Expore the best of Madagascar - 23 day roadtrip

Start: Ivato
Destination: Antsirabe
Drive: 190 km | 5.5 hours

Your start on the famed RN7! Expect asphalt, windy roads passing rice paddies and small highland villages. You can have a good lunch stop at Coin de Foie Gras in Behenjy, or try a real authentic paella (we're not kidding), at El Torro in Ambatolampy.

Some restaurants we can recommend: Chez Jenny (pizza), Trianon,  Vatolahy (French) and Conterno (pastries and baguettes). 

Enjoy: Antsirabe

Explore Antsirabe town and surroundings. Take a pousse pousse (the Malagasy version of the Asian rickshaw) tour to the craft workshops which are otherwise hard to find on your own. Hike or mountain bike around Lake Tritriva, an emerald-green crater lake.

Start: Antsirabe
Destination: Ranomafana National Park
Drive: 255 km | 6.5 hours

It's another lovely, windy road, passing through highland villages, rice paddies and rainforest-covered hills. Stop in Ambositra for a coffee break. For those interested in community tourism and highland culture, this is an interesting region to linger around for longer. 

The best way to Ranomafana is via the RN7 and branch off at Alakamisy onto the RN45. Restaurant tip: Manja

Enjoy: Ranomafana 

Ranomafana is a small and lively tropical town with a stunning riverside setting surrounded by rainforest-covered hills and the lovely scent of flowers in the air. It's the place to search for the golden bamboo lemur, only discovered in 1986. We have written a blog about the most beautiful national parks to visit on your road trip in Madagascar, including Ranamofana. You can check it out here. 

Start: Ranomafana National Park
Destination: Andringitra National Park
Drive: 130 km | 4 - 5 hours 

Drive to Andringitra National Park, perhaps the most scenic drive in Madagascar thus far. Especially beyond Ambalavao, when the highland plateau gives way to deserted grassland with big sandstone massifs and distant horizons. You could have a coffee break at Ambalavao, or use it as a base from which to explore community tourism initiatives. 

Enjoy: Andringitra

If you like hiking, this is a breath taking area. Several hikes can be organised from the camps in this area, ranging from a few hours to multiple days. We did the real Andringitra, a tough full day walk up to the peak. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen and a hat, as the sun is remorseless. Consider factoring extra days to complete the Imarivolanitra trekking (2-3 days). We have written a blog about the most beautiful national parks to visit on your road trip in Madagascar, including Andringitra. You can check it out here. 

Start: Andringitra National Park
Destination: Isalo
Drive: 255 km| 4 - 5 hours 

Once you leave Andringitra National Park, the windy roads give way to smooth roads with far horizons and deserted grasslands with some rocky peaks. Bring a packed lunch as there are no places to buy or eat something en route! 

Enjoy: Isalo National Park

Isalo National Park is a popular destination, featuring sandstone cliffs, deep canyons, waterfalls, natural pools, and a variety of native flora. The piscine and cascade hiking trail are the most popular hikes. We have written a blog about the most beautiful national parks to visit on your road trip in Madagascar, including Isalo. You can check it out here. 

Start: Isalo National Park
Destination: Tulear
Drive: 240 km | 6 hours 

It's an easy 4-hour drive to Tulear. On your way, you will pass through towns that experienced a sapphire rush. We found the experience to be impressive and thought-provoking.

The beaches at Ifaty/Mangily, 24 km north of Tulear, are nicer, but we prefer the vibe at St Augustine's Bay, south of Tulear. Below is Bakuba Hotel at Tulear, among the best boutique hotels of Madagascar. 

Start: Tulear
Destination: Salary Bay
Drive: 108 km | 3 hours 

For some of you, it's time to meet your ''pisteur'' - the navigator who will join you for the next few days. After Ifaty we say goodbye to the asphalt. Switch on those hub locks and start your 4x4 Madagascar adventure! 

From Tulear to Morombe is a beautiful road, bordered by the Mozambican channel to the west and the Mikea Forest to the east. While the road does have some sandy stretches, there is no need to use sand plates or deflate your tyres. 

Start: Salary Bay
Destination: Andavadoaka
Drive: 60 km | 3 hours 

Drive to Andavadoaka, a remote little Vezo fishing village. It's pretty intense driving through no man's land. No more villages, cattle and people, but deep sandy tracks and endless bushes with mostly no telephone signal. What an experience. 

