Madagascar
The Best of Madagascar: A Biodiversity Hotspot
Program No. 25384RJ
It’s a place like no other — explore the unique landscapes of Madagascar and search for its biodiverse flora and fauna, some of which can be found nowhere else on Earth!
Enroll with Confidence
We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more
Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
15 days
14 nights
35 meals
12B 11L 12D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
Transfer to Andasibe-Mantadia Natl. Park, Peyreras Reserve
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park (Perinet)
4
Mitsinjo & VOIMMA Reserves, Biodiversity in Madagascar
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park (Perinet)
5
Analamazaotra Reserve, Vakona Reserve
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park (Perinet)
6
Back to Tana, Fly to Isalo National Park
Isalo National Park
7
Isalo National Park, Namaza Canyon, Bara Village
Isalo National Park
8
Zombitse National Park, Conservation in Madagascar
Isalo National Park
9
Fly to Tana, Ambohimanga, Silk Weaving
Antananarivo
10
Travel to Nosy Be, Education & Public Health in Madagascar
Nosy Be Archipelago
11
Plantation Millot, Chocolate Making, Ylang Ylang Distillery
Nosy Be Archipelago
12
Lokobe Reserve, Local Village
Nosy Be Archipelago
13
Nosy Be Island, Fly to Tana
Antananarivo
14
Program Concludes
In Flight
15
Arrive Home
In Flight
At a Glance
Did you know that about 95% of Madagascar’s reptiles and 89% of its plant life are found nowhere else in the world? With many unique and endemic species, Madagascar is an incredibly biodiverse place that offers a myriad of opportunities to learn about flora and fauna. During this safari adventure on the world’s fourth largest island, explore the diverse areas of Andasibe-National Park, Isalo National Park and the Nosy Be archipelago. Each of these natural wonders offers opportunities to search for wildlife like lemurs, chameleons and the elusive fossa and experience different ecosystems on land and in the ocean. Local experts will elaborate on each area’s biodiversity, conservation efforts and the country’s various ethnic groups. Step into landscapes unlike anywhere else and prepare for an unforgettable adventure experiencing the best of Madagascar.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Walking up to three miles per day; uneven, muddy, dusty and inclined terrain including hills, stairs without railings. Getting on/off bus.
Micro Group
These adventures feature our smallest group size, with 12 participants or fewer.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Search for the 20 species of lemur, 300 species of orchid and numerous reptiles and amphibians that call Andasibe-Mantadia National Park home.
- Enjoy a concert of traditional music over dinner in Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital.
- Learn firsthand about Madagascar’s exotic spice exports, including vanilla and ylang-ylang.
Suggested Reading List
(26 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Best of Madagascar: A Biodiversity Hotspot
Program Number: 25384
Madagascar
Produced by the BBC, this spectacular three-part series narrated by the inimitable Attenborough showcases the nature, wildlife and habitats of the island continent, with the many species of lemurs given the starring role.
Wildlife of Madagascar
Madagascar is one of the world's great natural treasures and ecotourism destinations. Despite being an island, it is home to nearly an entire continent’s variety of species, from the famous lemurs to a profusion of bizarre and beautiful birds, reptiles and amphibians. Wildlife of Madagascar is a compact and beautifully illustrated photographic guide, and an essential companion for any visitor or resident.
Lords and Lemurs
This quirky and engaging history cum memoir explores the issue of sustainable development in a microcosm called Berenty, a private nature preserve in southern Madagascar surrounded by plantations and many desperately poor people. Primatologist Jolly (Lucy’s Legacy) has spent much of her life studying the lemur population of Berenty, but she is also a keen observer of the life and culture of the Tandroy people who live nearby. The respectful coexistence of monkeys and men is due, she feels, to the leadership of the de Heaulme family, a French colonial dynasty who preserved a patch of pristine forest when they carved out their plantations.
Madagascar Wildlife: A Visitors Guide
This handy guide describes and illustrates in color photographs 250 species of Malagasy animals, not just the lemurs, fossas and other endemic mammals, but also birds, reptiles and invertebrates. With chapters on habitats, ecology and conservation.
