Madagascar Great Ring Discovery

We are honored to have you in our Madagascar guided tour! After landing and going through the customs clearance, meet your driver guide who will take you to your hotel near the airport. Be aware that you should hand your luggage only to the driver guide or hotel porters in uniform if necessary. Check in and have a good rest.

► Note on Arrival Date:
Please arrive on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday to catch your flight tomorrow to Morondava. Of course, we are more than glad to work with you to customize this itinerary so as to meet your own schedule.

If you arrive early in Tana, a common way of referring to Antananarivo, jump at the chance to experience local life on your own! Perhaps find a barber stand to have your hair masterfully tangled into dreadlocks, and dive deep into bustling markets for local wildlife-shaped handicrafts, second-hand curios, and a tropical fruit exploration - bananas as long as your forearm await your taste! However, be prepared to meet Tana’s dark side - pass roadside litter, unhygienic food stalls and begging children… (If you want to give alms, better to share food - sweets are not recommended as those children can’t afford a dentist if they get cavities - than money with them.) As downtown Tana sits on mountainside, you can walk down to the base and realize how beautiful the cityscape can be when seen from a panoramic perspective. By the way, we’d be remiss if we don’t warn you of the pickpocketing which runs wild here, so please take good care of your belongings while out on the streets.  Anyway, the capital of Madagascar welcomes you with all its goods and bads! Remember to have passport with you if you have plans to go to a restaurant or a bar.

Accommodation: Asia & Africa Hotel - Ivato Airport, Antananarivo (4 stars) or similar

Today, take a flight to the west of Madagascar and land in Morondava. Your driver guide who’s been waiting for you at the airport will then take you to your hotel.

► Please Note:
1. Please beware that Madagascar is notorious for its unexpected flight schedule changes or cancellations due to fickle weather patterns. But there is no need to worry about this. If any of this happens, we will work diligently to adjust the itinerary for a seamless tour based on your needs.
2. Issue on electricity supply in Madagascar needs your attention. Some hotels may cut off the power at night or even sometimes in daytime for hours (it happens more often in lodges), so let us know in advance if you have to use devices like breathing machine at nights. We recommend you to bring a power bank and a flashlight to Madagascar as your standby.
3. In general, there is no Wi-Fi in the hotel rooms. Only in the lobby or the restaurant can you connect to it, but sometimes you may encounter an unstable network. Using the data on your SIM card to access the Internet is also unreliable in remote areas because you cannot find a signal at all. So deal with all your internet-related affairs in advance.    

► Recommended Restaurant for Dinner:
After resting at the hotel for a little while, perhaps hunt for some gastronomic thrills at Bleu Soleil, which ranks NO.1 in this region and sits on a beach just a 10-minute walk from your hotel. Here, you will be treated with decent service, tasty seafood, reasonable prices and sea views. Its menu changes daily according to what is fresh and in season, with seafood being the mainstay. Spend about USD 14 / MGA 65,000 to get a fresh lobster that weighs more than a kilo or 2 pounds! Baobab juice may also be novel to you. While dining on the terrace, be aware that it will be windy and sometimes may be smoky because of the charcoal barbecue. Another restaurant, Le Corail, is also welcomed by a lot of travelers for its lower prices.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Laguna Beach, Morondava (3 stars) or similar

It is recommended to get up early this morning, as the road trip will be long today. Hop in the well-prepared private car to Kirindy and go on with a 1-hour hike in the Kirindy Forest to discover lemurs among the eight species that dwell here and other wildlife like fossa, lemur’s major predator and the biggest carnivorous mammal of Madagascar. Morning is when lemurs are most active, greatly increasing your chances of seeing them. Of these lemurs, the funniest would be the white-furred dancer Verreaux's sifaka, whose slim body when jumping sideways would make any onlookers laugh out loud. Fossa looks like a scaled-down cougar, but it’s actually a mongoose, a species found nowhere else than on this island. Your spot guide will also point to you various endemic birds and reptiles, of which the spear-nosed snake might interest you most with its appearance!

► Advice for Being in Wildlife Habitat:
1. To better mingle in natural environment and protect yourself from insect bites, you will want to wear khaki, green or such natural colored long sleeves and pants.
2. It’s your guide’s responsibility to ensure your safety and maximize your safari experience, so please always listen to your guide. The general rule is don’t initiate to touch or feed wild animals, a way to show your care for their natural habits and dignity.

Next on our agenda is a boat ride across the Tsiribihina River to Belo sur Tsiribihina. Take a 4x4 road trip northwards to your hotel in Bekopaka.

