Day 1: Antananarivo – Andasibe, Madagascar

Arrival in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Welcome and assistance at the airport. After a short briefing, drive to Andasibe through the green and luxuriant vegetation of the east. This first step brings you to the humid part of the country with many primary forests and lakes.

Along the way you will see Merina villages in the rocky mountains. Arrive at Andasibe around 18h00. Check-in at your Madagascar hotel. Later this evening at approximately 19h00 you have a night walk in Andasibe to observe night active lemurs and other nocturnal animals. Back to hotel where we overnight on this Madagascar tour.

Day 2: Natural Reserve of Andasibe, Madagascar

On the second day of your Madagascar safari holiday go on a morning visit to the Special Reserve of Andasibe, to see the Indri Indri, the largest lemurs on the island. This 810 ha reserve is unique with its endemic fauna and flora. It contains a wide variety of orchids, canopy, and endemic animals like chameleons, tenrecs, and many birds.

After the visit, walk through the orchid park to admire all the nice flowers. In the afternoon, visit Andasibe village, a typical Betsimisaraka village (The-Many-inseparable), and the second largest tribe on the island. They cultivate rice and live mainly off the forest. This small visit helps you to have contact with the local people, to see how they live and what they eat. Overnight at the same hotel.

Day 3: Andasibe – Antsirabe, Madagascar

Drive back to Tana, and head south to Antsirabe, across the highland landscape with its beautiful rice fields on stage. The spectacular eroded hills called ‘lavaka’ reminds of the Far East with its rice fields and green landscape with vegetables and fruit trees. A stop in Ambatolampy for a short visit of this huge agricultural city, which is also known as a source of aluminium.

Arrival in Antsirabe around 17h00, or ‘the place of salt’, an elegant city well known as the centre of the beer industry and you can smell the Star Brewery entering the town. Founded by the Norwegians in 1856, it is the only place which really feels and looks like a European city. It has a temperate climate and all fruits and vegetable, which grow in cold climates, are found in Antsirabe.

Day 4: Antsirabe to Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

After breakfast drive to Ambositra, the centre of Madagascar's wood carving industry. You are still in the highland, which is characterized by its architecture: The houses are made with ornately carved wooden balconies and shutters with bright colours.

Further on pass the ‘le col de tapia’, a type of tree, which resists to the bush fires of the area. The landscape is still dominated by rice fields on stage, pine forests and eucalyptus trees and rocky mountains. You are taking a turn-off from the main road. Before reaching your Madagascar holiday destination for the day: Ranomafana National Park

Day 5: Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

Parc National de Ranomafana (approximately 40,000ha), with its rain forested hills and abundant Madagascar wildlife, has long been considered one of Madagascar’s highlights, and is one of the most heavily visited national park Madagascar safari destinations. Its entrance lies about 7km from Ranomafana village.

Altitudes in the park range from 800m to 1200m. In addition to its densely forested hills, Ranomafana’s terrain is characterised by numerous small streams, which plummet down to the beautiful Namorona River. Although much of the region has been logged, the easternmost part of the park retains relatively large areas of primary forest. You will go for walks in the National Park for several hours spotting some of the lemurs, chameleons and other animals.