Madagascar: The Lost Continent – Self-Launched

Arrive at Ivato International Airport and take a taxi into the city centre (~£10). Check into a budget guesthouse in the Haute-Ville or near the Analakely market area. Get your bearings with an evening stroll around the hilltop capital, grab a cheap Malagasy meal at a hotely (local restaurant) and pick up a local SIM card.

🚌Airport taxi to centre (~£10 negotiated)

🛏Budget guesthouse or mid-range hotel in central Antananarivo, e.g. Tana Résidence or similar (~£20–25/night)

• →Airport taxi to city centre (~£10)
• →Evening walk around Antananarivo's hilltop old town
• →Dinner at a local hotely — try romazava stew and rice

Take an early shared taxi-brousse or pre-booked private taxi from Antananarivo's eastern taxi-brousse station to Andasibe (~3.5 hours, ~£8–12). Check into a lodge near the park. In the afternoon, enter Analamazoatra Reserve (Andasibe-Mantadia; entry ~£8) and join a mandatory local guide at the park gate to trek in search of Indri lemur families. After dark, join an evening nocturnal walk with a local park guide to spot mouse lemurs, chameleons, and tree frogs (~£8).

🚌Shared taxi-brousse from Tana east station (~£10)

🛏Feon'ny Ala Bungalows or similar lodge near the reserve (~£25/night)

• →Shared taxi-brousse from Antananarivo to Andasibe (~£10)
• →Analamazoatra Reserve entry fee (~£8)
• →Afternoon Indri lemur guided trek with park guide (~£10)
• →Evening nocturnal walk with local guide (~£8)

Rise early for a 4-hour guided morning trek through Analamazoatra or Mantadia Reserve (~£10–15 guide fee) in search of black-and-white ruffed lemurs, Diademed Sifaka, and birdlife. Park entry fees apply. In the afternoon, walk independently into Andasibe village and browse the local market for Malagasy crafts and fresh produce.

🚌On foot / local walking

🛏Feon'ny Ala Bungalows or similar lodge (~£25/night)

• →Early morning 4-hour wildlife trek with local park guide (~£12)
• →Mantadia Reserve entry fee (~£10)
• →Afternoon self-guided walk to Andasibe village and local market

A full travel day heading south along the RN7. Take a shared taxi-brousse back to Antananarivo (~£10) then catch another taxi-brousse south to Antsirabe (~2.5 hours, ~£5–8). Alternatively, book a private transfer for comfort (~£35–45 shared between travellers). Stop for lunch at a roadside hotely en route. Antsirabe is Madagascar's third city, famed for its pousse-pousse (rickshaw) culture and volcanic crater lakes nearby.

🚌Taxi-brousse Andasibe–Tana (~£10) + Tana–Antsirabe (~£6)

🛏Budget hotel in Antsirabe, e.g. Couleur Café or similar (~£20–28/night)

• →Full-day taxi-brousse journey via Antananarivo to Antsirabe
• →Lunch stop at roadside hotely (~£3–5)
• →Evening orientation walk around Antsirabe

Hire a local guide or taxi for a morning visit to Lake Tritriva (~£8 guide, ~£10 transport), a strikingly deep volcanic crater lake south-west of Antsirabe. Walk to the rim and take in the views. Continue south by taxi-brousse to Ambositra (~1.5 hours, ~£4), the woodcarving capital of Madagascar. Visit local woodcarvers in their workshops. In the evening, seek out a family guesthouse offering a traditional Malagasy meal — ask your accommodation to arrange this locally.

