Madagascar

Landscapes Straight Out of a Dream

The Avenue of the Baobabs near Morondava is one of Africa's most iconic sights: ancient, bottle-shaped giants lining a red dirt road as the sun drops behind them. Elsewhere, the limestone cathedral spires of Tsingy de Bemaraha pierce the sky in formations unlike anything on Earth, while the rolling red highlands around Antananarivo shift colour with every hour of light. Madagascar rewards those who simply pull over and look.

Indian Ocean Coastline at Its Finest

Nosy Be in the northwest sits at the top of most wish lists: warm turquoise water, abundant marine life including whale sharks and manta rays, and coral gardens that snorkellers and divers return to year after year. The quieter Masoala Peninsula fringes one of the largest remaining tracts of coastal rainforest on the island, where the beach meets the jungle in a spectacular clash of ecosystems. Ile Sainte Marie draws visitors in humpback whale season for some of the most reliable sightings in the Indian Ocean.

Culture Woven from Two Continents

The Malagasy people carry the extraordinary heritage of Austronesian settlers from Borneo and Bantu communities from mainland Africa, and the cultural blend is richly visible in their music, cooking and deeply held traditions around family and ancestors. Antananarivo's hilltop Rova palace complex and the vibrant Zoma market district give the capital real texture, while local zebu cattle roam the highlands as freely as they have for centuries. Meals of romazava stew and ravitoto with rice eaten in busy local hotely offer an unfiltered taste of everyday Malagasy life.