Madagascar: Lemurs, Big Tsingy, 24-Day Itinerary & Travel Guide

We just finished up our 24-day adventure in Madagascar. We’d planned so much of our travel for the past few months around getting here. Madagascar has been on our bucket list for a long time, and we were sad to leave. There’s more to see in this beautiful country, so we may just have to make a return visit.

I’m splitting this into two parts. First, the highlights of our 24 days. Second, a practical guide to help you plan your own trip—why Madagascar belongs on your list and how to make it happen.

Highlights & Itinerary (Oct 26 – Nov 18, 2019)

Day 1 — Antananarivo (Tana): Met our driver/guide Tojo (pronounced “Tuju”) at the airport. Picked up a Telma SIM (115,000 Ariary for 10 GB). Hotel, dinner, sleep.

Day 2 — Tana to Miandrivazo: Full-day drive via Antsirabe for lunch. First glimpse of rural farming life and the beginning of rough roads. RN7 then RN34.

Day 3 — Tsiribihina River (start): Short drive to Masiakampy. Low water meant a pirogue to reach our motorboat. Guide Johnny and a six-person crew for just the two of us. Lunch riverside, swim at Anosin’ampela waterfall, first lemurs, camp on the riverbank (tent + toilet set up for us).

Day 4 — Tsiribihina River: “Shower” at the waterfall, more lemurs, village stops (kids holding our hands the whole way—“Vasa bonbon!”). Spotted one crocodile, lots of birds, bats, chameleons, geckos. Evening songs and dancing around the fire.

Day 5 — Belo sur Tsiribihina to Bekopaka: Finished the river cruise at Belo, said goodbye to the crew (they’d need three days to motor back). Tojo rejoined us after two days of driving. Long, bumpy transfer including a “ferry” (two canoes with a platform). We convoyed with a gendarme because of past hijackings; never felt unsafe.

Day 6 — Big Tsingy de Bemaraha: 17 km on very rough track to the trailhead. About 11 km of hiking with harnesses, vertical ladders, walkways, caves, and those razor-sharp limestone “tsingy.” Sifaka sightings in the forest (and later sleeping at ground level!). It was 41°C when we got back to the car. Night walk with Augustine—no mouse lemurs, but plenty of other life.

Day 7 — Bekopaka to Kirindy: Gave a German/Brit duo a lift back over the ferry. Night walk in Kirindy with Remi (Tojo’s dad!)—Brown Mouse, Fork-marked, and Sportive lemurs; chameleons; geckos. A fossa flashed past (Nic saw it; I didn’t). Two cheeky mice inspected our cereal in the night—one even met Nic eye-to-eye on the bed… cue scream.

Day 8 — Kirindy to Morondava: Dawn walk for diurnal lemurs and lots of flora/fauna. Stopped at the Lover’s Baobab (Adansonia rubrostipa) and learned locals label trees by shape. Sunset at the Alley of Baobabs—iconic and deserved. Street skewers and fried bananas in Tojo’s hometown.

Day 9 — Morondava to Manja: 117 km took about six hours on sand, scrub, villages, dunes, and river crossings.

Day 10 — Manja to Andavadoaka: Crossed the Mangoky River on a “ferry” with no motor—about eight guys waded and pulled us across. Spiny forest to Coco Beach on the Mozambique Channel. Sunset heaven.

Day 11 — Andavadoaka to Salary (Shangri-La Lodge): Only 47 km but 3.5 hours of sand tracks. Then—wow. The owner claims it’s Madagascar’s best beach; I think he’s right. Swim, bungalow deck, a solitary sunset walk, an impromptu skinny dip, and a local music/dance night for a Hungarian group at the lodge.

Day 12 — Salary: Full day of doing very little. Beach, breeze, and bliss after so many hard-driving days.

Day 13 — Salary to Ifaty: Sand and stone tracks along the coast into the bush. At Reniala Reserve, we met our guide, Relax, and more baobabs.

Day 14 — Ifaty: Early snorkel by pirogue at the Massif des Roses—coral heads like rose bushes. Leisurely afternoon; dinner on the beach.

Day 15 — Ifaty to Isalo: Through Toliara with a sapphire-mining village stop. First Madagascar geocache (at a hotel reception). Sunset at the Window of Isalo—epic light and mildly chaotic tourists battling for the shot.