Start: Andavadoaka
Destination: Manja
Drive: 210 km | 6 hours

Pack your car with enough water and food for lunch, as you will not pass any restaurant or roadside stall for the next two days. It's an intense but fun driving day, covering many different terrains and passing through very remote areas. The first 2 hours are on a reasonably good 4x4 track to the small village of Morombe. The RN9 'road' between Morombe and Bevoay is in a poor state: potholes, bush, mud, shallow creeks and rocks. You must cross quicksand(!) to catch a local ''ferry'' to cross the Mangoky river - what an experience! As they're constructing a bridge, there is also a dam you can use to cross the river if the water level isn't too high. After the river crossing, the road is in good condition up to Manja town.

Start: Manja
Destination: Belo sur Mer
Drive: 109 km | 4 hours

Visiting Belo sur Mer is only allowed when travelling with our driver-guide or pisteur. You have to cross a salt plain. The surface is dried out, but beneath, it's like quicksand, so you quickly get stuck if you don't know which track to follow. When you are travelling the West Coast without a pisteur, you'll have to skip Belo sur Mer. 

Tip: You can also visit Belo sure Mer by boat from Morondava. It’s a short boat ride, which can be arranged from the hotel you are staying at in Morondava.

Enjoy: Belo sur Mer

We recommend enjoying a rest day (or two) in Belo sur Mer. You will have been on the road for quite a few days now, and it is a holiday after all. Entremer is our favourite accommodation. The owner, a friendly French lady, passionately runs the eco-lodge. The home-cooked food is simply delicious and not the standard fare. Make sure you try her Coco Rum punch as well...

Enjoy: Belo sur Mer

Have a local lunch in the village at Chez Amis, where crab is often the only thing on the menu ;)  Or take a trip on a sailing boat, visit Kirindy Mitea National Park (mangroves, dunes, lakes and beaches) or just read a book and sip cocktails in your hammock...

Start: Belo sur Mer
Destination: Morondava
Drive: 60 km | 4 hours

Drive to Morondava. You'll mostly cover sandy tracks with a few bushes and some rivers where your pisteur really comes in handy. And then…there is asphalt again. Explore Morondava town in the afternoon; a lively seaside resort with plenty of small restaurants and bars. Our favourite restaurant: La Capannina and Baobab. 

Start: Morondava
Destination: Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park
Drive: 200 km | 10 hours

Driving on a 4x4 dirt track to Bekopaka, your gateway to the Tsingy de Bemaraha takes a full day. Make sure to have lunch in Belo-sur-Tsiribihina at Mad Zebu. The Malagasy chef used to work at a 3-star Michelin restaurant in France and now runs a restaurant in the middle of nowhere - pretty surreal!

Enjoy: Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park

There is nothing else on earth like the limestone pinnacles of Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We recommend spending at least two full days at the park so you can try out the great circuits that have been put in place, consisting of Via Ferrata (fixed cable routes), rope bridges and ladders. Combine it with a pirogue trip up the Manambolo River.  

Enjoy: Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park

We have written a blog about the most beautiful national parks to visit on your road trip in Madagascar, including Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park. You can check it out here. 

Start: Tsingy de Bemaraha Naitonal Park
Destination: Morondava
Drive: 200 km | 10 hours 

After visiting Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, it will take a full day's drive to get back to Morondava.

Start: Morondava
Destination: Miandrivazo
Drive: 265 km | 5 hours

Today you cover the RN35 and the RN24, an asphalt road but pretty putholed. You'll probably have the road to yourself. It roughly a 4 hour drive to Miandrivazo. A pirogue trip up the Tsiribihina river makes a nice excursion, or relax at the pool of Princess Tsiribihina, the only mid-range place to stay in Miandrivazo. 

Start: Miandrivazo
Destination: Antsirabe
Drive: 220 km | 5 hours

Take note that the only way to get from Morondava to Tana is via Miandrivazo and Antsirabe. The RN35 takes much longer, and the bridge on the RN35 is broken so the road is inaccessible. Do not follow Google Maps, as it will lead you the wrong way. Simply follow the RN34. 

Start: Antsirabe
Destination: Ivato
Drive: 190 km | 5.5 hours 

Back on the good old RN7. You can return your rental car to the team of Roadtrip Madagascar at the airport or the lodge you are staying at in Ivato.