6 to 17 October 2025

Karine, our local guide

Here’s an overview of your Malagasy adventure

• Day 1: Arrival and welcome dinner

• Day 2: Antananarivo walking history and street food tour & lemur park

• Day 3: Silk workshop visit, Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, night visit of VOIMMA Park

• Day 4: Andasibe-Mantadia National Park and Mitsinjo Reserve

• Day 5: Women association visit and culinary tour of Madagascar

• Day 6: Fly to Diego Suares, Montagne d’Ambre National Park hike, market visit, local dinner

• Day 7: Red Tsingy, sunset drinks and dancing

• Day 8: Ankarana adventure (canoeing, hiking, caving, abseiling, zip-lining)

• Day 9: Cacao plantation, Nosy Komba island tour

• Days 10: Free time in Nosy Komba for snorkeling, swimming with whales and turtles or sandbank excursions

• Day 11: Free time at Nosy Komba. Farewell beach dinner

• Day 12: Departure day from Nosy Be. Optional return flight to Antananarivo + additional hotel night for departure on day 13.

Day 1 : Welcome to Madagascar!

Welcome to Antananarivo!

Your pick up will be waiting for you at the airport to take you to our first accommodation in the heart of the city.

Relax in their chill terrace or the balconies of this colonial house until the early evening when we will meet for a welcome briefing and dinner at the hotel’s chic and cool fine dining restaurant.

Overnight at Radisson City Center 4*

The Radisson City Center Hotel has been recently renovated and has a lovely rooftop terrace with great views of Tana’s heritage center and a fantastic location within walking distance of the main sights, saving us the traffic jams that often cloak the city.

The rooms are new, very spacious and have all the comforts of an international hotel chain while affording scenic views.

Inclusions: Welcome drinks and dinner. Airport pick up.

Day 2: Antanarivo’s old and new

Activity: 4 to 5 hours walking.

Antananarivo, affectionately referred to as Tana, is set across 12 hills and was the center of the country’s unification in the 17th century.

It’s high altitude and low rise buildings make it feel like a breezy endless city that stretches as far as the eye can see.

Our day will start at the Royal Palace for a guided visit with a local guide who will tell us how the country came to be.

Our morning will continue with a female guide taking us on a street food tour through the city center. Discover the many flavors, textures and smells that make Malagasy cuisine so unique from the rest of the continent and possibly, the world.

Find Indonesian and Malay influence in the recipes and ingredients, and the spices brought by the Arab traders coming from the Middle East and Zanzibar.

Our local female expert will take us through the narrow alleys and stalls locals eat at so we can sample the food that never makes it to restaurants or hotels.

In the afternoon, with our bellies full, we will head to the Lemur Park for our first sighting of the friendly and extremely adorable national animal, the lemurs.

The park is home to seven species of lemurs who live freely in a large space. These are wild animals that have been semi-habituated and are likely to come close to us, instead of staying high up in the trees.

By the hand of a local guide and the help of their carers, we will walk around the park and discover ringtail lemurs (Madagascar the movie King Julius), sifaka lemurs (the dancing lemurs) and other species of this endemic animal.

After the park, we will return to Tana for free time to have dinner and relax.

Overnight at Radisson City Center

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, guided tour of the Royal Palace with a local guide, street food tour lunch with local expert, guided visit of the Lemur Park, all entry tickets, transfers in private minibus.

Day 3 : Silk workshop visit, Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, night visit of VOIMMA Park

Activity: 90 min walking and 90 min hiking.

Today we will leave Tana behind but not before visiting the Royal Hills and a female-owned and staffed silk workshop.

We will start at a silk workshop where we will learn how Malagasy silk is made and weaved. This is a female owned and run cooperative and we will get a chance to speak to the women.

We will then continue to The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, one of the country’s only 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites and the only one in the city after the royal palace burned down in 1995.

This walled and fortified royal site is made of a burial site, King Andrianampoinimerina home, Queen Ranavalona II summer palace and a complex of royal tombs.

Located about an hour away from the city, up in the hills, this is the most important site of the Merina Kingdom who controlled Madagascar until the arrival of French colonisers.

