2 days · East
Andasibe: Lemurs & Rainforest Trails
Chameleons at Peyrieras, a walk among the lemurs at Vakona, a guided night walk, and an early start in Analamazaotra, where the indri call most mornings.
Planning guide
Combining Madagascar with Mauritius or RĂ©union
The flights between Mauritius, RĂ©union and Madagascar in October 2026, the islands as a way in from Europe, how to divide the days, the months that suit both, the visas, and an honest look at Nosy Be and Sainte-Marie against a Mauritius resort.
Madagascar and Mauritius go together easily. Air Mauritius flies between Mauritius and Antananarivo in about two hours, with operating days checked for your dates, and RĂ©union is under two hours away too. The usual plan is Madagascar first, for the lemurs and the forests, then four or five nights on a Mauritius beach before the flight home. Go between May and October, when Madagascar is in its dry season and Mauritius is in or near its cooler, drier winter.
We're a Malagasy operator in Antananarivo, and this guide covers how to fit the Madagascar route around the island stay. Below: the flights, which of our private trips sit best next to a week in Mauritius, and when a beach in Madagascar would do the job instead.
Why people put Madagascar and Mauritius in one trip
The two islands are good at opposite things. Mauritius is small and built around its beach hotels: you land, transfer to the lagoon, and the hotel and the sea are the holiday. Madagascar is about 300 times bigger, its roads are slow, and what it gives you is wildlife, most of it found nowhere else.
Mauritius has no native lemur populations. Madagascar has more than a hundred species, from the indri, the largest living lemur, to mouse lemurs picked out by torchlight. After a week or two of early starts and long drives, a few days with nothing planned feel earned. The catch is the extra flight, and roughly a day lost to it each way.
Flights between Mauritius, RĂ©union and Madagascar in 2026
Air Mauritius sells flights between Mauritius and Antananarivo. Air Austral sells RĂ©union to Antananarivo and lists other Madagascar destinations, including Nosy Be, in its network. These short regional flights make a combined trip possible, but the dates need checking before either hotel stay is fixed.
For Mauritius, start by pricing Antananarivo as the Madagascar gateway. If the northern beaches are the main aim, also ask the airline about a route through RĂ©union to Nosy Be. Don't assume a connection exists on every day or that two flights bought separately carry the same protection as one through-ticket.
Compare one-way or multi-city tickets with a return island hop. A return to Mauritius is useful if your long-haul flight leaves there, while an open-jaw long-haul booking may avoid crossing back again.
Leave a night between a Madagascar domestic flight and the international flight out. Our flights guide explains how arrival times and domestic connections shape the first and last days.
Mauritius or RĂ©union as the way in from Europe
Air Mauritius serves London as well as Antananarivo, so Mauritius is worth checking if you want an island stopover. Ask the airline whether your complete route can go on one ticket, which baggage allowance applies and what happens if a connection is missed.
RĂ©union is a French overseas department and another regional gateway to compare. Air Austral offers stopover and multi-city bookings through RĂ©union, including Madagascar destinations. Check which legs the airline actually operates rather than assuming every destination in a booking menu has a nonstop service.
A stopover adds more than the time in the air. Allow for airport transfers, check-in and a hotel night if the flights don't line up. With only ten days away, that extra travel can squeeze the Madagascar route too hard. With three weeks, it is much easier to give both places enough time.
Check health entry rules against the whole journey. Routing through Mauritius or RĂ©union doesn't erase earlier travel in a yellow fever risk or Ebola-affected country. Our vaccinations guide explains what to take to the travel clinic.
Which of our trips pair best with Mauritius
Prices are per adult, from two people, with your own vehicle and driver-guide, breakfast, park fees and local guides, confirmed in writing before anything is booked.
- A short detour: Andasibe, 2 days, from €320 per adult. Fly to Antananarivo, sleep there, and set off by road next morning: chameleons at Peyrieras, the habituated lemurs at Vakona, a night walk, then an early morning in Analamazaotra in search of the indri before the drive back. Allow three or four nights in Madagascar. It's a taste, not the island: the baobabs, the Tsingy and the south are a flight or days of driving away.
