Duration
12-Day
Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar
Malagasy Mosaic is a journey through Madagascar's wild south, blending rainforest, golden canyons, and turquoise lagoons. You'll meet lemurs in forests, glide along the Pangalanes, sip tea by a tranquil lake, and sail a pirogue over coral reefs. From highland smiles to coastal sunsets, every day is a new adventure, where nature, culture, and island rhythm paint an unforgettable travel story. Here's a glimpse of your tour. The details and best moments are for your guide to reveal along the way.
Plan snapshot
Duration
12-Day
Route
Antananarivo to Antananarivo (City)
Via Antsirabe (City), Ranomafana NP, Manakara (City)
Country & park
Madagascar / Ranomafana National Park
Style
Mid-range safari
Group size
1-12 travelers
Starts
Any day if available
Minimum age
2 years
Activities
nature hikes/walks & boat trip
Accommodation
Le Combava Hotel - Mid-range hotel in Antananarivo (City) – Dinner Included
Meals
Dinner Included; Breakfast & Dinner Included
Pickup
Airport transfer included
Booking
Request quote
Currency
EUR
Rates
EUR
Before booking
Quote flow
This mid-range tour uses lodges and hotels.
This tour will be organized exclusively for you and won't be shared with others.
If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
You can request minor changes to the accommodations and destinations of this tour.
Solo travelers can book this private tour.
The minimum age for this tour is 2 years.
Day 1
Mid-range hotel in Antananarivo (City) – Dinner Included
Dinner Included
Day 2
Mid-range hotel in Antsirabe (City) – Breakfast & Dinner Included
Breakfast & Dinner Included
Day 3
Mid-range hotel just outside Ranomafana NP – Breakfast & Dinner Included
Breakfast & Dinner Included
Day 4-5
Budget hotel in Manakara (City)
Day 4: Breakfast & Dinner Included; Day 5: All Meals Included
Day 6
Mid-range hotel at Lake Sahambavy – Breakfast & Dinner Included
Breakfast & Dinner Included
Day 7-8
Mid-range lodge just outside Isalo NP – Breakfast & Dinner Included
Breakfast & Dinner Included
Day 9-10
Mid-range lodge in Ifaty (Town & Beach) – Breakfast & Dinner Included
Breakfast & Dinner Included
Day 11
Mid-range hotel in Antananarivo (City) – Breakfast & Dinner Included
Breakfast & Dinner Included
Day 12
(No accommodation)
Breakfast Included
Tour step
You'll be collected from the airport. Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.
Day 1
Welcome to Antananarivo! Your driver-guide will meet you at the airport upon arrival. You'll transfer to your hotel and be briefed on your tour. You'll settle in, take in the city’s hilly skyline, and let the island air wash over you. Tonight is for resting and dreaming of the adventures ahead. Mid-range hotel located in Antananarivo (City) Dinner (Breakfast & lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 2
We roll south to Antsirabe, winding past rice paddies and red-earth hills. You'll stop for roadside smiles, taste fresh fruit, and soak in the highland charm. Antsirabe’s colonial streets and thermal springs set a mellow, welcoming vibe. City tour by pousse-pousse. You'll have dinner in a local restaurant. You'll spend the night at your hotel. Mid-range hotel located in Antsirabe (City) Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 3
From Antsirabe to Ranomafana, you'll visit Ambositra to meet Zafimaniry woodcarvers —masters of intricate, UNESCO-listed designs. By night, you'll follow your guide into the rainforest for a magical nocturnal walk, where lemur eyes glisten under torchlight. You'll have dinner and spend the night at your hotel. Mid-range hotel located just outside Ranomafana NP Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 4
You'll descend from the rainforest to the coast as you head for Manakara. Palms sway, the air turns salty, and the Indian Ocean greets you. You'll watch the landscape shift from emerald to blue on a road trip with a built-in climate change (the fun kind). You'll have dinner and spend the night at your hotel. Budget hotel located in Manakara (City) Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 5
You'll hop aboard a boat and glide along the Pangalanes Canal —freshwater meets the ocean in a dreamy mix of fishing villages, sandy banks, and laughter from kids waving on shore. You'll enjoy a picnic under palms, then drift back with the sun on your face. You'll have dinner in a local restaurant. You'll spend the night at your hotel. Budget hotel located in Manakara (City) All meals included Drinks not included
Day 6
You'll drive to Lake Sahambavy, Madagascar’s only tea plantation. You'll sip a fresh brew as the calm water mirrors the mountains. Tonight is for slowing down, enjoying the lakeside breeze, and maybe a cheeky sundowner by the shore. You'll have dinner and spend the night at your hotel. Mid-range hotel located at Lake Sahambavy Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 7
From Sahambavy, you'll pass Fianarantsoa’s old town for a short visit before stopping at Anja Community Reserve —home to playful ring-tailed lemurs and giant granite boulders. By evening, you'll reach Ranohira, gateway to the spectacular Isalo National Park. You'll have dinner and spend the night at your hotel. Mid-range lodge located just outside Isalo NP Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 8