This is the same royal lineage that has survived until today, despite being exiled during colonial rule, and that continues to have strong spiritual and religious meaning to the Malagasy people, even though the country is a republic.

The current Queen continues to have ceremonial and symbolic powers but rarely comes to the site.

However, pilgrims come almost daily to perform animal sacrifices and offerings and worship the ancestors.

We will have lunch in the city before leaving the urban center behind and heading towards Andasibe rainforest.

We will check in to our lodge and go back out for a night visit at VOIMMA Reserve.

This community-run park is officially called Vondron’olona miaro mitia ala, which means “Local people love the forest“, and offers the chance to see nocturnal species of lemurs and other wildlife that are typically hiding during the day.

The hike in the dark will take about 90min to 2 hours and will have us walking really slowly with our headlamps and torches in search of wildlife that is only active at night, from colorful frogs and mice, to uri-uri lemurs, chameleons or owls.

After the visit, we will return to the lodge and you will have free time for dinner.

Overnight at Manjarano Lodge 4*

Majarano Lodge is located outside Andasibe National Park and is a newly built lovely lodge with all the amenities of a modern hotel and a stunning location around a lake on a hill.

Each room is in a large self contained cottage with AC and heating, and an outdoor terrace with great views to the lake and pool. Bathrooms are modern.

The winning part of the hotel is its lovely pool with views over lake and the rest of the resort, and the spa which should be complete by the time our trip takes place.

The restaurant and bar area are bright and serve an extensive menu by the fireplace.

Note: If the tour is sold out, we will be taking over all the rooms in the lodge.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, visit to silk workshop, guided tour of The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, lunch in Tana, transfers to Andasibe by minibus, guided night time visit of VOIMMA.

Day 4: Andasibe-Mantadia National Park and Mitsinjo Reserve

Activity: 4 to 6 hours hiking in the wet and often rainy national park.

We will wake up early to head out into Andasibe National Park in search of lemurs, chameleons and other endemic species of flora and fauna.

Andasibe National Park is a rainforest and it is more often than not wet, muddy and humid, if not warm.

Showers should be expected while we are there, even if we will visit during the dry season, because it rains 210 days of the year, so the trails are usually muddy and slippery.

However, sightings are rewarding as the park is teeming with wildlife including 11 species of lemurs and many endangered or protected kinds of flora and fauna.

The highlight of our visit to Andasibe will be tracking various families of golden sifakia and the famous indri indri lemur, the largest and most unique species of them all.

Indri indri only inhabit a few parks in Madagascar are notoriously shy. With their larger than average body, their short tail and their fluffy ears, they look like a mix between a koala and a bear.

There are two families of indri indri that have been semi-habituated and are used to humans. In the morning, we will be able to hear them loudly singing from the top of the trees.

Their voice can be heard up to 2 km away and reached 70 decibels. They use this singing to alert other families to stay away or to communicate with each other. You have never heard anything like this.

Our trip will happen during the lemur birthing season and it is possible to spot baby lemurs expertly hanging from their mother’s bellies and backs.

Golden sifakia are commonly spotted at Andasibe and can come pretty close to visitors.

The park is also home to brown lemurs and chameleons as well as many birds, reptiles and many endemic species of colorful tiny orchids which we will also look out for.

Our visit will last about 4 hours and we will go off path to venture closer to the lemurs and away from other visitor groups.

After the visit, we will head to lunch at our hotel.

In the afternoon, if you are up for it, we will go back out to the other side of the same forest complex, to Mitsinjo Park, a community-based project managed by the villagers.

Mitsinjo Park is famous for being another accessible spot to see the indri indri and sifakia. The park has a green and red lake that attract birds and is made of steep up and down paths.

Unlike Andasibe, Mitsinjo has a team of trackers that set out to find the various lemur families every morning, making our effort to find them easier.

This is a much less frequented park so it is not unusual to enjoy alone time with the animals.

After our excursions, we will return to the hotel for free time for a massage, to chill by the pool or have a drink at the lounge. Dinner will be at leisure at the hotel’s restaurant.