- Rainforest, canal and an island: Eastern Madagascar, 10 days, from €1,620. The gentlest of our longer trips, starting and ending in Antananarivo. Two nights at Andasibe, two at Ankanin'ny Nofy on the Pangalanes Canal, where the night walk looks for the aye-aye, then three on Sainte-Marie. The flight back from Sainte-Marie is extra. If Mauritius is your beach, ask us about cutting Sainte-Marie short, though from July to September we'd keep it for the humpback whales (no one can promise a sighting).
- The north, ending on Nosy Be: Northern Madagascar, 11 days, from €1,790. Diego Suarez and the Three Bays, Montagne d'Ambre, the Tsingy Rouge and Ankarana, then four nights on Nosy Be with Lokobe and Nosy Iranja. It already ends on a beach, so we'd pair it with Réunion rather than Mauritius, leaving Nosy Be on Air Austral. The price starts from Diego Suarez, so add the flight there.
Every trip can be reshaped. Our itinerary guide shows what fits in one, two or three weeks.
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How to split the days
Give Madagascar the time, and Mauritius whatever is left. Madagascar's parks are far apart. Mauritius is small, and four or five nights at one hotel is a proper rest.
- Ten days in all. Six or seven in Madagascar and three or four in Mauritius. We'd rather you did Andasibe well than rushed the RN7.
- Two weeks. Ten days in Madagascar, on the Eastern trip for instance, and four nights in Mauritius.
- Three weeks. Fourteen to sixteen days in Madagascar, enough for the Classic South down the RN7 or the north, then five nights in Mauritius.
Count a travel day each way. Put the beach last, since it's better to finish by the sea than in the car, and keep the Madagascar days in one block because of the visa.
A Madagascar beach instead of Mauritius?
Before you add a second country, ask whether you need it. Four of our trips already end on a beach. The honest comparison:
- Nosy Be. Madagascar's most developed tourist area, off the north-west coast, and dry from about May to October. Its own beaches are pleasant rather than remarkable, and the whiter sand is out on small islands such as Nosy Iranja. You also get black lemurs in Lokobe forest, which no Mauritius hotel can offer.
- ĂŽle Sainte-Marie. Palms, quiet beaches and humpback whales offshore from July to September, with the first from June. It's also wet: about 3,200 mm of rain a year, and September to November are the driest months.
- Mauritius. Easier. It's built for a beach holiday, the transfers are short, and the hotels and the sea are the point.
Madagascar's coast hotels are fewer and, away from the best, simpler, and the UK warns of robberies on isolated beaches in places including Nosy Be. For a week where everything works without thinking, Mauritius is easier. To keep the money and the flights inside one country, end on Nosy Be or Sainte-Marie.
Our best beaches guide goes coast by coast, and the islands guide covers the boat trips.
When to go: the seasons on both islands
The seasons line up well. Mauritius's winter, June to September, is cooler and drier, and May and October are its transition months. Madagascar's dry season runs roughly May to October.
- May to October: a useful fit. Usually drier in much of Madagascar and cooler in Mauritius, with rain still possible on both. October is Mauritius's driest month on average. In Madagascar it's quieter than August, and the lemurs have babies.
- July to September: whales and crowds. Humpbacks come to the channel off Sainte-Marie, though nobody can promise you one. It's also a busy travel period, so compare the flight and hotel dates before fixing either half of the trip.
- November to April: wet on both. Mauritius's summer is hot and humid, with February and March the wettest months. The UK Foreign Office gives the cyclone season as November to May in Mauritius, December to April in RĂ©union and November to April in Madagascar. A Mauritius beach won't rescue a cyclone-season trip, and January to March is when we'd avoid both.
More in the best time to visit and our cyclone season guide.
Visas for Madagascar, Mauritius and RĂ©union
What the official sources said in October 2026:
- Madagascar. Check the official eVisa portal, which lists 30, 35 and 40 euros online for up to 15, 30 and 60 days. Official advice differs on short stays on arrival, so confirm the applicable fee. Your passport must be valid for six months after you arrive. The visa is single entry, so leave Madagascar mid-trip and you need a second one (our visa guide).
- Mauritius. The UK government says British visitors can stay up to 60 days without a visa. You need proof of onward or return travel, a passport valid for your whole stay with a blank page, and the Mauritius All in One travel form filled in online before you arrive. Mauritius's Passport and Immigration Office lists EU passport holders as exempt too. Others should check with it.
