- Trek in Isalo National Park
- Climb Peak Boby, the second-highest peak in Madagascar
- See lemurs in their natural habitat
- Relax on the beach in Ifaty
Trekking in Madagascar
15 Days
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Walking & Trekking
Itinerary
Antananarivo Antananarivo
Start Antananarivo
Our adventure starts in Antananarivo, known locally as Tana. There is a group meeting and briefing in the evening followed by an optional group dinner for those who wish to join.
Accommodation: Hotel Belvedere (or similar)
Morning city tour; transfer to Ambositra
We take a morning walk to the upper part of Antananarivo, ascending to Antaninarenina (the commercial and administrative part of town) and walking to the main entrance of the Queen’s Palace, with outstanding views over Tana. We drive to Ambositra in the afternoon, where we have the chance to visit Zafimaniry handicraft centres.
Max altitude: 4,460ft (1,360m)
Accommodation: Artisan Hotel (or similar)
To Antoetra; full-day trek through hills and rice fields, visiting local villages
A full day walking to Antoetra allows us to discover and explore Zafimaniry villages. The Zafimaniry people are renowned for their woodcarvings; in their villages, even the houses are works of art! In 2003, the Zafimaniry people and their woodwork were considered to be masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, a list maintained by Unesco to protect and preserve their way of life. We walk through habituated areas – through rice fields, hills and small villages, following regular paths used by locals. After the walk, we drive back to Ambositra.
Max altitude: 5,840ft (1,780m)
Accommodation: Artisan Hotel (or similar)
Transfer to Ranomafana National Park
Today we head south and east to the well-visited national park of Ranomafana. The drive takes us through spectacular scenery, past neat Betsileo rice paddies and thick forests. We reach our destination in the afternoon and, after a rest at the hotel, we take an evening walk along the roadside of Ranomafana to spot nocturnal wildlife.
Accommodation: Hotel Le Grenat (or similar)
Morning visit to Ranomafana National Park; transfer to Ambalavao in the afternoon
We visit Ranomafana National Park in the morning, a mountainous rainforest park with elevations ranging from 1,970ft to 4,595ft (600m to 1,400m). It contains many different forest types (from lowland rainforest to cloud forest and high plateau forest) and provides the opportunity to see various lemur species (golden bamboo lemurs, greater and lesser bamboo lemurs, red-bellied lemurs, red-fronted lemurs, Mile Edward’s sifaka) plus birds, frogs, reptiles, snails and orchids.
In the afternoon, we drive to Ambalavao, the commercial centre of the southern Betsileo region, renowned for folk art and crafts. Here, we visit a wine farm and learn about the production of Antemoro paper: a paper produced from the bark of the havoha tree.
Max altitude: 3,280ft (1,000m)
Accommodation: Tsienimparihy Lodge (or similar)
Early transfer to Andringitra National Park to start the three-day trek to climb Peak Boby
We have an early transfer to Andringitra National Park, one of the most beautiful and biodiverse parks in Madagascar. Andringitra has been managed by the WWF since 1993 and has three distinct eco-zones: low-altitude rainforest, montane rainforest and high-altitude vegetation. Although Andringitra contains diverse wildlife (more than 100 bird species, 50 mammal species, including 13 lemurs types, and 55 frog species), the prime reason for visiting is for the stunning landscape, vegetation and superb trekking. More than 1,000 plant species exist in this national park, and the guides are highly knowledgeable on the local plants and their medicinal uses.
In the morning, we visit two waterfalls, Riandahy and Raimbavy, and then begin our trek to reach the second-highest peak in Madagascar, Peak Boby (which is also known as Pic d’Imarivolanitra or ‘close to the sky’). The trek begins in forest, which is slowly replaced by alpine meadows covered with orchids by the end of the rainy season. Leaving the forest, we ascend a steep path to the Andohariana plateau, climbing higher behind granite mountaintops. As we walk through the high montane vegetation, we reach a natural pool, which offers a freezing but very refreshing swim. After approximately six hours of walking, we camp at Anderamposty (6,890ft/2,100m).
Max altitude: 6,890ft (2,100m)
Accommodation: Full-service camping
Andringitra National Park
On our longest trekking day, we begin our climb to the summit of Peak Boby early to avoid climbing in the full heat of the day. Keep your camera handy as the trek climbs higher, giving unrivalled views and superb high-altitude flora. Although this is the highest accessible peak in Madagascar, it is a technically easy ascent up carved steps. We should reach the summit after about three to four hours. We take the same route back to our campsite, where we have a chance to relax by the river while our lunch is prepared. After lunch, we head out through moon-like landscapes, granite cliffs and a forest of palm trees en route to our campsite. After approximately six hours of walking, we camp at Iantaranomby (5,415ft/1,650m).
