As twilight bathes the landscape in amber hues, Madagascar reveals itself as more than just a destination - it's a living museum of natural wonders.
Experiencing a breathtaking sunset along the Avenue of the Baobabs in Madagascar is truly unforgettable, as golden light illuminates the ancient trees, creating enchanting silhouettes. Guided visits enrich this moment with insights into conservation efforts and local legends, deepening your connection to the landscape. Beyond this iconic avenue, Madagascar offers diverse adventures, from the limestone pinnacles of Tsingy de Bemaraha to the vibrant coral reefs of Nosy Be. Don’t miss the chance to explore this unique paradise, contact our Madagascar specialist today to plan your next journey!
A team of real experts, brilliant at designing bespoke holidays. Call 01273 923100 to start planning your Madagascar holiday today.
Watch the Sunset at the Avenue of the Baobabs
Stand Among Madagascar’s Giant Grandidier’s Baobabs
The Avenue of the Baobabs is impressive at first sight, but knowing a little about the trees makes it even more remarkable. The avenue is dominated by Grandidier’s baobabs, the largest of Madagascar’s six endemic baobab species, with some reaching around 30 metres high. Many are hundreds of years old and are remnants of the forests that once covered this part of western Madagascar.
Walk between them in the late afternoon and you can appreciate their scale before the light begins to change. Their huge cylindrical trunks turn shades of orange and copper as the sun drops, while people continue to walk and cycle along the road between nearby villages.
We’d stay beyond sunset rather than leaving as soon as the sun disappears. The crowds begin to thin and the Madagascar Baobabs become huge silhouettes against the evening sky.
Take on the Tsingy de Bemaraha
Climb Through Madagascar’s Extraordinary Limestone Labyrinth
Tsingy de Bemaraha is unlike a conventional hike. The landscape is made up of thousands of limestone pinnacles, created as water gradually eroded an ancient limestone plateau into sharp ridges, deep fissures, caves and narrow passages. From above, it looks almost impossible to cross.
Exploring the Grand Tsingy is part walk, part climb. With a local guide, you follow trails through the base of the formations before clipping into fixed cables for steeper sections, climbing ladders and crossing suspension bridges high above the rocks. Eventually you emerge at viewpoints overlooking the seemingly endless limestone forest.
Wildlife has adapted to the pockets of forest between the pinnacles too. Look for Decken’s sifakas and red-fronted brown lemurs, as well as reptiles and birds, while smaller plants grow in places that seem to have almost no soil at all.
It is one of the more physically demanding things to do in Madagascar, but also one of the most rewarding. Access is generally limited to the dry season, when the roads into this remote part of western Madagascar become passable.
Swim with Whale Sharks around Nosy Be
Snorkel Alongside the World’s Largest Fish
Between around September and December, whale sharks arrive in the waters around Nosy Be to feed on seasonal concentrations of plankton. Despite growing to several metres long, these enormous sharks are filter feeders, and getting into the water alongside one is an incredible experience.
Trips head out in search of tell-tale activity at the surface, often with seabirds and feeding fish helping guides locate the whale sharks. Once one is found, you enter the water with a mask and snorkel, keeping a respectful distance as it moves through the water. There’s no chasing or touching. The best encounters are when you simply float and watch.
Whale sharks aren’t the only reason to explore beneath the surface here. The reefs and islands around Nosy Be support turtles, rays and colourful reef fish, with Nosy Tanikely particularly good for accessible snorkelling.
If Snorkelling with Whale Sharks in Madagascar is high on your list, October and November are particularly good months to consider, although sightings are always dependent on wild animals and conditions.
Wake Up to Indri in Andasibe
Hear Madagascar’s Largest Lemur Calling Through the Forest
The indri is one of Madagascar’s most memorable animals, and Andasibe is one of the easiest places to encounter it in the wild. It is the largest living lemur, has almost no visible tail and lives in small family groups in the rainforest canopy.
What really sets it apart is its voice. Families call to one another with long, haunting songs that can carry for kilometres through the forest. Set out early with a local guide and you’ll often hear them before you see them, using the calls to work out where a group is moving through the trees.
There is much more to look for as you walk. Andasibe’s forests support several other lemur species alongside colourful chameleons, leaf-tailed geckos and an extraordinary variety of frogs. Come back after dark and the experience changes again, with tiny mouse lemurs, nocturnal reptiles and sleeping chameleons picked out by torchlight.
Island Paradise of Île Sainte-Marie
Watch Humpback Whales off Madagascar’s East Coast
Île Sainte-Marie gives you a completely different Madagascar experience. This long, narrow island off the east coast has palm-fringed beaches, small fishing villages and sheltered bays, but between July and September, there is an even bigger reason to visit.
Humpback whales migrate into the waters between Sainte-Marie and mainland Madagascar to breed, give birth and raise their young. Head out with a responsible whale-watching operator and you may see mothers with calves, powerful tail flukes disappearing beneath the surface and, if you’re lucky, a whale launching almost completely clear of the water.
There’s plenty to do between whale trips too. Explore the island by bike or on foot, snorkel in the warm Indian Ocean, visit the tiny offshore island of Île aux Nattes or stop at Sainte-Marie’s old pirate cemetery, a reminder of the pirates who used the island as a base during the 17th and 18th centuries.
We’d allow a few days here rather than treating it simply as a beach extension. During whale season especially, it combines time by the sea with one of Madagascar’s most memorable wildlife experienc
Go in Search of Madagascar’s Lemurs
From Dancing Sifakas to Ring-Tailed Lemurs
Madagascar is the only place in the world where lemurs live naturally in the wild, and there are well over 100 recognised species and subspecies. They range from the tiny nocturnal mouse lemurs to the much larger indri, and seeing several species is one of the real pleasures of travelling through the country.
The experience changes as you move around Madagascar. In Ranomafana, you can search dense rainforest for golden bamboo lemurs. Around Anja, ring-tailed lemurs are much easier to watch as they move across rocks and open ground. Further south, Verreaux’s sifakas are famous for the extraordinary sideways bounds they use when crossing the ground.
That variety is why we’d include more than one forest if wildlife is important to you. The best Lemur Holidays in Madagascar aren’t about ticking off as many species as possible, but seeing how dramatically the wildlife and habitat change as you travel.
Discover Madagascar After Dark
Search for Mouse Lemurs, Geckos and Chameleons
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Moment experienced by...
Lucy Mckenzie
With nearly 15 years in travel and extensive first-hand experience across Africa, Asia and Latin America, Lucy specialises in designing long-haul holidays that combine characterful boutique hotels, standout experiences and carefully planned journeys. Her travels have taken her through destinations including Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Peru and Chile.
A team of real experts, brilliant at designing bespoke holidays. Call 01273 923100 to start planning your Madagascar holiday today.
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