Lemurs, baobabs, rainforest, desert, hiking and diving: Madagascar is a dream destination for outdoors enthusiasts – half the fun is getting to all these incredible attractions.
Just a five-minute pirogue ride (5,000 MGA) across the narrow channel from the southwestern tip of Sainte-Marie, near the airport, brought us to one of Madagascar’s true tropical gems, Nosy Nato, better known as Île aux Nattes. Famous for its complete absence of cars and motorbikes, the...
At the end of our stay in Madagascar, we flew to Nosy Boraha — better known as Sainte-Marie — a long, lush tropical island drifting off Madagascar’s northeastern coast. Fringed by protected coral reefs and lined with dense forests, mangroves, and sleepy fishing villages, the island feels...
The scenic 664-kilometre journey back to the capital took us two days. On the first day, we drove from Morondava to Antsirabe via Miandrivazo in around 11 hours — roughly one hour faster than on our outbound trip. The following day, the drive to Antananarivo took about seven hours, slowed...
Morondava, a coastal city in western Madagascar, served as our base for three days as we explored the Kivalo mangroves, Kirindy Forest, Belo sur Tsiribihina, and the iconic Avenue of the Baobabs. Historically known as Nosy Miandroka until the 19th century, Morondava was once an important...
After visiting Kirindy Forest, we hurried toward Mad Zébu, a highly regarded restaurant known for its refined French–Malagasy fusion cuisine. Considering its remote location, the quality of the food is remarkable, making it an essential lunch stop for travellers journeying between...
Kirindy Forest, also known as the Kirindy Private Reserve, lies about 2.5 hours from Morondava along a rough off-road RN8 track. This remarkable dry deciduous forest is considered one of the best places in Madagascar to spot the elusive fossa — the island’s largest predator — as well as...
After visiting Kivalo, we arrived just in time at the iconic Avenue of the Baobabs, a famous dirt road lined with nearly two dozen majestic Adansonia grandidieri trees, some more than 800 years old and reaching heights of up to 30 meters. These extraordinary baobabs are the last remnants...
Kivalo Soa Honko (“Kivalo with beautiful mangroves”) is a community-based ecotourism initiative located about an hour’s drive north of Morondava. Created to promote sustainable tourism and protect a 5,000-hectare mangrove ecosystem, the project was launched in 2018–2019 with support from...
Driving from Toliara to Morondava via Miandrivazo was a rugged two-day, 1,249 km adventure through Madagascar’s remote western region. The journey begins by heading north along the paved RN7 to Antsirabe, crossing the arid southern highlands with their wide savanna landscapes. From there...
Our long full-day journey from Toliara to Fianarantsoa — a 520-kilometre drive taking around 11.5 hours — began with a memorable stop at Arboretum d’Antsokay, a remarkable 40-hectare botanical garden located just 12 kilometres outside Toliara, near the Tropic of Capricorn. Before...