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.
Planning guide
Planning a Madagascar honeymoon
Rainforest and lemurs first, then a few days by the sea. Three private routes that end on a beach, the months to choose and the ones to avoid, roughly what it costs, and an honest look at the hotels and the hours in the car.
A Madagascar honeymoon works best as an adventure with a beach at the end: a week or so of rainforest, lemurs and early starts, then a few days by the sea to do very little. Give it 10 to 14 days on the ground, go between May and October if you can, and avoid January to March, when the rains peak and cyclones are most likely. Our three private trips that finish on a beach start from €1,620 per adult.
Be honest with each other first about the honeymoon you want. If it's ten days by a pool, Mauritius or the Seychelles will do that better. Madagascar asks for early mornings and some long days on the road, and pays you back with wildlife, most of it found nowhere else. Couples do travel with us: four of the eleven Tripadvisor reviews on our homepage are from people who came as a couple.
Is there a Madagascar honeymoon package?
Not from us, if you mean a box with extras in it. What we sell is a private trip, with no other travellers: your own vehicle and English-speaking driver-guide, hotels with breakfast, park fees and local guides. You get a written itinerary, the final price and the hotels we've held for you, and only then pay a deposit.
There's nothing honeymoon-specific in the price of our set trips. If something matters to you, say so when you ask for a quote: a double bed every night, say, or a sea view for the last three nights. Hotels can be upgraded or downgraded to match your budget, and we'll tell you honestly where your requests can be met.
Three honeymoon routes that end on a beach
Do the wildlife first and keep the beach for last. You'll want the rest after the early starts, and it's better to finish a honeymoon by the sea than in the car.
- Andasibe, the Pangalanes and Île Sainte-Marie. Eastern Madagascar, 10 days from €1,620 per adult, is the gentlest of the three, with most afternoons free. It spends two nights at Andasibe for the indri, two at Ankanin'ny Nofy on the Pangalanes, where a night walk looks for the aye-aye, a night at Mahambo, then a boat to Sainte-Marie for three nights, with optional whale watching from July to September. The catch: this is the wet coast, and the whale months are also the island's rainy winter. The flight back is extra.
- The RN7 to Ifaty. The Classic South, 11 days from €1,730, has the most variety and the most driving. After a night at Andasibe it heads down the RN7, with two nights at Ranomafana for the rainforest, ring-tails among the granite boulders at Anja, and a full day in Isalo, for canyon walks and the natural pools. CDC advises against swimming in untreated fresh water in Madagascar because of schistosomiasis. It ends with two nights at Ifaty, a lagoon and reef with spiny forest behind it, on the driest coast of the three: Tulear, half an hour south, gets about 360 mm of rain a year, against more than 3,000 mm on Sainte-Marie. You change hotels most nights, and the flight from Tulear back to Antananarivo is extra.
- Diego Suarez to Nosy Be. Northern Madagascar, 11 days from €1,790, has the most beach time and the fewest hotel changes: four nights in Diego, two at Ankarana, four on Nosy Be. Two days at the Three Bays, the rainforest of Montagne d'Ambre and two kinds of Tsingy come first, then a short boat crossing to Nosy Be, a walk in Lokobe to look for black lemurs, and two days out by boat on the white sand of Nosy Iranja. Food and excursions on Nosy Be are included for three days, but the flight to Diego isn't. Expect wind: the tourism office counts most days from April to November as windy in the north, which is why kitesurfers come to the Three Bays.
Plan it with us
Want us to plan it for you?
Tell us your dates and what you would like to see. We reply within 24 hours with a written itinerary and a firm price.
How much driving, and how comfortable is it?
The forest keeps its own hours, honeymoon or not. The indri sing mostly in the morning, so park visits start early, and night walks start after dark.
How long you spend on the road depends on the route. The Eastern trip drives from Antananarivo to Andasibe and on to the Pangalanes Canal, and then boats do most of the work. The north has day trips from Diego, then two morning drives, to Ankarana and on to the boat at Ankify. The Classic South is on the road on seven of its eleven days, five of them on the RN7, which runs more than 900 km to Tulear. Road conditions determine the driving time, so confirm each stage for your dates. The trip breaks it into stages, with lunch at the next stop on most of those days, and flies you back.
You set the departure times, so the long days can end in daylight, as the UK, French and Canadian governments all advise. The UK also calls the triangle between Ihosy, Tulear and Fort Dauphin tense and advises using a recognised tour operator there. The RN7 from Ihosy to Tulear is one side of it, and the Classic South drives that stretch on its last two road days. The US warns of armed robbery on main roads in the south and west.
The hotels are where Madagascar feels least like a resort. Near the main parks and on the coast there are some genuinely comfortable places, and we can move you up to them. Elsewhere the best room in town can be simple, and Rough Guides warns that in many villages the electricity isn't guaranteed or stops after dinner. Pack a headlamp, which you'll want for night walks anyway. We know which lodge has hot water, so ask which nights on your route have only simple places to stay.
The best time for a honeymoon in Madagascar
May to October, the dry season, suits most routes. Within that, choose by the beach you end on.
- June to September: whales. Humpbacks come to the channel off Sainte-Marie from July to September, the first from June, and pass the south-west coast from about June, though no one can promise a sighting. July and August are also the busiest months, so book early.
- September to November: quieter. Lemur babies and fewer people. These are Sainte-Marie's driest months, so September gives you the end of the whale season with far less rain than July.
- December: possible, with care. The rains reach the highlands, the west and Nosy Be, the Christmas weeks are busy, and cyclones can come this early. The south-west coast stays mostly dry.