Max Altitude: 8,720ft (2,658m)
Accommodation: Full-service camping
Andringitra National Park
On our final day of walking in Andringitra National Park, we leave the mountains after breakfast, exploring villages on foot. With the decreasing altitude, we pass many forms of succulent plants, such as the pachypodium (which looks like a mini baobab tree), euphorbia and through savannah landscape. After approximately four hours, we camp at Meva Campsite in Tsaranoro Valley (2,955ft/900m).
Max altitude: 5,035ft (1,535m)
Accommodation: Full-service camping
Visit Anya Reserve to look for ring-tailed lemurs; to Isalo National Park
We drive to the little town of Ranohira today, the base for visiting Isalo National Park. Along the way, we visit the small reserve of Anja, where ring-tailed lemurs (otherwise known as kattas) can be observed in their natural habitat.
Accommodation: Les Toiles de l’Isalo (or similar)
Exploring Isalo National Park
We spend two days exploring Isalo National Park – a trip highlight. Isalo is a vast region of wind-polished and water-scoured rock towers, deep canyons, gorges and oases, often described as Eden. We start by walking along a relatively flat path, following the foot of the rocky mountain range, until the magnificent Canyon of Makis, where we search for cheeky ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux’s sifakas. From here, we have a fairly steep climb (those suffering from vertigo may find this challenging) and then walk through the scenic, moon-like landscape of the park to our campsite.
Max altitude: 3,590ft (1,094m)
Accommodation: Full-service camping
Continue exploring Isalo National Park
Today is our second day discovering Isalo National Park. We visit Namaza waterfall, once again in search of ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux’s sifakas. We then head to the Piscine Naturelle (natural swimming pool), a beautifully lush spot in such an arid landscape, where we can swim and relax after the hot walk. Soak up the sheer beauty of the park – the combination of eroded coloured rock formations, strange plants and enveloping silence make this one of the most captivating places in Africa.
Max altitude: 3,940ft (1,200m)
Accommodation: Isalo Ranch (or similar)
To west coast and beaches; overnight at Ifaty Beach
We drive to Tulear after an early breakfast, among the dry forests of the west and the spiny desert of the south, and pass both the Mahafaly and Antandroy tombs, briefly observing their ornate decorations. Antandroy and Mahafaly are reputed to be the most impressive of all Malagasy tombs, with the Antandroy tombs being large and brightly painted, relating to the life story and wishes of the deceased. They are also topped with zebu skulls, which were sacrificed during the funeral festivity – a ceremony of great significance. Mahafaly tombs are characterised by their wooden sculptures known as Aloalo, relating to the life of the deceased and their unfulfilled dreams, as well as their rank within the clan. After a brief stop in Tulear, we continue past the coastal town of Ifaty to our hotel on the beach.
Accommodation: Hotel de la Plage (or similar)
Free time for relaxation or optional activities at Ifaty Beach
We have a free day at Ifaty Beach. Running all the way around the southwest Malagasy coastline, Ifaty Beach lies on one of the largest barrier reefs in the world, which makes it an excellent venue for scuba diving. Between late June and early September, whales can be observed off the beautiful white beaches here and the offshore islet of Nosy Ve is a terrific place for snorkelling. Protected by coral reefs, the beach and waters beyond the hotel offer a welcome rest from your trekking itinerary.
Accommodation: Hotel de la Plage (or similar)
Fly to Antananarivo
Today we transfer to Tulear Airport for our flight to Antananarivo, which arrives in the afternoon. Depending on the flight schedule, you may have free time to explore Antananarivo on your own.
Accommodation: Hotel Belvedere (or similar)
End Antananarivo
Depending on your flight times, you may have the opportunity to embark on an optional short visit to Ambohimanga, the fortified village and royal palace. Ambohimanga, otherwise known as Blue Hills, was forbidden to Europeans for a long time. The kings and queens returned here to rest and relax on the forested slopes of this hilltop village. Here began the line of kings and queens who united Madagascar into one country. Ambohimanga still remains of spiritual significance for the Malagasy people with ceremonies and rituals still taking place.
Hotels and camping
We spend 10 nights in hotels. We also have four nights of full-service camping, with some basic campsites, all with shared facilities. We use tourist-class hotels, which are simple and comfortable, except during the treks where we camp in the national parks.
Most of the hotels have mosquito nets in the rooms.
Worth knowing
- All of the hotels are said to have a reliable electricity and water supply. However, there may be instances in which you experience some gaps in supply. This is more a reflection of life in Madagascar than the hotel standard.
During the camping portions, we camp in small and mobile two-person tents. The camping is full service so the tents are put up for you. Campsites in Madagascan parks usually offer only very basic facilities. Do not expect hot showers, flushing toilets and Western standards of cleanliness at some of the places we stay. Some toilets may be long drops. Please come prepared. All camping equipment is provided except sleeping bags.
