Classic Sights of Madagascar

Day 1 – Antananarivo

Welcome to Antananarivo, the lively capital of Madagascar, spread across a series of hills and valleys in the heart of the Highlands. Upon arrival at Ivato International Airport, meet your guide and transfer to the city center for your first immersion into Malagasy life. Depending on your arrival time, discover the atmosphere of the capital: bustling streets, colonial architecture, stairways climbing the hillsides, colorful markets, and panoramic viewpoints overlooking endless rice terraces. Accommodation at Havana Resort Hotel or similar.

Day 2 – Antananarivo → Antsirabe
180 km – approx. 4 hrs drive

Departure southward along the famous RN7, Madagascar’s legendary road crossing the Highlands. The scenery alternates between terraced rice fields, eucalyptus forests, traditional red-brick villages, and granite hills shaped by centuries of cultivation. Arrival in Antsirabe, a pleasant thermal town founded during the Norwegian missionary era and known for its cool climate, colonial charm, and artisanal traditions. Explore the lively center aboard a traditional pousse-pousse, visit handicraft workshops producing zebu horn carvings, embroidered textiles, and miniature recycled vehicles, then wander through the colorful gemstone market, one of the most important in Madagascar. Accommodation at Royal Palace Hotel or similar.

Day 3 – Antsirabe → Ambositra → Antoetra
120 km – approx. 4 hrs drive + 5 hrs hike

Continue south through the Highlands to Ambositra, considered the artistic capital of Madagascar and renowned for its refined woodcarving craftsmanship. The town is the cultural heart of the Zafimaniry, a mountain people famous for their geometric wood architecture and ancestral carving traditions recognized by UNESCO. The road then climbs toward Antoetra, gateway to the Zafimaniry region. From here, begin a hike across rolling hills, eucalyptus forests, cultivated terraces, and remote hamlets. Reach the heights of Mount Laibury, offering sweeping views over deep valleys and isolated villages scattered across the mountainsides. Descend toward Sakaivo, one of the most authentic Zafimaniry villages, where beautifully carved wooden houses blend into the landscape. Overnight homestay in a traditional Zafimaniry house.

Day 4 – Sakaivo → Antoetra → Anjozorozoro
Approx. 6 hrs walk + 1 hr dirt track

Spend the morning hiking through the Zafimaniry countryside, crossing forests, streams, rice terraces, and remote villages such as Antetezandrota and Faliarivo. Encounters with local villagers provide insight into a way of life still deeply connected to ancestral traditions, agriculture, and woodcraft. Return on foot to Antoetra, then continue by track toward Anjozorozoro, a peaceful rural area surrounded by hills and forest. Accommodation at Ivato River Lodge or similar.

Day 5 – Anjozorozoro → Ranomafana
150 km – approx. 4 hrs drive

Drive south through the green landscapes of the central Highlands toward Ranomafana, a village nestled at the edge of one of Madagascar’s most celebrated rainforests. The route passes misty hills, waterfalls, and dense vegetation gradually replacing the dry Highland scenery. In the afternoon, visit the Ranomafana Arboretum, a reforested sanctuary sheltering a remarkable diversity of orchids, medicinal plants, palms, tree ferns, and endemic species. Time to stroll through the village and experience the humid atmosphere of Madagascar’s eastern escarpment. Accommodation at Karibotel or similar.

Day 6 – Ranomafana → Ambalavao
Approx. 4 hrs drive

Morning exploration of Ranomafana National Park, a vast tropical rainforest crossed by rivers and hidden beneath thick mist. The park is home to exceptional biodiversity, including the rare golden bamboo lemur, Milne-Edwards’ sifaka, colorful frogs, chameleons, and countless bird species. Trails wind through giant tree ferns, bamboo forests, and dense jungle alive with the sounds of wildlife. Continue south with a stop in Fianarantsoa, the cultural capital of the Betsileo Highlands. Discover the Upper Town with its steep streets, old churches, and panoramic views. Later arrival in Ambalavao, a charming town surrounded by granite mountains and vineyards, famous for traditional Antemoro paper workshops and lively zebu markets. Accommodation at Betsileo Country Lodge or similar.

