty in the morning and head to Tulear. Your leader shows you the city's buildings, wide lanes, and rickshaws moving through the streets. Tree-lined avenues with tamarind and flamboyant trees create a lively feel. Pick up food for lunch and then continue on to Isalo National Park.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch supplies picked up in Tulear)
Included Activities
- Tulear - Leader-led City Tour
Landmarks/POIs Tulear - Day 15
Isalo National Park
After breakfast, explore Isalo National Park with your leader. The landscapes range from rainforests and rolling plains to unusual geological formations and deep canyons. Over 80 bird species live here along with 30 reptile species and 14 mammal species including three lemur types: ring-tailed, red-fronted, and the dancing sifakas lemur.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Isalo National Park - guided walk
Optional Activities
- Wildlife spotting for birds, reptiles and lemurs
Landmarks/POIs Isalo National Park - Day 16
Isalo to Fianarantsoa
Leave Isalo National Park and head toward Fianarantsoa, stopping at Anja Community Reserve along the way. This 30-hectare protected forest, designated in 1999, has a large semi-tame ring-tailed lemur population and runs as a successful community project. Local villagers guide you through the reserve in the afternoon. Tonight you'll stay at Ecole Hoteliere La Riziere at the foot of Fianarantsoa's Old Town with views of the community and rice fields. The hotel operates as a hospitality school (65 percent female students) funded by its restaurant income.
Included Activities
- Ambalavao - Anja Community Reserve
- Guided walk with local villagers
Landmarks/POIs Anja Community Reserve - Day 17
Fianarantsoa to Ranomafana National Park
Walk Fianarantsoa's long paved roads, twisting alleys, and old houses with tiled roofs and flower-covered balconies. Visit a typical Malagasy village to see how most islanders actually live. Explore the surrounding countryside filled with rice paddies and vineyards producing the area's famous wine. Sample local food at a village lunch stop. In the afternoon, travel to Ranomafana National Park, which has 13 lemur species including the golden bamboo lemur first discovered in 1985, plus small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, palms, bamboo, orchids and carnivorous plants. Free time later to visit the thermal springs the town is named after, crossing the Namorona River to reach the outdoor swimming pool.
- Meals
- Lunch (Local cuisine lunch at village)
Included Activities
- Fianarantsoa - Betsileo village visit and walk
- Ranomafana National Park - Rainforest walk
Optional Activities
- Visit thermal springs and outdoor swimming pool
Landmarks/POIs Ranomafana National Park - Day 18
Ranomafana National Park
Take a four-hour guided walk through Ranomafana spotting lemurs, striped civets, mongooses, goshawks, geckos, frogs, butterflies, and possibly the net-casting spider or the world's smallest chameleon. Transfer to ValBio Research Centre just outside the park, run by primatologist Patricia C. Wright. A researcher will show you around and explain the conservation projects helping local communities. Lunch happens here, then you'll take another walk through the park to see more wildlife.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at ValBio Research Centre)
Included Activities
- Ranomafana National Park - Rainforest walk
- Ranomafana - ValBio Research & Conservation Centre
- Ranomafana - Conservation Lecture & Lunch
- Additional guided walk through national park
Landmarks/POIs Ranomafana National Park ValBio Research Centre - Day 19
Ranomafana to Ambositra
Travel to Ambositra, home to the Betsileo people (Madagascar's third-largest ethnic group), known as the arts, crafts and wood carving capital. Visit the Id'om Art workshop to learn about marquetry, the practice of cutting and assembling small pieces of colored wood using a hand-operated jigsaw made from old car tire wire. Artworks can take up to 2 months to complete. Browse the impressive marquetry displays.
Included Activities
- Ambositra – Woodcarving workshop visit
Landmarks/POIs Id'om Art Workshop - Day 20
Ambositra to Antsirabe
Visit the Sandrandahy association to learn about Madagascar's silk production tradition. When Malagasy are buried, their bodies are wrapped in large silk sheets called 'lambamena,' and families traditionally return years later to trade sheets for new ones. The association supports over 40 women from neighboring villages with a holistic approach to community development centered on traditional silk weaving. You'll drive to Antsirabe in the highlands and enjoy a group dinner in the gazebo at the guest house.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at Sandrandahy association), Dinner (Group dinner in gazebo at guest house)
Included Activities
- Ambositra - Sandrandahy Village Lunch
- Group dinner in gazebo
Landmarks/POIs Sandrandahy Association - Day 21
Antsirabe to Andasibe
A long travel day takes you to Andasibe. Andasibe National Park is Madagascar's most visited park with 11 lemur species. You'll relax at your accommodation and prepare for tomorrow's wildlife adventures.
Landmarks/POIs Andasibe National Park - Day 22
Andasibe National Park
Discover Andasibe's wildlife on a guided walk spotting lemurs, endemic birds, frogs and insects. Later, take a night walk through Analamazaotra Special Reserve forest, created in 1999 by villagers focused on conservation, research and sustainable development affecting over 400 households. After dark the rainforest comes alive with nocturnal mouse lemurs, chameleons, geckos, frogs and fireflies.
Included Activities
- Andasibe National Park - Analamazaotra Special Reserve Night Walk
Landmarks/POIs Andasibe National Park Analamazaotra Special Reserve - Day 23
Andasibe to Antananarivo
Head to Antananarivo after breakfast for your final stop. Participate in a hands-on Malagasy chocolate workshop led by a local chocolate maker. You'll learn about ingredients, refinement processes, and what makes Malagasy chocolate unique. Prepare your own chocolate creations to take home. Malagasy pastries come with local teas, coffees, and rhum arranges for those feeling adventurous. Celebrate with a final dinner and group toast to your Madagascar adventure with local beer.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Final dinner with group and local beer)
Included Activities
- Antananarivo - Malagasy Chocolate Workshop
- Final group dinner
- Day 24
Antananarivo
Your adventure ends after breakfast with no activities scheduled. You're free to leave whenever you like. If you want to stay longer in Antananarivo, mention this to your booking agent before your trip.
- Meals
- Breakfast
