From the highlands to the west coast of Madagascar
14-day special tour with possibilities for connecting tours
This special tour belongs to the less known and therefore all the more exciting offers, which Madagascar and our company offers. Located away from the busy main routes, this tour requires a little effort, an off-road car and an experienced guide, which we guarantee! The tracks are often very bad and sometimes can only be driven very slowly. The traveler will be compensated by one of the most magnificent and pristine landscapes of the whole island: Baobabs in hardly imaginable shapes and dimensions, an arid dry vegetation of didiereaceae and euphorbias, which actually rather belong to the deep south, as well as picturesque, dreamlike bays, beaches and sand dunes are only one aspect. In addition, there are insights into the simple life of small tribes such as the Vezo and the Mikea, who have preserved their culture here and live isolated from the world.
Day 1: Scheduled flight from Europe
Arrival at night, transfer to hotel "Villa Sibyl", Overnight stay
Day 2: Antananarivo - Antsirabe
Antsirabe is the highest town in the country and a former health resort, located at an altitude of about 1600 meters. There are very beautiful lakes of volcanic origin and countless hiking opportunities. Bicycle tours are possible and will be organized upon request. One of the excursions takes us through a peaceful and rural area incl. picnic at a waterfall whose rocks are overgrown with lianas and all kinds of tropical plants.
One can still visit some workshops of local craftsmen (e.g. gemstones, tin toys) on the return to Antsirabe.
Overnight stay in "Chambres du Voyageur“
Day 3: Antsirabe - Miandrivazo - Morondava
This day will be dedicated to Morondava and its surroundings. We will make an excursion to the north and visit the famous "Baobabs Amoreux", which hold each other like two lovers entwined. We will also see the unique "Avenue of the Baobabs", one of the most famous motifs of all Madagascar. In the afternoon we return to Morondava and have the opportunity to get to know the town and visit one of the excellent restaurants.
Overnight stay at the hotel "Chez Maggie
Day 4: Morondava and surroundings
This day will be dedicated to Morondava and its surroundings. We will make an excursion to the north and visit the famous "Baobabs Amoreux", which hold each other like two lovers entwined. We will also see the unique "Avenue of the Baobabs", one of the most famous motifs of all Madagascar. In the afternoon we return to Morondava and have the opportunity to get to know the town and visit one of the excellent restaurants.
Overnight stay at the hotel "Chez Maggie
Day 5:Morondava-Belo sur Mer
After breakfast we leave Morondava in a southerly direction and drive on a sandy track through a landscape dominated by baobabs, dry forest and agricultural land. Here a four-wheel drive car is indispensable and provides the necessary comfort in all the difficulties of the track. Around noon we reach the wide lagoon of Belo-sur-Mer, where salt is traditionally extracted. On an elevated causeway we drive to the town of Belo, which leads an island existence in the middle of the wide lagoon and lies directly on the sea. Accessible by car only when the moon is right, Belo-sur-Mer is also a center of shipbuilding. Numerous shipyards build the famous coastal sailing ships called "Boutre" here.
Accommodation at the "Ecolodge du Menabé" near the beach
Day 6: Belo-sur-Mer - Manja
In the morning we leave Belo-sur-Mer in southern direction. The landscape is changing: it is getting drier and drier, the ground is stony and also the road can often only be driven at walking pace. You may see the most impressive baobabs in all of Madagascar. Finally we reach Manja, a town in the middle of nowhere, dominated by cattle farming and still very pristine. Nevertheless, the town is a bustling market town with its own charm.
Accommodation in the simple "Kanto Hotel", the only accommodation in the place
Day 7: Manja - Morombé
On a strenuous, at first stony and then increasingly sandy track, the route leads through a quiet, karstified hilly landscape. Then it becomes greener and more wooded again. Small villages line the road. We finally reach the wide riverbed of the Mangoky, where a primitive ferry takes us across the river. In the dry season only a narrow river in the middle of a huge sandy area, the Mangoky swells to a mighty stream in the rainy season. Then we reach Ambahikily, an important market town, which again indicates the proximity of civilization. From here, a fairly good road leads to Morombé, which we reach in the afternoon. Once an important seaside resort, Morombé now leads a tourist shadow existence. Therefore, the number of accommodations and restaurants is extremely limited.
Accommodation in the hotel "La Pirogue d'Or" directly on the beach.