Overnight at Majarano Lodge.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, transportation for the day by minibus, entry tickets to Mitsinjo Park and Andasibe National Park, local guides at both parks, lunch at a local restaurant.

Day 5: Women association visit and culinary workshop in Antananarivo

We will be departing Andasibe and make our way back to Tana today, but not before stopping at a female run handicraft association.

This community-led initiative started in 2005 when a local woman saw an opportunity to make souvenirs for sale to visitors to the park.

Today they have exclusivity at the park’s store and employ 20 women part or full time to make their creations. Proceeds go directly to the artisan who made each item, after the park takes a commission.

We will meet with the women and learn more about their project, and our return to Tana will start after the visit. On our way, we will stop for lunch at a casual eatery and arrive at our hotel for the night in the early afternoon.

You will have a little bit of time to relax before we meet again for our culinary tour of Madagascar with a female chef and explorer.

Farah spent a year biking with her all-terrain motorcycle through all the corners of Madagascar discovering lost recipes and ingredients from across the territory.

She returned home and has been educating children and adults on old recipes and ingredients with the idea of spreading the love for food.

She will guide us through a cooking class where we will learn how to prepare some of Madagascar’s most fundamental dishes and will sit together to enjoy a meal as we hear her stories of life on the road.

Dinner will take place at her farm which will be specially decorated for the group in an intimate setting right among the ingredients we will learn about.

Overnight at Relais des Plateaux

This hotel is perfectly located just 5 minutes from the airport and is also a quiet getaway of red buildings, a peaceful garden with a pool and a lovely spa.

Service is efficient and friendly, the restaurant serves delicious food and the rooms are spacious and well taken care of, with AC and heating.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, transport by minibus, visit to female association, lunch at a local eatery, culinary dinner exploration.

Day 6: Fly to Diego Suares, Montagne d’Ambre National Park hike and market visit

Activity: 4 hours hiking in the park on sometimes steep terrain, 1 hour walk in the market.

Our day will start extremely early with a flight to Diego Suares.

We will leave the hotel 2 hours before our flight and head to the domestic terminal for our 2-hour flight to the northern most part of Madagascar.

When we land in Diego Suares, the sun will be waking up, so we will get on our private 4×4 cars and head south towards Montagne d’Ambre National Park.

Montagne d’Ambre is only 38km from Diego, but the road is in terrible condition, so it will take us between 90 minutes and 2 hours to arrive. This will be our first experience of the bumpy roads of the country’s north!

Montagne d’Ambre is home to a few species of lemurs and chameleons and is known for its many species of introduced trees and plants that make it look like a fairy tale.

We will go on a 3-4 hour hike with a local female guide on mostly flat terrain with an incline and take a few detours to check out some sacred waterfalls and lakes the park is known for.

On our hike, we will look out for wild crown or brown lemurs and camouflaged chameleons, especially the smallest of them all who is often found in the park.

This tiny species measures just 3cm and likes to hang out by the tree roots, on the ground.

There are also amphibians, reptiles and several species of birds.

After the hike, we will drive to a nearby eco-lodge for lunch with a wonderful view of the park.

We will return to Diego for a market visit as the sun sets down on the horizon.

Diego is a relatively quiet, clean and safe town with a buzzing market that is perfect for a stroll.

Look out for the noodle stalls that make the popular long noodles by hand, the perfectly cut and shaped vegetables, ready to be cooked, and the colorful fruits and vegetables.

Tired but excited from the long day, we will go to the hotel for check in and to freshen up before dinner.

We will take tuk tuks, a newly introduced mode of transport in Diego, to a female owned restaurant that serves delicious local dishes in a laid back environment.

This unassuming eatery became locally famous thanks to is tasty side dishes of fried plantain, yuca and mango salad which will accompany any dish you choose. An opportunity to try Malagasy cuisine at a place loved by the locals.

Overnight at Le Grand Hotel 4*

Le Grand Hotel is a large hotel complex and the best accommodation in town.

Rooms have AC and heating, are very spacious, and the decor will take you back in time (despite being well taken care of). There is a massive garden pool with a bar and another casual bar by the main entrance.

