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Join award-winning photographer Nick Garbutt to track, watch and photograph the extraordinary wildlife and habitats of Madagascar – a country like no other.

As well as tracking the island’s most famous inhabitants - the charming and diverse lemurs - you will encounter an array of wildlife, all accessible and easy to see on day and night walks through spectacular forests.  There are countless opportunities to see and photograph species such as the endangered golden-crowned sifaka, the iconic fosa, beautiful diademed sifaka, secretive helmet vanga, and - if lucky - the elusive aye-aye.

Diverse habitats and fascinating cultures will add to the fabulous photographic opportunities, and once you’ve explored the atmospheric and varied landscapes you can relax at unique and charming accommodation. Daily sessions with Nick will enable you to pose questions you've always wanted to ask in situ and hone your photography talents. 

Read Nick's blog on one his prevous photographic tours in Madagascar.

Typical Itinerary

  1. Day 1: Fly to Antananarivo

    Fly from London to Antanarivo, arriving in the evening, and transfer to our hotel located in a wooded park, conveniently close to the airport.

    Accommodation: Le Relais des Plateaux, 1-night

  2. Day 2: Fly to Sambava

    We transfer back to the airport for a domestic flight to Sambava in the northeast corner of the country. On arrival into Sambava, we transfer to our accommodation in the town.

    Accommodation: Hotel Las Palmas, 1-night

  3. Day 3: Drive to Manantenina; walk into Marojejy National Park

    We drive for an hour to Manantenina, before beginning our walk into Marojejy National Park. It takes around two hours to reach the edge of the park and a further two hours to reach Camp Mantella, which is located in a bamboo grove close to a river surrounded by forest.

    Accommodation: Camp Mantella, 1-night

  4. Days 4-5 : Marojejy National Park

    We continue to walk further into the heart of the park, climbing for around an hour to reach Camp Marojejia, which is situated on a rocky outcrop looking across a valley to a huge rock buttress, amidst stunning primary rainforest. It is one of the most breathtaking locations imaginable for a camp. 

    Accommodation: Camp Marojejia, 2-nights

  5. Day 6: Return to Sambava & drive to Vohemar

    We spend the morning walking out of Marojejy, returning to Manantenina for lunch, before driving to Sambava and then continuing north by road to Vohemar.

    Accommodation: Hotel Baie d’Iharana, 1-night

  6. Days 7-8 : Daraina

    We take an early morning drive to Daraina where we meet local guides for a walk to forests near Andranotsimaty to see golden-crowned sifaka, which we aim to do on both days during our stay here. There will also be nocturnal visits to the forests on both nights to look for aye-aye. Our accommodation is right next to the forest so we are in the perfect position to see and photograph the wildlife. 

    Accommodation: Camp Tattersali, 2-nights

  7. Day 9: Drive back to Sambava

    Today we enjoy another early morning visit to the Andranotsimaty forests close to Daraina before driving back to the coastal town of Vohemar and onto Sambava.

    Accommodation: Hotel Las Palmas, 1-night

  8. Day 10: Fly to Antananarivo

    From Sambava we will transfer to the airport for a flight to Antananarivo where we transfer to the same hotel as our first night on the island.

    Accommodation: Le Relais des Plateaux, 1-night

  9. Day 11: Fly to Morondava

    In the morning, we return to the airport for another domestic flight. This time we fly to the town of Morondava on the island’s west coast. On arrival, we travel north from Morondava to the Kirindy Forest – arguably the best location in Madagascar to see its apex predator, the fosa.

    Accommodation: Camp Amoureux, 3-nights

  10. Days 12-13 : Kirindy Forest

    For the next two days we explore the Kirindy Forest area in search of its excellent wildlife and photographic opportunities. The fosa will be one of our main goals here, but there is also a very good range of lemur species to see and photograph too such as red-fronted brown lemur and Verreaux sifaka. This area is also excellent for nocturnal species; there are seven different lemurs active after dark, including red-tailed sportive lemur, fork-marked lemur, grey mouse lemur and Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur.        

  11. Day 14: Return to Morondava

    After a final morning in the Kirindy Forest we return to Morondava.

    Accommodation: Hotel Palissandre Côte Ouest, 1-night

  12. Day 15: Fly to Antananarivo

    Transfer to airport in Morondava and fly to Tana, and return to the same hotel in Madagascar’s capital.

    Accommodation: Le Relais des Plateaux, 1-night

  13. Day 16: Drive to Andasibe

    Today we will drive eastward to Andasibe and check into our hotel, located very close to the national park.

    Accommodation: Andasibe Hotel, 4-nights

  14. Days 17-19 : Andasibe-Mantadia National Park

    We have three full days to explore this wonderful rainforest area. On our first day, the priority will be to visit Andasibe and search for the fabulous indri. There’s a good chance we’ll hear their eerie wailing calls too. We may also see brown lemurs and grey bamboo lemurs, streaked tenrecs and striking birds like blue vanga. 

    Another focus will be to look for stunning diademed sifaka - perhaps the most beautiful of all lemurs - as well as red-bellied lemurs and secretive birds such as pitta-like and scaly ground roller.

