Adventure · Discovery
Tsingy Adventure: Wild Madagascar Experience
From the baobabs of Morondava to the limestone blades of the Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: a 4×4 journey into wild western Madagascar, with gorges explored by pirogue, a Vezo fishing village and sunset over the red earth of Menabe.
- 10 days
- West
- Quote within 48 h
At a glance
Trip highlights
- The Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage maze of razor-sharp limestone blades
- A pirogue trip down the Manambolo, between steep gorges and the jagged pinnacles of the tsingy
- The Avenue of the Baobabs and its giants up to 30 metres tall, at sunset over the red earth of Menabe
- Betania, a Vezo fishing village where life keeps its traditional rhythm
- A visit to the Zazamalala association, committed to reforestation, wildlife and local communities
- Sakalava funerary art, with its symbol-laden frescoes and sculptures
- An overland 4×4 adventure to Bekopaka, including a ferry crossing of the Tsiribihina
Your route
- Antananarivo
- Morondava
- Avenue of the Baobabs
- Betania
- Bekopaka
- Tsingy de Bemaraha
- Morondava
- Antananarivo
Return flights between Antananarivo and Morondava; 4×4 with an English-speaking driver from Morondava.
Day by day
The itinerary
A 10-day itinerary that can be fully tailored: every stage can be adapted to your pace and wishes.
Day 01
Arrival in Antananarivo
Welcome to Madagascar! On arrival in Antananarivo, you are met and transferred to your hotel. Your journey to wild western Madagascar begins here.
Day 02
Antananarivo – Morondava
After breakfast, and depending on the flight schedule, transfer to the airport for your flight to Morondava, in the west of the island. You are met on arrival and settle into your hotel. Lunch at your own expense.
Morondava
Day 03
Morondava – Zazamalala association – Avenue of the Baobabs
After an early breakfast, you meet your driver-guide. The day begins with a visit to the Zazamalala association, which takes a holistic approach to safeguarding nature: reforestation, protecting wildlife and plants, and breeding endangered species. Local people are at the heart of the project, which gives them paid work in the forest and raises their awareness of conservation, climate change and health. Lunch on the way, at your own expense.
In the late afternoon, you drive to the famous Avenue of the Baobabs, about 40 minutes from Morondava. Baobabs line the whole road, but only one photogenic 250-metre stretch bears the name. These giants of the species Adansonia grandidieri, up to 30 metres tall, are the emblem of Madagascar; some are thought to be more than 800 years old.
Avenue of the Baobabs
Day 04
Morondava – Betania fishing village
Set off for Betania, a coastal village on the southern bank of the Morondava River mouth: from Nosy Kely, it is just a ten-minute pirogue ride across the river. Some 2,400 Vezo fishermen live here in step with the sea. Housing, fishing, daily life: everything remains deeply traditional and virtually untouched by Western influence. An authentic glimpse of everyday life on the Malagasy coast. Lunch on the way, at your own expense.
Betania village
Day 05
Morondava – Bekopaka
190 km, about 8.5 hours on bumpy tracks
Up at 6 am for a quick breakfast, then onto the track to Belo-sur-Tsiribihina: the aim is to reach the ferry before noon. After lunch (included), the ferry crossing to the far bank of the Tsiribihina takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. The track then continues to the village of Bekopaka, gateway to Bemaraha National Park.
Tsiribihina River · Bekopaka
Days 06 – 07
Bemaraha National Park
Two days in the heart of the tsingy, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. Carved into the Bemaraha limestone plateau and protected since 1997 by the national park of the same name, they form a network of rifts, crevasses and razor-sharp blades of rock: one of Madagascar’s most spectacular landscapes. The park centres on the Great Tsingy and the Little Tsingy, and borders the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve.
This mineral world is home to remarkable biodiversity, rich in endemic species: nearly 400 animal species (mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians) and no fewer than 900 native plants have been recorded here.
With your guide, you glide by pirogue down the Manambolo, between steep gorges and the jagged pinnacles of the tsingy. If you wish, caving trips also let you explore the underground galleries of the canyons. Picnic lunch included.
Tsingy de Bemaraha
Day 08
Bekopaka – Morondava
190 km, about 8 hours on bumpy tracks
On the way back, the track takes you through the Avenue of the Baobabs once more, 15 km from Morondava. With its massive trees, this unmissable site offers a magnificent landscape, especially when the sun sets over the red, dusty earth of Menabe. Lunch included.
Morondava is also a land of tradition: here you discover Sakalava funerary art, known for its erotic frescoes and sculptures, which tell the stories of the dead and symbolise life and procreation.
Avenue of the Baobabs
Day 09
Morondava – Antananarivo
Depending on the flight schedule, transfer to the airport and flight back to Antananarivo, the “City of the Thousand”. You are met on arrival, and a vehicle is at your disposal for an orientation tour of the upper town, passing by the Queen’s Palace. Lunch included. The afternoon is set aside for souvenir shopping.
Antananarivo
Day 10
Antananarivo – Departure
After breakfast, and depending on your flight schedule, there is time for a final orientation tour of the City of the Thousand. Lunch at your own expense and last-minute souvenir shopping before your transfer to the airport, with assistance, and your flight home. End of our services.
Clear and simple
What the price includes
The price includes
- Hotel accommodation throughout the trip
- Half board (breakfast and dinner) throughout the trip
- All travel by 4×4 from Morondava with an English-speaking driver, including fuel, road taxes and parking
- All transfers in Antananarivo and Morondava
- All activities mentioned in the programme (entrance fees, local guides in each park and reserve)
The price does not include
- Activities not mentioned in the programme or taken during free time
- Tips, drinks and personal expenses
- International and domestic flights
- Insurance
Ready to go?
Tsingy Adventure: Wild Madagascar Experience
Ask for a detailed, no-obligation quote or book your dates straight away: we reply within 48 hours.
Something else in mind?
You may also like
North East (SAVA) & North
Quote within 48 h
6 days