Madagascar Wildlife Holidays

On our Madagascar wildlife tours, you can search for a catalogue of unusual and often very rare, locally endemic animals that live in the island’s varied habitat types.

While unquestionably best known for its diverse, endearing lemurs, Madagascar is also home to intriguing mammal oddities such as the elusive fossa and insectivorous tenrecs, around 120 endemic bird species, half the world’s chameleons and some 365 (and counting) endemic frogs.

During your Madagascar wildlife tour, you’ll travel between very different ecosystems – from eastern rainforests and dry western forests to the spiny landscapes of the south-west and the coral-fringed islands of the Indian Ocean. Guided walks, night excursions and coastal boat trips help uncover the outstanding biodiversity found across the island.

Andasibe-Mantadia and Ankarana national parks and Kirindy Forest in Menabe Antimena Protected Area are some of the best places to see wildlife in Madagascar. Ranomafana National Park is another, created to protect the critically endangered golden bamboo lemur. Walking through its mid-altitude rainforest may reveal rainforest-dependent endemic species such as brown mesite, rufous-headed ground roller, yellow-bellied sunbird-asity and reptiles including the satanic leaf-tailed gecko and painted mantella.

Madagascar is also a well-established destination for the international birding community, who always include a stop in the remarkable spiny bush of Ifaty for the range-restricted sub-desert mesite, long-tailed ground roller and Lafresnaye's vanga. Madagascar's invertebrates include many of the island's iconic small-scale marvels, such as the giraffe-necked weevil, hissing cockroaches and pill millipedes, the Malagasy comet moth and the beautiful, day-flying Urania moth.

Wildlife experiences in Madagascar are not confined to terrestrial protected areas. There's rewarding whale watching (in season) around Sainte Marie and the Nosy Be Archipelago, a host of internationally recognised scuba diving sites in the Nosy Be Archipelago and, from September to December, whale sharks can be observed too.

Why Choose Rainbow for your Madagascar Wildlife Holiday?

We offer both set small group tours and tailor-made wildlife holidays in Madagascar, covering all three of the island’s major floristic zones. As the UK's leading specialist tour operator to Madagascar, our team has developed deep knowledge of the island’s wildlife regions and guiding networks.

Professionally trained, experienced and personable English-speaking guides accompany you throughout your journey – we firmly believe that guiding quality is paramount, and our longstanding partnership with our in-country team has helped set our Madagascar wildlife holidays apart.

Whether it’s the lemur watching Madagascar is so well known for, or more specialised wildlife interests, our Travel Specialists can help plan an itinerary focused on the experiences that interest you most.

Browse our sample wildlife itineraries or speak with our experts to begin planning your Madagascar wildlife holiday.