Skip to main content

Madagascar: Andasibe, the RN7, Isalo and Ifaty

14 days from Antananarivo: indri and night walks in Andasibe, south on the RN7 through the highlands to Ranomafana and Isalo, two nights on the beach at Ifaty and a flight back from Toliara.

14 days · Round trip from Antananarivo · up to 12 guests

The facts

At a glance

Length
14 days, 13 nights
Start and end
Round trip from Antananarivo
Group size
7 to 12 guests
Activity level

Moderate

Guided forest walks of 3 to 5 hours on muddy, uneven and often steep rainforest trails in Andasibe and Ranomafana, and a 7 to 9 km walk with a climb onto the Isalo massif in dry heat. Three night walks of about 1.5 hours. Altitudes run from sea level at Ifaty to about 1,500 m around Antsirabe. Four road days of 4.5 to 7 hours. Every long walk has a shorter option, and you can sit out any night walk.

Meals included
13 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 7 dinners
Room of your own
+ CAD 1,150 (estimated price)
Season
April to November

Highlights

Why this trip

  • The indri singing across the Analamazaotra forest on an early walk from opening
  • Two night walks in Andasibe for mouse lemurs, leaf-tailed geckos and sleeping chameleons
  • A morning in Ranomafana National Park looking for golden bamboo lemurs and Milne-Edwards's sifakas, then the thermal pool
  • Ring-tailed lemurs on the granite boulders of the Anja Community Reserve, early before the heat
  • A full day in the sandstone canyons of Isalo, with a natural pool and sunset at La Fenetre de l'Isalo
  • Baobabs and spiny forest at dawn in the Reniala reserve, then a free afternoon on the Ifaty lagoon
  • Ambohimanga, the royal hill of the Merina kings, on a spare day in the capital before you fly

What makes this trip different

  • Free time is part of the plan

    Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.

  • Solo without the penalty

    A room of your own is + CAD 1,150 (estimated price).

Day by day

Itinerary

MADAGASCARCENTRAL HIGHLANDSHOROMBE PLATEAUMozambique ChannelIndian Ocean1234567AntananarivoDays 1 to 2 and 12 to 14AmbohimangaDay 13MarozevoDay 2AndasibeDays 2 to 4AmbatolampyDay 4AntsirabeDays 4 to 5AmbositraDay 5RanomafanaDays 5 to 7FianarantsoaDay 7AmbalavaoDays 7 to 8AnjaDay 8IhosyDay 8Isalo (Ranohira)Days 8 to 10ZombitseDay 10ToliaraDays 10 and 12IfatyDays 10 to 12

Tap any stop on the map to open that day

Arrive in Antananarivo

Ivato International Airport to your hotel in central Antananarivo

  • Welcome dinner
  • Stay in Antananarivo
  • Drive about 1 h

Fly into Ivato International Airport (TNR), about 15 km north of the centre of Antananarivo, which everyone calls Tana. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the drive into the city, which can take up to an hour in traffic past rice paddies, brick kilns and the first steep streets. Tana is built over a ring of hills at about 1,280 m, with the old royal compound, the Rova, on the highest ridge and Lake Anosy below it. If you land early, rest, change money or walk down to the lake.

Evening

In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the two weeks ahead: what the RN7 is like, what to wear on the night walks, and how the long road days are broken up. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Malagasy dishes such as romazava, the national beef and greens stew, at a local restaurant.

Included

  • Pick-up at Ivato International Airport (TNR)
  • Welcome briefing with your guide
  • Welcome dinner

Optional experiences

  • If you land early, ask us about a guided visit to the Rova, the royal compound on the city's highest hill (price confirmed at booking)

Free time: Free until the evening briefing

Activity: Plan to land by mid-afternoon to make the briefing; later arrivals are met and the guide catches up with you at breakfast.