What makes this hotel great is its location in the main thoroughfare in Diego, near bars and all the night action; feel free to wander out for a night cap after dinner.

Note: Although it’s classed as 4* hotel, you will find it’s actually more like a 3.5* hotel.

Inclusions: Breakfast take away from the hotel, transport to the airport in a minibus, flights to Diego Suares on Air Madagascar, 4×4 transport in Diego with 3 guests to a car, entry tickets to Montagne d’Ambre National Park, female guide in the park, visit of a local market, lunch at eco-lodge, dinner in town.

Day 7: Red Tsingy, sunset dancing

Activity: 1 hour hiking in the park on largely flat terrain.

Today we are leaving Diego Suares behind and continuing south towards Ankarana National Park, our home for the next two nights.

The roads in this park of Madagascar are in poor condition and this means lots of potholes, occasional tarmac sections but largely gravel roads that require determination and lots of attention to navigate.

About 90min after leaving Diego, we will stop at the Red Tsingy, a natural formation created by the erosion caused by the rain and river flowing on the red clay and limestone in the area.

The landscapes created by nature are incredible here and we will get pretty close to these fairy chimneys on a short guided walk following the well marked trail.

The path takes about an hour to cover and has a few view points from where to observe the large area.

We will enjoy a picnic lunch by the Red Tsingy before getting back to our cars and returning to the main road for our journey towards Ankarana National Park.

We will arrive at our eco-lodge in the late afternoon, check in and get on traditional canoes to paddle to a small island from where we will enjoy the sunset with the company of villagers who will sing and dance with us.

You will be free to participate and learn about the local instruments and dance form.

Dinner will be back at the lodge, under a starry night. You have never seen the Milky Way as clear as from our eco-lodge.

Overnight at Inharana Bush Camp 3*

Inharana Bush Camp is an eco-friendly lodge that provides the opportunity to live authentically like locals do and with minimal impact, right in front of the Tsingy of Ankarana and a small lake.

Cottages have no plugs or charging points, no AC or heating, no locks, no windows or doors (only curtains) and are built with walls made of mud. Floors are made of wooden planks and thatched roofs.

The common areas are open-plan with large lounging spaces and sofas. There are two bars and two restaurants where meals will be served.

Inharana’s exclusive location will give us access to a range of activities only available to guests of the camp, a one of a kind experience and the main reason we chose to stay at the camp.

At night, the minimal light pollution of the camp will open up the skies to as many stars are there are.

The camp was largely destroyed by the cyclone in April 2024 and has been rebuilt with the help of a bit more concrete than before, primarily on the foundation.

Note: Inharana provides charging stations in the office, Wifi in the lounge and mosquito nets in the rooms. However, the experience is one with nature and you should expect to see insects in your cottage.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, transportation in 4×4 vehicles with 3 guests to a car from Diego Suares to Red Tsingy and from the Red Tsingy to Iharana Bush Camp, entry ticket and visit to Red Tsingy, picnic lunch in the park, sunset drinks with local live music and dancing, dinner at the hotel.

Day 8: Ankarana adventure day

Activity: Between 90 min to 4 hours depending on choice.

Today you can choose your own adventure, and how much or how little you want to explore the park.

You will have three options, from the least adventurous to the most, all them designed by famous French speleologist Jean Claude Dobrilla, who also created the trails and paths to make them safe but fun (a speleologist is a scientist who studies caves).

During the hike, you can spot chameleons and lemurs who inhabit the park.

Option 1 – Hike only: Short hike up the main view points of Ambatomiloloha’s. This option requires the ability to walk up uneven rocky stairs up between 100-120 meters. The private path is marked with ladders, bridges, guardrails and panoramic viewpoints. This should take about 90 minutes.

Option 2 – Hike and caves: In addition to the hike in option 1, you will also enter the cave system and explore the stalactites and stalagmites inside on a largely flat terrain. This should take 2-2.5 hours.

Option 3 – Via ferrata, abseil, caves and zip lines: This is the most complete exploration of the park and requires a high level of fitness to not only hike but also pull yourself up and down the via ferrata with ropes and cables.