You'll have a guided walk and spend the day in Isalo’s wild beauty —sculpted canyons, hidden pools, and endless horizons. You'll swim in a natural oasis, hike among rare plants, then toast the day with an apéritif at “La Fenêtre” as the sun melts into gold. A picnic lunch is recommended. You'll have dinner and spend the night at your hotel. Mid-range lodge located just outside Isalo NP Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 9
You'll roll to Mangily, with a zebu cart ride through Reniala Reserve, where towering baobabs guard spiny forest trails. The air turns salty again as you reach the coast —time to trade hiking boots for flip-flops. You'll have dinner in a local restaurant, and spend the night at your hotel. Mid-range lodge located in Ifaty (Town & Beach) Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 10
You'll sail out in a traditional pirogue, snorkel over coral gardens, and spot tropical fish darting through the reef. You'll be back on shore, enjoy grilled seafood, beach vibes, and that slow Malagasy rhythm where time feels optional. You'll have lunch on the beach. You'll spend the afternoon at leisure. You'll have dinner and spend the night at your hotel. Mid-range lodge located in Ifaty (Town & Beach) Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 11
Depending on your flight schedule, you'll transfer at the airport. You'll fly from Tulear back to Antananarivo. You'll have one last chance to stroll markets, hunt for souvenirs, and taste a final bite of Malagasy street food. The capital buzz contrasts perfectly with the peaceful south you just explored. You'll have a farewell dinner and spend the night at your hotel. Mid-range hotel located in Antananarivo (City) Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinks not included
Day 12
We will transfer you to the airport, waving you off with a “Veloma” —goodbye until next time. The island keeps a piece of you, and you’ll keep a piece of it. Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included) Drinks not included
Tour step
Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost. You'll be dropped off at the airport.
Park fees (For non-residents)
All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
A professional driver/guide
All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
All flights during the tour
All Taxes/VAT
Roundtrip airport transfer
Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
International flights (From/to home)
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
Some meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
Drinks
Offered by
261 EXP isn’t just another travel agency, we’re a local, passionate, and experienced team committed to delivering authentic and meaningful travel experiences across Madagascar.
Office In
Madagascar
Size
5-10 employees (Founded in 2023)
Tour Types
Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
Destinations
Madagascar
Traveler feedback
Overall
5.0/5Communication
5.0/5Accuracy
5.0/5Value
5.0/5Safety clarity
5.0/5Cultural value
5.0/5261EXP is a first-rate tour company offering customizable trips in Madagascar. After doing some reading and deciding where I wanted to go, I searched the internet for companies offering tours to those places, mostly national parks where I hoped to see lemurs and other wildlife for which Madagascar is known. I received a prompt response from 261EXP, and discovered that all their tours listed online are customizable, available as individual tours with a personal driver/guide. Over the next two weeks, I worked with Christina Thomas via email to add two days to their Vezo Experience tour, so that I could visit Andasibe, as well as national parks along the Vezo Experience route from Antananarivo to the southwest coast. Arrangements included all my airport transfers, accommodations, daily breakfast, local guides and spotters, and the domestic flight back to the capital at the end of the trip. When I arrived, I was ever so happy not to be driving myself, or packed into crowded public buses! My assigned driver, one of the company’s founders, has 17 years experience as a professional driver/guide. His driving skills were truly impressive, as he avoided potholes, straddled missing pavement, dodged errant pedestrians, animals, rickshaws, bicycles, and other hazards on the roadside, and managed to squeeze past hundreds of cargo trucks on the narrow roads. At one point I asked how he managed to memorize every pothole between Tana and Toliara. He just smiled and said it was ESP. Apparently 261EXP has very good relations with others in the travel industry of Madagascar, because they provided excellent local guides and spotters for hikes in national parks, very comfortable accommodations in hotels with scenic locations, excellent restaurants, and courteous staff. Overall, I had an exceptionally enjoyable and truly unforgettable experience in Madagascar, mostly as a result of finding 261EXP to organize the trip for me. I highly recommend this company to arrange a tour for you!
