12-Day An Unveiled Roadtrip Through Madagascar

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Arrival in Antananarivo

Arrival in the capital, where the highlands rise beneath a soft, cool sky. Antananarivo is a city of terraced hills, colonial villas, and winding lanes alive with spice and song. It’s a place to pause and breathe after a long journey, in the promise of the journey ahead.

Main Destination:

Antananarivo (City)

Accommodation:

Boutique Hôtel La Varangue

• Budget hotel located in Antananarivo (City)

+7 Photos

+6 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

Travel to Antsirabe

Drive south through the highlands, a day of light and movement. Terraced paddies shimmer in morning sun, children wave from red-brick hamlets, and the road rises and falls with the contours of the land.

Antsirabe, known for its thermal springs and artisan workshops, exudes an effortless charm. Rickshaws roll past French-era façades, and crater lakes lie calm beyond the town’s edge.

Main Destination:

Antsirabe (City)

Accommodation:

Couleur Cafe

• Mid-range hotel located in Antsirabe (City)

+4 Photos

+3 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Ranomafana National Park

The landscape softens as you descend toward the rainforest. En route, Ambositra’s carved balconies and Zafimaniry woodcraft offer a glimpse into Madagascar’s artistic soul. By afternoon, mist and birdcall signal your arrival in Ranomafana. Explore the park’s forest trails with your naturalist guide. Ferns brush your arms as you track the golden bamboo lemur through dappled light; in the stillness, the air hums with cicadas and the occasional rustle of chameleon feet. Night walks reveal the island’s nocturnal life: mouse lemurs, stick insects, and the gleam of unseen eyes.

Main Destination:

Ranomafana National Park

Best Time To Visit April, May, September, October and November (Mild weather, fewer rainy days)

High Season July, August and December holidays (The park is busy)

Best Weather April, May, September, October and November

Wildlife in Ranomafana NP

Golden
Bamboo Lemur Common

Red-fronted
Brown Lemur Common

Red-bellied
Lemur Common

Greater
Bamboo Lemur Common

Grey
Bamboo Lemur Common

Show more

Giraffe-necked
Weevil Common

Parson’s
Chameleon Common

Milne-Edwards’s
Sifaka Occasional

Rufous
Mouse Lemur Occasional

Satanic
Leaf-tailed Gecko Occasional

Painted
Mantella Occasional

Spotted
Fanaloka Rare

Ring-tailed
Mongoose Rare

Fossa Very Rare

Accommodation:

Hotel Thermal Ranomafana

• Mid-range hotel located just outside Ranomafana NP

+5 Photos

+4 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Fianarantsoa

An early journey through green hills to Fianarantsoa, a city of tea, churches, and soft morning mist. Walk among the Betsileo villages, where rice terraces shape the land into a living sculpture. You’ll be welcomed into a family home for a traditional Malagasy lunch with laughter, stories, and the gentle rhythm of everyday life.

Main Destination:

Fianarantsoa (City)

Accommodation:

Ecole Hôtelière La Rizière

• Budget guest house

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Ambalavao and Tsaranoro Valley

The road winds through vast granite landscapes, where the earth glows pink in the afternoon light. Pause in Ambalavao to visit the handmade Antemoro paper workshop, or the bustling zebu market alive with barter and song.

Beyond, the Tsaranoro Valley opens, a quiet amphitheatre of cliffs and plains, where Andringitra’s granite walls rise sharply from the savannah. Walks here range from gentle strolls to the ascent of Chameleon Mountain, where dawn paints the peaks in gold. Village visits reveal the enduring traditions of the Bara people, who live by rhythm and ritual, land and livestock.

Main Destination:

Ambalavao (City)

Accommodation:

Camp Catta

• Budget lodge located outside Andringitra NP

+4 Photos

+3 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Isalo National Park

Journey west to Isalo, stopping at Anja Community Reserve — a landscape of sunlit granite and ring-tailed lemurs resting in the heat of the day. The reserve, managed by local villagers, serves as a living model of conservation in practice, where your visit supports their work and livelihoods.

In Isalo, the earth folds into gorges and canyons, its sandstone carved by centuries of wind and water. Hike through this surreal terrain past aloes and pachypodium, past clear pools where the air cools suddenly. Pause for a picnic in a palm oasis before returning to your lodge as the sun sets in amber light.

Main Destination:

Isalo National Park

Best Time To Visit April to October (Best hiking conditions)

High Season July, August and December holidays (The park is busy)

Best Weather June to August

Wildlife in Isalo NP

Ring-tailed
Lemur Common

Western
Plated Lizard Common

Verreaux's Sifaka Occasional

Red-fronted
Brown Lemur Occasional

Oustalet's
Chameleon Occasional

Show more

Jewel Chameleon Occasional

Stump-tailed
Chameleon Occasional

Merrem's
Madagascar Swift Occasional

Grey
Mouse Lemur Rare

Red-tailed
Sportive Lemur Rare

Painted
Burrowing Frog Rare

Blue-legged
Mantella Rare

Fossa Very Rare

Madagascar
Tree Boa Very Rare

Accommodation:

Le Relais de la Reine

• Mid-range hotel located just outside Isalo NP

+8 Photos

+7 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Tulear

The journey continues south toward the coast. Stop in Zombitse National Park, a rare transitional forest alive with birdcalls and ancient baobabs. Spot red-fronted brown lemurs and the near-mythical Appert’s tetraka before reaching the coastal plains. Evening brings a guided walk through the Antsokay Arboretum, where torchlight reveals endemic succulents and nocturnal species moving among the shadows.

Main Destination:

Toliara (City)

Accommodation:

Arboretum D'Antsokay Lodge

• Budget lodge

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Return to Tana

This Malagasy Journey travels by road through Madagascar’s heart from misted highlands to desert stone, from forest calls to ocean wind. As you finish, you fly north to the highlands once more. Spend your final evening in comfort, perhaps with a glass of Malagasy rum on the terrace as the city lights begin to glow.

Main Destination:

Antananarivo (City)

Accommodation:

Boutique Hôtel La Varangue

• Budget hotel located in Antananarivo (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Begin your Journey Home

This itinerary balances discovery and rest, immersion and ease. It offers a rare continuity of landscape and spirit, ending not with departure, but with a quiet sense of wonder that endures.

Main Destination:

Antananarivo (City)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Meals at own expense
• Drinks not included

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.