Discovery
Rice Fields, Kingdoms & Rituals: Encounter Madagascar
From the terraced rice fields of the Highlands to the canyons of Isalo and the shores of the Mozambique Channel, a journey to the very soul of Madagascar: authentic villages, ancestral traditions, royal heritage and forests alive with lemurs.
- 17 days
- East, Highlands & South
- Quote within 48 h
At a glance
Trip highlights
- An encounter with the deep soul of Madagascar
- Ever-changing landscapes, from terraced rice fields to the Mozambique Channel
- The parks and reserves of Andasibe, Ranomafana and Isalo
- Authentic villages and their craftspeople
- Ancestral traditions at the heart of the journey
- Royal heritage that is still very much alive
Your route
- Antananarivo
- Andasibe
- Ampefy
- Antsirabe
- Ranomafana
- Fianarantsoa
- Isalo
- Toliara
- Salary
Private vehicle with an English-speaking driver, then a return flight from Toliara to Antananarivo
Day by day
The itinerary
A 17-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! You are met on arrival in Antananarivo, the capital, and transferred to your hotel.
Antananarivo
Day 02
Antananarivo – Andasibe
2.5 to 3 hours by road, including stops
At around 9 am, after breakfast, you meet your guide for a briefing on the trip, then head east along the RN 2 through landscapes of ravinala, bamboo and bozaka grasses. Lunch on the way is included.
The road continues to Andasibe National Park. The Analamazaotra Special Reserve, one of the most visited and most accessible sites in the country, is among the best places to see lemurs in Madagascar, and indeed one of the finest primate-watching sites in the world. It lies right next to Andasibe village, also known as Périnet after its railway station. Arrival in the late afternoon and transfer to your hotel.
Andasibe
Day 03
Andasibe National Park
A day exploring the Analamazaotra forest, a mid-altitude montane rainforest (900 to 1,250 m) right next to the much larger Mantadia National Park and other important forests such as Maromizaha. A must for first-time visitors to Madagascar, it is the single best place in the country to see the indri (Indri indri): two groups, habituated to visitors, are easily found with the help of local guides.
You can also enjoy the private Vakona reserve, with walks and canoe trips led by the centre’s local guide.
Besides the indri, the forest is home to many lemurs, most of them fairly easy to observe, including two recently reintroduced species. More rarely, you may also come across the red-bellied lemur (Eulemur rubriventer) or the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis).
- Goodman’s mouse lemur (Microcebus lehilahytsara)
- Crossley’s dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus crossleyi)
- Weasel sportive lemur (Lepilemur mustelinus)
- Brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus)
- Grey bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus griseus)
- Eastern woolly lemur (Avahi laniger)
- Diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema), reintroduced and now easy to see near the indri groups
- Southern black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata editorum), also reintroduced, but harder to spot
Andasibe
Day 04
Andasibe – Antananarivo – Ampefy
370 km of tarmac road, 6 to 7 hours including stops
Breakfast at 7 am and a briefing on the day with your guide, then departure for the Itasy region. A stop in Antananarivo for lunch, at your own expense, before continuing to Ampefy, a small village some 120 km from the capital.
Between Antananarivo and Ampefy, the road runs through several craft villages: gemstone cutting, weaving, shoemaking and more. Roadside stalls sell fruit, vegetables and cooked food, and you may even come across a zebu market. Check-in at your hotel in the late afternoon.
Ampefy and Lake Itasy
Day 05
Ampefy
After breakfast, the morning is devoted to a paragliding session, with panoramic views over the volcanic landscapes of Itasy. Lunch at your own expense. In the afternoon, discover the famous Lily Waterfall, 26 m high, flowing out of Lake Itasy, which itself lies in an ancient crater.
Classified as an ecotourism destination by Madagascar National Parks, the area brings together, over some 400 km², volcanoes two million years old and more than 40 volcanic lakes, Lake Itasy among them. Ampefy does not actually sit on Lake Itasy but on the Kavitaha, its spillway; between the two, piles of rock form beautiful waterfalls when the water is high.
Other sights nearby: 3 km away, the rocky outcrop of Ambohitrimarimanjaka, the “Mount of Mary the Queen”, where a 6 m statue of the Virgin stands; 22 km away, the Amparaky geysers near Analavory, fed by artesian wells rather than volcanic activity, which is why their water is not particularly hot.
Ampefy and Lake Itasy
Day 06
Ampefy – Antsirabe
4.5 to 5 hours by road, including stops
An early start for the southern Highlands along the legendary RN 7. Village after village, the road reveals the terraced rice fields so typical of the Malagasy Highlands. Lunch on the way at your own expense, then arrival in Antsirabe, capital of the Vakinankaratra region and Madagascar’s first spa town, also known as the pousse-pousse (rickshaw) capital.
Antsirabe
Day 07
Antsirabe and Betafo
Antsirabe is known for its cool climate and its industry. An early start to meet your local guide for 4 to 7 hours of walking: you head for Betafo, 22 km west along the RN 34, to explore its villages. Return to Antsirabe at the end of the day.
