Antananarivo * Andasibe (Eastern Highlands) * Anjajavy
Combining Madagascar’s extraordinary wildlife with the tranquillity of a secluded Indian Ocean hideaway, this luxury Madagascar safari is a wonderful choice for a honeymoon or romantic escape. Discover the enchanting lemurs of Andasibe’s lush rainforests before retreating to Anjajavy, where golden beaches, turquoise waters and pristine wilderness which rival the Seychelles for their seclusion and allure.
Madagascar offers an irresistible combination of unusual wildlife and coastal beauty. Its forests are home to an astonishing variety of endemic species, from the charismatic indri lemur to colourful chameleons and tropical birds. Meanwhile, its remote northwestern coastline reveals quiet sandy coves, sheltered bays and beautiful marine scenery, far removed from the busier beach destinations of the Indian Ocean.
Β Luxury Madagascar Lemurs to Anjajavy at a Glance:
You begin in Antananarivo, Madagascar’s bustling capital, with an overnight stay at the elegant Maison GalliΓ©ni. The following day, travel east to Andasibe, one of the island’s finest rainforest destinations. Spend two nights at Mantadia Lodge, exploring the forest with your guide in search of lemurs, chameleons and exotic birdlife. The highlight is undoubtedly the indri, Madagascar’s largest living lemur, whose haunting calls resonate through the forest canopy. Enjoy a final forest walk before returning to Antananarivo for an overnight stay.
From here, take a scenic charter flight to Anjajavy, a secluded peninsula on Madagascar’s northwest coast, accessible only by air. Spend four nights at Anjajavy le Lodge, a beautiful retreat overlooking the Indian Ocean, where intimate beachfront villas blend naturally into the surrounding landscape.
Your days at Anjajavy can be as relaxed or adventurous as you wish. Unwind on golden beaches, swim in the warm Indian Ocean or discover the coastline on a boat excursion. Snorkelling, guided forest walks and encounters with the resident lemurs offer plenty of opportunities to explore. The surrounding dry deciduous forest is home to fascinating endemic wildlife, while secluded coves and spectacular sunsets add to the sense of romance.
A Relaxed Two-Centre Journey: This itinerary focuses on two contrasting destinations, combining Andasibe’s lush rainforest with the beaches and dry forest of Anjajavy. Although overnight stops in Antananarivo are needed for flight connections, the itinerary avoids the constant moving associated with more extensive Madagascar tours.
Charter Flights to Anjajavy: Anjajavy is reached by a seat-in-charter flight from Antananarivo. These flights currently operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, so your itinerary may need to be arranged around the flight schedule. Flight arrangements are subject to confirmation.
What’s Included at Anjajavy: Your four-night stay includes Full Board and selected activities. Additional excursions and specialist activities may be available at extra cost.
Ideal for Honeymooners: The combination of memorable wildlife encounters, secluded beaches and unhurried days at Anjajavy makes this a particularly appealing choice for honeymooners and couples looking for something different.

On arrival at Ivato (Antananarivo) Airport, you are met and transferred to your hotel in Tana.Β On your way you will see rice paddies, and a colourful patch-work of houses. Plus all the daily life in this city of about 2 million inhabitants. Tananarivians mostly live from day to day jobs. This is called βAdy Gasyβ: tires repairing, selling Chinese-made products in the streets, selling scrap.
City Tour β Time Permitting (or enjoy the following morning)
Depending on your flight time, you will start with a tour of the city. We begin in the hills above the city with a visit to Ambohimangat, one of the 12 sacred hills of Tana. This is a World heritage site as classified by UNESCO. This historical place was where the King Andrianampoinimerina started to unify the different kingdoms into one Madagascar. It still holds a strong spiritual significance. People go there with offerings and ask the blessing from the holy king spirit. From the palace you have a panoramic view over Tana. We return to the city where we tour the high, low and middle parts of the city β both in elevation and in wealth.
Antananarivo
Tana, (as the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo, is conveniently called) is a brightly coloured mΓ©lange of French colonial architecture, multistoried houses and narrow alleys.