Day 16 — Isalo National Park: Jurassic sandstone canyons with our guide Feno, swim beneath a waterfall, first ring-tailed lemurs. A perfect hiking day.

Day 17 — Isalo to Ranomafana: Long transfer day.

Day 18 — Ranomafana National Park: With Herina (our only female guide): more lemur species, chameleons, reptiles. Night walk banana-bait “reveal” of a Mouse Lemur—tiny, quick, and ridiculously cute.

Day 19 — Ranomafana to Antsirabe: Lunch stop in Ambositra with music and dance, peeked at woodcarving and local art. Pizza with Tojo.

Day 20 — Antsirabe to Andasibe: Lunch in Tana and a failed geocache attempt. RN2 traffic monster—arrived around 9 pm, about four hours late.

Day 21 — Analamazaotra (Andasibe): With Leva, we met new lemurs, including the booming Indri indri (largest living lemur). Night walk for more nocturnal critters.

Day 22 — Mantadia & Vakona: A 4-hour hike hunting reptiles (no painted frog for us). Vakona’s Lemur Island after—rescued lemurs now dependent on humans; they hop on you for carrot snacks. Watched croc feeding.

Day 23 — Back to Tana: Stopped at Exotic Park (hands-on chameleons, geckos, snakes). Queen’s Palace is still under renovation, so we circled for city views. A tough goodbye to Tojo—driver, fixer, guide, and now friend.

Day 24 — Fly to Mauritius: 6:10 am flight. Coffee required.

Guides, Spotters, and Tojo

Every park pairs you with a local guide (often with an animal spotter). Their eyes (and ears) are unbelievable—one guide yelled “stop!” from a moving car and produced a giraffe weevil the size of a grain of rice. Tojo handled the entire chessboard—routes, permits, hotels, ferries, meals, local guides—and still knew the wildlife cold. Absolute pro.

Stays & Meals

We chose mid-range bungalows with mosquito nets, private bathrooms, and hot water. Only a couple felt rustic. Breakfasts were included; we covered lunches and dinners.

People & Everyday Life

Madagascar is poor, but we met so much warmth. Outside Tana, we rarely saw begging—villages grow food or pick it right off trees. Mango season was just starting, and fruit was everywhere. Kids waved, yelled hello, and yes, asked for bonbons or empty water bottles (for selling honey). We started refilling our bottles with tap water in hotels and handing them out when people asked for water.

Wildlife Roll-Call (not that lists are everything)

Lemurs we saw (21 species):
Nocturnal — Woolly, Fat-tailed Dwarf, Fork-marked, Sportive, Grey Mouse, Brown Mouse, Goodman’s Mouse
Diurnal — Diademed Sifaka, Decken’s Sifaka, Verreaux’s Sifaka, Milne-Edwards’ Sifaka, Common Brown, Indri, Grey Bamboo, Golden Bamboo, Greater Bamboo, Red-fronted Brown, Red-bellied, Ring-tailed, Black-and-white Ruffed, Red Ruffed

Baobabs we saw:
Adansonia grandidieri — flat-topped giants at the Alley of Baobabs; oval fruit
Adansonia rubrostipa — “red bark,” bottle/curvy shapes like “lovers,” “male,” “female”; round fruit
Adansonia za — light to dark grey; long banana-like fruit
Did not see: perrieri, digitata, madagascariensis, suarezensis

Chameleons (plus a few extras):
Blue-legged, Side-striped, Short-nosed, O’Shaughnessy’s, Brookesia (leaf chameleon)
Also: crocodile, frogs, the tiniest geckos, a giraffe weevil, and a sky full of bats.

Madagascar Travel Guide

Before I jump into my travel guide, I should probably start by saying that Madagascar isn’t for everyone. It’s wild, raw, beautiful—and at times pretty rugged. If you’re a 5-star resort-and-luxury-transfer kind of traveller, this post probably won’t speak to you. But if you travel like we do—with curiosity, a love of adventure, and a flexible attitude—this guide might help you plan your own Malagasy adventure. This section covers what we learned while planning our trip and what you should know before you go.

How to Get Around

Transportation is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when planning a trip to Madagascar. We chose to hire a tour company after a lot of research. It wasn’t cheap—we paid about €100 per person per day (not including flights). That price included a private 4x4 vehicle, a driver/guide, fuel, mid-range accommodations, breakfast, a three-day Tsiribihina River trip (including all meals), and airport pickup. Lunches and dinners—except on the boat—were extra. We chose a bed and breakfast instead of full board so we could eat locally and avoid unnecessary three-course meals twice a day.

