A Luxury Madagascar Travel Guide
Madagascar is a country that everyone has heard of and that always sparks intrigue. Yet even within the travel industry, there are a ton of question marks surrounding the destination. How do you get to Madagascar? Once there, how do you get around the enormous island nation that is notorious for lacking infrastructure (more on that below)? And what is there to see in Madagascar beyond the lemurs? Are there luxury hotels in Madagascar? These are questions we receive not only from clients but also from our travel advisor colleagues, and it’s certainly understandable. With the world’s third smallest GDP, Madagascar has unfortunately very limited resources to promote itself on the global stage. Yet this does not mean that Madagascar is unprepared for discerning travelers; on the contrary, the logistical challenges mean that a handful of lodges, hotels and ground suppliers have gone to painstaking lengths to curate an experience within Madagascar that is not only unforgettable but highly exclusive and largely unexplored.
I returned from my trip to Madagascar feeling truly giddy about the possibility of sharing this unbelievable country with others. Yes, many Europeans are doing Madagascar in a bare bones, backpack style way but that is not what our clients are looking for, nor is it the only way to see Madagascar. Fantastic resorts, lodges and experiences DO exist in Madagascar. In an effort to make it more approachable, I’m providing below a brief Madagascar luxury travel guide with the hopes that it gives our clients the information - and confidence - to discover one of the most beautiful places on earth.
I also want to stress that when I say “luxury”, I am not referring strictly to five-star accommodations but rather a type of travel that is experiential, high-touch and impactful. Sadly much of the existing tourism in Madagascar does not fall within these guidelines and it can at times feel cheesy (for lack of a better word) and in some extreme cases downright exploitative. Our luxury refers to meaningful and authentic travel with highly vetted service providers and properties whose mission is to improve the lives of Malagasys and to leave the environment in a better state than in which it existed previously.
How to get to Madagascar (and how to get around Madagascar)
Madagascar has two airports with regularly scheduled commercial flights: one in the capital city of Antananarivo (known largely by its nickname “Tana”) and the other in the northern resort of Nosy Be.
Tana is not the nicest city in the world, but at the same time I did not find it to be far as bad as anticipated. Tana’s airport has far more international flight offerings from Europe and other African countries than Nosy Be, making it the logical starting point for many. We arrived into Tana on the nonstop flight from Nairobi, making for an easy combination with East African safari in Kenya and/or Tanzania. Once in Tana, a night at the Novotel will provide more than sufficient comfort for a night of rest before starting your journey.
Nosy Be has nonstop flights on Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, providing remarkably convenient coverage for North American travelers. For much of the year, there is a once-weekly nonstop flight between Nosy Be and Johannesburg, making it extremely convenient to link South Africa with Madagascar. Nosy Be is definitely the preferred option if your Madagascar trip will consist solely of a visit to Miavana by Time + Tide, and if you are doing a luxury safari in Southern Africa, combining it with a 5-night finale in Miavana makes perfect sense! This is a winning itinerary for high-end honeymoons or family travel.
Nosy Be also makes sense as the port of entry if you’re visiting Time+Tide’s newest property, Tsara Komba. Just a quick boat ride from Nosy Be’s ferry, this beautiful addition to the scene is far more rustic than Miavana, yet still a fantastic fit for discerning travelers who are looking for a more authentic Malagasy experience.
Hot off the press gossip: Emirates has just announced a flight to Tana via the Seychelles that will begin operating September 3, 2024. This is a fantastic option as it not only makes it easier for North Americans to travel to Madagascar on their preferred airline, it also makes it effortless to combine Madagascar and Seychelles, something we did on our trip and absolutely LOVED (but was a logistical nightmare). Such exciting news!
Additionally, insiders tell us that Emirates was planning to begin flying to Nosy Be within the next few years, but now Qatar Airways has stepped in and made a more favorable proposal to the government. In any event, this means Madagascar will become increasingly accessible in the foreseeable future, which means you’ll either want to wait to take advantage of your favorite airlines flying there OR speed up your travel plans to visit before a major influx of tourists occurs.
