Why visit Madagascar?
Remember ‘Madagascar’ – the movie, which captured our hearts not so long ago. Who can forget King Julien – the comic lemur singing ‘I Like to move it, move it’!
Lemurs, baobab trees, rainforests, unique rock forests, deserts, hiking, diving, whale watching, dreamy beaches: Madagascar is a dream destination for wildlife and nature enthusiasts.
To quote Sir David Attenborough: “Madagascar is a curious wonderland. It’s an unrepeatable experiment, a set of animals and plants evolving in isolation for over 60 million years. We’re still trying to unravel its mysteries.”
You will realize how true this quote is when you journey through the ‘8th Continent’ of the world. The flora and fauna of Madagascar is absolutely unique due to its isolated evolution – a nature sanctuary as well as the cradle of endemic species. The Madagascan landscape is equally fascinating, with terrains ranging from tropical jungles, palm-fringed white sand beaches to the knife-edged karst Tsingys ‘stone forests’, to dry arid landscapes.
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The uniqueness of this place makes it a one-in-a-kind destination and an essential bucket list item for the discerning wildlife traveller. Why visit? Let’s make a case:
Exotic Wildlife
The long isolation of this island has created some unique species of animals. Lemurs are the most famous inhabitans (courtesy Dreamworks), but then they are not the only animals worth sighting on this island; it is home to many unique and ‘weird’ animals and plants; the eerie-looking fossa colourful and camouflaged chameleons (including the world’s smallest chameleon), oddly shaped insects (hissing cockroaches and the Giraffe Weevil), vivid frogs, colourful birds– the list goes on.
Spectacular Landscapes
Matching the incredible specie diversity, the landscapes are equally varied within a small region. Go from rainforests (east) to the deserts (south west) – Sandstone canyons, limestone karsts, mountains, rivers cutting across gorges, forests of every kind – rain, dry, spiny and of course the spectacular coastal regions – the palm fringed white sand beaches!
The most iconic photograph of Madagascar has to be the Avenue of Baobabs!
Diverse Flora
Trees and plants are just as impressive, be they the distinctively shaped baobabs, the fanning ravinala (travellers’ palm), the hundreds of orchids, the spiny forests of the desert south or the wet tropical rainforests of the east. Remember that 83% of the floral species are endemic to this island.
Pristine, Dreamy beaches
The beaches and islands in this Indian Ocean island will make the beach junkies cry! Go to the popular region northern region of Nosy Be or the less crowded island of Ille Saint Marie.
The Rock Forests
The Tsingy rock forests are one of the most spectacular (and unique) landscapes of Madagascar with its network of rifts, crevasses, and limestone blocks that are carved in sharped blades. A visit to Madagascar is not complete without visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Tsingy de Bemaraha.
Antananarivo
Called “the City of thousands, referring to 1000 treasures to discover, the capital city of Antananarivo (Tana for short) is a potpourri of eating, shopping, culture and history. (and of course, the traffic!). Explore the various restaurant options to taste true Malagasy cuisine here.
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Madagascar Experiences
october, 2024
Best places to visit in the Madagascar
Antananarivo: The capital city, called “the City of thousands, referring to 1000 treasures to discover, is a pot-purri of eating, shopping, culture and history.
The Avenue of Baobabs: Visit this remarkable road at sunset for your instagram photos!
Tsingy De Bemaraha: Climb the amazing rock forests –a UNESCO World heritage site.
”More(+)” Nosy Be: The most popular beach destination – pristine water, golden sands with palm trees. Great for aquatic adventures. Ile St. Marie: The less crowded exotic beach island with rain forests. Come here during June – September to watch the Humpback whales on their migration route. Diego Suarez: Entry to the North: a charming city with a beautiful bay – the 2nd largest natural bay in the world. Andasibe – Matandia National Park: A small action packed reserve will afford your first sightings of lemurs – especially the Indri Indri – the largest of all lemurs. Masoala National Park: An exceptional rain forest with coastal marshes & mangroves – hosts 2% of the world’s species of plants and animals! Wow! Isalo National Park: popular amongst hikers for its spartan sandstone landscapes (plateaus, canyons, gorges & pinnacles) and its hidden natural water oases. Ranomafana National Park: famous for its thermal springs and lemurs including the iconic ring-tailed lemur. ”Less(-)”
Top things to do in Madagascar
- Watch Lemurs in the wild: The only place in the world, where you can find wild lemurs – a primate – found across the island.
- Discover exotic mammals, insects and chameleons: Do remember that nearly 70-80% of the flora and fauna on Madagascar are endemic meaning that they are found only in Madagascar.
- Sunset in the Avenue of Baobabs: The most iconic image of Madagascar – the Avenue of Baobabs.
- Whale watching in Ile St. Marie: Watch the gentle giants – the Humpback whales on their annual migration route.
- Do nothing on pristine, dreamy, palm fringed golden beaches in Nosy Be and Ile St. Marie.
- Marine adventures around Nosy Be: diving, snorkeling, kite-surfing, parasailing in azure waters.
- Climb the Tsingy of Bemaraha and swing on the suspension bridge! Not for the faint hearted!
- Boat Trip on the Tsiribihina River: Why take a boring flight to the west? Rough it out on an old tobacco transport boat and camp on the river beaches!
- 4X4 on any unpaved road in Madagascar interiors! Or if you are more adventurous – drive along on the RN5! Cowards call it the worst road in the world and the brave-hearts call it an adventure!
- Dhow or Canoe cruises (Catamaran or Sail boats for the less adventurous) in the north.
- Birdwatching: “Only” 258 species – but a staggering 150 species are endemic! Good way to bump up your life list!
