Madagascar - Oasis Highlights

There are so many highlights in this fascinating country that it is impossible to list them all here. Our travel consultants will discuss your interests and be able to put a specific itinerary together for you, but below are a few must see’s!

Nosy Be

Nosy be has some of the most exclusive beach resorts in Madagascar, for this is also one of the most expensive parts, given its clean white sandy beaches and tropical climate. A volcanic island, it contains eleven crater lakes, which are a beautiful spot to watch sunsets, and possess habitats brimming with endemic plant and animal species these can be explored with experienced guides. Culturally, there is also a music festival on the island each year, put on at the time of Pentecost, known as Donia, where musicians from Mauritius, Reunion, Comoros and others get together for a vibrant mix of music, including reggae, Creole, pop and jazz.

Andasibe-Mantadia National Park

World Heritage Site, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is famous being home to many endemic species, including 11 lemurs, of which the indri, the largest of all lemur species. Other species in the park include chameleons and tenrecs, and birdwatchers can expect to see velvet asity, blue coua, and nuthatch vanga. The park is slightly inland and so is subject to the island’s raised topography on the central-east side, giving it a humid rainforest climate with elevations of between 800 and 1260 metres. The precipitation annually is around 1700mm, which falls on over about 210 days of the year. With a majority of paved roads to the capital city, Antananorivo makes this one of the easiest places to visit on the island.

Isalo National Park

Isalo National Park, almost 700kms from Antananarivo. It’s a sacred place to the Bara tribe, who have used the deep canyons of the national park as a burial site for hundreds of years, Isalo was established as a national park in 1999 and has since become a popular site for trekking and hiking. Apart from the area’s natural beauty, the park is home to a genus of lemur colloquially called ‘sifakas’, known for their alarm calls ‘shi-fak

Anjajavy

Anjajavy is a remote private game reserve in the northwest of the island which is only accessible by air. Made up of 450 hectares and bordering the coast, it is home to over 1,800 plant species. Walking tours through the bush bring with it the opportunity to spot many of the island’s endemic species, including two diurnal and two nocturnal lemur, forest chameleons, frogs, bush pigs, and the much-revered fossa. Morambo Bay with its famous ‘floating islands’ is within a distance of Anjajavy via a short boat trip. This area’s justifiably famous for its limestone caves and giant baobab trees.