Everything starts and ends in Tana, which is conveniently located bang in the middle of the island. From this central hub, you can head off exploring the country, but it is well worth spending a few days in the city at the beginning or the end of your Madagascar holiday to sample some of the fabulous local cuisine, which the colonial French thankfully left behind, and to stock up on some excellent textiles for which the country is famed.
Heading out from the city, the south of Madagascar is best explored on an epic road trip from Tana to Tuleur through National Parks with some of the most extraordinary landscapes imaginable. Travel through desert canyons in Isalo National Park, tropical forests in Ranomafana, and the mountainous Tsaranoro Valley region, seeing the ubiquitous lemur on route.
The east coast of the country is home to a distinctly Caribbean vibe of spectacular beaches and islands that were the favourite haunts of buccaneers plying the spice routes in days of old. Fortunately the latter day visitor is more likely to see whales cruising offshore than pirate ships.
A Madagascar luxury holiday will certainly be unlike any other you've ever been on. This is, after all, a country quite unlike any you'll ever have been to.