► Recommended Restaurant for Lunch:
We will set aside about an hour for you for a quick lunch at Belo sur Tsirbihina, and Mad Zebu is worth a try according to our research. On its menu, there are many choices for any taste -meat, seafood, vegetarian dishes, as well as drinks. And as its owner is Michelin-trained, you will find that all the dishes are beautifully presented. Perhaps order a zebu stew, the main ingredient of which comes from the local cattle breed with a hump, offering authentic Malagasy flavor. Here, the price of each dish is around USD 3 - 5 / MGA 14,000 - 23,000. If you expect a faster service, ask your guide to book for you in advance.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Olympe de Bemaraha, Bekopaka (3 stars) - the best local hotel, or similar

Search for more surprises at Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park today! Meaning “where one cannot walk barefoot”, Tsingy are limestone spikes requiring a good amount of stamina and mettle to explore. The park is world-famous for this karst landscape, where stretches of the spikes rise skywards to form an impossible spectacle of stone forests. We will also delve into the wetlands underneath and the forest areas among the limestone structures to find lemurs (there are 11 species!), birds, bats, and reptiles. Permanent residents here would be the red-fronted brown lemurs, whose name suggests they have reddish forehead, or, to be precise, males have reddish ones, while female have white ones. Intriguingly, if you see a female without company, it’s likely she’s an outcast from a group, which consider too many females a threat to the limited resources they have. As there’s no restaurant in the park, you will need to pack a picnic lunch for yourself. As the sun bathes the landscape in a warm glow, our guide will escort you back to your hotel.

► Please Note:
1. As the park is closed from November to April for heavy rainfall that would make the dirt trails, especially those for exploring Tsingy, inaccessible, during this period we will have to call off the Tsingy tour. If you like, we can take you on a boat past a mangrove forest to Betania in Morondava, a fishing village far away from civilization. Just tell us your requests or preferences, and we will work to make your day!
2. Part of the path we normally take in Tsingy may be kind of perilous because of its almost vertical slope; but don’t worry, we will arrange you another more gentle route if you need. Always keep in mind that you can only unfasten one of the two safety buckles between your body and the rocks at a time during the expedition.
3. Leaving personal belongs in a hotel near the Tsingy park is not recommended. Neither the safe in your room nor at the reception can be trusted too much. Best is to keep them with you all the time.

► Recommended Activities for Today’s Free Time:
Get back early and still got energy to deplete? Join a short pirogue canoe tour to drift down the Manombolo River and relax. The canoe will drop you off at caves to check out tombs of the Vazimba Tribe, where some skulls and bones remain to tell the stories of the most original people of Madagascar.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Olympe de Bemaraha, Bekopaka (3 stars) - the best local hotel, or similar

Prepare for a long road trip (200 km, 9 hours’ drive) today back to Morondava. En route, jump off your vehicle at Belo sur Tsiribihina and boat back across the Tsiribihina River, before continuing the ride.

Into late afternoon, we will stop off at Avenue of the Baobabs to see the sun setting behind grand baobabs, Madagascar’s another biggest drawcard. The avenue, 260 meters (853 feet) long, is where to find most baobabs in the world. These ancient giants seeming to standing sentry radiate a sense of solemnity, and it’d be particularly so at the sunset when you will see hundreds of baobab silhouettes against a fiery horizon. It’s said baobabs bloom at night from May to August, which is wondrous, and it’s more so if you know the fact that it is actually pollinated by bats! Continue forwards to Morondava with hotel check-in.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Laguna Beach, Morondava (3 stars) or similar

After breakfast, depart from Morondava and head southwards to Belo sur Mer (110 km, 4 hours’ drive). We need to forewarn you of the poor condition of Madagascar’s unpaved roads which are notorious for their potholes, craters and bumps, and rainy days would see them at their worst. But this doesn’t mean you will have to be bone-rattled, as your patient driver guide and an off-road 4x4 vehicle will ensure you a smoother journey. Swallow a travel sickness pill beforehand if need be. Dust masks would be prepared in the vehicle to avoid any impact on your health on dirt roads. While in Belo sur Mer, check-in at your hotel. Spend the free afternoon as you like.

