Madagascar Wildlife Packages
Madagascar is one of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife destinations, home to an unparalleled level of biodiversity found nowhere else on Earth. Over 90% of its wildlife is endemic, making the island a compelling choice for travellers seeking meaningful, nature-driven experiences rather than traditional safari tourism.
Our Madagascar wildlife packages focus on guided exploration of the island’s most important ecosystems, combining experienced local guides, carefully chosen reserves and realistic travel routing to create immersive journeys through rainforest, dry forest, river systems and limestone formations.
Madagascar wildlife itineraries can also be combined with our broader Madagascar holiday packages, allowing you to include beach stays, cultural experiences or relaxed island time alongside guided nature travel.
Wildlife in Madagascar: what makes it unique
Madagascar’s isolation has resulted in a wildlife experience unlike anywhere else in Africa.
Rather than large game, visitors encounter a rich concentration of lemurs, chameleons, frogs, reptiles, rare birds and unique plant life, often within compact, accessible protected areas.
Highlights of Madagascar’s wildlife include:
Over 100 species of lemurs
Extraordinary chameleon and reptile diversity
Rare and endemic bird species
Baobab landscapes and ancient forest ecosystems
Wildlife viewing is typically on foot, accompanied by knowledgeable guides who interpret behaviour, ecology and conservation challenges.
Central Madagascar
Central Madagascar combines cooler highland landscapes with rainforest and canyon scenery. The region is often accessed via Antsirabe, known for its artisanal culture and thermal history, and forms a natural route through the island’s interior. Highlights include the rich rainforest of Ranomafana National Park, one of Madagascar’s most important wildlife areas, renowned for its lemur diversity, as well as the dramatic sandstone formations and natural pools of Isalo National Park. Many itineraries continue south-west toward Tuléar, linking the central highlands with Madagascar’s arid landscapes and coastal regions.
Key wildlife regions featured in our packages
Our wildlife packages draw on the country’s most important reserves and natural regions, selected for biodiversity, accessibility and quality of guiding.
Northern Madagascar
Rainforest and dry forest reserves in northern Madagascar, particularly around Diego Suarez and the far north, are known for crowned lemurs, reptiles and diverse birdlife, set against dramatic volcanic landscapes and a striking coastline.
Our Tour of the North offers a perfect cameo of the country’s natural diversity, combining the cool rainforest of Montagne d’Ambre National Park, the turquoise waters and beaches of the Emerald Sea, and the limestone formations of Ankarana National Park’s Tsingy.
This itinerary provides a well-balanced introduction to Madagascar’s wildlife and landscapes and can be ideally rounded off with a week in Nosy Be, allowing time to relax after a nature-focused journey.
Southern Madagascar
Southern Madagascar is defined by its arid climate and the unique spiny forest ecosystem, found nowhere else on Earth.
This extraordinary landscape is home to endemic plant species, specialised reptiles and hardy wildlife adapted to dry conditions.
Wildlife journeys in the south often include river valleys and remote reserves, offering a striking contrast to Madagascar’s rainforests and highlands.
The region provides a fascinating insight into the island’s ecological diversity and is well suited to travellers seeking lesser-visited environments and truly distinctive natural habitats.
Mandrare River Camp provides the ideal base for exploring this region, combining comfortable accommodation with guided access to the spiny forest and surrounding habitats.
Western Madagascar
Western Madagascar is defined by some of the island’s most iconic landscapes, combining wildlife, geology and river systems.
Highlights include the Avenue of the Baobabs, the dry forests of Kirindy known for nocturnal wildlife, and the dramatic limestone formations of Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park.
For a refined experience, Anjajavy offers luxury accommodation on a private peninsula with access to forest and coastal habitats, while Namoroka provides a far more remote and unique tsingy experience.
The region also lends itself to a river safari, offering a slow and immersive way to explore Madagascar’s western waterways and birdlife.
Eastern Madagascar
Eastern Madagascar is characterised by lush rainforest, wetlands and rich wildlife habitats.
The region is best known for Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, home to the indri and a wide variety of lemur species, and the tranquil waterways of the Pangalanes Canals, which offer a slower, immersive way to explore village life and rainforest fringes.
Aye-Aye Island provides a rare opportunity to encounter one of Madagascar’s most unusual nocturnal lemurs.
Eastern itineraries can be ideally rounded off with a week on Île Sainte-Marie or Île aux Nattes, combining wildlife exploration with relaxed island time on the Indian Ocean.