- A blacksmiths’ village
- A rope-making and basketry workshop
- The Antafofo and Andriamamovoka waterfalls, and Lake Tatamarina
- The first Lutheran church in Madagascar (1867) and the royal tomb
- The terraced rice fields of Vakinankaratra, setting for a picnic lunch
- In the afternoon, Betafo market, liveliest on Mondays
- The Andranomafana thermal baths, for a well-earned soak after the trek
Betafo
Day 08
Antsirabe – Ranomafana National Park
227.2 km of winding road, about 4.5 hours including stops
Wake up at 8 am and, after breakfast, drive to Ambositra, capital of the Amoron’i Mania region. The town is the heart of Malagasy woodcarving, thanks to the Zafimaniry, a Betsileo subgroup whose craftsmanship is recognised by UNESCO. Its many shops brim with wooden boxes, chessboards and figurines.
Lunch on the way is included, then the road continues to Ranomafana National Park, reached in the late afternoon.
Ambositra · Ranomafana National Park
Day 09
Ranomafana National Park
A full day in the park. Ranomafana, the island’s second spa town, is also the gateway to the tropical rainforest of south-eastern Madagascar. Established in 1991 to protect its unique biodiversity, the park is part of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana World Heritage Site.
Its low- and mid-altitude dense rainforest (600 to 1,400 m), bamboo forest and marshes shelter rare species: golden bamboo lemur, greater bamboo lemur, black-and-white ruffed lemur, Milne-Edwards’ sifaka and over 130 species of frog, as well as crayfish and the web-footed tenrec (Limnogale mergulus). Lunch at your own expense.
Ranomafana National Park
Day 10
Ranomafana – Fianarantsoa – Ambalavao
150 km of winding road, about 3.5 hours including stops
An early start at 6 am, heading south. The road passes through Fianarantsoa, founded in the early 19th century by the Merina as the administrative capital of the newly conquered Betsileo kingdoms. Its name means “good education” in Malagasy, and the city remains a cultural and intellectual centre for the whole island.
It is home to some of the oldest Protestant and Lutheran cathedrals in the country, the oldest theological seminary, also Lutheran, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fianarantsoa. It is also regarded as Madagascar’s wine capital, thanks to the many wine businesses in the city.
The road then reaches Ambalavao, at the southern tip of the Central Highlands. Time permitting, you will visit a workshop making the famous Antemoro paper, a craft introduced by the Arabs. A day of close encounters with the landscapes and culture of the Highlands, the kind that leaves you longing to return.
Fianarantsoa · Ambalavao
Day 11
Ambalavao – Tsaranoro – Ranohira
210 km of winding road, about 4.5 hours including stops
Head for the Tsaranoro Valley, which encircles the massif of the same name on the edge of Andringitra National Park. The massif’s spectacular rock walls, laced with climbing routes, and the breathtaking valley, criss-crossed by hiking trails, make this a walker’s paradise: time for a stroll through the heart of the valley.
The trails wind through savannah and tropical humid or dry forest. Tsaranoro is prime habitat for the ring-tailed lemur, and falcons, snakes, lizards, chameleons and a wealth of orchids can also be found here. Lunch on the way at your own expense, then an afternoon drive to Ranohira.
Tsaranoro Valley · Ranohira
Days 12 – 13
Isalo National Park
Two days of exploration, tailored to your fitness: several circuits are offered inside the park.
Isalo holds a unique place in Madagascar’s national park network: a ruiniform massif of Jurassic continental sandstone with a striking geomorphology, endemic rock-dwelling plants (aloes, euphorbias, pachypodiums, kalanchoes…) and fauna specific to this exceptional habitat, including rock-dwelling reptiles, the vast majority of them endemic.
- Canyon des Makis, Canyon des Rats…
- Cascade des Nymphes (Nymphs’ Waterfall)
- Piscine Naturelle (Natural Pool)
- Grotte des Portugais (Portuguese Cave)
Isalo National Park
Day 14
Ranohira – Toliara
250 km of tarmac road, 5 to 6 hours including stops
After breakfast, the road leads to Toliara (Tuléar), capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, 936 km south-west of Antananarivo. The scenery changes: savannah and bush take over.
The city spreads across a broad coastal plain fringed with dunes and mangroves, near the Tropic of Capricorn, facing the Mozambique Channel. Close by lies the Great Reef, a barrier reef 18 km long and 3 km wide, while the Fiherenana Delta opens to the north.
Toliara
Day 15
Toliara – Salary
Wake up refreshed and, after a hearty breakfast, set off for Salary, the final stop of the journey.
Overnight in Salary, half board
Salary
Day 16
Salary
A free day in Salary to enjoy at your own pace, with no shortage of activities.
- Deep-sea fishing
- Scuba diving
- Quad biking
- Snorkelling
- Cycling
- Walking
Overnight in Salary, half board
Day 17
Salary – Toliara – Antananarivo
The hotel provides your transfer to Toliara airport for the flight back to Antananarivo. Depending on the flight schedule, a hotel room is available on a day-use basis. End of our services.
Domestic flight
Clear and simple
What the price includes
The price includes
- Hotel accommodation throughout the trip
- Bed and breakfast throughout the trip, except in Salary, where half board (breakfast and dinner) is mandatory
- All transport by private vehicle with an English-speaking driver, including fuel, road taxes and parking
- Entrance fees and tickets for parks and reserves
- All activities mentioned in the programme (entrance fees, local guides in each park and reserve)
The price does not include
- Lunches and dinners not mentioned in the programme
- Activities not mentioned in the programme and those on the free day
- Tips, drinks and personal expenses
- International and domestic flights
- Insurance
Good to know The price may vary depending on accommodation availability.
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Rice Fields, Kingdoms & Rituals
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