Best Traditional Malagasy Antananarivo, Tsingy de Bemaraha UNESCO 1990, Avenue of the Baobabs, Andasibe, Ranomafana, Nosy Be and Madagascar Deep Heritage Tour Destinations

Browse more guides: Madagascar travel | Africa destinations

TL;DR

Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island and one of the strangest pieces of land you will ever travel through. Roughly 90 percent of what lives in its forests lives nowhere else, including all 100-plus species of lemur, the Adansonia baobabs of the dry west, and the spiny tenrecs of the south. The highland capital Antananarivo, locally Tana, sits at 1,276 metres above sea level and holds about 1.4 million people inside a maze of red-brick lanes and rice paddies. From there the country opens out in every direction. Tsingy de Bemaraha was inscribed by UNESCO in 1990 and covers 1,520 square kilometres of grey limestone needles. The Avenue of the Baobabs near Morondava lines a dirt road with about a dozen surviving Adansonia grandidieri up to 30 metres tall and 800 years old. Andasibe-Mantadia and Ranomafana were added to the Rainforests of the Atsinanana UNESCO listing in 2007. Nosy Be off the northwest coast smells of ylang-ylang and vanilla, and humpback whales gather in Antongil Bay each austral winter. Plan a 12-16 day Madagascar trip.

Why Madagascar Is Worth the Long Flight

Madagascar broke away from the African mainland roughly 160 million years ago, then drifted clear of India another 80 million years later. Almost everything that evolved on the island after that did so in isolation. The biological result is a country where about nine in every ten species you see in the forest exist nowhere else on Earth. The cultural result is no less unusual. Malagasy people share linguistic roots with seafaring communities of Borneo, more than 7,000 kilometres east, mixed with later Bantu and Arab arrivals across the Mozambique Channel. You hear it in the place names, taste it in the rice-and-zebu meals, and see it in the highland tombs that travel through the central plateau like small painted houses.

Travel on the island is not fast. Roads are tough, distances are long, and a single trip rarely covers more than three of the country's main regions. That is part of the reward. You go to Madagascar to slow down and look closely at things that took 160 million years to evolve.

Antananarivo: The Highland Capital at 1,276 Metres

Antananarivo, almost always called Tana by everyone who lives there, sprawls across a ridge of red earth at 1,276 metres above sea level. About 1.4 million people live in the metropolitan area, which gives the city a sound that is unmistakably highland African, all motorbikes and small market voices, rather than the steamier hum of coastal capitals further north.

The Rova of Antananarivo crowns the highest hill in the city. The royal compound was founded in 1610 and grew into the political centre of the Merina kingdom under Andrianampoinimerina at the end of the 18th century. A devastating fire in November 1995 destroyed most of the wooden Queen's Palace, Manjakamiadana, and reconstruction has been slow and ongoing. Even so, the views across the lakes and tiled roofs from the Rova terrace are the best in the city. Entry sits at around MGA 25,000 for foreign visitors.

Down the hill, Lake Anosy is a small heart-shaped reservoir framed by jacaranda trees that turn the surrounding pavements purple from October through November. The Independence monument in the centre of the lake remembers Malagasy soldiers who died in the First World War. The streets around Avenue de l'Independance hold most of the colonial-era buildings, the railway station, and the cluttered Analakely market where rice, sambos and freshly pressed sugar cane go for a fistful of ariary. Spend a half day in the upper town, then move down toward the market for lunch.

Royal Hill of Ambohimanga: UNESCO 2001

About 24 kilometres northeast of Tana, the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga rises out of the rice paddies as the spiritual home of the Merina kings. UNESCO inscribed the site in 2001 as the most important sacred place in highland Madagascar. Andrianampoinimerina was born here in 1745, and his summer residence still stands inside the stone walls, a small wooden house with a high thatched roof and floors black with the smoke of two centuries of cooking fires.

Seven monumental gates guard the hill, the oldest sealed at night by a 12-tonne stone disc that took about 40 men to roll into place. Sacred basins and a royal swimming pool sit further inside, and several ficus and rofia trees on the slopes are still considered fady, meaning taboo, by locals. Foreign entry is around MGA 25,000 and a guide is essentially required. A half-day taxi-brousse or private hire from the capital covers the visit comfortably.

Tsingy de Bemaraha: UNESCO 1990 Limestone Cathedral

If Madagascar has one signature landscape, this is it. The Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve was inscribed by UNESCO in 1990 and protects 1,520 square kilometres of grey limestone karst that has been eroded by rain and groundwater into a forest of stone needles. Tsingy in Malagasy means roughly the place where one cannot walk barefoot, and you understand why within thirty seconds of stepping on the rock.

Two zones are open to visitors. The Petit Tsingy is a half-day route through lower formations with caves and gorges, suitable for almost any reasonably fit walker. Petit Tsingy guide fees sit at about MGA 50,000. The Grand Tsingy is the famous one, a half-day to full-day circuit that crosses the highest needles by way of via-ferrata cables, fixed ladders and a long suspension bridge slung above a narrow gorge. Park entry is MGA 65,000 per foreigner and the Grand Tsingy circuit typically adds another MGA 100,000 for the longer guided route plus harness rental.