► Recommended Activities for Today’s Free Time:
Belo sur Mer is an isolated sea-side fishing village, home to the friendly Vezo and Sakalava peoples who fish for a living. You can stroll around to experience their traditional life and take pictures of their dugout boats being built or abandoned halfway for the lack of money and materials. Or have a good rest at the hotel we handpicked for you, which sits on the beach with bungalows designed plainly beautiful on purpose. After dinner, sit on a public deck chair on the porch and gaze into the Mozambique Channel, with fishermen paddling canoes out for fishing. Perhaps come close to join the fish bustling trading scene on the sands, which would be intriguing as well.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Ecolodge du Menabe or similar

Spend the entire today at leisure to fully enjoy beach time. Bath in the sun, search for shells, or DIY your own fun on the soft fine sands. The turquoise waters off Belo sur Mer feature intact coral reefs and diverse marine life, which are often explored by snorkelers and scuba divers; if you’d like to try, you may consult the hotel staff for reservation. Besides, the hotel also offers visits to mangrove reserve, Kirindy Mitea Forest, and a tour for whale watching (July - September).

► Tips on Safety for Underwater Activities:
1. Please consult a professional to choose water regions for snorkeling or scuba diving based on your physical and swimming ability.
2. Windy and rainy days are not only unsuitable for underwater exploration, but also can be dangerously choppy.
3. Choose early morning or late afternoon to explore underwater, as these times sea animals are more active and the sun lights not violent so as to disturb water visibility.
4. Last but not the least, please don’t go on a solo adventure under the sea. Always ensure you are accompanied in case of emergency.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Ecolodge du Menabe or similar

This morning, get up early, and let’s depart from Belo sur Mer for Morombe via Manja (280 km, 10 hours’ drive). During this long road trip, you will meet baobab trees, savannahs, dry forests, the scenic Mangoky River among other stunning landscapes and of course stops for breaks. Arrive in Morombe, and check-in at your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Le Paletuvier Hotel or similar

Today you’ll be transferred south via Andavadaoka to Ambatomilo through a sandy trail (100 km, 4.5 hours’ drive). Upon arrival, check into your hotel.

► Recommended Activities for Today’s Free Time:
Still energetic to join some activities? Ask the hotel staff how to seat yourself on a zebu cart to tour Ambatomilo Village, join local fishermen to fish, or be escorted on a canoe to the nearby rocky islands for birding. If it’s late into the afternoon, wander onto the tranquil white beach in front of your hotel and lie on the shaded sunbeds, waiting for a dreamy sunset over cocktail.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Shangri-La Lodge or similar

Here is another free day for you to wind down from the long road trips. If you haven’t gone underwater or whale-watching in Belo sur Mer, today will be your last chance for them! You can rent equipment from the hotel to dive into the sea waters as turquoise and crystal-clear, see how kaleidoscopic the sea world is, and swim by colorful tropical fishes and turtles. This noon, perhaps relish Malagasy or international cuisine at your hotel. You will want to try Madagascar’s national dish Romazava, a savory soup dish cooked with tomato, greens, zebu meet and chicken.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Shangri-La Lodge or similar

Today you will be transferred to Toliara (160 km, 6 hours’ drive), with some stops on the way to rest - the picturesque Salary Bay and coastal Ifaty town are included - and appreciate the incredible west coastline of Madagascar. Arrive at Toliara before dark and check into the hotel.

► Recommended Activities for Today’s Free Time:
If time permits, why not give yourself a brief tour of Toliara, called the City of the Sun for enjoying Madagascar’s strongest sunshine all year round. Navigate the streets through local daily life towards the end of Avenue Gallieni, where a cute shell market can be visited for seashell crafts or other handicrafts as souvenirs.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Moringa Tulear (3 stars) or similar

Today, we will drive on RN7 national road to Ranohira (225 km, 5h’s drive). Visit Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park on the way, which lies in the transitional area between dry and moist forests, meaning it has a biodiversity rarely seen elsewhere. Of the flora here, baobabs, orchids and medicinal plants would be the most flourishing. Also look for 8 species of lemurs, of which Hubbard’s sportive lemur is found no elsewhere. Although a night lemur, it would often pop its head out in daylight from its sleeping tree hole to watch passers-by. Bird lovers? See if you can capture the beautiful couas and vangas among a hundred bird species!

Out of the park, onwards through the sapphire town of Ilakaka to Ranohira. On arrival, check in at the elegant hotel we selected for you. If time allows, your driver guide will accompany you to admire a sunset through the loved-by-every-photographer Isalo Window, a sandstone formation with an opening sculpted in the middle offering a magical view as the sun moves in. Savor a dinner at your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Le Jardin du Roy, Ranohira (3 stars) or similar

Today our highlight is Isalo National Park. With wind and rain erosions, the park will amaze you with stacked red sandstone layers across a desert-like terrain, formed during the Jurassic Period. More famed for its pristine landscape as it is, it’s also where to find rare endemic animals who deem this place their home. We will explore the canyon forest to look for Verreaux's sifakas, red-fronted lemurs, and more. For bird lovers, take out your binocular for Benson’s rock thrush with orange belly and dusty blue feathers, which is unique to this region. After the visit, you will be driven back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Le Jardin du Roy, Ranohira (3 stars) or similar

This morning, head northeast to Ranomafana via Anja Community Reserve and the town of Ambalavao. Greet over 400 ring-tailed lemurs - the King Julien in Madagascar - at Anja today, attractive for the white and black rings on their tail! While in Ranomafana, go on to your hotel for check-in.

