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Introducing Madagascar

Discover Madagascar. 
Located off the east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, the fourth-largest island in the world is extraordinarily biodiverse. There are 19,000 types of flora in Madagascar, and 5% of the world’s animal species exist here too. The most recognizable of its mammals is the lemur, while the most iconic plant is the stocky baobab tree. Factor in the country’s thousands of miles of unspoiled coastline, and you have a travel destination that's truly unlike any other.

When is the best time to visit?
Due to its location in the tropics, Madagascar has two major seasons: wet and dry. The rainy season lasts from November to May, and it’s best avoided. Madagascar’s famous cyclones are likely to hit during this time. The dry season lasts from April through October, and the last couple months of it are great for lemur watching and visiting national parks. Come during April if you want to avoid peak tourist season. If you visit between July and September, you can take advantage of the humpback whale migration with a whale-watching tour.

Where should you go?
You’ll likely be flying into the capital of Antananarivo. Worth a visit here is the Rova, which has served as the home of Monarchs in the Imerina Kingdom dating back to the 17th century. The capital is also a great place to enjoy the country's singular cuisine, a blend of African and Malay culinary traditions. Outside Antananarivo you can visit the stunning Parc National de l'Isalo, home to over 300 miles of sandstone massifs, deep gorges, and crystalline pools.

Off Madagascar’s northwestern coast lies the coral island of Nosy Be—think white-sand beaches and wildlife, especially chameleons and lemurs. And if you want some great diving and snorkeling, head to Anakao. To see Madagascar's national tree, visit the famous Avenue of the Baobabs, a dirt road between Morondava and Belon'i Tsiribihina in western Madagascar that is lined with particularly impressive specimens.

How many days do you need?
It’s very difficult to experience Madagascar adequately in under a week. In a week, you can travel the RN7 highway from the capital and make stops at some of the country's many national parks. With two weeks, you can visit the national parks and other highlights, do some lemur spotting, and travel the coastline as well as visit offshore islands.

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Trip Reviews for Madagascar

The latest reviews by travelers who booked their trip on kimkim

Great experience, some observations and suggestions.
Madagascar | Nov 5 - Nov 17, 2024

Gary
Gary H.
Maple Grove, MN | Reviewed on Nov 23, 2024
On the front end of this trip, Esther did a great job of responding to our questions and concerns and suggesting solutions to potential problems. In country Charlie was a great guide. He was responsive, concerned, knowledgeable, connected. Our best experiences with KimKim connected trips are when the local guide is plugged in and knowledgeable. Our marginal experiences were when the local guide was not directly connected to the community we were touring. Charlie was connected throughout... Read more

On the front end of this trip, Esther did a great job of responding to our questions and concerns and suggesting solutions to potential problems. In country Charlie was a great guide. He was responsive, concerned, knowledgeable, connected. Our best experiences with KimKim connected trips are when the local guide is plugged in and knowledgeable. Our marginal experiences were when the local guide was not directly connected to the community we were touring. Charlie was connected throughout Madagascar and it made a big difference.

Some general observations: There were more meals provided to us during the trip than we were expecting. Not sure why there were discrepancies between our itinerary and our experiences, but it happened several times. On a personal note, sandwiches and snacks would be preferred to a big more formal lunch. Breakfast, light lunch, and nice dinner would be our preferred model.

We very much appreciated having the charter flight arranged for us to successfully complete our tour. Perhaps this should be offered during the planning of the trip as a more reliable way of transportation. We had "padded" a day on the end of the trip to make sure we were back in time for our international flight, but the charter was a better option. The flight itself was enjoyable, smooth, high wing enabling great views. Good option for people who are willing to fly single engine charter.

Being able to do a late checkout on our last day in Antananarivo made a huge difference in our comfort. It should be built into the itinerary. We were able to have a last large dinner (more revenue for the hotel) relax, get a shower before heading for 28 hours of continuous travel. Build this into all or your customers travel plans who are leaving around midnight.

Local specialist: Esther Ruempol
Esther
Esther Ruempol
Local specialist in Johannesburg, South Africa | Replied on Nov 24, 2024

Hi Gary, thank you so much for this great review! I am so happy that you enjoyed your trip in Madagascar and we really appreciate that you mentioned some points for improvement. I've read through everything carefully and we will keep it in mind going forward! It is an on-going goal within our company to make each trip better than the previous one and your feedback really helps us to do this. So once again a big thank you and we hope to see you again :-)

Madagascar is a fascinating country, filled w...
Madagascar | Nov 5 - Nov 17, 2024

Minda
Minda H.
Maple Grove, MN | Reviewed on Nov 20, 2024
Madagascar is a fascinating country, filled with many "natural world" things to explore from lemurs and chameleons to hiking beautiful forests. It also has a rich cultural heritage which we were able to explore as well.
Our guide, Charlie was one of the best we have encountered on our many Kimkim trips. He drove us many miles on difficult roads safely, he is very knowledgeable about his country and culture and has many contacts throughout the country. He was eager to please us , and he...
Read more

Madagascar is a fascinating country, filled with many "natural world" things to explore from lemurs and chameleons to hiking beautiful forests. It also has a rich cultural heritage which we were able to explore as well.
Our guide, Charlie was one of the best we have encountered on our many Kimkim trips. He drove us many miles on difficult roads safely, he is very knowledgeable about his country and culture and has many contacts throughout the country. He was eager to please us , and he did!
Esther put together a trip that highlighted all we wanted to see and do. We are thankful for her help. As an extra bonus we were actually able to meet her in person as she was traveling in Madagascar the same time we were!