Carol from California · United States
I saw the ancient Baobab trees and got up close to tons of lemurs, chameleons and other wildlife and got to see both sides of the ocean. Overall was an amazing experience! Christina organized all my guides, resorts and hotels seamlessly from the second I stepped out of the airport to when I return to leave and customized my trip to what I wanted to see most. All of her tour guides spoke perfect English and were fun and knowledgeable about the area wildlife and culture. I'm glad I chose 261-Exp as Madagascar is an amazing country to visit but can be really difficult to navigate. I think I would have made a lot of mistakes if I tried to plan this trip myself.
David · United States
We had a terrific tour with 2 4WD cars and excellent drivers who took us from Tana to Antsirabe to the Tsiribihina river, where we left for three days in a boat and slept for two nights in tents on beaches along the river. The two guides from 261 Exp stayed with us on the boat. We got in touch with people from the villages and had a great time on the boat with marvellous views, lunches and dinners, as well as fire on the beach and music. Then we went to Bekopaka and stayed there for three days to visit the Tsingy of Bemaraha, with walks in the big and small tsingy, caves, pirogue on the river. After one night in Morondava where we arrived just after admiring the avenue of bobabs at sunset, we drove back to Antsirabe. We had a problem with one of the cars, but our guide made it possible to let us continue the trip. The day after we reached Ranomafana and visited the rainforest. For every visit, we had a local guide. The next day we went to Ambalavao after a quick visit to Fianarantsoa, and then we went to the Andringita national park where we had a great walk and marvellous views of the mountains as well as great time with the people from the village. The next stop was Ranohira and the Isalo National park, with beautiful walks, rocks, waterfalls and natural pools. Then we finished our tour at the seaside, in Mangily where we did snorkeling in the coral reef and a tour with quads on the beach. Then back to Tana, a brief tour of the old town, and back home. The tour was great, well organized and scheduled but at the same time flexible and matching the needs of the tourists. We enjoyed the company of our guides.
Giovanna · Italy
Our trip with 261 exp agency was great! We spent 20 days all around Madagascar. The guide, The driver and The home team have been always very kind, available, satisfying all our needs and solving any kind of issues we had to face during the trip. They have a lot to teach about this amazing country. Any moment was good to learn something new and also to have fun together. We felt part of a family since the first moment but at the same time we took our time to relax and enjoy the beautiful places alone. They can really meet your needs at any time. We strongly recommend. Thanks a lot to 261 exp and of course to Madagascar.
Barbara & Valerio · Italy
Practical answers
Rates are per person and exclude the international flight from/to your home country.
This tour is offered in Euros (EUR).
This tour accepts children who are 2 years and older. Children under 3 are free.
If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
You can request minor changes to the accommodations and destinations of this tour.
Le Combava Hotel - Mid-range hotel in Antananarivo (City) – Dinner Included. Meals: Dinner Included
This tour starts and ends in Antananarivo
A transfer from and back to the airport is included
Operator policy
This tour is offered by 261 Exp, not SafariBookings.
This operator reserves the right to change rates advertised on SafariBookings.
If you request changes to this tour, the advertised rates will likely change.
Rates include a fixed budget for flights during this tour. If flights cost more, your quote will reflect this.
The exact order, contents and rates of this tour are subject to availability.
If an accommodation is fully booked, the operator will suggest a comparable alternative.
This tour is subject to the terms & conditions of 261 Exp.
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