► Recommended Nighttime Activity:
As it gets dark, maybe grab your flashlight to track night lemurs, frogs and chameleons with your partners (if you have any) around the hotel. Aye-aye lemur, arguably one of the ugliest creatures on earth, will turn up under the moon. Observe its claws, and find its ominous spindly middle fingers - they are used actually to forage for grubs - three times longer than other fingers!

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Thermal Ranomafana (3 stars) or similar

In the morning, we will head to the Ranomafana National Park. Lush rainforests cloak the park’s mountainous slopes amid splashing of waterfalls and murmurs of streams, creating a vibrant tapestry of wildlife. Established to protect the incredible discovery of the bamboo lemur, a species once thought lost to time, Ranomafana offers a chance to encounter these captivating creatures in their natural habitat. Follow our expert driver guide and a knowledgeable local park guide as you delve into the park’s secrets. Explore hidden trails teeming with exotic flora and fauna, track playful lemurs from the acrobatic sifaka to the gentle bamboo lemurs, and zoom in on small magical critters like eye-shadowed blue coua and giraffe-necked weevil. Late in the afternoon, return to your hotel with a heart full of wonders and a camera brimming with memories. Perhaps loosen up your muscles in the popular Jacuzzi (remember to reserve it in advance!) your hotel offers, in which flows natural hot spring water.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Thermal Ranomafana (3 stars) or similar

After breakfast, we will leave Ranomafana via RN7 road for Antsirabe, the highest city in Madagascar. En route, make a stopover in Ambositra, the capital of woodwork famous for the Zafimaniry people’s UNESCO-acclaimed craftsmanship. If you are searching for souvenirs, there’s no better place in Madagascar to find authentic traditional wooden crafts, from bowls, small statues, to jewelry boxes. Continue driving northwards to Antsirabe to overnight.

► Recommended Activities for Today’s Free Time:
If it’s still early, why not go explore the lively town of Antsirabe? Wave your hand at a brightly-colored pousse-pousse, the local rickshaw, in front of your hotel and let it take you through streets and alleys, passing French-style colonial-era buildings as well as traditional houses. As the town is a spa town with thermal springs, perhaps soak up yourself in one and get invigorated! Interestingly, for its strategic location, Antsirabe is said to be a capital candidate against Antananarivo in the past. By the way, it can be freezing between June and August in Antsirabe, so please remember to pack warm clothes in the first place.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Arotel, Antsirabe or similar

After breakfast, we will drive back to Antananarivo (166 km, 4.5 hours’ drive). After settling and having a break in the hotel, continue to the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, one of the three Madagascar’s UNESCO heritage sites to explore local culture and history. This royal complex, mainly made up by the King’s Palace, tombs, and sacrificial structures, was constructed for the Merina kings that ruled most of past Madagascar during 16th and 17th centuries. Intriguingly, you will find the palace not as opulent as you may find in other countries like China or France, but humbly made of wood, and in it there are wooden bed, clay vessels and weapons on display telling the royal life and aesthetic taste. Out of the room there is a lookout, on which you can command the view of surrounding plains and rice fields, just as the kings did. Afterwards, transfer back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Radisson Serviced Apartments Antananarivo City Centre (4 stars)

Today is the last day of your great ring tour. Please make sure you’ve taken all your belongings before checking out of your hotel. Don’t forget to pack all of your wooden items like woodcarving souvenirs into checked luggage as they are prohibited from being carried onto the plane. Your driver guide will then drive you to the airport to catch your flight home. It’s better to show up at the airport three hours before it takes off. Bon voyage! Hope we will see you again.

Meals: Breakfast

★ Want to Experience More of Madagascar?
Hope your 18 days’ stay in Madagsacar has made you mesmerized with this country! If you want to have a more in-depth exploration, we are glad to customize this tour and make an extension based on your interests. For example, if you want a tropical island hopping, we can add in Nosy Be, which is surrounded by islets to find heavenly beaches and dive sites, located in the northernmost of Madagascar. The nearby Nosy Iranja, with Tiffany-blue sea waters washing a white sandbank, is bound to sweep you off your feet!