- Gorge on the Malagasy Cuisine a potpourri of influences of South East Asia, Africa, India, China and Europe! An insight into the history and diversity of the people here!
Things to note
Madagascar is a large island with different landscapes and eco-systems. So the question of time would also depend on the places you want to visit. The dry season is from April to October (winter). The ideal time for most destinations would be April to mid December (but be prepared for low availabilities and high prices!). For Whale Watchers – the best time would be June to September during the northern migration of the Humpbacks. For good animal sightings – the time just during the first rains i.e. November would be the best. For diving and snorkelling, August – October would be a great time!
The eastern part and the Central highlands (colder) are the ‘wet’ areas, the west is warm and dry, the north is hot and humid and the south can be semi-arid. As a rule, avoid the summer rainy season from November (or maybe later to January) to March – you will also encounter vicious cyclones especially during February.
Move it, Move it and plan for Madagascar – call us!
Contact us to create a customized Madagascar itinerary for your self
Our Travellers Say
As our fantastic guide Elijah put it, Kenya gave us a taste of the “Real Africa”. And what a taste it was. It has taken me almost a month after our trip to truly put our experience into words.
Beyonder went beyond and more- Srini, and Anand – to you a big thanks!”More(+)”
We experienced safari game drives, the Masai and the Samburu reserves, the Big 5, the beautiful sunsets and vastness of the savannas in a spectacular beauty that we can only attribute to the uniqueness of Kenya.
The glorious beauty of the mountains at a distance and the sun rising and setting in the horizon with the silhouette of the giraffes is an image that has stayed with me.
The lovely hotels, and service, and the fresh vegetables and food at the resorts were all superb.We planned a trip through Beyonder on the recommendation of a friend, and I have to say it was the best decision we made. From when we landed at Nairobi, through traveling to the different reserves and lodges, the game drives, and experiencing the country, the arrangements were flawless. The itinerary, the choice of hotels and lodges, the attention to detail and the host of little insights and advice that come from an intimate knowledge of the country and empathy for the traveler – all that combined to give us easily the best holiday experience we’ve had so far. Right at the end, when our flight back home was cancelled because of a technical flaw and we found ourselves with an extra day in Nairobi, Srini and co. went above and beyonder (!) to make sure we had a great experience, and we were able to put our unexpected extra day to good use. I would unhesitatingly recommend Beyonder to anyone looking for an away from the ordinary
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You handheld us right from the initial itinerary planning and air ticket bookings. Your expert advice was surely valued and this made sure that our trip started in the right way. The accommodations as well as the tour partner at Kenya were great and quite up to our expectations.
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This was probably one of the best tours we had done together as a family. Africa’s wilderness makes you realize why animals should be free rather than in a zoo. The energy and vitality shown by the free animals is seldom seen by zoo animals, and hence makes this an unforgettable experience. This is the Lion King and National Geographic documentaries all rolled in one. The only thing missing is David Attenborough explaining about the animal albeit the tour guide arranged by you did quite a good job with his Attenborough style explanations on the numerous animals that we saw.
Africa’s wilderness should be a must visit place in everyone’s tourism bucket list, and Beyonder is doing a damn good job in making it happen.
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Madagascar experiences in words
Nosy Be – a tropical island paradise in Madagascar
Dreamy beaches, remote isolated islands, deep blue skies, opalescent waters, tropical wilds, cocoa plantations –... read more
Ankarana National Park, Madagascar – Hiking trails, caves, underground rivers and the Grey Tsingy
The Ankarana National Park is located in the northern part of Madagascar, about 108 kms... read more
Amber National Park & the Tsingy Rouge
Diego Suarez can be the base for two amazing day trips to the surrounding areas.... read more
Diego Suarez: Turquoise Bays, Golden beaches, Red Tsingy and tropical forests!
The heading of this blog for Diego Suarez – ‘Turquoise bays and Golden beaches’ can... read more
Baobab: the “tree of life” is slowly dying
The exquisite silhouettes of baobab trees at sunset is a popular postcard for anyone who... read more
Isalo National Park – arid ‘Wild-west’ landscapes, Lush gorges & ‘Paradise’ pools
Few tourists visit the not so well known Isalo National Park in South Central Madagascar.... read more
A day in Ifaty, Madagascar: Golden beaches, turquoise waters and dry ‘Spiny’ forests
A discussion on the topic of tropical beaches in Madagascar would surely bring up the... read more
Kirindy Private Reserve – a Wildlife Oasis in Madagascar
Kirindy Private reserve is a true wildlife Oasis – a spot of hope amidst the... read more
The Avenue of Baobabs: Magical sunsets
The Avenue of the Baobabs is a group of baobab trees, lining a small stretch... read more
The Rock Forests of Tsingy de Bemaraha, Madagascar
One of most important highlights of our Madagascar trip was the adventure in the Rock... read more
River Cruise on the Tsiribihina in Madagascar
The Grand Tsingy – the ‘out of this world’ rock forest of Madagascar is on... read more
Andasibe-Matandia Park – in the search for the Indri Indri lemur
Andasibe Matandia National Park is a popular wildlife protected area ‘closest’ to the capital city... read more
Madagascar Wildlife Diary
Madagascar – the first thought that comes to my mind is the Lemurs, Chameleons and... read more
The Top 10 experiences of Madagascar
Madagascar, called the 8th Continent, can be maddeningly confusing while planning a trip. The lack... read more
Best Places to Visit in Madagascar
Nearly a 1/5 of the size of India, Madagascar is small region; albeit the 4th... read more
Top 6 reasons why one should travel to Madagascar?
The thought of travelling to Madagascar brings to memory the early geography lessons in school... read more