Every visitor on a Madagascar tour or holiday will start the journey in capital, Antananarivo, fondly referred to as Tana. It is a fantastic city with haphazard hills and streets ideal for wandering and exploring.

The easiest wilderness area for lemur spotting has to be The Andasibe-Mantadia, accessed by car from Tana. It is a wilderness corridor at the foothills of an impressive escarpment. Andasibe National Park is just 154 square kilometres with two protected areas including the Mantadia Analamozaotra National Park and the Indri d’ Analamazaotra Reserve, more easily known as Perinet.  You will find montane forest, endemic rainforest species, Indri lemurs and more.  This region is well known for its birdlife with 112 species plus eleven lemur species, 39 reptile and 36 frog species. More mammals of interest are the lowland streaked tenrec, Eastern Avahi and the diademed sifka.

South-west Madagascar is home to impressive landmarks like the sandstone plateau of Isalo National Park, towering mountains of d’Andringitra, historically significant town of Fort Dauphin and the lush rainforests and golden beaches near Manafiafy. Southern Madagascar holidays can get you out exploring with private guides, your own vehicles, kayaking, wildlife watching, boating and whale watching. Madagascar luxury accommodation here features two properties away from tourist towns boasting quality experiences unique in in culture and wildlife. One property sits in the heart of a spiny forest whilst the other is nestled between the rainforest and beach on a secluded bay.

Staying down south we have well known yet tiny Berenty Reserve, just 620 acres with ancient tamarind trees, baobabs and octopus trees (didierear trollii) in a surreal semi-arid spiny forest. Home to six types of lemurs, the emphasis is on the wildlife. Discover ringtail lemurs in open scrub and verreaux sifakas dancing through the trees and along the road if you are lucky.

Popular Ranomafana National Park covers 3,950 acres of land and is home to rare lemurs like the greater bamboo and golden bamboo lemur plus 7 other species. At altitudes between 800 metres and 1,200 metres, the landscapes here are impressive and the montane rainforest a sanctuary for wildlife. It feels like a magical forest in the clouds some days and is dotted with rolling hills, waterfalls and lush vegetation.  It’s also considered a Madagascar birding safari highlight with numerous types including velvet asity, brown mesite, Henst’s goshawk and Madagascar flufftail.  Our favourite are its natural springs, one of the areas greatest pleasures.

On the South West coast we have the city of Morondava and the starting point for visits to the well photographed and scenically impressive Avenue of Baobabs and then Kirindy, home to Madagascar’s largest predator the Fossa. Did you know the world’s most endangered ecosystem is dry deciduous forest just like Kirindy?  Importantly, there is the Kirindy Private Forest Reserve and close by, the Kirindy Mitea National Park.  The national park sees three ecosystems merge, a spiny desert, dry forest and mangroves.

The region boasts 23 species of mammals including the Fossa, eight lemur species plus 90 species of butterfly, endangered birds and reptiles.  In the national park, the forest is regenerating naturally due to its remote location. It is remote, far off paved roads and only accessible by truck in dry season and otherwise, on foot, ox cart or boat from Morondava, a real Madagascar adventure holiday.