Madagascar Family Adventure: Lemurs & Highlands

Today you ease into the adventure with a family-friendly day in and around Antananarivo. You might visit a lemur park or private reserve on the city's edge for a first, delightful encounter with several species of lemur in a green, walkable setting, a gentle introduction that children adore, and perhaps see chameleons and other creatures too. In the city you wind up to the royal hill for big views over the hills and rice paddies, wander a colourful market for a souvenir, and enjoy a relaxed lunch. The pace is unhurried, with time for rests and treats, and your guide keeps everyone entertained with stories about Madagascar's amazing wildlife. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, the children already excited about the lemurs to come. This evening, enjoy a family dinner in the capital. Rest well, for tomorrow you head into the rainforest of Andasibe.

Today the family heads east into the rainforest, with a highlight the children will never forget. The scenic drive from the highlands winds down through green hills, rice paddies and villages into lusher, wetter country, with fun stops along the way. Reaching the Andasibe area, you visit a wonderful private reserve where habituated lemurs live on small forested islands, and here friendly brown and bamboo lemurs may leap right onto a shoulder or gently take a piece of banana, a joyful, hands-on encounter and a photo of a lifetime. You settle into your family-friendly forest lodge, surrounded by birdsong. This evening, older children may enjoy a short guided night walk to spot tiny mouse lemurs and sleeping chameleons by torchlight. As the day ends, the magic of the forest surrounds you. Rest well, for tomorrow you meet the singing indri.

Today the whole family explores the rainforest of Andasibe in search of the amazing indri. Setting out in the cool morning with your friendly local guide, you walk gentle forest trails to find the indri, the biggest lemur of all, and children are spellbound as its eerie, soaring song rises around them and they watch the big black-and-white lemurs leap powerfully through the trees. The walk is a treasure hunt of discoveries, your guide pointing out colourful chameleons, tiny frogs, geckos, orchids and bright birds, keeping everyone engaged and excited. The trails are manageable for families, with time to rest and take photographs. As the day ends, you return to your lodge, the children buzzing about everything they saw. This evening, enjoy a relaxed family dinner in the forest. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey into the highlands to the fun town of Antsirabe.

Today the family journeys back across the highlands and south to the genial town of Antsirabe, a scenic drive with plenty to see. Retracing the road towards Tana and then heading into the southern highlands, you travel through classic Madagascar of emerald rice terraces, red-earth brick villages, hills grazed by humped zebu and busy market towns, with stops for photographs, snacks and a leg-stretch. There is always something to point out from the window, a zebu cart, a rice harvest, children waving from a village. By late afternoon you reach Antsirabe, a relaxed highland town famous for its faded colonial charm, thermal springs and countless colourful pousse-pousse rickshaws. You settle into your hotel, and perhaps take a first fun rickshaw ride through the wide streets. As the day ends, you relax in the cool highland air. Rest well, for tomorrow you enjoy the crafts and fun of Antsirabe.

Today the family enjoys the fun and ingenuity of Antsirabe. You ride through the wide avenues in a colourful pousse-pousse rickshaw, a favourite with children, and visit the town's famous workshops, where artisans perform astonishing feats, turning scrap metal into perfect miniature bicycles and rickshaws, carving toys, cutting sparkling gemstones and embroidering bright cloth; children love watching things being made and choosing a handmade souvenir to take home. You may drive out to a beautiful crater lake ringed by hills and steeped in local legend for a picnic and a walk, or visit a workshop making sweets or paper. The relaxed pace and hands-on fun make it a perfect family day. As the day ends, you return to your hotel with pockets full of treasures. This evening, enjoy a family dinner in town. Rest well, for tomorrow you continue to the rainforest of Ranomafana.

Today the family continues south towards the misty rainforest of Ranomafana. The scenic drive runs through more highland country of terraced valleys and brick villages, passing the woodcarving town of Ambositra, where you can watch carvers at work and browse beautifully made boxes and animals. Gradually the cultivated highlands give way to greener, wetter, forested country as you drop towards the escarpment, and the children can watch the landscape change and the forest grow thicker. By late afternoon you reach Ranomafana, where dense rainforest cloaks steep hills and the humid air hums with insects and birdsong. You settle into your family-friendly lodge near the park, perhaps enjoying the warm thermal springs that give the town its name, a treat after the drive. As the day ends, the sounds of the forest surround you. Rest well, for tomorrow the family goes on a real rainforest treasure hunt.

Today the family explores the wonderful rainforest of Ranomafana on a nature treasure hunt. Setting out with your friendly local park guide, you follow forest trails through steep, misty rainforest laced with streams, searching for the park's playful lemurs, troops of bamboo lemurs and brown lemurs leaping overhead and, with luck, elegant sifaka. The children delight in spotting the amazing chameleons for which Madagascar is famous, from big ones to tiny thumbnail-sized ones changing colour, along with bright frogs, geckos and stick insects, each discovery a triumph. Your guide chooses trails to suit the family and makes it fun and educational, explaining how special and precious this forest is. Afterwards you may relax in the thermal springs. As the day ends, you return to your lodge, thrilled with the day's finds. Rest well, for tomorrow you begin the journey back to the capital.

Today is a longer but scenic drive back through the beautiful highlands to the capital, so you set off in good time and break the journey with plenty of stops to keep everyone happy. The road climbs out of the rainforest into open highland country of terraced valleys, granite hills and brick villages, and you pause for photographs, roadside markets, a craft stop and a relaxed lunch, perhaps in Antsirabe or Ambositra. There is always something to see from the window, and games and stories help pass the miles. By evening you reach Antananarivo and settle into your hotel. As the day ends, the family looks back on an adventure packed with lemurs, chameleons and fun. This evening, enjoy a celebratory family dinner in the capital, sharing favourite moments from the trip. Rest well, for tomorrow you begin the journey home from this amazing island.

After a final family breakfast and perhaps some last souvenir shopping for lemur carvings, vanilla and handmade treasures, you are transferred to Ivato International Airport for your onward international departure. The family leaves having shared an extraordinary adventure, meeting friendly lemurs face to face, hearing the amazing song of the indri, riding colourful rickshaws, watching craftspeople work wonders, and hunting for chameleons in the misty rainforest. The memories stay bright long after you land, the lemur leaping onto a shoulder, the indri bounding through the trees, and the tiny chameleon changing colour in a child's hand. Madagascar has shown the family a unique and precious world found nowhere else on Earth, sparked a love of wildlife and wild places, and given everyone stories to share for years. You depart together already dreaming of a return to this amazing island.