  1. Antananarivo1 night
  2. Andasibe2 nights
  3. Antsirabe1 night
  4. Ranomafana2 nights
  5. Ambalavao1 night
  6. Ranohira2 nights
  7. Ifaty2 nights
  8. Antananarivo2 nights
  • Overnight stop
  • Day trip
  • By boat or train
Print itinerary

Wildlife and weather: April to November is the dry season in the highlands and the south. June to August brings cool days and nights close to freezing around Antsirabe; the rainforests of Andasibe and Ranomafana can be wet in any month. Lemurs are active all year; chameleons and frogs are easier to find in the warmer months from September, when lemur babies appear and the jacarandas flower in Antananarivo. October and November are hot in Isalo and Ifaty, and humpback whales pass the southwest coast roughly from July to September.

Want this plan in your inbox?

Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.

Before you book

Right for you?

Good for you if you want

  • Travellers who want lemurs in four very different forests, with time to look for them
  • Walkers happy with muddy rainforest trails and a hot day in Isalo
  • People who want the classic RN7 overland route, told honestly about the long days
  • A mix of guided walks, free afternoons and two days on the beach

Not for you if you want

  • Travellers who cannot sit in a vehicle for about 7 hours on two days in a row
  • Step-free access: forest trails are steep and uneven
  • A luxury trip: lodges near the parks are comfortable but simple
  • Anyone wanting the Avenue of the Baobabs or the tsingy, which are in the west and not on this route

Book flights after we confirm your seat.

13 nights

Where you'll stay

Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.

  • Antananarivo1 night
  • Andasibe2 nights
  • Antsirabe1 night
  • Ranomafana2 nights
  • Ambalavao1 night
  • Ranohira2 nights
  • Ifaty2 nights
  • Antananarivo2 nights

One price

What's in the price

Included

Accommodation

  • 13 nights: 1 in Antananarivo on arrival, 2 near the park in Andasibe, 1 in Antsirabe, 2 near the park in Ranomafana, 1 in Ambalavao, 2 in Ranohira at the foot of Isalo, 2 on the beach at Ifaty, 2 in Antananarivo before you fly
  • Hotels of a 3-star-plus standard where the town has them, and the best lodge or bungalow hotel near the park gates in Andasibe, Ranomafana and Isalo, all with private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
  • Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement

Transport

  • Pick-up and drop-off at Ivato International Airport (TNR)
  • Our own air-conditioned minibus and Malagasy driver from Antananarivo to Ifaty, with a window seat for everyone
  • Domestic flight from Toliara to Antananarivo
  • All transfers to trailheads and reserves

Your guide

  • A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, with the local guides that Madagascar National Parks and the community reserves require on every walk

Activities

  • Peyrieras reserve at Marozevo
  • Night walk in the Mitsinjo community reserve, Andasibe
  • Analamazaotra (Andasibe-Mantadia National Park) guided walk for the indri, park entry included
  • Night walk with the V.O.I.M.M.A. community association, Andasibe
  • Aluminium foundry visit in Ambatolampy
  • Woodcarving workshop in Ambositra
  • Ranomafana National Park guided walk, park entry included
  • Thermal pool in Ranomafana and a night walk along the park edge
  • Fianarantsoa Haute-Ville walk
  • Antemoro paper workshop in Ambalavao
  • Anja Community Reserve
  • Isalo National Park: the Piscine Naturelle, the Namaza valley and sunset at La Fenetre, park entry included
  • Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, park entry included
  • Reniala spiny forest reserve, Ifaty
  • Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, Antananarivo

Meals

  • 13 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 8 dinners
  • Welcome dinner and farewell dinner in Antananarivo
  • A sit-down lunch on every long road day
  • Dinners at the lodges in Andasibe, Ranomafana and Isalo

Not included

  • International flights to and from Antananarivo
  • Madagascar tourist visa
  • Travel insurance, which should include medical evacuation
  • Vaccinations and malaria tablets
  • Meals not listed
  • Drinks
  • Tips for your driver and local guides
  • Optional activities: Mantadia half-day, Centre ValBio, snorkelling or whale watching in Ifaty, pousse-pousse rides, silk workshop
  • Camera fees where a reserve charges them
  • Laundry and personal expenses

Extras

Room of your own
CAD 1,150 (estimated price)

When you can go

Dates and prices

Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.

Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.

Before you book

Booking terms

Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.

Business addresses

See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584

Guest reviews

What guests say

Reviews from guests on our day tours.

Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
google

5/5

Parminder did a great job guiding us around, giving us tips & teaching us the history of the falls. A great experience!

Jane
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

Good views of the surrounding area of Halifax in a comfortable minivan

Susan
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

June was brilliant- made good contact beforehand and really attentive and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I was special- something only experience can do. Thank you June.

Tom L
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and even provided some humor.

MandL83
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Peter was a very good guide, giving us insight into the various parts of the Park, including parking lot congestion details, trail and viewing location suggestions.

Darren O
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Excellent morning spent with my guide Nancy. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip

4.7/5 from 38,601 guest reviews

Good to know

Questions

Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 6% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 5,420 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 5,590. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 5,765.

What does the price include?

Thirteen nights in hotels and lodges, 13 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 8 dinners, airport transfers both ways, our own minibus and driver, the domestic flight from Toliara, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every walk in the day plan with park entries and local guides, including three night walks, Zombitse, the Reniala spiny forest and Ambohimanga.

How big is the group?

The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That keeps the group quiet enough on forest trails for the lemurs to stay put, and small enough that everyone gets a window seat in the minibus and a clear view when the guide finds an indri or a chameleon.

Who leads the trip?

A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the first evening to the last. Madagascar also requires a local guide on every walk in a national park or community reserve, and those guides, who know where each lemur family feeds, are included in the price.

How long are the drives on the RN7?

Two days are long: day 4, Andasibe to Antsirabe, and day 5, Antsirabe to Ranomafana, about 7 hours each. Both have a sit-down lunch and a workshop stop, and day 6 has no driving. Days 8 and 10 are about 4.5 and 5.5 to 6 hours, broken by a lemur walk. The other days are short or have no driving.

How fit do I need to be?

A moderate level is enough. The forest walks in Andasibe and Ranomafana last 3 to 5 hours on steep, muddy trails, and the Isalo walk is 7 to 9 km in the heat. Each has a shorter option written into the day, and you can sit out any night walk.

Will I see lemurs?

Almost certainly, though wild animals are never guaranteed. Ring-tailed lemurs at Anja and Isalo and the indri in Andasibe are seen on most visits; golden bamboo lemurs in Ranomafana and the nocturnal species on the night walks depend on the day. Andasibe's forests alone hold several lemur species, from the indri to the tiny mouse lemurs of the night walks.

I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?

A room of your own costs CAD 1,150 more, shown before you book with no extras added later. Solo travellers pay the same trip price as everyone else, with the same seats and table as everyone, and we confirm your single room when we name the hotels.

When is the best time to go to Madagascar?

April to November, the dry season in the highlands and the south. June to August is cool, with cold highland nights; September to November is warmer, with more chameleons and frogs, lemur babies and jacarandas in flower. We do not run December to March, when rain and cyclones make the RN7 and the trails hard going.

What if the domestic flight from Toliara is cancelled?

Your guide rebooks you on the next flight, and day 13 in Antananarivo is the buffer, so a one-day delay should not touch your flight home. If the flight slips by a day, Ambohimanga is shortened or dropped and the farewell dinner is held on the evening we reach Antananarivo. Schedules change; the flight is not daily in every season, so we set departure dates around the current timetable.

Do I need a visa for Madagascar?

Most visitors need a visa or entry permit, issued as an e-visa before you fly or on arrival at Ivato airport. The rules and fees change and depend on your passport and length of stay, so we send the current rules for your passport when you book. Check your passport's validity and blank pages well before you travel.

How does booking work?

Pick your start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. The small group starts from CAD 5,765 per person sharing a room, taxes included, and the private trip from CAD 10,380.

Can we travel privately or on our own dates?

Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide, vehicle and driver. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same route, lodges and local guides.

Travel Tips & Timing Alerts

We send occasional updates when timing, events, or seasonal changes affect our tours.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.