The eighth continent

Lemurs at dawn, chameleons by torchlight, and the stone forest in between.

20°04′S 44°39′E
Reserve your placeOct 16–29, 2027 · 14 days · 4–6 guests · $7,299 per person
Never more than 6 guests on this expedition·Led by a working wildlife photographer·A local guide in every reserve·Two 4WDs in the west, no more than three guests in each

Dry forest and limestone in the west, rainforest and the aye-aye in the east.

Fourteen days across Madagascar with four to six guests, a working wildlife photographer, and a local guide in every reserve. The west is sifaka in the dry forest, the chance of a fossa, and the Great Tsingy, with the baobabs at sunset on the way out. The east is the indri calling at dawn, chameleons by torchlight, and a night crossing to the aye-aye.

The route, west then east

Day 1Antananarivo. Met at the airport, a briefing over dinner, and a first night at the Belvedere.
Day 2Morning flight to Morondava, then the road north through baobab country by way of Zazamalala to Akiba Lodge at Marofandilia, on the edge of Kirindy Forest. First night walk after dinner.
3–4Kirindy, two nights at Le Relais du Kirindy. Dawn and late-afternoon walks for Verreaux's sifaka, red-fronted brown lemurs and the giant jumping rat, the research station that has run there since 1993, and night walks for mouse lemurs, sportive lemurs and whatever else the torch finds.
5–6Bekopaka. A full day's 4WD run north with two river crossings by ferry, then the Great Tsingy: harnessed on the fixed cables and ladders through the limestone needles, with a chance of Decken's sifaka in the forest below.
Day 7Back down the track to Morondava, timed to reach the Avenue of the Baobabs for sunset.
Day 8Morning flight to Antananarivo and an afternoon in the capital.
9–10Andasibe. The Peyrieras reserve, a small captive collection where the chameleons and leaf-tailed geckos sit still for the camera, then a night walk in the VOIMMA community reserve, and a full day in Mantadia National Park for the indri and the diademed sifaka.
11–12Akanin'ny Nofy. By boat across Lake Ampitabe to the Palmarium, a private reserve where the lemurs are habituated and come down to the paths, and a twenty-minute evening crossing to the islet where a small, managed population of aye-ayes comes to lit feeding sites.
13–14The long day back to Antananarivo by boat and road, a last night at the Belvedere, and your flight home on the 29th.

The distances are real. Two days on dirt roads can run up to ten hours, with two river crossings by ferry, and both domestic flights leave early. We travel the west in two 4WDs with no more than three guests in each.

Traveling solo?

Most of our guests do. Rooms are shared double or twin, and we pair you with another solo traveler at no extra cost, or take a room of your own for a fixed $700 single supplement, $7,999 per person. The group is four to six people; you will know everyone by the second dinner.

The people, not just the wildlife

Every reserve on the route is walked with its own local guide, and the night walk at Andasibe is in a reserve the villagers set up themselves and run. Your park fees and your guide fees are part of what keeps these forests standing, and the stories you bring back are the loudest thing we do.

Your photography guide

Renato Granieri, an award-winning wildlife photographer and a member of the Arctic Tern team, leads the trip from the first briefing to the last frame. He has photographed Madagascar before.

Why four to six?

Madagascar, at the pace of the forest.

Lemurs are found by listening and waiting, and a night walk only works in single file with the torches kept low. Four to six guests keeps every walk quiet enough to get close and leaves the local guides time to explain what you are looking at. In the west we split into two 4WDs, no more than three guests in each. Almost everything you will photograph here lives nowhere else, and most of it lives in forest that is still shrinking.

We don't rush. We explore.

95%

of Madagascar's mammal species are found nowhere else on earth.

107

species of lemur, every one of them only here, and at least 96% of them threatened with extinction.