The next option is to hire just a car and driver (which is how most people travel here). You can’t rent a car without a driver unless you stay on the paved roads—and only 15% of Madagascar’s roads are paved. A 4x4 with a driver typically costs €55–€75 per day, including fuel. Your driver helps arrange accommodation and meals, and stays in basic staff accommodation. This route is considerably cheaper and gives you flexibility—if we return, we’ll probably do it this way.

The third option is to go full backpacker mode and travel by local transport—bush taxis and trucks. We met people doing this. It’s possible, but it takes time, patience, and a willingness to be uncomfortable. Roads don’t always have daily service, and schedules don’t really exist. One couple we met sat on rice sacks in the back of a truck for 18 hours, slept on the side of the road, and still didn’t make it to Big Tsingy. Without a vehicle, they couldn’t even reach the park entrance and had to hitchhike back. So yes—it’s cheap, but it eats up days and limits what you can experience.

When to Go

Choosing when to visit Madagascar is a balancing act—weather vs. crowds vs. budget. July and August are peak season with cooler temperatures and more tourists. May, June, September, and October are considered high season—fewer crowds and generally good weather. November is still good, but it signals the beginning of the rainy season. December to April is the low season due to heavy rains and potential cyclones. In the rainy season, some roads are impassable and certain parks are closed. After research and a bit of luck, we landed on late October to mid-November—just before the rains, hot but manageable, and great for wildlife sightings.

Where to Go

Madagascar is massive—the roads are rough, distances are long, and getting around takes time. You can’t do the whole country unless you have months, so picking a region is key. We did a loop through the central-west-south-east—Tana to the Tsiribihina River, Big Tsingy, Morondava, down the coast to Ifaty, across to Isalo and Ranomafana, and back up to Andasibe.

Your route depends on what you want to see:

Wildlife: Madagascar is home to 100+ species of lemurs (found nowhere else on Earth), plus chameleons, fossas, baobabs, rare birds, and more. If lemurs are your priority, plan your route around the parks where they live. We saw 21 species.

Nature: Madagascar is otherworldly—rainforests, canyons, spiny forests, beaches, and limestone cathedrals called Tsingy. Sadly, slash-and-burn farming has reduced primary forest from 80% to 20%, so seeing it now feels urgent. The Avenue of the Baobabs is as magical as it looks—go at sunset.

Adventure: This place is a playground for explorers. We hiked Big Tsingy with climbing harnesses, slept on sandbars during a river expedition, snorkelled coral reefs, trekked canyons, spotted chameleons at night, crossed rivers on makeshift ferries, and white-knuckled our way through sand and mud in a 4x4. Even the roads are an adventure.

People: The Malagasy are some of the kindest people we’ve met. There are 18 ethnic groups and just as many dialects—but smiles are universal. Kids run to the road to wave. People in villages live simply, often farming rice or fishing. Few people beg—most try to work or trade. If you want your tourism dollars to matter, Madagascar is a good place to spend them.

Why You Should Go

Madagascar is not polished tourism. There are no Starbucks, no McDonald's, and thank goodness—no mega resorts. It’s wild, raw, and humbling. It’s for people who want real travel—the kind where things go wrong, but the stories become unforgettable. It’s for people who think wildlife is better seen in the forest than in a zoo. It’s for travellers who want to learn from other cultures—not just look at them.

If that sounds like your kind of journey, then Madagascar belongs on your bucket list. And if you decide to go and want our driver’s contact info, just ask. We’d send you his number in a heartbeat.

Reflection:

Madagascar got under our skin in the best way. The roads were punishing, the heat was real, and the ferries were… inventive—but every tough stretch paid off with moments we’ll never forget: an Indri’s call echoing through misty forest, a sifaka bouncing past like a gymnast, tsingy knife-edges opening to endless views, and beach sunsets that slowed time. More than the landscapes and wildlife, it was the people—the waves from kids, the quiet pride of guides, Tojo’s steady calm—that made the island feel personal. We left grateful, a little dusty, and already plotting how to come back and see the parts we missed.

Madagascar challenged us, amazed us, and reminded us why we travel—to feel small, to feel alive, and to connect with a bigger world, stranger, and more beautiful than we imagine. It isn’t an easy place to travel—but that’s exactly why it’s worth it.