Unique Madagascar

4.8Based on
11 daysDuration
Small Group TourUsually 8-12 participants, maximum 18 travelers
12 peopleMaximum group size
18 - 99 yearsAge range for participants
EnglishGuide language
Easy
Light physical activity suitable for most people with average fitness levels.

Highlights

Experience Madagascar’s incredible diversity, from rainforest to highland plateau and canyon country

Hike among the granite domes and wide mountain prairies of Andringitra and Tsaranoro Valley, with views of Madagascar’s central highlands

Explore Isalo National Park, a dramatic landscape of sandstone canyons, palm-fringed oases and natural swimming pools

Walk through Ranomafana National Park, home to the rare golden bamboo lemur and more than a dozen other lemur spec

Itinerary

Step into a world unlike any other on the Unique Madagascar tour, an 11-day wildlife adventure through the island’s most celebrated national parks. Tailored for seniors and experienced travelers, this small group journey blends daily wildlife safaris in Ranomafana, Isalo, and Andringitra with the comfort of boutique hotels and tented camps echoing French colonial charm. Marvel at endemic lemurs, vibrant chameleons, and bizarre spiny forests, while traversing landscapes that shift from arid south to lush north. The standout feature here is Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity—separated from Africa for millions of years, it’s home to species found nowhere else on earth, making this trip a dream come true for nature enthusiasts.

day 1 - Join Antananarivo

Upon arrival at Antananarivo international airport on Day 1 you will be met and transferred to the group hotel. (Normally this is late in the evening thus, there is a group briefing tomorrow.) Please check at hotel reception for details of the pick-up time tomorrow for your trip to Antsirabe. If you are arriving on any other day, private airport transfers can be arranged at an additional cost. Overnight hotel.

day 2 - Drive to Antsirabe

After breakfast we drive to Antsirabe, which is well known as the capital of rickshaw (pousse-pousse), a hill-station and spa town in the central highlands. Along the way, you can have a look at the beautiful landscape of the highlands decorated by rice fields and green fields. After lunch we will have a city tour and visit to the market. There is a meeting with the group this afternoon; dinner and overnight in hotel.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

day 3 - Antsirabe to Ranomafana

In the morning we begin our journey to Ranomafana Rainforest National Park located on the eastern mountain slope of the island and dominated by a humid tropical climate. We enjoy a picnic lunch and stopover at Ambositra to visit this little wood carving capital of Madagascar. (The local artisans are most famous for their wood carvings and we have an opportunity to explore and shop.) Then we continue driving to Ranomafana National Park. Overnight hotel.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

day 4 - Ranomafana National Park

Ranomafana National Park was established in 1991 to protect the habitat of the rare Golden Bamboo Lemur and is an area rich in wildlife. It's the only locality for the recently discovered Golden Bamboo Lemur as well as the world's rarest primate, the Giant Bamboo Lemur. Today is exploration day: we head out to explore this evergreen forest, hoping to catch a glimpse of these fascinating animals as well as some of the other 13 species of lemur only found here. We can appreciate the views of the waters of the Namorona river and a picnic lunch. Overnight hotel.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

day 5 - Drive to Andringitra

We start early today as the road is slow and we have a long day. We drive to Andringitra Tsaranoro Valley. We will break up our journey in the town of Ambalavao, with its colourful houses and local craftspeople who manufacture Antaimoro paper from the bark of Ahova trees. Continuing from here we arrive in the evening. Dinner and night of camping.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

day 6 - Andringitra Tsaranoro

We enjoy a day of trekking in the high mountain prairies of the Tsaranoro Valley, with it's unique granite and gneiss formations. Andringitra has a wide diversity of ecosystems ranging from low altitude rainforest in the east to high mountain prairies in the west and the greatest diversity of lemurs in Madagascar. Perhaps we will encounter a few families of Lemurs Catta. Overnight camping.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

day 7 - To Isalo

Today we drive across the Horombe Plateau with its grasslands dotted with termite mounds. We journey to Isalo and arrive in the afternoon. Overnight hotel.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

