Family Wildlife Tour in Madagascar

Trip Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in Antananarivo

Day 1 – Arrival in Antananarivo

You’ll fly into Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo, where you’ll be greeted by an English-speaking guide who will accompany you to Maison Gallieni, one of the best hotels in Madagascar, located in the upper town of Antananarivo. 

Maison Gallieni is a restored colonial mansion with an elegant mix of modern and traditional décor. Take a dip in the pool and enjoy the lovely views over the city, or head out to explore the traditional architecture and distinct Indonesian influence of Tana. You stay here for just one night, but you will return later in your travels so today is ideal for rest after the international travels. 

Day 2-3: Andasibe - Mantadia National Park

Day 2 – Transfer to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park

After breakfast, you’ll meet your guide who will take you east to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, a beautiful rainforest park, about four hours’ drive from Antananarivo. The park consists of two protected areas including the Perinet Special Reserve and Mantadia National Park, famous for their population of indri lemurs, the largest living lemur species on earth. 

You’ll arrive at Mantadia Lodge in time for lunch, where you stay for two nights. 
This afternoon, visit a private reserve operated by local NGO Mitsinjo. Here, your Madagascar safari truly begins as you will see a stunning array of wildlife and can also plant an indigenous species along the reforestation trail. 

Day 3 - Exploring Mantadia National Park

After breakfast, you’ll make the 1.5 hour drive to Mantadia National Park for a day of adventure and a picnic lunch. Keep your eyes peeled for lemurs in this stunning park including the indri lemur, diademed sifaka, grey bamboo lemur, red-bellied lemur and white ruffed lemur. 

Mantadia National Park is a naturalist's goldmine with many rare species of mammals, reptiles and birds, and an abundance of birds including the scaly ground roller, pitta-like ground roller and breasted coua. 

Enjoy a family picnic by the Rianasoa Waterfall before hiking back to the vehicle and returning to the lodge. You’ll have the chance to head out on a nocturnal Madagascar safari with a local guide to explore the forest surrounding the reserve. You’ll get to see a variety of nocturnal lemurs including mouse lemurs, white footed sportive lemur, fat-tailed dwarf lemur, and the woolly lemur. 

Day 4: Antananarivo

Day 4 - Exploring Perinet Reserve and transfer to Antananarivo

Enjoy an early breakfast before meeting your local guide and heading out to the 180-hectare Perinet Reserve in search of the indri lemur. With a barely visible tail, black and white markings and a surprised teddy bear face. 

There are another 11 species of lemur to spot as you walk through the rainforest, and you may also find a troop of grey bamboo lemurs, common brown lemur, diademed sifaka and the black and white ruffed lemur. 

Birdwatchers should look out for the velvet asity, blue coua, Nuthatch vanga and many more endemic species. Perinet Reserve is also home to scores of reptiles, invertebrates, and some of Madagascar’s orchid species. After lunch in Andasibe, you’ll drive back to Antananarivo, where you’ll check into your luxury Madagascar hotel, Maison Gallieni, for the night. 

Day 5-6: Morondava

Day 5 - Fly to Morondava, Avenue of Baobabs

After breakfast at Maison Gallieni, you will be driven back to the airport in time for your 3 hour flight west to Morondava. 
Morondava is situated in the west of Madagascar, on the delta of the river of the same name at the edge of the Mozambique Channel. 

Upon arrival you will meet with your guide and transfer to your luxury madagascar hotel, Palissandre Côte Ouest Hotel, where you stay for two nights on a full board basis.  

The afternoon is at your leisure or you can choose to have a tour around Morondava. In the evening, you will be driven about 20km to the Avenue of the Baobabs for a beautiful sunset and fantastic photo opportunities. This unique Madagascar tour brings incredible views. 

Day 6 - Morondava & Kirindy Private Reserve

After an early breakfast, you will be driven 50km to the north-east of Morondava to the Kirindy Reserve. This is a privately managed forest that is known as the best place to visit in Madagascar to see the elusive fossa. It is also home to the very cute Madagascar Giant Jumping Rat, endemic to this forest, and 8 lemur species including Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur which is endemic to Kirindy. Birdwatchers will enjoy the 70 bird species including the rare White-Breasted Mesite. 

After a leisurely picnic lunch, you will be driven back to Morondava to your luxury hotel. 

Explore the town, grab a lunch of freshly caught seafood dishes or take an optional excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park, where you can take the End of the World train, visit Lago Roca and Bahia Lapataia. 

Day 7 - Fly back to Tana

Day 7 - Fly back to Tana

Today, your guide will meet you and transfer you to the airport for your flight back to Tana. Upon arrival, you will be met by another guide who will transfer you to your hotel, Maison Gallieni where you stay for one night on a half board basis. 

Day 8-10: Anjajavy Private Reserve

Day 8 - Fly to Anjajavy Private Reserve

After an early breakfast, you will be transferred back to Ivato Airport in time for your scheduled charter North-west to Anjajavy. 

Upon arrival you will be greeted by a hotel staff member and transferred to Anjajavy Le Lodge where you will stay for the next three nights. The lodge’s 25 duplex, rosewood villas all have private decks overlooking the ocean, making it one of the most best resorts in Madagascar. The surrounding forest is alive with lemurs, chameleons, malachite kingfishers and hummingbirds. 

At 5:30 pm you will depart for a nocturnal safari in the reserve to spot a variety of nocturnal lemurs. While the reserve’s show-stoppers are undoubtedly the charismatic coquerel’s sifakas, the hours of darkness also have their star performers.

Weighing a mere 63 grams, danfoss mouse lemurs scamper about in the shrubbery around the reserve just after nightfall. If you hear a strange squeal coming from the tree tops, then you have probably found a Grewcock’s sportive lemur.

Day 9 - Explore Anjajavy

This morning, depart for a walk along the ‘Chemin des Crabes’ to see the fabulous birdlife, beautiful baobabs and of course, the famous hairy crab. 

Even if bird watching isn’t your thing, you can’t help but be enchanted by the kaleidoscope of colours and shapes of the reserve’s common birds.

At the end of the walk, you will visit a small cave where you will find a fossilized lemur skull, stalactites and sharks’ teeth. You will return to your gorgeous Madagascar lodge for lunch and a leisurely afternoon. 

Day 10 - Explore the tsingy rock formations

This morning you will enjoy a long walk along the Giant’s Causeway and King’s Alley. You will discover extremely ancient baobab trees, tsingy rock formations found only in Madagascar, along with a variety of lemurs including the Coquerel’s sifakas. 

These remarkable animals live in family groups of up to 10 individuals, and though they are perfectly adapted to life in the trees they often descend to the ground too. The sifakas, along with troops of common brown lemurs, roam freely in the gardens and surrounding reserve. 

You will return to the lodge for lunch and a leisurely afternoon. 

Day 11 - Return to Tana to Fly Home

Day 11 - Return to Tana to fly home

At 9:30 am, transfer to the airstrip for your morning flight to Tana by scheduled charter.  Upon arrival at Tana airport, you will be met by a Wayfairer representative, who will assist you in checking in for your outbound flight. This brings your stunning Family Wildlife Madagascar Tour to an end, but with memories that will last a lifetime. 

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