Activity Reviews
Arrival in Antananarivo & Transfer to your accommodation
Arrival in Antananarivo & Transfer to your accommodation
Antananarivo

Charlie was there waiting despite our flight being delayed 2 hours!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
Andasibe

Roger was an excellent guide in this park. We saw lots of lemurs! It's a busy /popular park.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Roger the guide
Transport
Local specialist: Esther Ruempol
Esther
Esther Ruempol
Local specialist in Johannesburg, South Africa | Replied on Nov 21, 2024

Dear Minda, Gary and Nate,
I am so happy you had a wonderful trip and it was really great to meet you in Madagascar!
I will also pass on your message to Charlie, he will be very pleased to hear your wonderful compliments :-)
Thank you so much for travelling with us!

A magical adventure, planned to perfection
Madagascar | Sep 11 - Sep 27, 2024

Alison
Alison R.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Oct 11, 2024
We have recently returned from a 16 day adventure in Madagascar, booked through KimKim and planned, booked and organised through Esther in South Africa. We had an amazing time. Everything pretty much went to plan, apart from Air France losing our luggage on both our inward and outward journey and my needing a doctor after a bad reaction to malaria tablets. Esther remained in contact throughout and did an amazing job planning an unforgettable holiday for us. Everything about it was spot on... Read more

We have recently returned from a 16 day adventure in Madagascar, booked through KimKim and planned, booked and organised through Esther in South Africa.

We had an amazing time. Everything pretty much went to plan, apart from Air France losing our luggage on both our inward and outward journey and my needing a doctor after a bad reaction to malaria tablets. Esther remained in contact throughout and did an amazing job planning an unforgettable holiday for us. Everything about it was spot on and special occasions were made very special.
Our in-country driver and guide, Dolly, was an amazingly calm, kind, friendly and knowledgeable individual who taught us so much about the country as we travelled round. We really did enjoy his company, and his mastery of the extremely difficult roads. He always planned and timed our stops carefully (for banks, western toilets and ‘safe’ food) and discussed each day with us the evening before.
All our accommodation was fantastic. We had our favourites of course! If anything, I think some of the activities and locations were undersold, which made them all the more exciting. Camp Catta , Isalo Rock ( amazing food), and Nosy Be Hotel were our favourite places to stay.
Our main requirement was to see ring tailed lemurs, and other lemurs along the way. The different reserves (national and community) provided amazing opportunities to see different lemurs, frogs, birds, chameleons, lizards and more in different environments. All the while we seemed to secure the services of the most knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic local guides.
We found the Malagasy people warm and welcoming. Even those in great hardship seem to smile. However, it is a country of extreme poverty, awful roads, and chaotic traffic-filled cities so people must be prepared that everything might not go to plan.
Our trip was an unforgettable combination of impressive scenery, abundant wildlife, lovely people, great food and accommodation combined with scenes of everyday life. It was well planned and organised throughout. We would encourage everyone to take some time to chill on the coast before leaving and to enjoy the marine wildlife too
This is our second time booking through KimKim and we will certainly use them again.

Special thanks to Esther and Dolly.

Hotel Reviews
AU BOIS VERT
Antananarivo

Very close to the airport, good food and friendly staff. Lovely, secure grounds and comfortable rustic room. No mosquito net but we didn’t see any. Sun goes of the pool fairly early in the afternoon as the trees shade it .

Authenticity & Character
Interesting rustic room
Location
Close to the airport, quiet. Lovely wooded area with lots of birds
Staff
Staff were all very smiley and English wasn’t a problem
Cleanliness & Comfort
Bed was very comfy
Camp Catta

We loved this place and really weren’t expecting to from the photos! Views are fantastic. The pool is amazing. The food is good, despite the hotel being in the middle of nowhere. The room is fairly basic but has everything you need including a mosquito net. The camp is home to ring tail lemurs who happily roam around and jump up and down on your roof at 6am. I loved being able to fit and watch them for hours.

Authenticity & Character
Location, lemurs, light
Location
Tricky journey to get here in that the road to the hotel is essentially a track - takes at least an hour from the nearest awful road . Views of the chameleon mountain are superb. Great for climbers
Staff
My French!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Isalo Rock Lodge
Ranohira

Wow. Amazing view, amazing room , amazing staff and amazing food. The best food we ate anywhere- delicious and stylish presentation . Congratulations to the chefs.

