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Los Angeles to Madagascar: Antananarivo, Andasibe and Morondava

Los Angeles → Antananarivo → Andasibe → Morondava

Antananarivo
"Lake_Anosy,_Central_Antananarivo,_Capital_of_Madagascar,_Photo_by_Sascha_Grabow.jpg" by Sascha Grabow www.saschagrabow.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Madagascar lemurs & baobabs Best season (general guide): May–Oct

Madagascar has evolved in isolation for so long that most of its wildlife lives nowhere else, and this route shows two contrasting sides of the island. From Los Angeles it's a long journey, usually via Paris, Istanbul or another hub, to Antananarivo.

How to pace it: Spend day one in Antananarivo: rest. Then spend days two and three in Andasibe: day two, drive to Andasibe, then night walk; day three, indri walk in the park. Then spend days four to six in Morondava: day four, fly to Morondava, then baobabs at sunset; day five, Kirindy forest; day six, beach and town.

After a night in the capital, the drive to Andasibe passes rice paddies and highland villages before reaching the forest. Guided walks in the national park and community reserves look for lemurs, including the indri, chameleons and frogs, and night walks reveal smaller creatures. Back in Antananarivo, a domestic flight takes you to Morondava on the Mozambique Channel. Its main attraction is the Avenue of the Baobabs, best seen at sunset, when the silhouettes of the huge trees darken against the sky. From Morondava, longer 4x4 trips go north to the Kirindy forest and the Tsingy de Bemaraha.

The cyclone risk is highest from about January to March, particularly on the east coast.

Domestic flights in Madagascar are often rescheduled, so leave slack in your plans. Roads are slow, and distances take much longer than the map suggests.

If time allows, extend the trip north from Morondava to the Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO site of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles.

Practical notes: From the capital you go east into rainforest by road and then fly west to the dry coast. The drier months from about May to October are generally best, especially for the west, where many roads become very difficult in the rainy season. Andasibe gets rain in every month, so pack waterproofs even in the dry season. Getting there involves long 4x4 days and river crossings, and the park is usually only accessible in the dry season.

Suggested outline

  1. Los Angeles

    Start

  2. Antananarivo

    By air · 1 night suggested

    Madagascar's capital, spread over hills in the central highlands.

  3. Andasibe

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    Rainforest reserves east of the capital, reached by road. Guided walks look for the indri, the largest living lemur, whose calls carry through the forest.

    Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
    "Andasibe-Mantadia_National_Park_2013_24.jpg" by Smiley.toerist, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  4. Morondava

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A town on the west coast, near the Avenue of the Baobabs, a dirt road lined with giant baobab trees.

    Avenue of the Baobabs
    "Adansonia_grandidieri_Pat_Hooper.jpg" by Pat Hooper from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Antananarivo — Arrive; rest· Los Angeles → Antananarivo (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Andasibe — Drive to Andasibe; night walk· Antananarivo → Andasibe (overland)
  3. Day 3 · Andasibe — Indri walk in the park
  4. Day 4 · Morondava — Fly to Morondava; baobabs at sunset· Andasibe → Morondava (by air)
  5. Day 5 · Morondava — Kirindy forest
  6. Day 6 · Morondava — Beach and town
  7. Day 7 · Morondava — Travel home from Morondava· Morondava → Los Angeles (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Antananarivo

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Andasibe

Nearest airport: Antananarivo Search fares · Antananarivo ↗

Morondava

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