Image by Dennis van de Water / 500px Images

Madagascar

Lemurs, baobabs, rainforest, desert, hiking and diving: Madagascar is a dream destination for outdoors enthusiasts – half the fun is getting to all these incredible attractions.

Wild World

Madagascar is unique: 5% of all known animal and plant species can be found here, and here alone. The island's signature animal is the lemur of course, but there are many more weird and wonderful creatures and plants: baobabs, insects, sharks, frogs, orchids, palms, birds, turtles, mongoose. The list goes on. Much of this biodiversity is under threat, from climate change and population pressure, giving each trip a sense of urgency but also purpose: tourism can truly be a force for good.

Epic Landscapes

The remarkable fauna and flora is matched by epic landscapes of an incredible diversity: you can go from rainforest to desert in just 300km. Few places on Earth offer such an intense kaleidoscope of nature. There are sandstone canyons, limestone karsts, mountains, fertile hills cascading with terraced rice paddies, forests of every kind – rain, dry, spiny – and a laterite-rich soil that gave the country its nickname of 'Red Island'. With 5000km of coastline, the sea is never very far, turquoise and idyllic in places, dangerous in others.

Island Adventures

For those who relish an adventure, Madagascar is a one-of-a-kind destination: the off-road driving is phenomenal, there are national parks that only see a few hundred visitors a year, regions that live in autarky during the rainy season and resorts so remote you’ll need a private plane or boat to get there. There are also more activities than you'll have time for: hiking, diving, mountain biking, kitesurfing, rock-climbing, you name it. Oh, and there are plenty of natural pools, beaches and hammocks on which to recover, too.

Cultural Insights

Madagascar has been populated by successive waves of migrants from various corners of the Indian Ocean. It is unlike anywhere else in Africa or Asia. There are fantastic sights to discover this unique history, but also numerous opportunities to meet local people via village stays, long-distance trails, festivals, taxi-brousse (bush taxis) and Friday night discos.

Explore Madagascar

Latest Stories from Madagascar

Story
Madagascar is partially reopening to travelers this week
September 29th, 2020 • 2 min read
Travel to the mainland of Madagascar is not yet allowed, though some regional airports –but not the main airport in the capital city of Antananarivo – will reopen from 29 October.
Sports
Madagascar: your guide to adventure travel
October 9th, 2019 • 4 min read
Madagascar's monumental landscapes, forests, rivers and coastline are home to more than wildlife: trek, climb, surf, dive and paddle your way to adventure.
Wildlife & Nature
Where to travel based on your Harry Potter character
September 27th, 2019 • 6 min read
Use our quiz to find out which Harry Potter character you are and cast a spell on your next holiday destination.
Food
Five reasons to explore Antananarivo
August 21st, 2018 • 6 min read
Antananarivo, the tongue-twisting capital of Madagascar, is often overlooked by travellers, which is an opportunity missed. Yes, it’s a busy, ramshackle…
Wildlife & Nature
Madagascar: an island unlike any other
April 18th, 2017 • 16 min read
Lying in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa, the island of Madagascar has evolved in splendid isolation for more than 80 million years;…
Wildlife & Nature
Travelling on Madagascar's slow train
October 19th, 2016 • 5 min read
One could argue that taking 12 to 24 hours to cover the 163km between Madagascar’s highlands and its Indian Ocean coast is a rather slow and inefficient…
Wildlife & Nature
Why the singing indri lemur is music to the ears in Madagascar
June 20th, 2016 • 1 min read
They say all God's creatures have a place in the choir, but did you know that the indri, the musical lemur native to Madagascar, mostly synchronises with…
Wildlife & Nature
Which of East Africa's Indian Ocean islands is for you?
December 21st, 2015 • 6 min read
Marketing brochures seem to just scream about luxury resorts on palm-fringed beaches, but East Africa’s Indian Ocean islands are as diverse as the…
Wildlife & Nature
Madagascar's wondrous wildlife (and where to see it)
June 1st, 2013 • 5 min read
Madagascar is well-known for its biodiversity; 5% of all animal and plant species known to man live here and only here (70% of the fauna and 90% of the…
Food
Eat your way around Madagascar
April 10th, 2012 • 3 min read
Madagascar conjures up images of leaping lemurs, primeval rainforest and idyllic shores. But few people think of the island as a gastronomic destination.
Wildlife & Nature
Top 10 protected areas in Madagascar
February 9th, 2012 • 4 min read
It is hard to underestimate how unique Madagascar’s wildlife is: an incredible 615 species have been discovered on the island since 1999. To preserve this…
Food
Four fabulous things to do in Madagascar
August 17th, 2010 • 3 min read
Forget Hollywood fripperies, Madagascar is like no place else on earth. We've cherrypicked four unforgettable things to do in this truly unique place.
Art
Savika (rodeo) in Madagascar's Central Highlands
November 12th, 2009 • 3 min read
The last thing I had expected to do in Madagascar was wrestle a bull, but that's exactly what happened. While exploring the Central Highlands, in the…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Madagascar.