Orchids of Madagascar (2nd ed.) Guide
This field guide, the first of its kind for Madagascan orchids, will enable you to identify these showy and often spectacular plants.
Atlas of the Vegetation of Madagascar
Presented in both French and English, the atlas gives a brief history of vegetation mapping in Madagascar; the methodology used in compiling these new maps; and detailed descriptions of each vegetation type, illustrated with photographs and diagrams.
Mammals of Madagascar
An invaluable compact guide with full-page color photographs of each species.
Lemurs of Madagascar, Diurnal & Cathemeral
This handy laminated fold-up card, illustrated by Stephen Nash, focuses on the 34 species of lemur active, at least part-time, during the day.
Madagascar, The Eighth Continent
Tyson interweaves an account of his time in the field with travel, history and ecology for this wide-ranging report on life in Madagascar.
Fishwatcher's Field Guide Indian Ocean
A double-sided card illustrating 70 fishes of Seychelles, Maldives and neighboring islands.
Beyond the Rice Fields
The first novel from Madagascar ever to be translated into English, Naivo’s magisterial Beyond the Rice Fields delves into the upheavals of the nation’s past as it confronted Christianity and modernity, through the twin narratives of a slave and his master’s daughter.
Field Guide to the Orchids of Madagascar
Orchids are found in almost every habitat on the island, from the mountains to the coasts, and this field guide—the first of its kind, fully illustrated with color photographs and packed with details to aid identification—is an invaluable tool for researchers and ecotourists visiting the island.
Madagascar, A Short History
A gracefully written summary of two thousand years of human history on Madagascar. The island's inhabitants, the Malagasy, remain one of the world's most least-known societies.
Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands
This revised edition, including many new illustrations by Norman Arlott, Peter Hayman and others, covers 500 birds of Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Reunion, Rodrigues and Seychelles.
Extinct Madagascar
Goodman and his colleagues present a stunning variety of life that went extinct on Madagascar, an island with such biodiversity that it currently boasts over 100 species of lemur.
Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar (3rd ed.)
Features over 700 species of Madagascar's amphibians and reptiles plus coverage of the island's flora, invertebrates, freshwater fishes, and birds. Individual species accounts provide the biology and description of all Malagasy amphibians and reptiles.
Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar
By definition, "antipode" is a point on the earth diametrically opposite from another. As a field biologist specializing in reptiles and amphibians, Heather Heying has been to some of the most remote places on the globe.
Lemurs of Madagascar, Conservation International Tropical Field Guide
Updated with 30 new species, this third edition of the definitive field guide to all 101 species and subspecies of lemurs features 500 color illustrations, range maps, drawings and detailed, authoritative chapters on natural history and conservation.
The Natural History of Madagascar (2nd ed.)
Separated from the mainland of Africa for 160 million years, Madagascar has evolved an incredible wealth of biodiversity, with thousands of species that can be found nowhere else on earth.
Birds of Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands
Its recognition as a zoogeographic region in its own right has recently been confirmed, and, all taxa combined, the region was found to hold the second most distinct assemblage of vertebrates in the world after the Australian region, despite being the smallest of them all.
The Remarkable Baobab
A celebration of the tremendous, twisted baobabs of Africa, Madagascar and Australia in 60 large-format color photographs.
The Aye-Aye and I
The engaging and extremely amusing story of a serious scientific effort to retrieve, and help save, the rare aye-aye of Madagascar.
Madagascar Map
A clear shaded relief map of Madagascar at a scale of 1:2,000,000.
The Future of the Past
A survey of conservation and threats to cultures and monuments around the world. In these provocative essays, Stille travels to places as disparate as Sicily, China and Madagascar.
The Song of the Dodo
Well-spoken and engaging, Quammen narrates his adventures on the trail of natural wonders in Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Galapagos and Komodo and explains complex evolutionary phenomena with humor, wit and understanding.
Bradt Guide Madagascar
Now in its 11th edition, Bradt's comprehensive guide to Madagascar, its history, people and nature remains our model for guidebooks: personal, culturally astute and an absolute pleasure to read. With photographs, sketch maps and wise travel information.
