Madagascar Wildlife Discovery Tours 2026 & 2027

Today, you'll be taken on an excursion to Maromizaha, a 10,000ha rainforest classified as an 'Experimental Reserve'. If Mantadia National Park is accessible, you can alternatively visit there instead. Maromizaha and Mantadia are both home to a select band of mammals, birds and herps. Do note that trails are steeper than is the case in Andasibe.

Key attractions include diademed sifaka, black-and-white ruffed and red-bellied lemurs, pitta-like ground-roller, Parson's and nose-horned chameleon, and colourful mantella baroni frogs, among others.

The scenery is beautiful, including superb views from the top of the trail over the rainforest-clad slopes.

After breakfast, you'll be taken on a final rainforest walk in Andasibe-Mantadia, during which you can seek species previously missed out on.

You'll also visit the habitat restoration project underway by the NGO Association Mitsinjo: one of the many inspiring initiatives supported by the charity Money for Madagascar. You'll have the opportunity to plant an endangered, endemic tree from the impressive nurseries here as part of the reforestation efforts; this is a wonderful way to put something back into Malagasy soil.

Unbeknownst to most wildlife enthusiasts, the indris and other lemurs made famous by David Attenborough documentaries were all filmed in the Mitsinjo/Analamazaotra rainforest, rather than at Andasibe across the road. Among the birds often seen and heard is the cuckoo-roller.

After lunch, drive back along the RN2 road to Antananarivo in time for dinner and overnight at the very comfortable Relais des Plateaux.

You'll be transferred to the airport after breakfast for the flight to Tulear on the south-west coast, close to the Tropic of Capricorn.

This is the most arid corner of the country, and the natural habitat is mostly sub-arid 'spiny thicket' or Euphorbia-Didiereaceae thorny bush. It's remarkable in places, composed of much shrubby Euphorbia interspersed with drought-resistant trees and plants, including bottle baobabs and spiky octopus trees. The endemicity rate among this floral assemblage is remarkably high, and people also come here to seek a selection of rare, range-restricted, locally endemic birds and reptiles. Birds include the long-tailed ground-roller, sub-desert mesite and LaFresnaye's vanga. Reptiles include the peculiar little three-eyed lizard.

Today's excursion will depend on the time of the flight to Tulear. If it's early morning, you'll be taken to the remote St Augustin Bay and enjoy the Sarodrano Cave Excursion (Tsinjoriake Protected Area). This interesting excursion offers the opportunity to explore a less-visited part of the dry south-west, the Tsinjoriake Protected Area. This spans from the Onilahy River to the flat sandstone La Table Hill and includes Sarodrano and Binabe Caves, St Augustin Bay and St Augustin village.

Depart with your private guide and private driver in your private four-wheel drive vehicle along a variable road to the relaxed Eden Ecolodge at St Augustin Bay. Here, you can enjoy breakfast, followed by visits to brackish water at Sarodrano Cave; a walk in the Coral ragg scrub for interesting flora and birds; a boat trip in the local Mangrove area and a trip to see the flamingos, which occur here seasonally. Your guide will explain the interesting culture of the seafaring Veso people, who reside in the area, and you can make a photo stop at the Tropic of Capricorn marker.

Afterwards, return to Tulear, from where you'll drive north to Ifaty.

ALTERNATIVELY: When Tulear flights are in the afternoons, you can visit the Royal Village of Ambohimanga instead.

You'll then be transferred to Ifaty Beach for a two-night stay in the very comfortable Le Paradisier, with all meals included.

An early start: after breakfast, you'll be taken to a nearby parcel of 'spiny bush' ('Parc Mosa') to see the remarkable flora which travel writing legend Dervla Murphy so aptly christened 'Nature's Botanical Lunatic Asylum'.

In this otherworldly habitat, you'll be able to seek some highly localised endemic birds, along with rare or range-restricted reptiles such as the critically endangered Madagascar radiated tortoise. Many are held here at Village des Tortues, after having been confiscated from poachers.

Other bloated, drought-resistant trees you'll see today include Delonix adansonioides, part of the same tree family as the 'flamboyant' tree, which originates from remote central-western Madagascar.

This morning, travel south along the tarmac road back to Tulear.

Continue travelling inland along the RN7 route to Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, which year-round is a rewarding wildlife hotspot. You'll be able to look for the iconic Verreaux's sifaka, locally endemic Hubbard's sportive lemur, the massive Oustalet's chameleon, Standing's day gecko and birds including Appert's greenbul and the stately giant coua, which can be seen strolling around on the forest floor.