Natural Feature
Allée des Baobabs
One of Madagascar's most recognisable images, this small stretch of the RN8 between Morondava and Belo-sur-Tsiribihina is flanked on both sides by…
Museum
Musée de la Photo
Opened in early 2018, this fabulous photography museum is Antananarivo's best museum. There are four small rooms showing films (in French, English or…
National Park
Parc National Isalo
Isalo is one of Madagascar's most beautiful parks. It contains sculpted buttes, vertical rock walls and, best of all, deep canyon floors shot through with…
National Park
Parc National Bemaraha
If you visit one place in western Madagascar, make it Parc National Bemaraha. A Unesco World Heritage Site, its highlights are the jagged, limestone…
Palace
Rova
Poised atop Ambohimanga hill is the Rova, the fortress-palace. The walls of the compounds were constructed using cement made from sand, shells and egg…
National Park
Parc National Masoala-Nosy Mangabe
This 2100-sq-km national park contains one of the best primary rainforests in the country. It is famous for its vegetation, which includes rare hardwoods,…
National Park
Parc National Analamazaotra
This is the most popular park within Parc National Andasibe Mantadia. The real draw of this reserve is the rare indri, Madagascar’s largest lemur, whose…
National Park
Nosy Mangabe
Part of Parc National Masoala-Nosy Mangabe, this thickly forested and mountainous tropical island is one of the crown jewels of the Antongil Bay. With…
National Park
Parc National Mantadia
Part of the Parc National Andasibe Mantadia, this park is about 17km north of Andasibe. Created primarily to protect the indri, Mantadia also hosts the…
Historic Building
Rova
Tana’s rova (fortified palace), known as Manjakamiadana (A Fine Place to Rule), is the imposing structure that crowns the city's highest hill. Gutted in a…
Wildlife Reserve
Réserve d'Anja
This 370,000-sq-metre reserve encompasses three mountain-size granite boulders (the three sisters) ringed at the base by a forest full of ring-tailed…
National Park
Parc National Andohahela
This 760-sq-km park protects some of the last remnants of rainforest in southern Madagascar, as well as spiny forest and a remarkable 12 species of lemurs…
National Park
Parc National Ranomafana
The Parc National Ranomafana is a steamy hothouse of jungle bio-diversity where the hum of insects of is ever present and the wail and squeal of a dozen…
Gardens
Arboretum d'Antsokay
This is the one must-see attraction in Tuléar. Essentially a 400,000-sq-metre distillation of the entire spiny forest in one place, it's a fantastic…
Area
Haute-Ville
The oldest and most attractive part of town is the pedestrian Haute-Ville (known as Tanana Ambony in Malagasy). Utterly removed from the hustle of the…
National Park
Parc National Andringitra
Parc National Andringitra is the pièce de résistance of the wider Massif de l'Andringitra. It encompasses a high-altitude granite plateaux of epic beauty,…
Nature Reserve
Domaine de la Cascade
This gorgeous park, about 9km from the Total station on the road to Ambovombe from Fort Dauphin (Taolagnaro), covers 136 hectares, and with a budding…
Natural Feature
Cirque Rouge
Dramatic Cirque Rouge is one of western Madagascar’s most famous sights. This amphitheatre of eroded rock is tinted in a rainbow hue of colours, including…
Nature Reserve
Réserve Forestière de Kirindy
This reserve, 60km northeast of Morondava, covers about 12,500 hectares and is a protected area that's popular with scientists and travellers for its…
Beach
Piscines Naturelles d'Ambodiatafana
In the north of Sainte Marie, near Ambodiatafana village, these natural pools are separated from the Indian Ocean by a granitic gate of about 100m. During…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Madagascar.

Activities

Outdoor Activities
Morondava Day Tour to Kirindy Park and Baobab Avenue
Starting at
$255.13