Food standards in Madagascar can vary and are probably not of the same standard you are used to at home. The cuisine has been strongly influenced by the French and a three-course meal should cost 43,000-70,000 ariary (US$10-US$16). A one-course lunch should cost 19,700-34,000 ariary (US$4.40-US$7.60). Please allow approximately 1.4m ariary (US$325) for the meals not included, plus a little more if you enjoy a drink with dinner.

Malagasy lager is reasonably priced and easily available. Malagasy wine is also reasonably priced but is not to everyone’s taste. It is sometimes possible to get hold of French or South African wine. A delicacy in Madagascar is flavoured rums, which are widely sold and very reasonably priced.

If you do not eat fish or meat, your food options will be limited (ie omelette, cheese, pasta, vegetables and rice). Breakfasts are usually simple: eggs, a baguette, jam and coffee or tea, and sometimes fruit. You may wish to bring something to supplement your morning meal (spread, peanut butter etc).

Join a guided night walk in the private reserve of Kirindy Forest, where the dry deciduous woodland comes alive after dusk. Move quietly beneath baobab silhouettes, scanning for nocturnal lemurs, chameleons, and the elusive fossa as your local guides pick out eye-shine and rustles in the leaf-litter.

Discover how this Menabe ecosystem shifts with seasonal rains and drought, supporting rare species adapted to arid conditions. Learn respectful viewing practices that protect wildlife while revealing Madagascar’s after-dark drama.

Gather in Madagascar’s lively capital to meet your tour leader and fellow travellers, before sharing a convivial group dinner. Sample Malagasy dishes with French influence as you settle into the rhythm of Tana, where bright market stalls, hilltop neighborhoods, and red-earth houses set the scene for the journey ahead.

Hear practical tips and cultural insights that enrich your adventure, from local etiquette to wildlife-spotting guidance. This warm introduction captures the capital’s layered history and the spirit of Malagasy hospitality before you head into wilder landscapes.

Set out at first light and join a guided morning walk through Kirindy’s sunlit canopy, when birdsong swells and diurnal species stir. Watch for Verreaux’s sifakas bounding between trunks, observe Red-fronted brown lemurs foraging, and look for giant jumping rats and jewel-bright reptiles warming themselves.

Gain an understanding of dry-forest ecology, from baobab water-storing adaptations to ephemeral pools that sustain amphibians. Your guides share tracking techniques and conservation perspectives that deepen every sighting.

Paddle the Manambolo River by traditional canoe, drifting beneath limestone cliffs and into cool, echoing caves. Watch swallows trace arcs over the water and glimpse herons and kingfishers along sandy banks as the gorge opens and narrows in rhythmic turns.

Along the way, learn about the Bara ethnic group from your park guide, hearing stories of river lifeways, beliefs, and clan histories. The river corridor reveals why waterways remain vital cultural arteries in Madagascar’s west.

Explore the Small Tsingy on guided pathways and short ladders through a stone forest of razor-sharp pinnacles. Navigate narrow passages and viewpoints while scanning for ring-tailed lemurs and Decken’s sifakas threading through scrub-fringed terraces.

Learn how rain and groundwater sculpted this karst labyrinth over millions of years. The Malagasy word “tsingy” evokes tiptoeing across sharp rock—an apt image for a landscape that challenges the senses and rewards with striking vistas.

Clip into a harness and navigate the Big Tsingy on fixed cables, ladders, and secure walkways among limestone needles soaring up to 60m. Trace airy ridgelines and peer into deep chasms, pausing at lookouts for sweeping views across a petrified sea of rock.

Part of a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, the Big Tsingy showcases geology in motion—ancient uplift, dissolution, and collapse frozen in jagged forms. The challenge is physical yet measured, with guides ensuring safe, steady progress.

Walk the sandy track of the Avenue of the Baobabs as the sky warms to amber and violet. Frame the silhouettes at sunset of towering Grandidier’s baobabs, some thought to be centuries old, their swollen trunks rising like natural columns above the savannah.

Hear how these ancient giants store water through long dry seasons and why they are revered by local communities. This golden-hour stop invites unhurried photos and quiet appreciation of Madagascar’s most iconic scene.

Cycle to Lake Andraikiba on a gentle 35km ride that leaves Antsirabe’s busy centre for open highland air. Meet local people in traditional villages, pass rice terraces and brick kilns, and roll by vegetable plots where Merina farmers tend the volcanic soils.

Discover how two wheels unlock small encounters—smiles at roadside stalls, schoolyard waves, a pause to watch cattle-drawn carts. The lake’s calm waters and mountain backdrop provide a rewarding loop’s-turnaround outlook.

Explore Ranomafana National Park on rainforest paths where mist clings to tree ferns and lianas. Search for golden bamboo lemurs, black-and-white ruffed lemurs, and dazzling endemic birds while navigating occasionally slippery trails beside tumbling streams.

Part of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana, this World Heritage area protects montane habitats brimming with amphibians and orchids. Guides share tracking skills and conservation stories that illuminate each rustle and call from the canopy.

Venture out after dark along the park’s edge to find the rainforest’s night shift. Watch for mouse lemurs flitting through low branches, marvel at cryptic leaf-tailed geckos, and pick out chameleons roosting like tiny lanterns among leaves.

Guides use low-intensity lights and quiet steps to minimize disturbance while revealing nocturnal behaviours and adaptations. The chorus of frogs and insects sets an atmospheric soundtrack to this concentrated search.

Visit community-managed Anja, where granite boulders and fig trees shelter thriving troops of ring-tailed lemurs. Follow short trails with local guides who read the landscape—alarm calls, scent marks, and sunbathing poses—turning sightings into stories.

Gain insight into Betsileo funerary traditions as you respectfully view family cliff tombs set among rock walls. Entrance fees support community conservation, linking livelihoods to the health of this biodiverse reserve.

Hike Isalo National Park through wind-sculpted canyons, sandstone arches, and sunlit plateaus dotted with aloes and pachypodium. Watch for lemurs moving between gallery forests and dry scrub, and listen for kestrels riding the thermals above ochre ridges.

Encounter Bara tombs hidden in cliff alcoves, learning how stone, memory, and ancestry intertwine in this desert-fringed massif. Trails offer varied terrain with ample moments to pause for photos and reflection.

Close your journey with a celebratory farewell dinner back in the capital. Trade wildlife highlights over plates that blend Malagasy spices with French technique, and, if you wish, sample flavoured rums—a local specialty infused with vanilla, cinnamon, or tropical fruits.

Reflect on the island’s breadth—from tsingy pinnacles to rainforest valleys—and the warmth of people met along the way. This final evening gathers the group for a fitting Malagasy send-off.

Boat the Mahajilo River on a relaxed excursion that glides past sandbanks, small farms, and scattered baobabs. Spot waterbirds and enjoy wide-sky views as the river meanders through Madagascar’s west.

This leisurely outing offers insight into a tributary of the Tsiribihina and riverside life. It is at additional cost and bookable on tour with your tour leader, subject to local conditions and timing.

Soak in the thermal pool at Ranomafana, easing hiking muscles in naturally heated waters. The name “Ranomafana” means “hot water,” and this tradition pairs rainforest exploration with restorative warmth.

Enjoy a calm interlude amid misty hills before continuing your wildlife focus. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with details provided locally by your tour leader.

Choose a second after-dark foray to join an optional nocturnal walk, increasing chances to see different species active on a new night. Look for Madagascar tree frogs, mouse lemurs, and camouflaged geckos along forest edges.

Each evening reveals fresh behaviours and calls, guided by expert spotters attuned to movement and eye-shine. This add-on is at additional cost and bookable on tour with your leader.