Authenticity & Character
Modern luxury
Location
What views. We’d have happily stayed longer.
Staff
Always smiling
Cleanliness & Comfort
Eco Lodge Les Chambres Du Voyageur
Antsirabe

We only stayed here one night and they weren’t doing food that evening. We found the room cramped and dark, with lots of mosquitoes. I did swim in the murky pool but half expected a creature to emerge from the deep! clean and adequate gor a night in the road.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Clean but cramped and dark accommodation. Lovely floral touches, nice balcony and tea and coffee facilities.
Hotel Thermal Ranomafana
Ranomafana

Lovely hotel in. spectacular and extensive grounds adjacent to the river . Modern comfortable room and en-suite. Good and well used outdoor bar area. Natural thermal spa pools are worth booking. This is a really interesting and beautiful town to wander around with an outdoor swimming pool, riverside walks etc . A great base for the national park. We also visited Setam Lodge for lunch - amazing zebu steak.

Authenticity & Character
Provide an indoor bar area
Location
Staff
My French and their smiles . Also asked not to be disturbed until 10am as I wasn’t well, but we were constantly harassed by cleaners.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Nice bed, good shower
Relais des Plateaux & Spa

Standard rooms but comfortable. Good food with availability through the day and evening - obviously popular with locals who leave their kids in the pool while they eat. Also used by airline crews. Great pool, good service - we were impressed as it had everything we needed to relax before travelling home.

Authenticity & Character
Everything goes on around the pool . Be plenty of bar and restaurant space.
Location
Close to airport
Staff
Very friendly and helpful on reception
Cleanliness & Comfort
Bakuba Lodge

We only stayed here one night and arrived mid afternoon so the sun had gone of the pool and we didn’t get to enjoy our whacky outdoor space. Accommodating staff who were very kind when I wasn’t well. Cash only for settling up for food and drinks. Amazing huge room and bathroom which was lovely, but poor sound proofing! Sadly I didn’t try the menu

Authenticity & Character
Probably deserved a 5 but we weren’t there long enough
Location
Close to airport and beach resorts
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Nosy Be Hotel

Great hotel. Beautiful room, location, facilities, grounds, staff, pool, beach and bar. Only thing that stops this being a 5 is the food which we found disappointing. Breakfast was fabulous and breakfast staff lovely we found the evening menu largely disappointing and there were obvious tensions amongst the staff . We would still recommend this hotel for everything else.

Authenticity & Character
Really well laid out, comfortable and relaxed
Location
Right on the beach
Staff
Most were special, one we found to be rude to us and the staff she managed
Cleanliness & Comfort
The comfy bar sofas really made a difference!
Activity Reviews
Arrival in Antananarivo & Transfer to your accommodation
Arrival in Antananarivo & Transfer to your accommodation
Antananarivo

Air France left our luggage in Paris, and that of a number of other travellers who had originally boarded a connection in London. The flight arrived late in Madagascar so the extra hassle after a long flight was particularly unwelcome. Luckily we weren’t leaving the capital straight away but I’m sure it caused real issues for people departing early next day. We were met and transferred perfectly and our driver was very patient whist we tried to sort things out. The airport staff were also very helpful. Note: luggage not arriving on this route is not unusual . There is no Friday flight, so if you travel on a Thursday and your bags don’t arrive then they will come out on Saturday night - and if you’re not there at the airport to pick them up they are unlikely to follow you until Sunday or Monday. Transfer itself was perfect.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Patient and helpful despite very late hour
Transport
Antsirabe City Tour
Antsirabe City Tour
Antsirabe

We chose not to do this . Spent time chilling after late night and shopping to find essentials until our luggage arrived

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day excursion to Nosy Komba & Tanikely
Day excursion to Nosy Komba & Tanikely
Nosy Be

Great day seeing the islands. Our boat driver and guides were fantastic. Lunch was cooked for us and was one of the best meals we had all holiday. We hadn’t appreciated how much shopping was part of the experience at Nosy Komba so would probably have taken more cash with us . The shopping and stalls leading up to the nature park were colourful and interesting - but be prepared for pressure to buy. (although please do buy to support the community)The reserve was busy but our guide was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour and the plants and creatures we saw made it really worthwhile. The black lemurs are attracted and fed with bananas to encourage them on to visitors shoulders for photos . And yes, you can expect poos! An interesting island, this contrasted well with Tanikely which we loved. Beautiful beach , snorkelling over coral, tropical fish and turtles. This is a protected island - we saw bee eaters too.

Quality of Experience
A really well planned day offering a range of experiences
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Guides were so knowledgeable and keen to talk and share that knowledge
Transport
Stargazing
Stargazing
Ranohira

We didn’t do this activity . We live in a dark sky area of the UK!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Esther Ruempol
Esther
Esther Ruempol
Local specialist in Johannesburg, South Africa | Replied on Oct 19, 2024

Hi Allison, thanks so much for your glowing review and for also reviewing the individual hotels. This is really helpful for us! Very unfortunate that you lost your luggage and were not feeling well for part of the trip, but great to hear you had a wonderful journey, apart from this :-)