Three African islands of the Indian Ocean: Madagascar - Reunion - Mauritius

Our plane will land at Saint Denis Airport at 8:30am, which means the start of our journey!

Cirque Salazi is one of the three magnificent circuses on the island of Réunion. It is known for its green and lush landscape, bamboo forests, tree ferns, and banana plantations. In the circus, you can see famous waterfalls, including the ‘Veil of the Bride’, and immerse yourself in the local culture and cuisine, especially known for the chuchu vegetable. The charming village of Hell Burg offers unique Creole buildings and old thermal baths. Cirque Salazi - An ideal place to take a walk and enjoy the beauty of Reunion's nature. 

A full day on a green, mountainous and clean island. Today is a day dedicated to the volcanoes of Reunion. Few people know that the island has volcanoes over 2500 metres high. We will see them from the observation decks, but a helicopter flight can be ordered additionally (from 300 Euros/55 minutes). 

We spend another half day in Reunion and in the evening we fly to Madagascar via Mauritius. But we will spend these half days together with the Mafat Circus, a natural artefact that cannot be described in words.  

Departure to Mauritius. 

After morning sunbathing in Mauritius, we start the main part of our Expedition - the island of Madagascar. We head to Andasibi to visit the national park in the morning and see endemic lemurs)

On the way, we stop at a reserve called PEYRIERAS MADAGASCAR EXOTIC PARC, which specialises in reptile breeding. There are many chameleons, frogs (amphibians) that live on land and in water. Evening safaris for night lemurs and reptiles. 

Overnight at the Andasibi Relais du Mantadia hotel 

Today we are going to visit Andasibe National Park, which was created to preserve the Indri lemur - the largest lemur alive today, weighing up to 10 kg! The park is also home to the bamboo lemur, 30 other species of mammals, 112 species of birds, more than 80 species of frogs and 50 species of reptiles!

We will go to the private reserve ‘Vakuna’, where we will take the opportunity to feed the lemurs right from our hands! After that, we'll take a canoe trip around the lemur island in search of other species of these wonderful animals. We will also visit the crocodile reserve, where there are not only crocodiles, but also chameleons, geckos, guinea fowls, ducks and turtles.

Overnight at the Andasibi Relais du Mantadia hotel 

We will spend the morning enjoying the nature of Andasibe. We have a foie gras lunch and then head to Antsirabe, the third largest city in Madagascar and perhaps one of the most charming. Along the way, we see rice paddies, souvenir shops and workshops where aluminium products are made. We also communicate with the locals to immerse ourselves in the island's life and way of life. After arriving in Antsirab, we explore the city.

Overnight at the Hhotel Le Royal Palace in Antsirab.  

Today, we are going to see gold mining in Madagascar, and the most interesting thing is that it is the same as it was many years ago, almost everything is done manually with minimal mechanisation. The town of Mondoto is another town on the way to the pearls of Madagascar. 

Overnight at the Miandryvazu Soa Lia Hotel. 

In the morning, we set off towards Murandawa, where we will meet the world-famous Baobab Alley and watch the sunset. Along the way, as usual, we stop in local villages and markets, and it is easier to understand the country not from the hotel room, but from the window of a jeep or bus. 

Overnight at the Palissandre Cote Ouest resort & SPA in Murundava.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure through the alley of baobabs to the Stone Forest in Bekupak. Today we will have an off-road jeep adventure, because there is no other road here. The road goes through small villages, where we will meet the locals, enter their homes and get acquainted with their everyday life. Have you heard of the Mahafali burial culture (UNESCO Tentative List)? On this day we will discover this unique page of the culture of the south of the island of Madagascar. We will have lunch in the town of Belo Sur Tsiribihina. Arrive at the Le Soleil des Tsingy hotel and have a rest.  

A day of conquering the large and small Tsingy, two parts of the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park (one of three UNESCO sites in Madagascar). Over many millions of years, water and wind have transformed karst rocks into the extraordinary stone forest that we are about to see today. Rare species of animals and plants have also been preserved here, and in 1990, the stone forest was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Today, we will need professional sneakers, gloves, a hat or cap, water, mosquito spray and sunscreen. We will be climbing with life belts.

• Large cirques: a visit to them lasts about 4 hours. First, we'll walk through the forest looking for wild lemurs, then we'll climb up (80 m) on stones. The view at the top is amazing!
• Small Tsingy: the visit lasts about an hour and a half. Since the stones here are low, we don't use climbing equipment anymore, we just walk. 

The day of the transfer to Murandava. The journey will be interesting and will truly immerse us in the everyday life of the Malagasy people. We will use a ferry 2 times across the Tsiribihina and Manambulu rivers. And, of course, the biggest highlight of Madagascar is the baobabs of different heights, shapes and ages. The most exclusive baobab will be the ‘Baobab in Love’ - 2 trunks of one tree that are strangely twisted.  

Overnight at Murundava's Renala au Sable d'or hotel

The final part of our programme is when we are heading towards the capital. On the way to Antsirabe, we have planned visits to several schools where we will share our gifts from home with the children and the school administration. There are many historic colonial-style buildings in Antsirabe, as well as beautiful gardens and parks. Here you can also visit geothermal springs and take a walk along the local lakes. The city is known for its production of mineral water and beer, which we will definitely try. 

Overnight in Anzirabe Hotel Plumeria

Early in the morning, we head to the capital to buy some souvenirs and visit the Royal Hill of Ambuhimanga (a UNESCO site) before our flight.

Departure to Mauritius and departure at 17:00. Arrival at 19:45.  

We start the beach part of our trip.

Swimming, sunbathing, eating fruit and local delicacies and just enjoying our time after an exciting adventure in Madagascar! 2 nights in a beautiful hotel on the best coast of the island of Mauritius.

Farewell to Mauritius. Fly home or continue your beach holiday.