Madagascar discovery & splendour

This trip takes you through western Madagascar, an area of dry deciduous forest and dramatic limestone formations, far removed from the usual island postcard image. You travel from Antananarivo down to Morondava, then inland to the Tsingy de Bemaraha, before heading to the coast for a proper stretch of beach time.

A professional guide travels with you throughout, helping you get to grips with the region's unusual wildlife and plant life, including its baobabs. The pace mixes active days of exploring the Tsingy and Baobab Avenue with slower days by the sea near Salary, where you stay at one of the better beach hotels in the area.

It's a trip built around contrast — forest and rock formations one week, Mozambique Channel coastline the next — with the comfort of a guide managing logistics along the way.

What you'll do

• Fly from Antananarivo to Morondava to begin the western route
• Walk among the towering limestone spires of the Tsingy de Bemaraha
• Drive through Baobab Avenue and its centuries-old trees
• Sail from Morondava to the coastal village of Salary
• Unwind at a beach hotel on the Mozambique Channel
• Transfer via Tuléar for the return flight to Antananarivo