day 8 - Isalo

We enjoy exploring the rugged canyons cut deep into the sandstone plateau this morning. Lush vegetation in the moist canyons is home to many species of lemur and chameleon, which we have opportunity to see if we are lucky as we hike in the "Canyon des Makis". After lunch in Isalo town, we spend the afternoon hiking amongst the spectacularly sculptured rock formations of Isalo Massif, with its abstract sculpting and colors of the eroded sandstone rocks to the “Piscine Naturelle” – a natural swimming pool. Overnight hotel.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

day 9 - Drive to Toliara

We continue driving southwards to reach Toliara, past the semi-arid landscape known as ‘Spiny Desert’ and the famous ‘Mahafaly Tombs’. Overnight hotel.

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

day 10 - Fly from Toliara to Antananarivo

Transfer to the airport and flight back to Antananarivo. (Please note: flight at own expense - schedule is subject to change and availability, and the flight is unescorted). Transfer to hotel at the arrival and overnight in hotel.

Meals:Breakfast

day 11 - In Antananarivo, trip concludes

Trip arrangements end after breakfast with a transfer to the airport for onward travel. Please ask your reservations consultant for details if you would like additional nights in Antananarivo (extra cost applies) or airport transfers on any other day (extra cost applies).

Meals:Breakfast
Unique Madagascar

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What's Included

Meals
10 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 8 dinners
Transport
English speaking local guide (or driver-guide only for groups of 2-5 people)Private vehicle transport throughout
Guide
Local guide in Isalo, Andringitra, Ranomafana National Parks
Others
8 nights in 2 star hotels on a twinshare basis2 nights in permanent safari camp including beddingAirport transfers (day 1 and 11 only)Permits and entry fees as listed in itineraryTourist taxes

What's Excluded

Customer Reviews

Read what other travelers have to say about Unique Madagascar

4.8

based on 6 reviews
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AnonymousVerified Traveler
5.0 out of 5

What a great trip we had and have nothing but praise for this tour operator and how our Guide Lova and our driver Deva looked after us. We had so much fun with them. Accommodation and food was all good. Vehicle was good and managed those terrible roads really well. The National Parks are something and the local guides that were chosen there were excellent. We were given lots of chances to walk and explore the villages and anything of interest along the highway.

A
AnonymousVerified Traveler
4.0 out of 5

Overall an enjoyable trip as we were fortunate to see a number of Lemurs and the weather was good. Surprised that we did not see a lot of the endemic plants on this trip and not much bird life.

A
AnonymousVerified Traveler
5.0 out of 5

We both thoroughly enjoyed this trip with this tour operator; not only did we see so many wonderful animals, insects but also able to visit some local villages. This trip was an eye-opener about the real Madagascar but also show-cased so much of the beauty!! Highly recommend this.

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AnonymousVerified Traveler
5.0 out of 5

I just wanted to write to say thank you so much for helping us organise our trip to Madagascar - it was fabulous and we loved every minute! Everything from the easy booking process to the actual stay itself was just brilliant, and thank you both for being patient with us and adjusting the trip to match what we wanted.

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AnonymousVerified Traveler
5.0 out of 5

The Unique Madagascar trip was an incredible experience from start to finish. We learned so much about this country, and the tour provided an excellent way to travel, learn, experience a little bit of this beautiful island.

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4.67/5
Excellent based on 802 customer reviews fromReviews.io

Emmanuel

Smooth, Scenic, and Superbly Organized I joined a 6-Day Marangu Route hike with Kilisa Tours, and the whole experience was seamless. The accommodations in the mountain huts were cozy, and the support staff made sure we were always comfortable. Our guide shared fascinating stories about the mountain s history and wildlife. Everything ran perfectly on schedule, and the company s attention to detail was impressive. I ve done many treks before, but Kilisa Tours stands out for their genuine care and world-class service. Couldn t have asked for more!
2 hours ago