After the hike, you will put on a harness and helmet and continue on parts of the via ferrata until you reach 3 zip lines, ranging from 30m to 100m long. Feel the rush of adrenaline as you hang over the canyon with the most amazing views.

At the end of the zip lines, you will abseil into the subterranean cave system and continue through narrow tunnels and more via ferrata stretches with the help of a headlamp. This should take 3.5-4 hours.

After the morning activities we will return to the bush camp for a group lunch.

OPTIONAL: In the afternoon, you will have free time to book a treatment at the spa, explore the area around the lodge, take bicycles and cycle to the nearest village, or head back to the Tsingy of Ankarana (1 hour drive away) for more hiking. You can also go back to the camp’s nearest tsiny for extra zip-lining.

In the evening, we will meet again for a group dinner at the camp as the sun goes down and nature serenades us back to sleep amongst it.

Overnight at Inharana Bush Camp

Inclusions: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel, chosen activity with guides, transfers and equipment. Additional spa treatments or afternoon activities not included.

Day 9: Cacao plantation, Nosy Komba island tour

Walk time: 3 hours for the history, bar and graffiti tour.

We will start the day early with a lovely breakfast with lake views at Inharana Bush Camp before leaving for our island escape.

On the way, we will drive through ylang ylang and cacao plantations, famously occupying most of the agricultural land near Ankify.

We will stop at a female managed cacao plantation to learn more about the Malagasy crop that is sadly almost entirely exported to France.

We will stroll through the plantation to learn more about how cocoa is grown and harvested and about the few other spices Madagascar is known for, such as ylang ylang, pepper, and cinnamon.

We will get to taste the toasted cacao and continue on our way towards the port town of Ankify, where will board our private boat to Nosy Komba, our island paradise for the next 3 nights.

The boat ride to Tsara Komba will take just 15 min after which we will get our feet wet in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and walk up to the resort’s bar area.

We will check in with a tropical juice in hand and be shown to our fabulous suites, all of which have sea views.

We have booked out the entire resort just for us, for that extra pampering and me-time.

We will enjoy lunch at the main restaurant, with stunning views over the islands and the sea below, and meet up in the early afternoon for a group island tour.

Tsara Komba is located in the island of the same name, which means island of lemurs in Malagasy. And there is indeed an active, wild but domesticate colony of lemurs above the main village that is ready to greet us and show us how naughty they can be.

We will board speed boats and ride into town for a glimpse of the laid-back local life of the islands.

We will visit the small museum and the lemur park with a local guide. The two families of lemurs here are completely wild, but have been domesticated by the village Queen to respond to specific calls. Because they have no predators and are quite used to visitors, they have no problem getting close to you and may even jump on your shoulders.

Unlike naughty monkeys elsewhere, these lemurs are harmless and very friendly.

After the visit, you will have a bit of free time to explore the town, maybe buy some souvenirs or just chat with the locals.

We will return to the resort before sunset and have our first island group dinner.

Overnight at Tsara Komba 4*

Tsara Komba is a luxury paradise resort with just 8 bungalows and suites set around a main building and right above the beach and the sea.

Suites and bungalows are spacious, measuring between 90 sqm and 120sqm, open plan and with large terraces with sun loungers, chairs and sofas to relax on.

Each room has a thatched roof and is entirely made of wood, with shutters that let the breeze some through but that do not seal out completely, so you will be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves just below.

The entire resort works with solar panels. Beds have mosquito nets, there is no AC or heating, but there is fan over the bed. Temperatures drop at night in the winter so you should not be warm. There is WiFi in the common areas.

Note: If the tour is sold out, we will be taking over the entire resort.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the camp, transfers in 4×4 with 3 guests to a car, visit of cacao plantation, speed boat transfers to the resort, lunch at the resort, Nosy Komba island tour, dinner at the resort.

Day 10 & 11: Tsara Komba at Leisure

You have the next two days to splurge, indulge and explore everything the Nosy Be archipelago has to offer.

