Madagascar

Why go

Trips need more internal travel than people expect. The reward is a place that does not feel like Kenya or the Cape.

• 

  Beaches that are not an afterthought

  Nosy Be, the 'big island' in the north, is the practical beach: coral, pale sand, and mangroves, with smaller islets around it. Île aux Nattes is the quieter sandbar version. The mainland coast has beaches too, but the islands are why people compare this to a Mauritius week.

  • Snorkelling from a dhow, not a game drive.
  • The south-west, around Ifaty, is where surfers look.
  • A beach finish after the forest is the usual shape of a first trip.
• 

  Wildlife found nowhere else

  Most of what you see is endemic. Roughly nine in ten of the mammals, the reptiles, and the plants do not live anywhere else. Lemurs are the ones everyone comes for: about sixty species, including the ring-tailed lemur of the south and the indri of Andasibe, which looks more like a small bear and sings at dawn.

  • Chameleons on a night walk, including species that change as you watch.
  • The fossa, the island's largest mammalian carnivore, more often heard about than seen. October and November are when they are most active.
  • Around 285 bird species for anyone who packed binoculars.
  • Andasibe for indri, Ranomafana for the golden bamboo lemur, Anja for ring-tails at close range.
• 

  Baobabs and the stone forest

  The avenue near Morondava is a line of trees centuries old, best at first and last light. Six of the eight baobab species grow on this island. Tsingy de Bemaraha is the other western spectacle: limestone pinnacles you cross on boardwalks and ladders, with pockets of forest between them.

  These two sit far from Tana. They need their own flights and their own days. A three-night capital trip cannot absorb them.

• 

  Whales, and a slower island

  Humpbacks arrive from about mid-June to September to breed and calve. Sainte-Marie, off the east coast, is the island people book for that. They also pass the bay between the mainland and Nosy Be.

  • Whale sharks are a Nosy Be swim in season, separate from the humpbacks.
  • Omura's whale, rarely seen elsewhere, is reported around Nosy Be and Nosy Iranja.
  • A boat is how you get close. A breach from the beach is luck.
• 

  A different pace

  Roads are slow. A drive that looks like five hours can take a day. Domestic flights from Tana save the holiday. A first trip picks one forest, one landscape, and one beach rather than the whole island.

Where to go

• AntananarivoThe highland capital, called Tana even by people who live there. Almost every international flight lands here. One night at each end is the useful plan. The city itself is hills, markets, and a palace view, not the wildlife.
• Andasibe-MantadiaThe practical lemur park, a few hours east of Tana. Dawn is the indri, the largest living lemur, calling across the forest. Night walks turn up mouse lemurs, frogs, and chameleons.
• RanomafanaRainforest in the south-east highlands, and the stronghold of the golden bamboo lemur. Trails are wet and steep. Two nights, with a local guide, which the park requires.
• Anja Community ReserveA small, community-run reserve near Ambalavao. Ring-tailed lemurs at close range, and a walk that supports the village rather than a national-park gate only.
• IsaloSandstone canyons, natural pools, and a landscape that looks nothing like the rainforest. A walking park in the south, best in the dry months.
• Tsingy de Bemaraha and the baobabsThe western limestone pinnacles, crossed on boardwalks and ladders, plus the avenue of baobabs near Morondava at first and last light. These two need their own flights. Do not tack them onto a three-day Tana trip.
• Nosy Be and the northern islandsThe beach. Nosy Be is the hub. Smaller islets around it are the quieter nights. Snorkelling and dhows. Amber Mountain, above Diego Suarez (Antsiranana), is the volcanic rainforest with easy trails if the north is already the plan.
• Île Sainte-MarieThe east-coast island for humpback whales, roughly July to September, plus a slower beach than Nosy Be.
• Ifaty and ToliaraThe dry south-west. Spiny forest, a fishing coast that became a beach escape, and a different wildlife list from the eastern rainforest.

When to go

• 

  May to October

  The dry season, and the comfortable months. There is no single best week. The season is the decision.

  • July and August: high season. Book ahead. Humpbacks are in the water, calving. You can see them from a boat or, with luck, from shore.
  • September: often called the best month. Safaris are busy, the weather suits a beach, and it is a birthing month for several species.
  • October: warmer, clear water for diving, and the fossa more active in the forest. The avenue of baobabs is still an easy day before the rains.
• 

  April, May, and June

  The shoulder. Cyclone season is over, the forest is green, and young animals are out. Fewer visitors than July, and the odd heavy shower rather than a washed-out week.

• 

  November to March

  Heat, then cyclones. January to March is when many people should stay away: roads close, flights wait, and a lot of hotels shut.

  • November and early December can still be bright between storms, with wildlife active.
  • December turns properly tropical. If the dates are fixed, stay in the west and the highlands rather than the east coast.
  • Hotels that stay open are cheaper, and you may have a trail to yourself if a storm misses you.

Travel advice

• 

  Time and roads

  Plan fewer places. A five-hour drive on a map can take a day. Domestic flights from Tana are worth the fare.

• 

  Health

  Malaria is present in the lowlands. The highlands around Tana are cooler and lower risk, not zero. Ask a clinic, and carry a simple first-aid kit for remote stretches.

• 

  Entry

  Check visa rules before you fly. A yellow-fever certificate is often asked if you connect through a risk country.

• 

  Cash and guiding

  Cards fail outside Tana and the big beach hotels. National parks require local guides. Build that into the day rather than treating it as optional.

Accommodation

Costs

From the journal

• 

  Places

  Ultimate Madagascar Travel Guide

  Ultimate Madagascar Travel Guide is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Madagascar. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.

• 

  Places

  Best Places to Stay in Madagascar

  Best Places to Stay in Madagascar is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Madagascar. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.

• 

  Places

  Our 6 Best Madagascar Tours

  Our 6 Best Madagascar Tours is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Madagascar. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.