Day 1 UK to Antananarivo

Our VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Antananarivo.

Day 2 Antananarivo

Arrive in Antananarivo.

Day 3 Antananarivo to Antsirabe

Explore Antananarivo on a city tour, and travel through landscapes of terraced rice fields and eroded hills.

We stop at a local market in Ambatolampy before arriving in Antsirabe an elegant city reminiscent of Europe. A tour includes a number of local artisan workshops.

Day 4 Ambositra to Ranomafana

The highland landscapes of pine and eucalyptus forests continues as we journey to Ambositra, popular for its wood-carving and handicraft workshops.

After lunch accompanied by folkloric dancing, the scenery changes to lush green tropical forests and Ranomafana National Park - home to some beautiful waterfalls.

Day 5 Ranomafana

Ranomafana National Park is the only confirmed habitat for the two rarest lemurs, the greater bamboo and the golden bamboo lemur.

We search for 12 species in all, in addition to the many types of bird, lizard and butterfly. The name Ranomafana means hot water and this afternoon you can choose an afternoon walk, or to relax in the thermal waters.

Day 6 Fianarantsoa to Ambalavao to Ranohira

Tour Fianarantsoa, capital of the Betsiloo people.

In Ambalavao, we visit Anja Park and view the process of making antaimoro, a papyrus-based paper containing wild flowers.

Our arrival in Ihosy signifies the end of the highlands and we pass through the vast red-soiled savannah of Plateau de l’Horombe before reaching Ranohira - the gateway to Isalo National Park.

Day 7 Isalo National Park

We take a walking tour through Isalo National Park, where 815 square kilometres of rugged sandstone rocks have been hewn into dramatic canyons, gorges and pinnacles.

As the area is used as a burial place of the Bara people, we may spy tombs inside the rocks as we walk. Sifaka, brown and ring-tailed lemurs may be spotted en route. The day is topped off with a sunset view at ‘La Fenêtre de l’Isalo’.

Day 8 Ranohira to Tuléar to Ifaty

We visit Ilakaka, the village which exploded in population on the discovery of sapphire deposits in 1998.

Traversing Zombitse National Park, we enter the dry south and pass the ‘plateaux des baobabs’ of Andranomaintso - these upside-down looking trees are an icon of Madagascar - before arriving in Tuléar for a city tour.

The city was one of the main harbours of the colonial-era and is now a cosmopolitan collection of cultures and traditions.

Day 9 Ifaty

Before breakfast, we visit Reniala Reserve, filled with different types of baobab and thorny bush. The reserve is also an excellent spot for bird watching.

The remainder of the day is free - perhaps on the beach, watching the fisherman earning their living.

Day 10 Tulear to Antananarivo

Journeying back to Tuléar, a flight returns us to Antananarivo.

Day 11 Andasibe

Our journey to Andasibe takes us into humid landscapes of rainforest and lakes, rich in plants and wildlife.

We meet members of the predominant tribe of Madagascar’s east coast - the Betsimisaraka people.

An evening walk is a perfect opportunity to look for nocturnal animals.

Day 12 Andasibe

Andasibe National Park is home to nine species of lemur, including the largest - the critically endangered indri; known for its distinctively loud call, it features in many Malagasy myths and legends. There are plentiful other unique species, orchids, chameleons and many birds.

Return to our lodge; its private park is one of the best spots for photographing lemurs.

Day 13 Antananarivo

Our journey back to Antananarivo includes a stop at Peyrieras Reptile Reserve, a small reserve home to a collection of reptiles, amphibians and butterflies.

Continue to UNESCO-listed Ambohimanga - a sacred royal city of immense historical, cultural, and spiritual significance.

Day 14 Antananarivo to UK

Depart to the airport for our overnight flight to the UK.

Day 15 UK

Upon arrival, your vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.