Madagascar Travel Guide: Why Visit This Spectacular Island?

Madagascar boasts truly unusual wildlife you won't find anywhere else in the world, incomparably diverse flora and some landscapes unlike anything you've seen before. With its fascinating culture, Indian Ocean beaches and colourful coral reefs, this complex island is in a class of its own. To help you plan, we've created this practical Madagascar travel guide, covering the top subjects you need to know.

Then, when you're ready to start tailor-making your trip, you can browse through our choice of hand-picked Madagascar holidays and tours or call one of our Travel Specialists to discuss ideas.

In this Madagascar travel guide, we answer:

– When is the best time to visit?
– What are the top things to do?
– Is Madagascar safe to visit?
– How do you get there and how do you get around?
– What types of itineraries can you do?
– What are our experts' travel tips?
– What are the most frequently asked questions?
– What does Bradt Madagascar Guide author Daniel Austin have to say?
– Why book a Madagascar holiday with Rainbow?

Best Time to Visit Madagascar

September to November is widely regarded as the best time to visit Madagascar. Many species of true lemur have youngsters and the majority of bird species engage in calling, displaying and nest building. Plus, as the austral spring progresses, herpetofauna (reptiles and frogs) becomes more active.

Truthfully, you can visit Madagascar almost year-round; however, we don't recommend visiting in February, as this month marks the peak of the rainy season and is traditionally when violent cyclones occur in the Western Indian Ocean region.

The austral autumn and winter are from April to August, while spring and summer are from September to March.

Highly Seasonal Regions

A diverse climate means that certain parts of Madagascar are markedly seasonal when it comes to their suitability for visitors.

Central west

Rainy weather renders parts of Western Madagascar inaccessible from December to early April. In the Menabe region of the central west, be sure to complete your visit to Tsingy de Bemaraha by late October. This is because if rains arrive early, there's a real possibility of getting stuck on flooded, unmade roads.

The far northeast

Masoala and Marojejy national parks are only suitable from the end of August to the end of November, as well as a short window during April and early May. From early April through to August, weather in Masoala Peninsula can be incessantly windy and rainy.

The South can be visited year-round, as it has a semi-arid climate. With a more or less temperate climate, the Central Highlands may be visited year-round.

Further Reading: Best Time to Visit Madagascar Travel Guide

Top Things to Do in Madagascar

If you're wondering what to do in Madagascar, start with these three top ideas:

1. Lemur Watching

Observing the behaviour of lemurs in their natural forest homes has become one of the top Madagascar wildlife-related activities you can experience.

In the humid east, Andasibe-Mantadia and Ranomafana national parks offer excellent lemur-watching opportunities – the indris never fail to impress in Andasibe, whereas the three bamboo lemur species residing in Ranomafana are high on the list of wildlife enthusiasts. In the north, you can visit Ankarana and Lokobe for lemurs confined to the far northwest which encapsulates the Sambirano Domain. Remote Andrafiamena-Andavakoera is home to the critically endangered Perrier's black sifaka and, in the even more far-flung Loky-Manambato, golden-crowned (Tattersall's) sifaka and aye-aye dwell.

In the dry south, set your sights either on Berenty Reserve or the nearby Ifotaka Community Forest, as well as Zombitse Forest National Park's wonderful transition forest and Isalo National Park nearby. Flagship southern lemurs include Verreaux's sifakas and ring-tailed lemurs. If you're visiting Western Madagascar, head to Kirindy Forest (especially for its various nocturnal lemurs) or the privately protected Anjajavy Forest Reserve.

If you’re keen to see baby lemurs, visit in September–November, when you may observe various species of true lemur with youngsters clinging to their fur.

2. Admiring the Baobab Trees

Incredibly, six of the world's eight baobab species are unique to Madagascar. Key sites for endemic baobabs include Kirindy Forest Reserve and the nearby 'Baobab Alley' for the three 'southern' species (Adansonia za, A. grandidieri and A. rubrostipa); Montagne des Français in the far north for the endemic Suarez baobab (A. suarenzis) and Anjajavy Forest Reserve or Montagne des Français for the large northern baobab (A. madagascariensis). Ask us if you wish to include a stop in your itinerary to see the critically endangered Perrier's baobab, found only in a few discreet locations in the north.

3. Birdwatching

Madagascar’s 110-odd endemic bird species attract a steady influx of birdwatchers every September–November, when this pursuit is at its most rewarding.