🚌Local taxi/moto to Lake Tritriva (~£10) + taxi-brousse to Ambositra (~£4)

🛏Artisan Hotel or similar guesthouse in Ambositra (~£20–25/night)

• →Morning visit to Lake Tritriva crater lake with local guide (~£8)
• →Taxi-brousse to Ambositra (~£4)
• →Visit to local woodcarving workshops in Ambositra (free / small tip)
• →Traditional Malagasy dinner at a local family guesthouse (~£8–12)

Browse the Ivato artisan woodcarving market in the morning before departure. Take a taxi-brousse south along the scenic RN7 to Ranomafana (~3–4 hours, ~£8), stopping at Vohiposa for lunch at a roadside restaurant. Check into a budget lodge near the park entrance. If energy allows, take an optional self-arranged evening walk to the park outskirts — ask your guesthouse to connect you with a local night-walk guide (~£10–12).

🚌Taxi-brousse Ambositra–Ranomafana (~£8)

🛏Budget lodge near Ranomafana, e.g. Centrest Séjour or similar (~£22–28/night)

• →Morning visit to Ivato woodcarving artisan market (free entry)
• →Taxi-brousse Ambositra to Ranomafana (~£8)
• →Lunch stop at Vohiposa roadside hotely (~£4)
• →Optional evening night walk near park outskirts with local guide (~£10)

An early start for a 3–4 hour guided rainforest trek inside Ranomafana National Park (mandatory local guide at gate, ~£12–15; park entry fee ~£10). Trek in search of the endangered Golden Bamboo Lemur, other lemur species, and endemic birds. In the afternoon, take an optional self-arranged walk to look for additional wildlife — your morning guide can often be re-hired for a shorter afternoon session.

🚌On foot to park gate

🛏Budget lodge near Ranomafana (~£22–28/night)

• →Ranomafana National Park entry fee (~£10)
• →3–4 hour guided morning lemur trek with park guide (~£15)
• →Optional afternoon wildlife walk with local guide (~£8)

Take a taxi-brousse south towards Ihosy (~4–5 hours, ~£10) with a planned stop at the Anja Community Reserve near Ambalavao. Anja is community-managed and entry plus a local guide costs around £8 — ring-tailed lemur troops roam freely among dramatic granite boulders. Continue by taxi-brousse or shared taxi to the Isalo area (~2 hours further, ~£8). Check into a guesthouse near the park.

🚌Taxi-brousse Ranomafana–Ambalavao–Isalo (~£18 total)

🛏Guesthouse near Isalo, e.g. Hotel Relais de la Reine or budget equivalent (~£25–35/night)

• →Taxi-brousse Ranomafana towards Ambalavao (~£10)
• →Anja Community Reserve entry + local guide (~£8)
• →Ring-tailed lemur viewing among granite boulders at Anja
• →Taxi-brousse / shared taxi onwards to Isalo (~£8)

Hire a local guide at the ANGAP park office in Ranohira (mandatory; ~£15–18/day) and spend the morning trekking through Isalo's extraordinary sandstone canyons to the famous Piscine Naturelle (Natural Pool), roughly 90 minutes walk. Pack a picnic lunch from the village market the evening before and eat at the pool. In the afternoon, explore the area around the Bara tombs and dwarf baobab forest. Catch the sunset over the massif from a hillside vantage point.

🚌On foot / guide-led walking

🛏Guesthouse near Isalo (~£25–35/night)

• →Isalo National Park entry fee (~£10)
• →Full-day local guide hire (~£15–18)
• →Morning canyon trek to Piscine Naturelle (~90 minutes)
• →Picnic lunch at the natural pool
• →Exploration of Bara tombs and dwarf baobab forest
• →Optional afternoon walk to Cascade des Nymphes with guide

Travel west by shared taxi or taxi-brousse towards Toliara (~3–4 hours, ~£10–12), stopping en route at Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park for a 2-hour self-guided walk with a park guide (~£10; entry ~£8) through the rare dry deciduous forest. Look out for the Appert's Tetraka and other endemics. Pass the ornate Mahafaly Tombs roadside. Continue by taxi or moto to Ifaty (~30km north of Toliara, ~£5–8). Check into a beachfront guesthouse.