For the majority of other hotels and destinations however, Tana will make most sense as your point of entry as it’s centrally located and some lodges will offer shared chartered flights from Tana to their properties, allowing you to avoid flying commercially on the local airline.
This leads me to perhaps the most important takeaway of our trip to Madagascar: you should not under any circumstances travel using the local airline, Tsaradia Airlines, operating under Madagascar Airlines.
Tsaradia Airlines has a domestic fleet of three airplanes, with most routes operating only once daily. The likelihood of flight cancellation is extremely high (apparently this is often attributed to Madagascar's president using the fleet for campaigning purposes) and because of the low frequency of flights, you could easily wait one to two days for your next flight.
We encountered a flight cancellation from Tana to Diego Suarez that would have resulted in us losing two days of our trip. We ultimately bit the bullet and splurged on a private chartered flight that was expensive, but reasonable when considering the opportunity cost of two nights at Miavana (and ultimately mostly reimbursable by insurance… yet another reason to always have travel insurance!).
While this may sound like an emotional anecdotal recommendation, when you speak with virtually anyone with experience dealing with the local airline, they will give you the same feedback. And as a company we have now made it a policy that we will not book Tsaradia Airlines for clients, as the operational nightmare it presents is simply too risky.
Some clients ask whether it’s possible to drive around Madagascar. The short answer is not really. Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island, measuring over 1,000 miles long. Much of the country is impassable by car, and even if you could do it driving, it would be highly uncomfortable do to such limited infrastructure. While some budget operators will provide driving itineraries through southern Madagascar, it simply not something we would ever recommend.
Where to go in Madagascar
When planning a trip to Madagascar, you’ll quickly come to the realization that unless you have a month or so to spare, it will be hard to cover every region of the country. That’s why we recommend several itineraries as starting points:
Masoala Forest Lodge & Anjajavy
If you’ve dreamed of having a Robinson Crusoe experience, Masoala Forest Lodge is the place for you. In this extraordinary part of Madagascar, wearing shoes becomes a distant memory as you divide your time between unspoilt beaches, wildlife exploration and cultural engagement.
The Masoala Peninsula is home to Madagascar's last and largest remaining stretch of lowland rainforest, a true haven of biodiversity and unique species. Accessible only by boat and with just seven tented rooms elevated on wooden decks, the lodge offers stunning views through lush tropical greenery straight to the golden beach. Forget wifi: you will be fully disconnected during your stay with only the gentle sound of waves to distract you.
Masoala is renowned for its unmatched biodiversity and boasts various species of lemurs, such as the Red Ruffed Lemur, White-fronted Lemur, and Helmet Vanga, many of which are endemic to the island. Meaningful cultural immersion is also a defining element of your stay at Masoala, with your stay directly contributing to the empowerment of local tribes.
Masoala offers stays varying in length from 3 to 11 nights, which allows them to provide scheduled round-trip chartered flights to guests via Tana.
From there you can then continue onto Anjajavy, a Relais & Chateaux resort and favorite for many in the industry. Like Masoala, Anjajavy provides a fantastic mix of both beach and wildlife, though the vibe at the latter is more elevated and refined with far more amenities.
Located on Madagascar’s northwest coast, Anjajavy is accessible via their private plane from Tana (like Masoala, scheduled chartered flights are offered to guests) and then a 30-minute road transfer through the forest to the peninsula home to the resort. With 24 rooms, it’s larger than Masoala but still highly exclusive given its isolated positioning within a private reserve.
The biodiversity is exceptional at Anjajavy, and highly complementary to that of Masoala’s, with various species of lemurs. Guests can do walking safari, night safari, various motorized and non-motorized water activities, village visits and hiking.
Our advice is that in order to minimize travel time, it may be worth splurging on a private charter directly from Masoala to Anjajavy, rather than using each property’s shared charter to return to Tana, as it will inevitably result in forced overnights in the capital city. The team at Craft will of course advise you on the best routing given your personal needs.