Getting there is part of the story. The reserve sits in the dry west of the country, reached by a notoriously rough road from Morondava that includes two ferry crossings over the Tsiribihina and Manambolo rivers. The route is only practical in the dry season, roughly May to November, and even then a 4WD vehicle is essential. Most visitors combine Tsingy with the Avenue of the Baobabs as a five to seven day overland loop out of Morondava airport, MOQ.

Avenue of the Baobabs: 800-Year-Old Giants Near Morondava

About 45 minutes north of Morondava on the dirt road toward Belon'i Tsiribihina, the Avenue of the Baobabs lines roughly a kilometre of road with about a dozen surviving Adansonia grandidieri. These are the tallest of Madagascar's six endemic baobab species. Trunks reach 25 to 30 metres in height with diameters around 11 metres, and the largest individuals are estimated at somewhere between 800 and 2,800 years old, depending on the dating method used. There is no entry fee. You walk freely along the verge among the trees, and the few stalls at either end sell carved wooden lemurs and bottles of homemade vanilla rum.

The trees were left behind when the surrounding dry deciduous forest was cleared for rice paddies and pasture, which is why this stretch of road feels so unusual. The baobabs that once shared the canopy with hundreds of others now stand alone. Sunset is the time everyone tries to be there, when the bark warms to a soft pink and the silhouettes against the burnt sky make the most photographed picture in Madagascar. Get there well before the light goes. The road is dusty and slow, and the parking lay-bys can be crowded with 4WDs from June through October.

Andasibe-Mantadia: Indri Rainforest, UNESCO Atsinanana 2007

The closest patch of true eastern rainforest to the capital is Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, about three hours east of Tana along the RN2 toward Toamasina. The park covers around 100 square kilometres and is split into two zones, Analamazaotra near the village of Andasibe and the larger Mantadia block further north. UNESCO inscribed both zones in 2007 as part of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana cluster of six eastern parks.

The headline animal is the indri, the largest of all surviving lemurs at up to 0.9 metres standing height. Indri live in small family groups in the high canopy and announce themselves at sunrise with a wailing duet that carries about three kilometres through the forest. Once you have heard it you will never forget it. Eleven lemur species share the park with them, including the diademed sifaka, the common brown lemur and the small grey bamboo lemur. Park entry is MGA 65,000 for foreigners and a mandatory local guide runs MGA 80,000 for a half-day walk. Night walks along the road outside the park boundary are cheaper, around MGA 30,000, and they turn up mouse lemurs, chameleons and tree frogs.

Andasibe pairs well with a stop at Vakona Lodge's private Lemur Island, where rescued common species climb onto visitors. It is touristy but useful for close lemur photos in good light.

Ranomafana: Golden Bamboo Lemur Rediscovery, UNESCO 2007

Far south of the capital, on the eastern escarpment between Fianarantsoa and Manakara, Ranomafana National Park covers 416 square kilometres of montane rainforest and was inscribed as part of the same Atsinanana UNESCO listing in 2007. Twelve lemur species live in the park. The most famous is the golden bamboo lemur, Hapalemur aureus, which Patricia Wright and her team formally described as a new species in 1986. The species eats young bamboo shoots containing levels of cyanide that would kill a human several times over, yet somehow processes the toxins safely.

Park entry is MGA 65,000 per foreigner and a guide is mandatory at MGA 80,000 for a full-day walk. Trails range from easy circuits near the entrance to steep half-day routes climbing into the cloud forest. Night walks along the access road, again outside the park itself, reveal the lower-altitude mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs.

The road into Ranomafana climbs from the lowland rice country through curtains of waterfalls and roadside ginger flowers. The village at the gate has thermal baths from which the park takes its name, ranomafana meaning hot water. A soak after a long forest walk is one of the better small luxuries of a Madagascar trip.

Isalo National Park: Sandstone Canyons and the Bara

Push further south down the RN7 and the landscape changes completely. Isalo National Park covers 815 square kilometres of eroded Jurassic sandstone in the dry centre-south of the island, a country of ochre canyons, sculpted ridges and isolated palm-fringed pools. Park entry is MGA 65,000 and a mandatory guide runs about MGA 100,000 per day.

The most popular route is a long day hike that drops into the Canyon des Makis to look for ring-tailed lemurs, climbs the ridge, then descends to the Piscine Naturelle, a clear natural pool fed by a small waterfall and surrounded by pandanus palms. You swim, eat lunch under a tree, then continue out through the Black Canyon. Longer two and three-day circuits cover the more remote interior with camping or simple shelters.

The Isalo massif is also home to the Bara people, a cattle-herding group whose stone burial niches are tucked into cliffs above the trails. Bara funerary tradition requires the body to lie temporarily before being moved to a final resting place high in the rock, where it is considered safer from cattle thieves and lightning. Guides will point out the niches from a respectful distance and ask that visitors not approach.