All birding itineraries include visits to eastern rainforests in Ranomafana and Andasibe-Mantadia national parks, where you can seek the majority of the island's rainforest-dependent endemic species. The ideal length of stay at both of these rainforests is three nights. Some birders add a few nights at the lowland rainforests of Masoala National Park, where certain endemics, such as helmet and Bernier's vangas, are easier to locate.

The dry southwestern quarter – Ifaty for its spiny bush habitat, Zombitse Forest National Park's marvellous little transition forest and the dry sandstone mountains of Isalo – are also included in all specialist birding trips. Keen twitchers mostly tend to round off their itineraries with a visit to Ankarafantsika and the Betsiboka Delta for the country's mostly rare western endemics.

More ideas for your Madagascar Holiday:

Whale watching

Migrating humpback whales pass through the coastal Malagasy waters from July to September. The best sites in which to see them at this time are Île Sainte-Marie and the Nosy Be Archipelago.

Scuba diving and snorkelling

Water visibility in the Nosy Be Archipelago is at its clearest during the dry season, with excellent scuba diving opportunities available from Sakatia Lodge in particular. In this area, it's easily possible to swim alongside sea turtles and a myriad of colourful fish.

Herping (Observing wild reptiles and frogs)

Madagascar is renowned for its exceptionally rich herpetofauna (reptiles and frogs), with the approximately 850-strong species list being added to continually as new species are described. The endemicity rate exceeds 98%. Montagne d'Ambre, Masoala and Andasibe-Mantadia national parks are especially highly praised for 'herping' opportunities. With more than half the world’s chameleons (around 100 species and counting) being unique to Madagascar, this iconic group of lizards includes both the biggest (Oustalet’s and Parson’s chameleons) and the smallest (Brookesia nana). Other iconic Malagasy ‘herps’ include the superbly camouflaged Uroplatus leaf-tailed geckos and tiny, brightly coloured Mantella frogs.

Is Madagascar Safe to Visit? Essential Travel Advice

Is Madagascar Safe to Visit for Tourists?

Yes, it’s a very friendly destination, although we've been keeping clients out of the central parts of the capital, Antananarivo, due to petty theft. Where it's required, we diligently exercise precautionary measures. For instance, tourists driving from Morondava (west coast) up to Tsingy de Bemaraha are accompanied by security personnel in a separate vehicle. Our highly knowledgeable and experienced Travel Specialists have spent a lot of time in Madagascar and have felt safe and welcomed.

Health & Vaccination: Madagascar Travel Advice

No immunisations are required, unless you're arriving from certain East African countries where a yellow fever certificate is mandatory. Madagascar is a malarial area year-round so taking prophylactics is essential.

A reasonable level of fitness is required for many of Madagascar's national parks, including those with high visitor numbers such as Isalo and Ranomafana. To negotiate trails there, you must be able to walk for about three hours, sometimes over arduous terrain. At Masoala and Marojejy national parks, the slopes are steep.

How to Get to Madagascar & Getting Around

How to Get to Madagascar from the UK

There are no direct flights to Madagascar from the UK. It's possible to take an Air France flight from selected UK airports via Paris CDG to Antananarivo; Turkish Airlines via Istanbul; Emirates via Dubai; Air Mauritius via Mauritius and Kenya Airways via Nairobi. SA Airlink operates direct flights between Johannesburg and Antananarivo and also once weekly from Nosy Be to Johannesburg. Ethiopian Airlines operates flights between London and Manchester, to/from Antananarivo and Nosy Be.

Speak with our Madagascar team if you wish to arrange some nights in your stopover destination.

Domestic Travel in Madagascar: What Are the Options?

Four-wheel drive vehicles are essential if you're embarking on road stints in rural areas. Air Madagascar (now Madagascar Airways/Tsaradia) offers an extensive network of internal flights, so it's possible to reach the most remote parts of the island in comfort. The centrally-situated capital city, Antananarivo, acts as a ‘hub’ for domestic flight routes.

Although comparatively very expensive, light aircraft charter flights are becoming increasingly popular.

Do note that Air Madagascar's flight schedules are changed on a fairly regular basis, so our team will do their very best to work around sudden or unforeseen changes to your itinerary. 