Check out our itinerary combining these two incredible destinations here.
Another option worth considering is Mandrare River Camp, located on the far southern tip of Madagascar. While it doesn’t provide the beach experience of Masoala, it does offer access to Madagascar’s iconic spiny forests and some guests prefer Mandrare for slightly more luxurious accommodations, albeit still on the rustic side. Mandrare definitely delivers on adventure, and can be either added onto a Masoala and Anjajavy itinerary, or can replace one of them depending on your particular style and interests. Mandrare is beginning to offer scheduled chartered flights, but at roughly $2,000 per person each way, they are not exactly economical.
Miavana
If you follow us on social media, you’ll already be familiar with our love for Miavana. It is truly one of the world’s top luxury resorts, particularly for those who easily get bored at a beach resort and are looking for constant activity. It is impossible to get bored at Miavana with what feels like unlimited options for experiencing the destination. And if you’re willing to spend a bit more with Miavana’s heli excursions, you can essentially see all of the highlights of Madagascar -from the tsingy forests to the most remote and unhabituated lemur species- from the comfort of the country’s most luxurious accommodations.
My Bucket List Trip to Miavana, A Private Island in Madagascar written by Julia.
Click here to read the article.
Miavana is meant to be a standalone destination, and many people will visit Madagascar only to stay at Miavana. You will not be disappointed, though you will not find much cultural interaction at Miavana, though they do have a village on the island which guests are encouraged to visit. We went and I found it remarkably interesting; I’d highly suggest bringing some cash so that you can grab a beer from their local bar and engage a bit with locals. With that being said, I do think Miavana can pair very well with Masoala or Mandrare, offering the ideal finale for an adventurous trip.
As discussed earlier, it’s not easy to get to Miavana but for families or those with very flexible budgets, their private flight offering via Johannesburg is incredibly enticing and provides the most optimized logistics for North Americans, particularly if they are interested in combining Madagascar with South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia or Namibia. Otherwise, it’s important to keep in mind that with a five-night stay your round-trip helicopter transfers are included, and we really would not recommend a stay shorter than five nights at Miavana.
In order to provide more buffer for any sort of flight issues, I think spending several nights upon arrival to Madagascar at Tsara Kombo before moving onto Miavana can work very well. The experiences are designed by Time+Tide to be complementary and offer travelers a more in-depth look into Madagascar while keeping logistics simple with the single entry and exit point of Nosy Be.
You can check out my blog post recapping our stay at Miavana for more insight.
Voaara
Voaara is an exciting new luxury property opening in July 2024 on Madagascar’s northeastern coast. We met with the owner at We Are Africa and are confident that Voaara will be responsible for renewed interest in Madagascar across the luxury market. Voaara will be a true five-star beach resort with impeccable design and commitment to sustainability. It will be interesting to see how Voaara compares with Miavana, though the price point will certainly be lower.
We are excited about the possibility of combining Voaara with Masoala, connecting the two properties by boat transfer (season permitting). Masoala and Voaara could ultimately become one of our favorite Madagascar combos, and we will report back on this in the year ahead!
How to plan
This is of course a very brief review of how to plan your luxury trip to Madagascar but hopefully a good start. The best way to optimize your Madagascar experience is to speak with me or any of our Africa specialists on a complimentary discovery call. It’s no coincidence that more and more top luxury brands have entered the Madagascar market, or plan on doing so in the new future: Madagascar is simply one of the world’s most breathtaking countries with so much yet to be discovered. Plan your adventure to Madagascar before everyone gets in on the secret!
What to pack
Wondering what to pack for bush and beach? In this video, Julia shares her insight on what items to pack for the best bush and beach experience.
Travel expert and owner of Craft Travel shares exactly how she packs for a bush and beach vacation. Filmed at the on location at the exclusive La Cigale Estate in Seychelles.
