Tsingy & Baobabs: The Western Circuit

Today you explore Antananarivo before heading west. You wind up through the old upper town to the royal hill, taking in the great Rova palace and sweeping views over a city that spills across a dozen hills above a patchwork of rice paddies. You wander lively markets fragrant with vanilla and spices, browse Malagasy handicrafts, and perhaps visit a private lemur or reptile reserve on the city fringe for a first introduction to the island's extraordinary wildlife. Your guide brings the city's layered history vividly to life, from the Merina kingdom to the present day, and helps you prepare for the remote journey ahead, when comforts will be simpler and the landscapes wilder. As the day ends, you return to your hotel with a feel for highland Malagasy culture. This evening, enjoy dinner in the capital. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly west to the baobab country of Morondava.

Today you fly west from the highlands to the coastal town of Morondava, gateway to the wild west and baobab country. On arrival the climate is hot and the pace slow, a world away from the cool highlands, with sandy streets, a fishing harbour and the culture of the Sakalava and Vezo peoples. You settle into your hotel and, in the late afternoon, drive out to the world-famous Avenue of the Baobabs just outside town. As the sun sinks, the towering baobabs, some perhaps eight centuries old, turn to black-and-gold silhouettes against a sky ablaze with colour, while zebu carts and villagers pass along the dirt track, a scene of pure magic and one of the most iconic sights in all Africa. As the day ends, you return to Morondava under enormous skies. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the forest of Kirindy.

Today you explore the wild dry forest of Kirindy, one of Madagascar's most rewarding and unusual reserves, reached by 4x4 along a rough track north of Morondava. Kirindy protects a rare surviving expanse of western deciduous forest, and it is the best place in the country to see the fossa, the island's largest predator, a sleek, cat-like russet carnivore that hunts lemurs through the trees and is sometimes seen near the ranger camp. On guided walks you also look for Verreaux's sifaka dancing across the ground, red-fronted brown lemurs, chameleons and unique birds. If you stay into the evening, a magical night walk reveals the tiny giant jumping rat, mouse lemurs and pale fork-marked lemurs by torchlight. As the day ends, you return to Morondava, thrilled by the forest's wildlife. Rest well, for tomorrow the rugged expedition to the Tsingy begins.

Today begins the rugged overland expedition north to the Tsingy de Bemaraha, an adventure in itself. You set off early by 4x4 along rough, dusty tracks that wind through baobab-studded country, dry forest and Sakalava villages, with the landscape growing wilder as you go. Twice you cross wide, sluggish brown rivers on simple wooden car ferries, watching pirogues drift past and daily life unfold along the banks, an experience that feels like travelling back in time. The going is slow and bumpy, and the day is long, but every kilometre is part of the adventure, and there are stops for photographs, baobabs and refreshment. By late afternoon you reach the remote village of Bekopaka, gateway to the Tsingy, and settle into your lodge. As the day ends, you rest in this far-flung outpost. Sleep well, for tomorrow you enter the extraordinary stone forest.

Today you explore the extraordinary Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the strangest landscapes on Earth. With a specialist guide you set out to the Grand Tsingy, a vast massif of limestone eroded over millennia into a dense forest of razor-sharp grey needles, blades and pinnacles. Fitted with a harness, you clip into fixed cables to climb through narrow canyons, squeeze between towering walls, edge along ledges and cross vertiginous rope bridges suspended high above the stone, emerging onto summit viewpoints where jagged spires stretch to the horizon. Hidden among the pinnacles live lemurs, birds, chameleons and unique plants adapted to this harsh, beautiful world. The scrambling is exhilarating and unforgettable, and your guide ensures your safety throughout. As the day ends, you return to Bekopaka, elated by the day's adventure. Rest well, for tomorrow you begin the journey back to the coast.

Today you retrace the rugged route back south towards Morondava, with time to savour the wild western landscapes once more. You may pause at the Petit Tsingy near Bekopaka for a gentler walk among the limestone, or explore a stretch of river by pirogue before setting off. Once again you bounce along the dusty tracks through baobab country and dry forest, crossing the rivers by ferry and passing Sakalava villages, zebu carts and lively roadside markets. There are stops for photographs and refreshment, and the enormous skies and endless baobabs make even the return drive a pleasure. By late afternoon you reach Morondava and settle back into your hotel by the sea. As the day ends, you relax after the adventurous expedition, perhaps with a fresh seafood dinner. Rest well, for tomorrow you enjoy the baobabs and coast around Morondava at a gentler pace.

Today you enjoy the baobab country and coast around Morondava at a relaxed pace after the rigours of the Tsingy road. You may drive out to see more of the region's extraordinary baobabs, including the famous Baobab Amoureux, two ancient trees twisted together like entwined lovers and steeped in local legend, and return once more to the Avenue of the Baobabs to photograph it in the softer morning light. You can visit a Vezo or Sakalava fishing village to glimpse coastal life, browse the market in Morondava, or simply relax by the sea and watch the pirogues sail by. As the sun sets, you may take a final farewell of the great baobabs against the blazing sky. As the day ends, you savour your last evening in the wild west, reflecting on the adventure. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly back to the capital.

After a final morning in Morondava, perhaps a last stroll on the beach or through the market, you transfer to the airport for your domestic flight back to Antananarivo. Leaving the hot, slow-paced west behind, you return to the cool highland capital, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. The afternoon is yours to relax, reflect on your western adventure and perhaps shop for Malagasy crafts, vanilla and spices, or explore a little more of Tana's markets and viewpoints. Your guide can recommend a fine restaurant for a memorable final dinner in the capital, where you can toast the extraordinary journey through the Tsingy, Kirindy and the baobabs. As the day ends, you gather your impressions of Madagascar's wild west. Rest well, for tomorrow you begin your journey home from this remarkable island.

After a final morning in Antananarivo, perhaps some last souvenir shopping, you are transferred to Ivato International Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having ventured deep into Madagascar's wild west, clipping into cables to climb the razor-sharp pinnacles of the Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO wonder unlike anywhere on Earth, searching for the fossa and nocturnal lemurs in the dry forest of Kirindy, crossing brown rivers by ferry, and standing beneath the towering baobabs of the famous Avenue at sunset. The images stay vivid long after you land, the stone forest of grey needles, the fossa slipping through the trees, and the great baobabs blazing against the sky. Madagascar's west offers adventure and landscapes found nowhere else on Earth, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this raw, surreal and spectacular corner of the island.