How to Get Around Madagascar

Since 2020, virtually no maintenance has been conducted on some major routes, such as the RN7 from Antananarivo to Tulear and the RN2 from Antananarivo to Toamasina. With sections of these roads now being deeply rutted and/or potholed, drive times are sometimes longer than most estimates may reflect.

It's vital to reiterate that Madagascar is underdeveloped. While we endeavour to utilise the best providers, you may still encounter below-par service compared to more developed African destinations. This may include simple lodges or cancelled/redirected flights.

Madagascar Itinerary Ideas & Holiday Types

There are two types of tours: tailor-made trips and small group set departures.

A tailor-made Madagascar itinerary is entirely personalised to you. For instance, our sample Madagascar Rainforests, Wildlife, Tsingy & Beach individual itinerary provides a baseline route for combining the island’s humid eastern rainforest band at Andasibe-Mantadia with the remote Ankarana National Park for ‘tsingy’, caves and endemic baobabs, and ending with a spell on a sunny beach.

A small group tour entails a set departure during which you share the experience with like-minded travellers. Both types of Madagascar holidays are designed for you to seek rare, endemic wildlife in some of the country's spectacular protected areas. For example, our Madagascar Wildlife Discovery Small Group Tour is led by highly regarded, experienced, personable and professional Malagasy wildlife guides – giving you the best possible chance of notching up as many sightings as possible.

Expert Travel Tips for Visiting Madagascar

Our Madagascar and Alternative Africa Product Manager, Derek Schuurman, has extensively travelled extensively around the island over the years and has co-written books and journal papers about the island’s wildlife and its conservation challenges. 

Here, he provides his top Madagascar travel tips:

1. How to Get the Most Out of Your Visit

Madagascar's essence lies in its contrasting habitats. It's almost as if five very different countries – each with its own ecotypes, locally endemic floral and faunal assemblages and even with its own people – have been packed into an island the shape of a gigantic left foot. If you're visiting the island for the first time, you should aim to explore at least one key eastern rainforest site (Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is an excellent choice). The direct opposite can be experienced by then going to the sub-arid south. To complete your overview, add a tropical deciduous forest in the island's western half. Kirindy Forest, for example, is home to a wonderful assemblage of animal oddities including the impressive fosa and a higher density of primates than is the case in any other tropical dry forest on Earth.

2. What to Pack for a Madagascar Trip

Remember to pack a good torch, spare batteries, camera, binoculars (large 8x40 are recommended), a sunhat, sunblock, a generous supply of wet-wipes or antiseptic hand gel, and plenty of insect repellent. When visiting a rainforest, pack a waterproof jacket and comfortable, well-worn footwear with a firm grip. By the sea, jelly shoes will help to protect your feet.

Baggage Allowance

Free baggage allowance on Air Madagascar/Tsaradia domestic flight in economy Class is 20kgs, plus one item hand luggage (5kg). On light aircraft charter flights, baggage allowance is usually 15kg checked baggage in soft (or soft-topped) bags and 5kg for hand luggage.

Organise your packing so you have essential items for the first three or four days in your hand luggage, as baggage sometimes goes astray en route and may only arrive in Madagascar a few days later.

Items Appreciated for Donation

Money for Madagascar has shared this 'wish list' for those keen to donate items to local communities:

Any school supplies; craft or sewing materials including embroidery threads; medication such as children’s vitamins; paracetamol syrup (e.g Calpol); E45 or Sudocrem; baby clothes; children’s clothing; puzzles, jigsaws and games with minimal language content; any balls, especially a football or basketball and football pump; picture books and educational posters; laptops no longer needed (in which case, please supply a two-prong adaptor).

3. Understanding Madagascar’s ‘Fady’ (Local Taboos)

Tourists (or vazaha) are mostly exempt from adhering to fady, the complex system of taboos that operate in Madagascar. However, the degree of tolerance varies from place to place. Your guides can brief you about the local customs and beliefs.

Madagascar Travel FAQs: Your Questions Answered

One of our highly experienced Madagascar specialists, Helen Kennedy, has travelled all over the island and worked for a charity in the south, researching lemur behaviour and helping educate communities about conservation.

Here she is answering your most frequently asked questions about Madagascar:

"Do I need a visa to visit Madagascar?"

Yes. You can buy a 30-day single-entry tourist visa at the airport (€35). If you're staying for less than 15 days, the visa fee is €10. Visas can be paid for in cash or by credit card. (US dollars are accepted, too).