    There will also be nocturnal walks where different lemurs and chameleons can be seen. The huge variety of frogs are also a feature of this reserve and are particularly evident after rain.

  15. Day 20: Return to Antananarivo & depart

    In the afternoon, we transfer back to Antananarivo, where we can visit the handicraft market of La Digue. A day room will be provided until a late evening transfer to the airport for our overnight flight back to the UK..

  16. Day 21: Arrive UK

Please note: This itinerary is based on Air Madagascar’s current domestic schedules. Air Madagascar reserves the right to change these without notice, hence there is no guaranteed that this will be the exact itinerary we will follow. Changes may be forced upon us right until the last moment, but every effort will be make to keep the final itinerary as faithful as possible to this one proposed.

Key info

  • Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 21 days from £11,450 pp
  • Duration and price excluding international flights: 20 days from £10,750 pp
  • Single supplement: From £1,070
  • Trip type:
    Group Tour
    Tailor-made can be arranged
  • Group size: 8
  • Group Departures:
    Make a booking request.
    1. , Fully booked
    We are currently finalising future dates for this tour. Please contact us for further details.
  • Tailor-made Departures:

    A tailor-made holiday or private departure can be arranged, please contact us to tailor a trip to suit your requirements.

  • Included in the price/package:
    • Domestic flights
    • 13 nights hotel, 3 nights lodge & 3 nights permanent field camp (twin share)
    • All meals
    • Transfers
    • National park fees
    • Daily excursions in parks and reserves
    • Services of local guides, including tips
  • Activities available:
    • Culture
    • Photography

Expert leader

Nick Garbutt

Photo of Nick Garbutt

An award-winning photographer and author, with a background in zoology, Nick has forged a career by combining these skills with leading tours and lecturing.

Nick has written and photographed several critically acclaimed books, including: ‘100 Animals to See Before They Die’, ‘Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide’, ‘Wild Borneo’, and ‘Chameleons’. He is a regular contributor to international magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Africa Geographic and Geographical.

Nick has twice been a winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. In 2000, he won the prestigious Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife. His photographs appear widely in books, calendars and other publications worldwide. He is a Special Lecturer on the MSc course in the Wildlife Photography and Imaging at Nottingham University, where he studied.

View all tours led by Nick

Featured locations:

Marojejy National Park

Marojejy National Park is the best place to look for the rare silky sifaka, famed for its long, silky, white fur. The park also has nine other lemur species and is the only place left in the country where you can walk through rugged unbroken forest from sea level to mountain summit, where the views are spectacular. Find Out More about {acc:title}

  • Where: Sava Region
  • Ideal for viewing: Madagascar serpent eagle, ring-tailed mongoose, silky sifaka, stump-tailed chameleon, leaf-tailed gecko
  • Excellent for: Wildlife photography, Photography tours With Nick Garbutt

Daraina

Daraina is one of the most important sites in Madagascar. Home to the golden-crowned sifaka - one of the world’s rarest primates - the area is a mosaic of rolling hills covered with patches of deciduous and semi-evergreen forest and is one of richest and most ecologically sensitive areas in the north. Find Out More about {acc:title}

  • Where: Sava Region
  • Ideal for viewing: aye-aye, daraina sportive lemur, golden-crowned sifaka, Sanford’s brown lemur, greater hedgehog tenrec
  • Excellent for: Wildlife photography, Photography tours With Nick Garbutt

Kirindy Forest

Kirindy Forest is on the west coast of Madagascar, accessed via the famed Avenue of Baobabs. It is a dry forest rich in wildlife and the best place to see a variety of endemics including the fosa, Madagascar’s largest carnivore, and lemurs such as Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, the world’s smallest primate. Find Out More about {acc:title}

  • Where: Menabe Region
  • Ideal for viewing: fosa, giant jumping rat, Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, narrow-striped mongoose, red-fronted brown lemur
  • Excellent for: Wildlife photography

Andasibe-Mantadia National Park

Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is arguably Madagascar’s premier rainforest reserve, combining Analamazoatra Reserve with the forests of Mantadia. The extensive network of trails throughout the reserve offers frequent sightings of spectacular wildlife and virtually assured views of the fabulous indri. Find Out More about {acc:title}

  • Where: Alaotra-Mangoro Region
  • Ideal for viewing: diademed sifaka, indri, Parson’s chameleon, red-fronted coua, leaf-tailed gecko
  • Excellent for: Wildlife photography

Antananarivo

Madagascar’s vibrant capital city is the beginning and end point of any trip to the island. Built on a series of hills, many of the old buildings and narrow, cobbled streets retain an almost medieval quality. Walking around the city, you will find evidence of several cultures, neither exclusively African nor Asian. Find Out More about {acc:title}

  • Where: Antananarivo Province
  • Excellent for: City stopover
Featured accommodation:

Camp Marojejia

Marojejia is one of a collection of three camps leading to the summit of the impressive Marojejy Peak. Located around three hours walk from the Marojejy National Park boundary, it offers basic but well-maintained facilities, and there are fine views of the rainforest and mountains. Find Out More about Camp Marojejia