Day 7 – Ambalavao → Ranohira
Approx. 4 hrs drive

Morning visit to the Anja Community Reserve, a beautiful protected area managed by local villagers. Massive granite boulders, giant ficus trees, and dry forest provide habitat for large families of ring-tailed lemurs often seen leaping across the rocks. Continue toward Ranohira, gateway to Isalo National Park. Along the way, landscapes progressively transform into dry savanna and sandstone formations typical of southern Madagascar. Stop in a traditional Bara village, where zebu culture remains central to local identity. Accommodation at H1 Isalo Hotel or similar.

Day 8 – Isalo National Park

Full day dedicated to discovering Isalo National Park, one of Madagascar’s most spectacular natural landscapes. This immense sandstone massif, sculpted by erosion over millions of years, reveals deep canyons, wind-carved cliffs, hidden oases, and wide open plateaus. Hike through rocky valleys lined with pandanus and endemic plants before reaching the famous Natural Pool, a crystal-clear oasis shaded by palms and surrounded by smooth rocks. Swimming is possible. Late afternoon excursion to the iconic Isalo Window, where the setting sun illuminates the sandstone formations in golden and red tones. Accommodation at H1 Isalo Hotel or similar.

Day 9 – Ranohira → Ifaty
270 km – approx. 7 hrs drive

Departure southward through the dry landscapes of southwestern Madagascar. Stop at Zombitse National Park, a transition forest between the Highlands and the arid south, sheltering endemic birds, giant baobabs, and the rare Zombitse sifaka. Continue to Toliara, an important coastal city facing the Mozambique Channel, before reaching Ifaty, a relaxed seaside village bordered by white sand beaches and spiny forest. Traditional Vezo fishermen sail colorful pirogues along the lagoon while baobabs and octopus trees dominate the inland scenery.  Accommodation at Bamboo Club Hotel or similar.

Day 10 – Ifaty

Free day to enjoy the tropical atmosphere of Ifaty. Optional activities include snorkeling or diving in the coral reef, pirogue excursions with Vezo fishermen, relaxing on the beach, or visiting the Reniala Reserve, home to ancient baobabs and the unique spiny forest ecosystem of southern Madagascar. Accommodation at Bamboo Club Hotel or similar.

Day 11 – Ifaty

Another day at leisure by the Mozambique Channel. Possibility to explore nearby fishing villages, enjoy seafood by the beach, or simply relax beneath the shade of the palms facing the lagoon. Accommodation at Bamboo Club Hotel or similar.

Day 12 – Ifaty → Toliara → Antananarivo → Andasibe Approx. 5 hrs drive

Early morning transfer to Toliara Airport for your domestic flight to Antananarivo. Upon arrival, continue eastward along the RN2 through lush landscapes and tropical vegetation toward Andasibe, one of Madagascar’s most famous rainforest regions. In the afternoon, visit the Mitsinjo Reserve, known for its rich amphibian and reptile life. After dark, enjoy a guided night walk in the VOIMMA Reserve, searching for nocturnal lemurs, sleeping chameleons, frogs, and insects hidden within the forest. Accommodation at Feony Ala Hotel or similar.

Day 13 – Andasibe-Mantadia National Park

Day dedicated to exploring Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, a humid rainforest famous for the haunting calls of the Indri-Indri, the largest living lemur. Trails lead through dense primary forest filled with orchids, giant trees, moss-covered trunks, waterfalls, and extraordinary wildlife. The region shelters remarkable biodiversity including numerous lemur species, colorful birds, reptiles, and endemic amphibians. In the afternoon, visit the Vakona Reserve, where several species of lemurs can be observed at close range in a natural environment.  Accommodation at Feony Ala Hotel or similar.

Day 14 – Andasibe → Antananarivo Approx. 4 hrs drive

Return to Antananarivo through the eastern escarpment and the Highlands. Arrival in the capital and free afternoon for last visits, shopping, or relaxing before departure. Accommodation at Havana Resort Hotel or similar.

Day 15 – Antananarivo – Departure

Transfer to Ivato International Airport according to your international flight schedule. End of our services and farewell to Madagascar.