Waypoint Journeys Presents
Baobabs, Lemurs and the Rainforest of the Eighth Continent
7 Days · Optional 2-Day Tsingy Extension
Seven Days Across an Island That Evolved Alone for Eighty Million Years
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Madagascar broke away from Africa some 165 million years ago, parted from India about 88 million years ago, and has been on its own ever since. The result is a fourth-largest-island-in-the-world that is, biologically, almost a small continent: roughly nine out of every ten species you will see here exist nowhere else on Earth. Lemurs in a hundred shapes and sizes. Chameleons the length of your finger and others the length of your forearm. Baobabs of six species found nowhere else, when the rest of the planet has just two. Travellers have a name for what they discover here: the Eighth Continent.
The journey we run is the classic loop. It begins in Antananarivo, the highland capital, with a half-day at Lemurs' Park to meet ring-tailed and Coquerel's sifaka up close. A short hop west to Morondava and the dry-deciduous Kirindy Forest, where a night walk reveals fork-marked lemurs and the legendary fossa, the island's apex predator. Then comes the moment every traveller comes for: the Avenue of the Baobabs at sunset, ancient sentinels casting hundred-metre shadows across the laterite road.
From Morondava we fly back to the highlands and drive east into a different Madagascar entirely, the rainforest corridor of Andasibe-Mantadia, home to the indri, the largest living lemur, whose dawn chorus carries kilometres through the canopy. For those with two more days, the optional Tsingy de Bemaraha extension adds a UNESCO-listed stone forest of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles, one of the strangest landscapes on the planet. Seven days is enough to fall hard for the Eighth Continent.
"The first time the indri calls at sunrise, the whole rainforest stops to listen. It's a sound you carry home with you for the rest of your life."
Twenty-five colossal Grandidier's baobabs lining a laterite road outside Morondava, the most photographed landscape on the island and one of the great natural sights of Africa. We time arrival for the late-afternoon light so you can watch the trees throw hundred-metre shadows as the sun drops.
Six reserves on this trip (Lemurs' Park, Kirindy, Akiba Marofandilia, Zazamalala, Kimony, and Andasibe) give you encounters with roughly a dozen species, from ring-tailed to the sifaka to the dawn-calling indri. Kirindy by night is the rare chance to see nocturnal species and the elusive fossa.
A roughly 800-year-old baobab venerated by local Sakalava communities: the kind of tree that was already a giant when Marco Polo was alive. We visit before continuing on to the famous Avenue, with time to learn from a local guide why it still matters.
A different Madagascar entirely: the eastern rainforest corridor, dense with orchids, chameleons, and the indri, whose haunting song travels two kilometres through the canopy at dawn. Day and night walks reveal a different cast of species in every hour.
A private reforestation reserve and rescue project for the dry forests west of Morondava, plus the neighbouring Kimony lemur reserve. The work going on here is some of the most important conservation in the country, and the encounters are unhurried.
Add two days for the UNESCO-listed Tsingy: a forest of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles you traverse on suspended bridges and via ferrata. Reached by a long 4×4 day from Morondava with a river crossing; one of the strangest landscapes on Earth. +$200 USD per person ($3,050 USD total).
Seven days from the highlands of Antananarivo to the baobabs of Morondava and the rainforest of Andasibe.
Highlands, Baobabs, Rainforest
Seven days from Antananarivo: a flight west to Morondava for Kirindy Forest and the Avenue of the Baobabs, then back across the island to the Andasibe rainforest before departure.
Met on arrival at Ivato International Airport in the early afternoon. Transfer to the Radisson Serviced Apartments in central Antananarivo and time to settle in after the flight. An easy first evening: a walk through the upper-town colonial streets and welcome dinner at a local highland restaurant. Overnight at Radisson Serviced Apartments Antananarivo City Centre.
An early departure at 7:30 a.m. for Lemurs' Park, an hour outside the capital: a private 5-hectare botanical reserve where nine species of lemur live in semi-freedom. Roughly two hours among ring-tailed, brown, bamboo and Coquerel's sifaka lemurs at close range. Return to Antananarivo for a city tour: the Queen's Palace (Rova) overlooking the city, the artisan and antique markets in the old town, and views from the upper terraces. Overnight at Radisson Serviced Apartments.
Pre-dawn transfer for the 8 a.m. flight from Antananarivo to Morondava on the west coast (arrival around 9 a.m.). Drive 2.5 hours inland to the Kirindy Forest Reserve: one of the last remaining tracts of dry-deciduous forest in Madagascar. After dinner, a guided night walk to look for the giant jumping rat, brown lemurs, mouse lemurs, fork-marked lemurs, and the fossa, the island's apex predator. Overnight at Relais de Kirindy.
A 7:30 a.m. start for the Marofandilia community reserve, home to several lemur species and dry-forest birdlife. After lunch, drive to the Sacred Baobab (roughly 800 years old and venerated by the local Sakalava) and the so-called "Lovers' Baobab," two intertwined trees. Around 4 p.m., we arrive at the Avenue of the Baobabs to wait for sunset, when the Grandidier's baobabs throw hundred-metre shadows across the laterite. Drive back into Morondava after dark. Overnight at Baobab Café.
An 8 a.m. departure for Zazamalala: a private 4×4-only dry-forest reserve and reforestation project 35 km from Morondava, where Dutch biologist Maarten Hofman has been replanting endemic species for two decades. Continue to the Kimony Lemur Reserve for the afternoon, with more close encounters. Return to Morondava around 5 p.m. Overnight at Baobab Café.
Morning transfer to Morondava Airport for the 10 a.m. flight back to Antananarivo (arrival around 11 a.m.). 4×4 transfer east toward the Andasibe rainforest corridor, stopping en route at the Peyrieras Reserve (a remarkable concentration of chameleons, geckos, crocodiles, and butterflies) before continuing to Andasibe. After dinner, a guided night walk into the National Park to look for mouse lemurs, sportive lemurs, and chameleons. Overnight at Mantadia Lodge.
A morning of choice: Analamazaotra Special Reserve for the indri (whose dawn chorus is the moment of the trip), the Andasibe community village park, or the Vakôna private forest. After lunch, drive 140 km back to Antananarivo (roughly 3 hours) and on to Ivato International for the late-evening (~9 p.m.) international flight home. Seven days that will rearrange what you thought a continent could hold.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Expedition Investment
per person · 7-day base expedition
Fully inclusive of accommodation, both domestic flights (Tana ↔ Morondava), 4×4 ground transport, all park fees, English-speaking guide, and daily breakfast
International airfare to Antananarivo, Madagascar tourist visa (~$35 USD), and travel insurance not included
Add the UNESCO-listed limestone stone forest between Morondava and the return to Antananarivo. Long 4×4 day in and out, suspended bridges and via ferrata, one of the strangest landscapes on Earth.
Madagascar is peaceful and welcoming, and the route we follow (Antananarivo, the Morondava coast, and the Andasibe rainforest corridor) is stable, well-travelled, and serviced daily by domestic flights. Our in-country partner has been running expedition logistics for nearly two decades. Petty theft can occasionally be a concern in crowded markets, the same as in any major city, and we'll brief you on the obvious precautions. We are happy to address any specific questions about safety, health, or vaccinations directly.