Trip Experts
Armel Andriniaina
Expert Leader: Madagascar
Rija Rakotoarisoa
Expert Leader: Madagascar
Reviews
Add your own reviewTrekking in Madagascar - September / October 2017
This trip is a thoroughly varied and perfectly paced active journey through one of the most captivating African destinations I’ve ever visited. The scenery is constantly stunning, the wildlife which is often unique was a privilege to see and the Malagasy people are humblingly friendly and welcoming.
Most Inspirational Moment
Inspiration was frequent and varied on this trip: from spotting lemurs in the treetops (we saw a total of 5 species) to being amongst some dramatic rock scenery in both Andringitra and Isalo National Parks. If I had to choose one moment, it would probably be the sense of achievement in reaching the summit of Pic d'Imarivolanitra and marvelling at the remoteness and drama of the surrounding scenery. The Hotel de la Plage at Ifaty on the coast was a gorgeous way to end the trip too with the opportunity to take a sedate pirogue trip out to sea and snorkel on a beautiful reef.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Rija worked tirelessly and always with a great sense of humour and patience to ensure that the tour operated smoothly. She was typical of all the Malagasy people we met who continually impressed me with how they achieve high standards with limited resources in a country that is obviously lacking in economic clout.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Although the road journeys are often quite long, the scenery is continually interesting and helps you get a real sense of rural Madagascan life so don't let that put you off. Temperatures can be quite high and the sun can be fierce in late September so sun protection is important. Although accommodation and food standards were generally high, there were a few cases of food poisoning in our group so don't forget to pay attention to food hygiene.
Suggestions
I had high expectations for this trip before I left and they were exceeded by a significant margin. I would urge any traveller who likes to get away from it all and combine activity and wildlife into their adventure travel destinations to seriously consider Madagascar - a country so deserving of the opportunity for economic growth through the sustainable development of its tourist industry. This trip contributes towards this goal perfectly.
Trekking in Madagascar (September 2016)
A very busy but well paced trip that I thoroughly enjoyed. The trekking is tougher than I’d expected, due to the heat, and there were some stiff climbing and descents, but the paths were very good and the views en route were stunning. Both Isalo and Andringitra, where the majority of the trekking takes place, are very different and offer very different experiences.
Madagascar is an interesting country, quite different to other places in Africa that I’ve been too, but sadly, almost totally deforested nowadays, so the distances between the various national parks are several hours drive apart, meaning some long sessions on the bus. However, the scenery is very interesting nevertheless – Madagascar is not a flat country so there is plenty to look at while you drive. A nice touch was that the bus would stop one side of a village, you’d all get out and the bus would drive a couple of miles up the road allowing you to amble through the village to break up the journey – we did this several times and they were very welcome breaks.
This did mean, however, that there was very little wildlife to see outside of the parks, and indeed, within them sometimes. I had expected more if I’m honest, however, our tick list of Lemur spieces was still good – around 6-8 I think. In Ranomafana, the rainforest, we saw quite a few, although they tended to be high up in the canopy. The night walk we did here was excellent though – our guide managed to find 2 mouse lemurs in the dark, and there were lots of Chameleons, and this was definitely worth doing.
The beach resort at the end was paradise. You have a free day and although the whales had gone, so that trip was out, some of us elected to visit the fishing village just up the coast, which I loved. You can easily walk to the village, by turning left out of the lodge, but the paid for visit allows you to wander around the village itself, rather than just watching all the boats on the beach. In the afternoon, we visited the “Spiny Forest”, which was actually more of a botanical garden, but still interesting.
On the camping portions on the trip, the first two nights (in Andringitra) were very basic, and it got quite cold at night, but the 3rd night was at a lodge, which was lovely – and they sold beer there – so was a very welcome place to end the time in the national park. In Isalo, the camp site is in a lovely location, and the porters had kindly brought a couple of crates of beer with them, so we had beer that night too, so it was only the first two camping nights were we had no beer and very basic facilities.
The hotels were all excellent and tourist standard for Madagascar. They all had patchy Wi-Fi and the restaurants and bars were good and all sold beer, so we didn’t need to leave the hotels in the evening to eat or drink. However, there is only 2 places where you stay for 2 nights, and we tended not to arrive until tea-time, so there was very little unpacking. I think I only had one cold shower during the two weeks.
Most Inspirational Moment
I loved seeing the mouse lemur on the night walk in Ranomafana, as that was very unexpected. In Anja reserve, you WILL see a lot of ring tailed lemurs, which are great fun, and I loved the time we spent with them. The scenery in the two national parks was stunning and worth the effort to get there. The beach resort at the end was lovely and I really enjoyed the visit to the fishing village Although not a particularly hard slog, getting to the top of peak boby and enjoying the amazing views was also great.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Rija was delightful - she always had a smile on her face and was unfailingly nice and polite and it was lovely to meet her.
