Lemurs
There are over 100 species of lemur, and they all live in Madagascar. Nothing else in the animal kingdom behaves quite like them. At Ranomafana National Park near Fianarantsoa, experienced guides lead you through dense rainforest to find the rare golden bamboo lemur and a dozen other species. At Andasibe-Mantadia (the old Périnet reserve east of Antananarivo), the indri's haunting call carries across the tree canopy from a kilometer away. At Nosy Komba, just a short boat ride from Nosy Be, black lemurs will climb onto your shoulders to eat bananas from your hand.
The RN7 Road South
The route from Antananarivo to the coast at Tulear, following National Route 7, is Madagascar's classic overland journey — and one of the great road trips in Africa. Passing through Antsirabe with its thermal baths and pousse-pousse culture, climbing into the hill country around Fianarantsoa, descending through spiny forest to the coast. Allow at least a week to do it without rushing.
Isalo National Park
Isalo is a landscape of sandstone canyons, natural swimming pools fed by crystal streams, and strange endemic plants clinging to rust-colored cliffs. It looks like the American Southwest crossed with a rainforest. The hiking here — through narrow gorges, across open plateaus, past the Malagasy tombs tucked into cliff faces — is among the best in the country.
Avenue of the Baobabs
Just outside Morondava on the west coast, a dirt road runs between enormous baobab trees that have been standing for over 800 years. At dawn or dusk, with the low light turning the trunks gold, it is one of those landscapes that looks exactly like its photographs. The surrounding area is flat and rural — Morondava itself is a pleasant, unhurried town with good seafood.
Tsingy de Bemaraha
In the northwest, the Tsingy de Bemaraha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of needle-sharp limestone karst — hundreds of square kilometers of razor-edged pinnacles that form a habitat unlike anything else on earth. The endemic wildlife that lives within the tsingy has adapted to these impossible-looking spires over millions of years. Getting there requires planning and a good tolerance for rough roads (or a flight to Morondava plus a long overland transfer), but the landscape is genuinely unlike anything else.
Nosy Be
Madagascar's main beach destination is a proper tropical island — relaxed, warm, and surrounded by good snorkeling and diving. Nosy Be has the infrastructure for an easy holiday (beach bungalows, seafood restaurants, dive operators) alongside easy access to wilder spots: the nearby island of Nosy Komba for lemurs, smaller uninhabited islands for picnics and snorkeling. Whale sharks pass through the waters here between September and December.