🚌Taxi-brousse Isalo–Toliara (~£12) + moto-taxi to Ifaty (~£6)

🛏Budget beach bungalow in Ifaty, e.g. Le Paradisier or guesthouse equivalent (~£25–35/night)

• →Shared taxi-brousse Isalo to Toliara (~£12)
• →Zombitse National Park entry (~£8) + local guide (~£10)
• →2-hour dry forest walk for endemic birdlife
• →Roadside stop at Mahafaly Tombs (free)
• →Moto-taxi or shared taxi Toliara to Ifaty (~£6)

A well-earned rest day on the white-sand beaches of Ifaty. Swim in the warm Indian Ocean, explore the beach on foot, and watch local fishermen head out in their pirogues. The spiny forest is a short walk from the beach — wander in independently to spot bizarre octopus trees and endemic chameleons. The reef at Ifaty is excellent for snorkelling; rent basic kit from local operators (~£5–8).

🚌On foot

🛏Beach bungalow in Ifaty (~£25–35/night)

• →Free time on Ifaty's white-sand beach
• →Self-guided walk into the spiny forest (free)
• →Snorkelling on the reef (~£5–8 kit hire)
• →Watching traditional pirogue fishing boats

In the morning, walk along the bay to the nearby traditional fishing villages and watch the catch being landed. Visit the Reniala Private Nature Reserve (~£5 entry), a community-run spiny forest sanctuary with baobabs, lemurs, and endemic birds — a local guide is available on site for a small tip. Afternoon free for the beach, or arrange a boat trip to view whales (seasonal, July–September) with local fishermen (~£15–25).

🚌On foot / pirogue boat

🛏Beach bungalow in Ifaty (~£25–35/night)

• →Morning beach walk to traditional Vezo fishing villages (free)
• →Reniala Reserve entry (~£5) + on-site local guide (tip)
• →Spiny forest walk: baobabs, ring-tailed lemurs, endemic birds
• →Optional seasonal whale-watching boat trip (~£20)

Take a moto-taxi or shared taxi from Ifaty back to Toliara Airport (~30km, ~£6–8). Catch a domestic flight from Toliara (TLE) to Antananarivo (TNR) — book well in advance with Air Madagascar or Tsaradia (~£80–120). Transfer to your Antananarivo guesthouse by taxi (~£10). Relax, do laundry, and prepare for your final full day.

🚌Domestic flight Toliara–Antananarivo (Tsaradia, book in advance ~£80–120 pp)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Antananarivo, e.g. Tana Résidence or similar (~£20–25/night)

• →Moto-taxi Ifaty to Toliara Airport (~£7)
• →Domestic flight Toliara to Antananarivo with Tsaradia/Air Madagascar (~£80–120)
• →Airport taxi to city guesthouse (~£10)

Take a taxi (~£8 return) or shared taxi-be to Ambohimanga (~20km north), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the sacred hill palace of Madagascar's historical rulers. Entry is ~£5; guides are available at the gate. Explore the original king's hut, European-influenced buildings, and enjoy sweeping views over the rice field landscape. Return to the capital for an afternoon of last-minute souvenir shopping in the Zoma market area and a farewell dinner at one of Tana's rooftop restaurants.

🚌Shared taxi-be or private taxi to Ambohimanga (~£8 return)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Antananarivo (~£20–25/night)

• →Taxi to Ambohimanga UNESCO palace (~£8 return)
• →Ambohimanga entry fee (~£5) + optional local guide (~£5)
• →Exploration of the king's hut and European buildings
• →Views across the rice field landscape
• →Afternoon shopping at Zoma market, Antananarivo
• →Farewell dinner at a local restaurant (~£10–15)

Breakfast at your guesthouse. Arrange an airport taxi (~£10) in advance for your international departure from Ivato Airport. Allow plenty of time — Antananarivo traffic can be slow. Safe travels from the world's most extraordinary island!

🚌Taxi to Ivato Airport (~£10)

• →Final breakfast at guesthouse
• →Airport taxi to Ivato International Airport (~£10)