Day 8: Morombé - Salary
We leave Morombé in a southerly direction and drive on the dirt road parallel to the coastline through a jungle-like dry forest. Andavadoaka, the insider tip for dropouts and paradise for divers, is our next stopover. Situated on a wide bay, the village with its nested houses seems remote and picturesque. After a breather in one of the restaurants on the shore, we continue south, always along the coast through a sublime dune landscape. Passing small villages of Vezo fishermen and driving slowly on the bumpy road, we finally arrive in the afternoon at the bay of Salary, another "insider tip" for Madagascar travelers. Huge sand dunes surround the blue shimmering bay, miles of sandy beaches offer "postcard motives" without equal. We are accommodated by "Franceso&Claire", who have built a bungalow complex directly on the dunes and are running a remarkable project in harmony with the Mikea people living here. This tribe is the smallest in Madagascar and has a very archaic culture based on fishing, flamingo feather trading and honey gathering. Although the Mikea mostly seclude themselves and thus want to preserve their cultural characteristics, you will get an insight into the musical tradition of these people when Mme Claire has a typical Mikea band perform in the evening and end the evening with an incomparable performance of dance, song and music.
Overnight stay at "Salary Bay
Day 9: Salary - Ifaty
After breakfast, we will continue south. Since the course of the tracks through the thorn forest changes after each rainy season, the route can either run directly along the sea or many kilometers inland. In Manombo we have a short rest and refresh ourselves with cool drinks in the only store of the remote village, before we continue southwards. In the late afternoon we finally reach Ifaty/Mangily, "the" beach paradise par excellence, and check into our hotel. Here at the place water sports are capitalized and in the next two days you have enough time for it.
Accommodation in the comfortable "Hotel Belladonna" directly by the sea
Day 10: Ifaty and surroundings
You have the opportunity to relax from the exertions of the trip on the beach, snorkel/dive, take a boat trip or even go "kite surfing", which is offered here to a special extent. The hinterland also has many attractions to offer: the famous "Reniala Reserve offers insights into the flora and fauna of the south. In the "Village des Tortoises" you can see an interesting breeding and protection program for the rare ray and spider tortoises. The cuisine here is also naturally "maritime": friends of fish and seafood will get their money's worth here.
Overnight stay in "Hotel Belladonna
Day 11: Ifaty - Tuléar - Sarondrano
After breakfast, we head south on the sandy dirt road to Tuléar, the large port city on the Mozambique Channel. On the program is a visit to the city. Internet use and shopping are possible again after the long drive through remote areas. Before approaching the headland of Sarondrano, which stretches out between sand dunes and mangrove forests into the turquoise-blue Lagon, things get exciting. Between Tuléar and Saint Augustin lies one of the most beautiful guesthouses I know on this island. "Résidence Eden Lodge" is still an insider tip, but it won't stay that way for long.
Overnight stay in hotel "Résidence Eden Lodge"
Day 12 and 13: Sarondrano
Two well-deserved days of vacation follow, but they by no means have to "degenerate" into banal beach vacations if this form of passive vacation is undesirable. The Tsinjoriake Nature Park offers many opportunities for visits, humpback whales can be observed during migration, and canoes and outrigger pirogues are available for cruising through the mangrove forest. The grotto and dunes of Sarondrano are also worth a visit. If a longer stay is desired, one can also continue to Anakao and Itampolo by boat.
Overnight stay in hotel "Résidence Eden Lodge"
Day 14: Sarondrano - Tuléar - Antananarivo
Airport transfer and return flight to Antananarivo or start of a connecting destination
For some the tour ends here and for others a connecting tour to the north via the famous RN7 towards Antananarivo begins.
Important notes
The order of visits can be changed based on local constraints (weather, festivals and flight dates ...). The program can also be changed by the participants if it is technically and financially possible. Flexibility and listening to satisfy the expectations of the participants are always possible.
Although we use only Toyota Landcruiser or Nissan Patrol off-road vehicles, it is not possible to have more than 4 guests transported in one car on such bad tracks. If more than four guests want to take part in the tour, more drivers and four-wheel drive cars will be used accordingly.
The hikes and treks are basically adapted to the guests like all activities. They can even be cancelled upon request and replaced by an additional beach day, for example. Individual planning of the trip is possible.
Alternatives are always possible if they exist. Also note the possibility of scheduling a connecting tour.
West Coast - From Antananarivo to Sarondrano, 14 days in half board:
RN7-14 days | Price per person |
2 to 3 guests | 2450 € |
4 to 5 guests | 2450 € |
6 - 7 guests | 2450 € |
8 - 9 guests | 2450 € |
10 guests and more | 2450 € |
Single room supplement: 450€
Included in the basic price:
- Logistics and accompaniment by an experienced German-speaking tour guide
- One four-wheel drive car with driver per maximum 4 guests during the whole tour (diesel included)
- The total nights in the specified hotels
- Meals according to the program (breakfast and dinner) in very good restaurants
- All transfers, trips including taxes according to the program
Not included in the base price:
- The drinks and lunch
- Tips and expenses of personal use
- Sightseeing and excursions with additional local guides and optional leisure activities
- International flights and domestic flights