For photographers

Renato Granieri, an award-winning wildlife photographer, leads the trip. Lens guidance in the forest, image reviews at the lodge, and straight advice about shooting black fur in deep shade and chameleons by torchlight. Bring a long lens for the canopy, something wide for the Tsingy and the baobabs, and a headlamp with a red filter for the night walks.

Dates & price

DepartureRoomsPer personGroup
Oct 16–29, 2027Shared double or twin$7,2994–6 guests
Included: all accommodation with all meals, private 4WD transport with drivers and fuel, boat transfers, every park and reserve entrance, a local guide in each reserve and an English-speaking national guide throughout, and Renato as your photography guide. Not included: international flights, the two domestic flights between Antananarivo and Morondava, your visa, travel insurance, drinks, tips and personal spending. You book the domestic flights yourself, and they run about $350 per person return.

Reserve your place

A short form, then a 25-minute expedition call. We reply within one business day. A 30% deposit secures the place, the balance is due 90 days before departure, and our terms and cancellation policy apply.

FAQ & packing

How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. Most walks are slow, on forest trails that can be steep and slippery in Mantadia, often at first light and after dark. The Great Tsingy is the exception: four to six hours on fixed ladders and cables through sharp limestone, in a harness, with some exposure. If heights trouble you, tell us when you book and we will talk through the day with you before you commit.
Will we see the fossa?
Nobody can promise a wild carnivore. Kirindy is a good place to try: a research station has run there since 1993, fossa are sometimes seen near it, and October falls in their mating season. Some Octobers they are near the station almost daily; some years nobody sees one. We give Kirindy three nights so one quiet day never decides the trip. The lemurs are a different matter: at Kirindy, Andasibe and the Palmarium they are seen on most walks.
What is the weather like in October?
Hot and dry in the west: Morondava averages 31°C by day in October with barely a day of rain all month, which is why the walks are at first light and after dark and the middle of the day is for rest and the image reviews. The east is cooler and wetter. The coast near Akanin'ny Nofy sees rain on about twelve days in October and Andasibe is rainforest, so pack for showers. Antananarivo sits high and the evenings there are cool.
What about visas and health?
Madagascar issues a single-entry tourist e-visa online or on arrival; for a stay of up to 15 days the fee is currently EUR 30, and your passport needs six months' validity and two blank pages. Malaria precautions are needed everywhere on the route except the capital, and a yellow fever certificate is only required if you arrive from a country where the disease is present, and that includes a layover there of more than 12 hours. Your travel clinic is the right first call, and we send the current entry rules with your booking.
How do the flights work?
You fly into Antananarivo on 16 October and we meet you at the airport. The two domestic flights are not in the price and you book them yourself: Antananarivo to Morondava on the morning of 17 October, day 2, and back on the morning of 23 October, day 8. Fares run about $350 per person return, and we send the current flight numbers and times with your booking so the whole group is on the same flights. Domestic schedules in Madagascar change at short notice, so we track them and rebuild the day if we have to.
What should I pack?
Light long sleeves and trousers, a sun hat, closed walking shoes with grip for the Tsingy, a headlamp with a red filter, a rain jacket for the east, and a dust bag for the cameras in the west. The full packing list, with camera kit guidance, arrives when you book.

More questions? Read the full FAQ or our insurance guide.

Where you stay

Seven lodges, each chosen for where it puts you the next morning. Click any image to see it full size, or a lodge in the list to bring it up.

Hotel Belvedere, AntananarivoThe first night, the middle night and the last
Akiba Lodge, MarofandiliaThe first night in the west, on the edge of Kirindy Forest
Le Relais du KirindyTwo nights for Kirindy, with a pool after the dry-forest heat
Tanankoay Lodge, BekopakaBungalows in Bekopaka for the Tsingy days
Baobab Café, MorondavaIn Morondava, the baobabs a short drive up the road at sunset
OKA Forest Lodge, AndasibeOur base for the eastern rainforest
Palmarium Lodge, Akanin'ny NofyInside the reserve on the lake, reached by boat, lemurs on the paths
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