City: Madagascar
Top Things to do in Madagascar
Countries
The 10 Best Things to do in Madagascar, Madagascar
– in Africa (light blue & dark grey)
– in the African Union (light blue)
Restaurants in Madagascar
1. Lokobe Nature Special Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,121 reviews
Reviewed By tjfc66 - Kenya, null
We went via canoe with Jean Robert’s team and had a fascinating time as we saw several rare and endemic creatures, such as two different Pygmy chameleons (I think) on the two hour forest walk, along with several snakes, several lemurs quite close up. The lunch at the end was also splendid and very well prepared. Highly recommended.
2. Avenue of the Baobabs
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 752 reviews
Reviewed By Mikiduta - Bucharest, Romania
We have been to The Avenue twice, both at sunset and sunrise. Being low season not too many tourists were around at sunset (around 40-50) while at sunrise which was happening at 5 am we were just a few (around 10 probably). The baobabs are amazing trees that can survive without water for a long period of time. During December they had a lot of leaves because one week before it rained. The weather was great when we visited the avenue so both sunset and sunrise were spectacular. During sunset there were plenty of mosquitos around while during sunrise the flies took the places of mosquitos. Sunset was really great and we have stayed also after the sunset to take pictures during the blue hour. The sunrise was also spectacular but totally different mainly before the appearance of the sun when a mix of orange, red and dark blue was taking our pictures to another level. I am really happy that we have visited Madagascar during December because we had good weather and almost no tourists around us. Special thanks to Cactus Madagascar which organized very professionally our tour!
3. Lemurs' Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 860 reviews
Reviewed By hnemcic - Makarska, Croatia
Perfect place to see various spices of lemurs in one place. When i have arrived on Madagascar i was thinking that lemurs will jump all around. It’s not like that. So if you want to see them in something that’s most close to natural environment, this is place to go. And guides are very good and helpful. Without explanation it will be just half of experience.
4. Tsingy Rouge Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 462 reviews
Reviewed By CorradoR964 - Vedano al Lambro, Italy
This park is located about 1.5 hrs drive from Diego Suarez. It features amazing rock formations, that have been carved by water and wind over time. Due to the richness of minerals, they have wonderful colors, visible in the different ground layers. Superspectacular is the canyon view, really breathtaking
5. Analamazaotra Special Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 91 reviews
Reviewed By Rainforests_Rollerco
We visited this park whilst staying at Vakona Lodge. Out guide purchased the tickets and arranged the local park guide for us, to start with we found it quite busy with lots of other people all trying to watch and follow the same lemurs. However as our walk progressed everyone seem to head off in different directions and the second half of our walk was much quieter. We spent around 3.5-4 hours in the park & saw numerous types of birds, Sifaka lemurs, brown lemurs and Indri lemurs. Hearing the indri song up close was amazing and by this point it was just us and our guides! We also had a young lady with us that was a trainee guide, she lives in the local village and is training to be licensed as a national park guide - great to see and hear about the initiatives in place to introduce and teach the new generations about the wildlife around them.
6. Nosy Sakatia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 595 reviews
Reviewed By jaykay911 - Johannesburg, South Africa
Did a day excursion from our hotel to this beautiful island.We took a boat trip to the island and spent the morning snorkeling from the boat.We swam with the giant turtles which was such fun.There are lots of them around and one gets to swim very close up to them.What a great experience.The part of the island where we were did not really have coral and there was basically no fish to see.One comes here to see the turtles only.We ate lunch on a private beach on Nosy Sakatia which was lovely and then snorkelled and relaxed before the boat trip back to our hotel.A must to do when staying at Nosy Be.
7. Mont Passot
8. Ambohimanga
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 360 reviews
The former royal capital and its palace on a steep hill offer stunning views overlooking rice terraces.
Reviewed By midway42 - Minnesota, United States
The Twelve Sacred Hills of the Imerina were designated over two centuries ago by King Nampoina, who was roughly the Malagasy equivalent of George Washington. They were labeled as such because of their historical, political, and spiritual significance to the Merina kingdom and soon-to-be unified nation of Madagascar. This designation was echoed by UNSECO in the early 21st Century when the organization bestowed World Heritage status to Ambohimanga, by far the most famous of the dozen hallowed mounds. The hill rises steeply approximately 450 feet from the surrounding terrain and has been settled in one fashion or another for over four centuries. The current structures exhibit a mélange of construction styles and have been built, re-built, and renovated multiple times over the years. I visited during my first full day in Tana after spending almost two weeks in the country. Although the site is only found 23km north of the city it took over an hour to get here due to the usual labyrinthine “roads” in the area. As was routine in the country, a local guide is mandatory here and worth every ariary. Although the entire history of the site is layered and complex (just take a peek at the Wikipedia article), it basically consists of the Rova (royal enclosure) and the surrounding grounds. We started at the former, with the instructions that no photos were allowed inside. The Rova consists of a number of wood and stone buildings. The most famous of these is King Nampoina’s residence, the only remaining original construction here from that time period. “Palace” is a bit of a stretch but the building contains a number of his personal items including weapons, drums, and a raised bed. There are several other royal pavilions found nearby, in addition to royal tombs containing stone crypts with remains; stone water pools and zebu pens complete the interior picture. Outside the Rova are expansive gardens with a stone esplanade that provides sweeping views across the entire city and surrounding countryside. Multiple gardens with the requisite botanical diversity abound with the occasional bird to break the silence. I spent over two hours on site. In summary, there were multiple reasons why this attraction was one of the top five experiences during my time in the country. First, it is the one location that embodies the founding, colonization, and nationalization of the country. Second, the layers of symbolism were fascinating. My guide explained that the homes of the living are made of wood and vegetation (living materials) and those of the dead are in stone (non-living, inert materials); this was just one example of dozens found throughout the compound. Third, the views over the countryside are sublime. Last and most important, the area isn’t just a relic of the past; it is still used as a present day center for religion and pilgrimage and was refreshingly free from digital displays and souvenir books. Ambohimanga isn’t for everyone. It takes a bit of time and effort to get here and to peel back the layers of history. The results, however, are worth it. Thumbs up.
9. Lac Tritriva
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 132 reviews
Reviewed By KatrienS955 - Ghent, Belgium
A guide is now obligatory, even though the walk around the lake is not that difficult to find. The lake is very nice turquoise color, formed according to our guide not that long ago in geological terms. Still, it seems assumed that the volcano is no longer active. Have a look from the rim to the surrounding area, you can easily see the black soil, much more fertile, from the last eruption. Then walk down to the lake and around the crater lake. There is a place where one can touch the water, but only if you did not yet eat pork that day. Nearby is also a place were locals still sacrifice things to the lake, which is considered holy. During our walk we saw several birds, including a peregrine falcon. The trees are European conifers, and thus not at all local, still the place is pittoresque. Bring good shoes as some parts could be slippery. Further, although it is possible to bike up to the lake, that is an arduous trek up hill (and it is hot), without much scenery along the way.
10. Lemuria Land
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 405 reviews
Reviewed By michaellH4884LW - Hartlepool, United Kingdom
Lemuria land is only a 15 minute taxi ride from the town. There was a guided tour which featured many animals as well as Lemurs. They were friendly and would sit on your shoulders if you wished. Our guide spoke excellent English and I would recommend this attraction.