Advice for Potential Travellers
1. The beer is quite strong. THB, the national beer, is 5.5%. Even the Skol, the weakest we found, was 5% and there are beers stronger than this. Don't get caught out thinking you are drinking Fosters, or you will regret it the next day (speaking from experience I'm afraid). 2. The first two nights of camping were quite cold, so take some warm clothes for the evening, and something you can sleep in. 3. The food is good generally, and the beer reasonably priced. Just after Brexit the currency had dropped from around 5,000 Ariary to the £ to less than 4,000, but the beer was still around 5000 for a large bottle. A main course for dinner was around 15,000, so still good value. I made do with £300 worth for the whole trip. 4. Get currency at the airport when you arrive as the banks are VERY slow - it took 3 or 4 people about 2 hours to change money at the first money stop, making us very late for the hotel on day 2. 5. During the day it was very hot, even if the evenings were cold, so you will need plenty of water - so take a bladder to put in your rucksack as you'll go through bottles very quickly. 6. When camping, you leave a chunk of your luggage behind. If you have a second Exodus bag, which folds up small, take this to put what you won't need while trekking. The porters will take up to 10kg for you, leaving you with just your day sack to take while walking. 7. washing in the rivers is possible, but awkward. The first couple of days it was too cold in the evenings, but the final two were fine for washing as it was still warm (there were hot showers at the 3rd campsite). 8. On the last day in Isalo, you visit the natural swimming pool, so this is the day to take your cozzies. You will have a couple of hours to rest / swim. Porters bring your lunch to this spot - as it is only 45 mins walk from the bus. 9. I opted not to do the early walk on the last day in Isalo, as you return to the campsite for breakfast, but they saw some lemurs on this walk, so I was gutted to miss that. 10. take a few little gifts for the kids - balloons, pens etc. - they will greatly appreciate it, particularly if you plan on doing the village walk in Ifaty. 11. There was very little opportunity for souvenir buying, apart from the village we visited on the first walk, and on the beach by the beach resort - although one of the masks I bought turned out to be riddled with woodworm, so check this if you buy anything. 12. Ignore the height gain / loss that the trips notes give for the Isalo trek, it's another two days of steep ups and downs, but the scenery is again wonderful. 13. Take loo roll for the camping, and wet wipes if it's too cold to wash in the rivers. Pack as lightly as possible, as you don't see your luggage during the day as it's on the roof, and you have to leave quite a lot behind when camping.
Suggestions
I really enjoyed this trip and I think it had a nice balance of wildlife and trekking.
Trekking in Madagascar
A breathtaking trip, with the perfect balance of stunning scenery, fascinating wildlife, cultural experiences and wonderful people! Madagascar is a truly unique country with incredibly warm and welcoming people; this two-week itinerary gave a really good glimpse into what makes it so special. I literally loved every second of it.
Most Inspirational Moment
Impossible to give just one on a trip of such variety; every day had something new and unique. Getting to the top of Peak Boby was a great feeling; catching a rainbow arching over the hills as we drank beer with our feet in the river after our longest day of trekking was magical; dancing round the campfire with the porters under the stars was indescribably special; seeing a stunning sunset over the sea under the palm trees on a white sand beach was gorgeous; catching glimpses of the black-and-white ruffed lemur and the mouse lemur was unexpected; getting up close to the cheeky ring-tailed lemurs was highly entertaining; swimming in spectacular waterfalls was amazing; soaking up the most amazing silent landscapes was breath-taking; being invited into the homes of local villagers was heart-warming; and seeing the smiles and being treated like a celebrity by each and every Madagascan person we met is incomparable.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Armel was brilliant! Entertaining, knowledgeable, inspiring, but most of all with an energy and drive to share with us everything he loved about his country, he made sure that every one of us also fell in love with Madagascar!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't miss Madagascar, it's the most incredible country with the most incredible people!
Start
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Saturday Saturday
06 Apr 2024 06 Apr 2024
Saturday Saturday
20 Apr 2024 20 Apr 2024
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View Trip NotesSaturday Saturday
31 Aug 2024 31 Aug 2024
Saturday Saturday
14 Sep 2024 14 Sep 2024
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Adult Price From £ 2,999 £ 2,999 Book with 25% deposit
Optional Single Supplement +£ 400
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSaturday Saturday
14 Sep 2024 14 Sep 2024
Saturday Saturday
28 Sep 2024 28 Sep 2024
Availability Guaranteed (Available)
Adult Price From £ 2,999 £ 2,999 Book with 25% deposit
Optional Single Supplement +£ 400
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
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