The best time to visit Madagascar, month by month
Compare months by region before you settle flights. Useful if birding needs to fit with the Tsingy, lemurs or time on the coast.
Birdwatching tours in Madagascar
A rainforest morning near Antananarivo, or a longer journey to the dry and spiny forests. Tell us the birds you hope to see and how much time you have. We plan private trips, usually from two people.
How much time should you give birding?
Our published itineraries are wildlife trips that can be reshaped. Start with the time you have, then tell us if birds are the main reason you are coming.
The 2-day Andasibe trip, from €320 per adult, gives you one night away from Antananarivo and an early morning in Analamazaotra, with birds alongside the lemurs. It is a short rainforest introduction. Mantadia is a separate visit and is not in that itinerary. If a target bird matters more than the usual stops, ask about extra time before settling the route.
For more habitats, start with the 11-day Classic South, from €1,730 per adult: Andasibe, two nights at Ranomafana, Isalo and Ifaty. The set trip mixes forest visits with driving, villages and time by the sea. The spiny forest at Ifaty is optional, and Zombitse is not a listed stop. Dedicated birding mornings need to be agreed when we reshape the itinerary.
For rainforest followed by the coast, the 10-day Eastern trip has two nights at Andasibe before the Pangalanes Canal and Sainte-Marie. The 5-day West trip starts and ends in Morondava, with an evening and a morning at Kirindy before the Tsingy. Tell us if you want longer in the forest on either route.
The set prices include a private vehicle, an English-speaking driver-guide, local park guides and park entrance fees. Tell us if you need dedicated birding guidance so the guide arrangements and any extra cost can be confirmed in your quote. A bird on your target list is never a promised sighting.
Before we plan
Tell us what matters on your birding trip
Your dates and total days
Give us your travel month and the days available in Madagascar. Say if you can add a night to spend longer in one forest.
The birds you hope for
Send a short target list and mark the birds that matter most. A general interest in birds is useful to know too.
Walking and photography
Tell us about steep or muddy trails, early starts and how long you like to wait for a photograph. We can then discuss a workable pace.
Your group and budget
How many people are travelling, and is everyone keen on birding? Include a budget per person and the hotel comfort you want.
Match the birds to the route
Rainforest, dry forest or spiny forest?
Different targets can mean a different park, more time in one place or an extra stop.
Rainforest: Andasibe-Mantadia and Ranomafana. Mantadia lists the pitta-like ground-roller on its Tsakoka circuit, which has steep slopes. Our set Andasibe visits go to Analamazaotra. Ask about Mantadia separately, and tell us how much walking suits you.
South-western spiny forest: the long-tailed ground-roller and subdesert mesite are birds of this region. If these are your priorities, say so before choosing a route that ends at Ifaty. A beach day does not automatically include a guided birding visit.
Zombitse dry forest: Madagascar National Parks lists Appert's tetraka here and recommends dawn for birds. Ask whether a visit fits the southbound journey and what it changes. Passing along the RN7 is different from having time set aside for the forest.
Our birds of Madagascar guide compares more places and species. None of these birds can be guaranteed, even with the right habitat and time to look.
Plan your dates
September to November is our usual birding window
Already have fixed dates? Send them too. We will discuss which route fits your month and the birds that matter to you.
On the request form, select Birdwatching and use “Anything else we should know?” for your target list, total days, walking limits and preferred pace. If you have no route in mind, leave the trip as Tailor-made.
We usually reply within 24 hours with a written itinerary and a firm price for your group. The published trip prices are indicative. Extra birding days, guide arrangements and optional visits need to be agreed in your quote. No payment is required to enquire.
Before you go
Guides to help choose your birding route
Andasibe National Park: indri, night walks and how to visit
The difference between Analamazaotra and Mantadia, what each visit needs, and how a short Andasibe stay fits into a longer route.
The best places to visit in Madagascar
Compare Madagascar's main regions and parks if you are still choosing between a rainforest trip, the south or the west.
Birds of Madagascar: what birders come for, and where
Ground-rollers, mesites, vangas and couas, the habitats they need and the places our set trips do and do not visit.
Madagascar's rainforests: where to see them
Compare eastern rainforest walks, time in each place and trail conditions before adding extra forest days.
Ifaty and Tulear: the reef, the spiny forest and the end of the RN7
Plan the coastal end of a southern trip, with spiny forest, beach time and onward travel from Tulear.
Bird photographs
Birds to look for in Madagascar
These photographs illustrate some of the birds that can shape your route. Tell us which species matter most to you.