After the guided nature walk in Zombitse-Vohibasia, continue driving inland to the sandstone massif of Isalo, where the country's most visited national park is located.

Stay for two nights at the very comfortable Relais de la Reine or sister property Jardin du Roy.

Your guides will take you to explore a trail in Isalo National Park today. You'll be able to drive up to the vehicle parking lot, from where you complete one of the circuits on foot. Note that a second park guide will be provided for those who wish to take a slower pace or shorter trail.

While much of the park is comprised of dry, 'ruiniform' sandstone formations, trails can take you to verdant streamside vegetation. Here, you can look for ring-tailed lemurs, Verreaux’s sifakas and locally endemic flora. The best known plant here is the dumpy 'elephant's foot' Pachypodium, which flowers in September.

Look on the lodge buildings at night for birds such as Madagascar long-eared owl, Madagascar white-browed owl and Madagascar nightjar.

After breakfast, drive east across the desolate central southern interior (Bara country) to a granite dome region which marks the entrance to the southern highlands.

Here, visit another deservedly popular stop, Anja Parc – a community-managed protected area near Ambalavao which is home to a thriving population of ring-tailed lemurs, the island's national mammal, and plenty of other, smaller wildlife (notably chameleons, geckos and skinks).

The terrain, dominated by granite domes, is spectacular. Worth noting is that this protected area provides a livelihood for some 2,400 people who live in the region.

Overnight in Betsileo Country Lodge, with all meals included.

After breakfast at the lodge, drive north-east along the RN7 route to the upland rainforest of Ranomafana National Park, where seeing five species of lemur in a day walk is not uncommon.

Key species include the Milne-Edwards's diademed sifaka and adorable red-bellied lemur. Ranomafana is also home to a number of rare bird species, including the brown mesite, rufous-headed ground-roller, yellow-bellied sunbird asity and Pollen's vanga.

Walks vary in length from a couple of hours to a half day. Please note that the majority of trails here traverse some arduous terrain with long slopes.

Your accommodation for the next three nights is at Thermal Hotel.

A night stroll outside the park periphery should reveal some rufus mouse lemurs and, with luck, leaf-tailed geckos and tree frogs, as well as some interesting invertebrates. It's also the best place in which to seek the Malagasy comet moth.

From September to November, the area is packed with wildlife enthusiasts, so you'll not be alone during night walks.

Explore wonderful Ranomafana National Park today. Here, look for lemurs such as the endangered golden bamboo lemur, found almost exclusively in this rainforest. This park icon was discovered in the mid 1980s by primatologist Patricia Wright, who almost single-handedly put the park on the international tourism map and established the Centre ValBio, which you'll be able to visit during your time at the park. After dinner, you could take another night walk.

Ranomafana is the only place where greater (broad-nosed), golden and grey (eastern lesser) bamboo lemurs coexist. Many people also see the striking Milne-Edwards's sifaka here – another of the park's flagship species.

Enjoy the beautiful scenery, healthy climate and plentiful wildlife.

You'll have another day to explore Ranomafana's upland rainforest with your guides.

Aside from its many lemurs and birds, you'll have the chance to look for remarkable lifeforms such as the bark-mimicking fringed gecko. The area is also especially good for well-known invertebrates, including the lovely diurnal Urania moth.

Orchids, palms and bamboos abound; the island holds more species of all three of these plant groups than the African mainland does.

After breakfast, set off in a four-wheel drive vehicle on the road journey northwards along the RN7 route, passing through Betsileo and then Merina territory. Here, you can see people cultivating rice, selling food on the roadside and, at Antsirabe, numerous colourful rickshaws.

Enjoy exploring some craft stalls and overnight in Couleur Café, with all meals included.

After a leisurely breakfast, depart Antsirabe through scenic highlands country back to Antananarivo, where (if you're departing after midnight with Air France) you have the use of day rooms at Relais des Plateaux.

If on another flight, you'll overnight at the hotel.

After a farewell dinner (if you're flying back to the UK with Air France OR the early Kenya Airways flight), you'll be transferred to Antananarivo airport to check in for your homebound flight journey.

*Participants flying out with Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines or Air Mauritius will depart this afternoon (we'll arrange to have you at the airport in good time for this).

Air France departs to Antananarivo around 1:20 am and arrives in Paris CDG by mid-morning.

Kenya Airways departs at 2:40 am.

Connect with the flight back to London Heathrow or other selected UK airports.