Our trip will happen during the whale season and this means that you can book an excursion to swim with whale sharks and humpback whales that come to the warm waters of Madagascar to give birth in Nosy Sakatia.

There is also stunning Nosy Iranja, the famous turtle island where you can swim with many green turtles and enjoy a postcard perfect sandbank on which the resort can organize a decadent picnic.

If you’re a water baby, snorkeling opportunities abound on several of the reefs around the area, from the incredible reef at Nosy Tanikely, a mere 30min boat ride away where you can swim with turtles, to farther away locations.

For those who are open water certified, you can also dive at the many dive spots.

If hiking is more your thing, you can go on hikes of varying lengths from the resort through Nosy Komba.

The entire resort staff are ready to help you personalise your stay to book the activities you are most interested in. Or do nothing, book a private in-room spa treatment or lounge by the sunbeds with the most beautiful sea view.

Our stay is full board so all meals will be included and if you book an activity that takes you away for the day, they will organize lunch for you.

Our farewell dinner will be on day 12. We will enjoy a special set up on the beach (tide permitting) or on the rooftop, with welcome cocktails and the best sunsets, and say goodbye to a wonderful adventure.

Overnight at Tsara komba

Inclusions: Full board – breakfast, lunch and dinner with water. Special farewell dinner with cocktail. Additional activities or excursions are not included.

Day 12 : Departure OR Return to Tana

Depending on your departure flight or the flight to Tana if you take that option, there may still be time for one last excursion in the Nosy Be archipelago before saying goodbye.

If you are leaving from Nosy Be, your departure will be 17 October 2025, and you will take a boat to the main island, followed by a minibus transfer to the airport.

If you are adding the optional return to Tana, your departure will be 18 October 2025; the flight will take about 90min after which you will be transferred to a hotel near the airport until your departure home. The hotel offers airport transfers at the time of your choice.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the resort, boat transfer to Nosy Be and minibus to the airport. If you choose the overnight in Tana extension, your trip includes a domestic flight to Tana, transfers to a hotel near the airport and an overnight hotel stay. Your departure will be 18 October.

About Your Host, Karine

Karine is a passionate foodie and avid traveler with a deep love for her country of Madagascar.

She had the chance of studying abroad in India and returned to Madagascar to start her career in hospitality and tourism with a focus on promoting the country and helping plan trips that highlight the best it has to offer.

In addition, she’s always believed that the best way to experience a culture is through its food, which is why she started offering food tours in the capital city of Antananarivo. Thanks to these tours, she shares the rich, diverse flavors of local cuisine with visitors through unique, authentic experiences that highlight the heart and soul of Malagasy everyday life.

Karine is studying to obtain her national guiding certification to lead group tours through the country. In true Solo Female Travelers spirit, we are supporting her in her journey and hoping to increase the very low number of female guides in Madagascar by having her lead all our tours.

The inaugural trip in October 2025 will be accompanied by our Co-Founder, Mar Pages.

This trip is for you if you…

• You love to be close to nature, both to cute lemurs and to annoying bugs
• You are ok with bumpy roads and do not have issues with motion sickness (car / boat)
• You are happy to get down and dirty, be it dusty, sweaty, salty, covered in mud or rain
• You thrive when you are out of your comfort zone, without a set schedule and going with the flow
• You love to explore less popular destinations
• You are active, outdoorsy and have a high level of fitness, balance and stamina to hike for up to 6 hours in slippery and / or steep terrain, snorkel or swim for a morning, navigate thick forests and wake up really early

This trip is NOT for you if…

• You have a fear or dislike of reptiles or bugs
• You can’t sit in a car or minibus for long, get motion sick or struggle with bumpy roads
• The idea of a holiday does not involve being dirty, dusty, muddy or uncomfortable
• You have mobility issues, cannot stand or walk for up to 6 hours or prefer a relaxing holiday without action
• You need a detailed schedule, want activities to run as planned and don’t do well in a changing environment where the unexpected rules
• You prefer destinations with good infrastructure, well trodded tourism paths and perfect service
• You are a picky eater, have dietary requirements or a delicate stomach
• You need AC to sleep well