We do NOT advise trying to obtain a Madagascar visa online, as the government’s e-visa platform is not yet consistent and there are scam sites about.

"What currency is used in Madagascar?"

The local currency is the Malagasy Ariary (MGA). Ariary notes have a metallic strip on the right-hand side. We advise against taking travellers' cheques.

Ariary can only be obtained in-country. Your guide will be pleased to take you to a cashpoint or a currency exchange bureau, should you wish to withdraw a supply of MGA.

Surplus Ariary on Your Return

Anyone returning from Madagascar with surplus Ariary can post this to exemplary charity Money for Madagascar at the following address: MFM, Langthwaite House, Lancaster, LA2 9EB, United Kingdom.

"Is English widely spoken in Madagascar?"

No. Malagasy is the first language and French is the official business language. English is spoken by guides and by some people in the hospitality industry. It’s handy to have some basic French.

"Can I drink the tap water in Madagascar?"

No. Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere in the country. Bottled water is readily available everywhere. When purchasing bottled water, ensure the bottles are sealed when handed to you.

Madagascar Q&A with Daniel Austin

Author of the 'Madagascar: Bradt Guide' and 'Madagascar Wildlife: A Visitors Guide', Daniel Austin is an experienced and knowledgeable tour leader to this diverse country. He escorts our annual Madagascar Endangered Icons small group tour, which always delivers a stunning catalogue of wildlife sightings.

To learn more, we sat down with Daniel for a short Q&A session:

"What is your most memorable highlight of travelling around Madagascar?"

"Years ago, while walking in the rainforest at Montagne d’Ambre National Park, I heard a great cacophony in the distance. It had to be birds, I mused – far too loud to be insects. Then, all of a sudden, we came into a flooded clearing and there, as far as the eye could see, were thousands upon thousands of bright yellow Aglyptodactylus madagascariensis frogs, singing loudly as they went about creating even more frogs!"

"What are the merits of travelling in a small group?"

"Organised tours take the stress out of planning a complex itinerary and give you the opportunity to get more from Madagascar by experiencing it in the company of a few like-minded people.

"An experienced leader takes all the hassle out of your trip, taking care of the red tape and allowing you to relax and enjoy what the destination has to offer. Your understanding of the country is enriched by the presence of a leader; they can interpret what you're seeing and doing and put it into context as part of a cohesive tour, expertly designed to allow you to experience the best of what’s on offer."

"How do you see tourism helping conservation in Madagascar?"

"Tourism is a hugely valuable part of Madagascar’s economy. Not only does it provide jobs and bring in foreign money, but promoting ecotourism as an attractive income source gives the Malagasy an incentive to protect their environment. The will must come from within if the effects are to be sustainable; imposing solutions from outside is only ever a temporary sticking plaster. Ecotourism is one such sustainable sector of the Malagasy economy, just so long as the flora and fauna remain."

"What do you consider the main threats to its fauna and flora to be?"

"The key problem is habitat loss. A large proportion of Madagascar’s natural forest has been destroyed since man first colonised the island. The loss of forest cover leads to soil degradation and erosion, which in turn silts up rivers, causing them to devastate coral reefs. Vast swathes of the already-degraded parts of Madagascar go up in flames each year as illegal bushfires are deliberately set."

"Why do you have a steadfast dedication to Madagascar?"

"Madagascar is very much in my blood now. I'm a Madagascar specialist first and a tour leader and travel writer second. That’s to say, if I couldn’t continue writing books on or taking tours to Madagascar, then I'd look for some other way to be involved with the country.

"It’s a beautiful and incredible island, and there are still plenty of places I haven’t been to and things I haven’t seen. It'll be a good while yet before I begin to tire of Madagascar. And, until such time, I look forward to continuing to share my passion with others."

Why Book a Madagascar Holiday with Rainbow?

As the UK's leading tour operator to Madagascar, we know this destination better than anyone else.

Our Madagascar holiday specialists have extensively explored the island, so we can share our unrivalled, first-hand knowledge to design your itinerary with the most enriching experiences possible. Led by our trusted resident guides, you'll be taken to seek diverse endemic wildlife in some very unusual places.

Whether it's a tailor-made Madagascar holiday or a small group tour, we curate seamless experiences that are respectful and responsibly delivered, all the while immersing you in spectacular environments.