Tana must have been a beautiful city at one time. Today, the city is quite often a shock to first time visitors β throngs of people, buildings in a state of decay, street urchins, hooting and belching old French cars and the lively hustle and bustle of the street markets, all combine to make Antananarivo (Tana) a bit overwhelming at first. But Tana is quite a fascinating city to explore. The city sprawls over several hills with lots of narrow houses, cobblestone streets and stone staircases linking one street to another. Each street seems lined with traders and the array of merchandise on offer in the stalls and markets is in a class of its own. With Malagasy embroidery, semi-precious stones and local crafts all jumbled up together.
You are collected by your guide and drive to the Eastern Rainforests and Andasibe. This scenic transfer takes approx 3-3Β½ hours on a good but winding road with picturesque scenery en route. Along the way there are lovely views of rice paddies and the unique red-bricked houses of the Merina people, the dominant culture in this region.
You have the rest of the day to explore the forests at your own leisure. From late August to March you may be able to join an optional night walk into the park to see the nocturnal lemur species and tenrecs amongst others.
The eastern rainforests ofΒ Andasibe National Park in Madagascar are a must-see on any Madagascar lemur safari. The tropical montane rainforest is one of the densest in the world and its floral diversity is particularly rich. A big part of that attraction is the appeal of the Indri lemurs which have their own special protected part of the Andasibe park.
Today you have a morning expedition to explore the rainforest with the Parkβs specialist guides. You set off early for a walking tour of the Mantadia National Park. Typically this is usually a morning tour of 4-5 hours but there are longer trails on offer. But if you donβt wish to walk so far or long, there are easier trails of two hours.
This is much wilder than the Indri Special Reserve and has a mix of terrain, with some steeper trails, so itβs best if you are reasonably fit. The forest is much thicker and more pristine but you are rewarded with varied wildlife sightings such as the diademed sifaka (the so-called dancing lemur), the black-and-white ruffed lemur, common brown lemur, red-bellied lemur and the grey bamboo lemur.
We recommend taking the very early morning walk into the most accessible part of Andasibe National Park, the Indri Special Reserve to see the lemurs whilst they are most active. The 810ha βreserve within a reserveβ has several well-maintained forest paths, which are mostly gentle in terrain.
The IndriΒ Perinet Special Reserve protects the largest of all the lemurs, the Indri. Standing about a metre high, with a stump for a tail, black-and-white markings and a beguilingly startled expression, the Indri looks more like a bizarre panda than a lemur. You will see them relatively easily, even if you stay on the marked trails, but for longer sightings you must scramble after them through the forest, craning up to exclaim as they execute balletic leaps from tree to tree. Their long back legs are immensely powerful, and an indri can propel itself 10 metres (30ft), executing a turn in mid-air, to grab a new tree and then gaze down benevolently at you!
Walking through the rainforest, as its distinctive siren-like calls emanate from the mist-covered canopy is one of the most memorable experiences of your Madagascar lemur safari. As well as the amazing Indri you may also see the Eastern grey bamboo lemur, red-fronted brown lemur as well as impressive reptiles like Malagasy tree boa and two foot long Parsonβs chameleon. You might even be fortunate to see the giraffe-necked Weevil or the golden Mantilla frog.
After lunch (for your own account), you return to Tana in the afternoon to stay overnight.
On arrival at Nosy Be (Fascene) Airport, you take the scheduled charter flight to Anjajavy where you stay for 4 nights.
Today you take the charter flight back to Tana in time for your onward flight arrangements.
This is a sample itinerary using specific hotels and lodges. However most of these sample tours can be adapted to suit you. If applicable, it includes domestic seat-in-charter flights. But it excludes any regional and domestic scheduled flights (as these are subject to change and specific routing). These are added to a specific quotation once we have your dates.
Meals as specified, private transfers to Andasibe with an English-speaking guide including all entrance fees, joining National Park guides for walking in the park rainforests, all conservation levies and park fees, return charter flights to Anjajavy
EXCLUDESMeals not specified above, Items of a personal nature (eg gratuities, curio purchases, spa treatments etc)