- RĂ©union. It's part of France and of the EU. The UK government says British visitors can stay up to 90 days without a visa, with a passport valid for at least three months after the day you leave.
If Mauritius comes after Madagascar, the UK says officials may ask anyone arriving from a country where malaria is common for a blood sample, or contact them later. Keep taking your prescribed malaria medicine for as long as the course says, even after leaving Madagascar. Mauritius also has current health entry restrictions for some recent travel histories, so check both destinations before paying.
What it costs
Add the regional flights, both sets of airport transfers and any hotel nights needed to protect a connection. Then add the Madagascar visa and any domestic flight left out of the tour price. Air Mauritius and Air Austral both publish live fare searches, and both warn that displayed fares can change.
Compare that complete figure with ending on Nosy Be or Sainte-Marie. Staying within Madagascar may remove an international hop, but a domestic flight and extra hotel night can still be needed. Our trip cost guide helps you compare the inclusions.
Send the proposed Mauritius or RĂ©union dates with your request and we'll fit the Madagascar days around them. A real person in Antananarivo replies, usually within 24 hours.
Photos: iAko Randrianarivelo and Heiko Kaufmann on Unsplash.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long is the flight from Mauritius to Madagascar?
Just under two hours from Mauritius to Antananarivo. Air Mauritius sells this route, with operating days checked for your dates. Air Austral also sells RĂ©union to Antananarivo. Compare the connection and airport transfers, since a short flight can still use most of a day.
Can you fly from Mauritius to Nosy Be?
Check routings through Antananarivo or RĂ©union for your dates. Air Austral lists Nosy Be in its regional network, while a connection through Antananarivo uses a Madagascar domestic flight. Leave a night between the international and domestic flights, as Madagascar's timetable often changes.
Do I need a visa for Madagascar if I come from Mauritius?
Your passport and length of stay decide the entry permission, not the departure island alone. The eVisa portal lists 30 to 40 euros online in October 2026, but official short-stay arrival advice differs. Confirm the applicable fee before travel. It's single entry, so visiting Mauritius mid-trip and coming back means a second visa.
Is a few days in Madagascar worth it from Mauritius?
For lemurs, yes. Our 2-day Andasibe trip, from €320 per adult, leaves Antananarivo by road for a night walk and an early morning in Analamazaotra looking for the indri, so three or four nights in Madagascar is enough. The baobabs, the Tsingy and the south need a week or more.
When is the best time to visit Madagascar and Mauritius together?
May to October. Madagascar is in its dry season, and Mauritius has its cool, dry winter from June to September, with May and October as transition months. October is Mauritius's driest month on average. Avoid January to March if you can: it's the wettest time on both islands and the heart of the cyclone season.
Our trips
Trips that take you there
Private trips with your own vehicle and driver-guide. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
10 days · East
Eastern Madagascar: Forests, Lakes & Islands
Indri at Analamazaotra, the Palmarium's approachable lemurs, boat rides on the Pangalanes Canal, then island time on Sainte Marie.
11 days · North
Northern Madagascar: Beaches, Tsingy & Wildlife
The Three Bays, Montagne d'Ambre, the red Tsingy and a full day in Ankarana's caves, then Lokobe and the sand of Nosy Iranja.
Keep planning
More guides for your trip
Flights to Madagascar: routes, airlines and flight times
The 2026 routes into Antananarivo and Nosy Be, flight times from London and New York, landing at Ivato, open-jaw tickets, and domestic flights whose times change.
The best beaches in Madagascar, and when to go
The beaches worth building a trip around, from the Nosy Iranja sandbar to Anakao, with the dry months for each coast, honest notes on swimming, and the trips that finish on the sand.
The islands off Madagascar worth the boat ride
Nosy Be and its neighbours, Nosy Iranja, Mitsio, Sainte-Marie, Nosy Hara and Nosy Ve: what each island is for, the boats, the best months, and Mauritius or RĂ©union next door.
Planning a Madagascar honeymoon
Three private routes that end on a beach, the months to pick and avoid, how long, rough costs, and an honest comparison with Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Ready when you are
Tell us what you want to see
Send your dates and a rough idea. We reply within 24 hours with a written itinerary and a firm price. No deposit to ask a question.