Rainforest and panoramic route to the coast
The route to Andasibe and the southern route from Antananarivo (Tana for short) to Tulear are undisputedly Madagascar's most traveled routes. Andasibe is so high on the list because of its rainforest, where the largest of all lemurs - the indri - can be seen and heard. The southern route follows Route Nationale 7 (RN7), a relatively well-maintained through road to Tulear on the southwest coast. You cross very diverse landscapes and climate zones, a drive is a sequence of impressively beautiful panoramas. Characteristic cities and special national parks provide plenty of variety in the travel program, and as icing on the cake, the trip ends on the azure sea of the Mozambique Channel.
The call of the indri
A morning walk in the Analamazoatra Reserve is primarily about finding the indri, just before it is time for the daily territorial call. As the last sound of the indri's insistent "song" fades away, the forest seems strangely silent. The walk continues, looking for other lemurs and small, remarkable animals. Sometimes camouflage colors are so perfect that your guide's practiced eyes are needed to find geckos and chameleons. Gradually, the secrets of the Andasibe rainforest are revealed.
Highlands, granite formations, savannas and then...the sea!
The first days you will drive through the picturesque Highlands, you will pass many good-looking Malagasy and stalls with local merchandise, to the left and right of the road are rice terraces and the typical houses of this region. Houses of loam and straw, as well as red bricks and roof tiles. Is this really Africa? You won't get much time to get used to the picture, each ride taking you to a new region where everything is different. Overgrown mountains and rolling hills give way to immense granite rock formations, green fields and rice paddies become open grassy plains, where herders roam with their herds of zebu. The jagged rock formations of Isalo briefly break the vastness of the field, then the road continues into an increasingly dry landscape. The first baobabs will not escape you, nor will the cheerfully painted tombs that loom here and there in the landscape. And then suddenly: the sea! You are not there yet, but the beautiful coast beckons. Where the world can't find you...
Tips and Tops Classic Highlights Tour Madagascar:
- In Andasibe, head to the popular Analamazaotra Reserve to see the indri and diadem sifaka. Mantadia National Park is much less visited. There are several species of lemurs here as well; the rainforest is more pristine and rugged
- In the rural surroundings of Antsirabe, take a hiking and/or biking tour. You can go to the famous crater lake Lac Tritriva, bike through villages, or choose to hike through the surrounding hills or to the Antafofo waterfalls near Betafo
- Make a lunch stop in Ambositra, where you can visit workshops and galleries with beautiful carvings
- Ranomafana is located in a beautiful valley, slightly off the main route to the south. In Ranomafana National Park, you will search for lemurs, including the golden bamboo lemur. Also search for the giraffe beetle and other wondrous creations of nature
- In Fianarantsoa, take a hike to the highest part of town for sweeping views
- The surroundings of Ambalavao are phenomenally beautiful. Explore this grand setting on foot or by mountain bike. You can then choose a route along villages - with many spontaneous encounters with locals - or a route through the beautiful landscape full of gigantic granite formations
- Visit Parc Anja, where you are going to see groups of ring-tailed lemurs without much effort. The park is beautifully situated at the base of the granite rocks
- In Isalo National Park, take a long morning walk through "the Colorado of Madagascar. The Isalo massif consists of a plateau with the most bizarre, jagged rock formations, and is intersected by gorges where water often flows. Especially here live many lemurs and numerous bird species. In the park there are several natural pools
- On the coast, you have a choice of several beautiful accommodations near Tulear and in Ifaty, for a wonderful stay by the sea
- Visit the Reniala reserve, where a local guide will tell you all about the spiny forest or "spiny forest. Here you will see oddly shaped baobabs, such as "the teapot" and "the lovers," as well as a 1,500-year-old baobab with a gigantic circumference
- From July to mid-September, you can take a whale watching tour
- In the capital Antananarivo, take an excursion to a historical location in or outside the city. The former palace complex the Rova is located in the heart of Tana, in a magnificent location that overlooks the city beautifully. Ambohimanga is several hours away, but well worth a visit. A guide will take you to the past, the time of the royal houses of the Merina people
- The route described is compact in structure, and can be expanded in many ways. For example, opt for a longer beach stay. You then have more choice of accommodations, in more remote and really great, authentic locations like Saint Augustin and Anakao. Another obvious possibility is to take more time per location along the way, and schedule additional activities or rest days
- If you opt for a longer beach stay in Anakao, visit Tsimanampetsotsa National Park. Here you will see a salt lake with flamingos, land turtles and blind fish
- A classic extension of this classic highlights trip is a stay on the island of Nosy Be or Nosy Komba, in the far north of Madagascar. You will reach this destination by domestic flight from Antananarivo. Experience how different the climate and vegetation are, in this tropical paradise full of possibilities
- Extend your trip and get to know 'The North of Madagascar' or 'The Unspoiled West of Madagascar'
- The sheer variety makes this classic highlights trip very suitable as a family trip. The activities - sometimes with minor modifications - are especially fun for children. Keep in mind that the trip has some long travel days