Anja Reserve: Community-Managed Ring-Tailed Lemurs

A short detour off the RN7 about an hour south of Fianarantsoa, Anja Community Reserve is one of the great small success stories of Malagasy conservation. The reserve covers around 30 hectares of forest at the foot of three granite domes and is managed entirely by the surrounding village association. About 350 ring-tailed lemurs live in the boulder forest, divided into roughly a dozen troops, and most of them are comfortable enough with quiet visitors to be photographed at close range. Entry is around MGA 15,000, plus a small guide fee, and almost every cent stays in the community.

Plan two hours here. Walk the lower circuit to see the lemurs and the open-cliff tombs, then climb a short way up the granite for the view back across the rice paddies.

Nosy Be: Ylang-Ylang, Vanilla and the Lokobe Reserve

Roughly 320 square kilometres of volcanic island sit off the northwest coast at Nosy Be, reached by direct flight to NOS or by ferry from Ankify on the mainland. The island grows most of the ylang-ylang essential oil used in the world's perfume industry, along with vanilla, pepper and cloves. The air around the small distilleries on the inland road has a sweet, slightly cloying note that is unmistakable once you have smelled it.

Lokobe Reserve covers the southeast corner of the island and protects one of the last patches of original lowland forest. A typical visit starts with a short pirogue paddle from Ambatozavavy village to the reserve gate, then a guided walk of two or three hours. Entry sits at MGA 35,000. Black lemurs, sportive lemurs and the panther chameleon are the headline finds, plus a long list of small frogs and snakes.

Mont Passot rises to 329 metres at the centre of the island and is the standard sunset spot. A line of crater lakes spreads out below the summit, and the western sky over the Mozambique Channel turns through orange, mauve and indigo in about forty minutes. Bring a light layer. The breeze on top picks up after dark.

Offshore from Nosy Be lie a handful of smaller islands that make easy day trips by motorboat or pirogue. Nosy Komba has its own habituated black lemurs and a low-key craft village. Nosy Tanikely is a marine reserve with the best snorkelling within reach of the main island.

Ile Sainte-Marie: Humpback Whales in Antongil Bay

On the opposite, eastern, side of the country, the long thin island of Ile Sainte-Marie runs parallel to the coast for about 50 kilometres. The headline season is austral winter, from roughly July through September, when humpback whales gather in Antongil Bay and the channel between Sainte-Marie and the mainland to mate and to give birth. More than 1,000 individual whales have been catalogued in the bay across recent seasons, making this one of the most reliable Indian Ocean whale destinations.

Whale-watching trips run from the main town of Ambodifotatra and most coastal villages. Standard half-day boat trips cost about MGA 250,000, around $55, and follow strict approach rules set by local guides associations. Boats stop the engines well clear of any mother and calf, and the trips usually return after two or three quality encounters.

Sainte-Marie also keeps a strange historical sideline. In the late 17th century the island was a notorious base for pirates including Captain Kidd, and a small pirate cemetery on the southern peninsula at Ile aux Forbans still holds tilting limestone headstones carved with skulls and crossed bones.

Costs, Logistics and a 12-16 Day Plan

Mid-range travel in Madagascar runs about $80 to $200 per person per day, depending mainly on private vehicle and driver costs, which can dominate any itinerary that includes Tsingy or the deep south. Comfortable lodges sit between $40 and $100 per double room across most regions. Meals are inexpensive at around $5 to $15 per dish at tourist-facing restaurants.

Flying is the realistic way to combine regions. The main hub is Ivato International Airport, TNR, on the northern edge of Antananarivo. Internal Madagascar Airlines flights connect TNR with Nosy Be NOS in the northwest, Toamasina TMM on the east coast, and Morondava MOQ in the west. Schedules change, and a buffer day before international departure is sensible. Roads are tough across most of the country. A 4WD with experienced driver is essential for Tsingy and recommended for any rainy-season travel.

A reasonable 12 to 16 day plan starts with two nights in Antananarivo including a half day at Ambohimanga. Fly west to Morondava for a five to seven day overland loop covering the Avenue of the Baobabs and Tsingy de Bemaraha by 4WD. Fly back to Tana and drive east for three days at Andasibe-Mantadia. Add the southern leg if time allows, with the RN7 down to Ranomafana, Anja and Isalo. Finish on the coast at Nosy Be for beach time and Lokobe Reserve, or shift the final leg to Ile Sainte-Marie if your dates fall between July and September for whales.

Practical Tips

Bring proper hiking shoes with grip. Tsingy is exactly as sharp as the name suggests, and the forest trails at Ranomafana and Mantadia turn slick within minutes of rain. Cash in Malagasy ariary is essential outside the capital. ATMs exist in most regional towns but they run out of notes during busy weekends, and many small lodges and park guides only accept cash. Antimalarials are recommended for almost all lowland travel. Check current advice with a travel clinic before you fly. Carry a head torch for night walks and for the lodge corridors after the generator switches off, which happens earlier than you expect in most rural areas.

Madagascar pays back patience. Roads slow you down, internet drops out, plans shift around the weather, and the country reveals itself in the spaces between. Listen for the indri at dawn, watch a baobab silhouette against the sunset, and let the slow rhythm of the island become part of how you remember it.

Search This Blog

Your Local Guide to Visiting Places | visitingplacesin.com