- January to March: the months we'd avoid. The heart of the rains and the likeliest time for cyclones, which mostly hit the east coast.
April is green, but cyclones are still possible, and by May most routes are dry. After a January or February wedding, ask us whether your route works then or is worth holding until May, and we'll give you a straight answer. Our month-by-month guide has the whole year.
Madagascar, Mauritius or the Seychelles?
Mauritius and the Seychelles are built around the beach: you land, transfer to the hotel, and the hotel and the sea are the holiday. Madagascar is about 300 times the size of Mauritius, its roads are slow, and the beach comes at the end of a journey rather than being the point of it.
In return you get wild lemurs, which neither of them has, from the indri calling across the valley in the morning to mouse lemurs on a night walk. Six of the world's eight baobab species grow only here, too. The Avenue of the Baobabs is off all three routes, in the west, but our 5-day West trip starts and ends in Morondava and can go before any of them.
Air Mauritius sells flights between Antananarivo and Mauritius. Check its live schedule for your dates before booking hotels on both islands; our Madagascar and Mauritius guide covers the connection.
How long, and what a Madagascar honeymoon costs
Our three beach routes take 10 or 11 days. Two weeks on the ground lets you add the days that make it feel like a honeymoon: two more on Sainte-Marie or Nosy Be, say, or a rest day halfway down the RN7. Allow two more for the long-haul flights.
The prices above are per adult, private and from two people. The final figure depends on group size, season and the hotels you choose, and we confirm it in writing before anything is booked. On top come the international flights, the domestic flights each route leaves out (back from Sainte-Marie or Tulear, or to Diego and out of Nosy Be), most lunches and dinners, drinks and tips. Our trip cost guide puts 2026 figures on all of them, hotel upgrades included.
Safety, health and other practical questions
- Health and insurance. The CDC recommends malaria tablets everywhere outside Antananarivo, and France's health advice says malaria is most common on the coasts, where your honeymoon ends. The US advisory says serious medical emergencies in Madagascar require evacuation, so check that your insurance covers it. Our safety guide has more.
- Empty beaches. The UK warns of violent robberies and assaults on isolated beaches, even in daylight, and names Nosy Be, the port at Ankify and the beaches north and south of Tulear among the places at risk. Canada lists Sainte-Marie and Nosy Be among places where violent assaults have been reported. A sunset walk along an empty beach is exactly what they warn against, so stay where other people are. Canada also says riptides are common: ask where it's safe to swim.
- The boat to Sainte-Marie. It's an open-sea crossing of roughly two to three and a half hours, and the UK advises getting local advice and checking the weather first, after ferry accidents caused by overcrowding, poor maintenance, poor crew training and unexpected squalls. If either of you gets badly seasick, say so when you plan: the other way onto the island is a flight of about an hour from Antananarivo, and the Eastern trip would need reshaping around it.
Send your dates and the kind of honeymoon you have in mind through the booking page or on WhatsApp, in English, French or Spanish. A real person in Antananarivo replies, usually within 24 hours, with a written itinerary and a firm price, and there's nothing to pay until you've seen them.
Photos: Sandy Ravaloniaina, Tracy Winn, Yasmine Arfaoui and Alessandro Zanini on Unsplash.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Madagascar a good place for a honeymoon?
Yes, if you want wildlife first and a beach at the end. Most of Madagascar's animals and plants live nowhere else, from the indri to the aye-aye, and each region has a coast to finish on: Sainte-Marie after the eastern rainforest, Ifaty after the RN7, Nosy Be after the north. Expect early starts, some long days on the road and simple lodges in places. For ten days by a pool, Mauritius or the Seychelles are easier.
How much does a honeymoon in Madagascar cost?
Our three private trips that end on a beach start at €1,620 per adult for 10 days in the east and €1,790 for 11 days in the north, with your own vehicle and driver-guide, hotels with breakfast, park fees and local guides. On top come the international flights, one or two domestic flights, most meals, drinks, tips and any hotel upgrades. Prices are per adult, from two people, and vary with group size and hotels, so we confirm the figure for the two of you in writing before anything is booked.
When is the best time for a honeymoon in Madagascar?
May to October, the dry season, for most routes. June to September is humpback season off Sainte-Marie (mainly July to September, the first from June) and along the south-west coast, though no one can promise a sighting. September to November is quieter, with lemur babies and Sainte-Marie's driest months. Avoid January to March if you can: it's the heart of the rains and the likeliest time for cyclones, mostly on the east coast.
Is Madagascar or Mauritius better for a honeymoon?
For a beach holiday, Mauritius: it's small, built around its beach hotels, and the transfers are short. Madagascar is about 300 times bigger, with slow roads and simpler lodges in places, and its draw is the wildlife, with a beach at the end. You can have both. Air Mauritius sells flights between Antananarivo and Mauritius. Check the live schedule and leave room for a changed flight before booking a resort stay.
How long should a Madagascar honeymoon be?
Ten to fourteen days on the ground suits most couples, plus travel days for the long-haul flights. Our three routes that end on a beach take 10 or 11 days, and two weeks leaves room for rest days or more time by the sea. With only a week, our 2-day Andasibe trip gives you a night walk and a morning looking for the indri, and Nosy Be is a flight of under two hours from Antananarivo.
How much time will we spend in the car?
It depends on the route. On the 10-day Eastern trip you drive from Antananarivo to Andasibe and the Pangalanes Canal, then mostly travel by boat. The 11-day north trip starts with a flight to Diego Suarez, then has day trips and two morning drives before the boat to Nosy Be. The Classic South drives most: seven road days, five of them on the RN7, which runs for more than 900 km. It's broken into stages, with lunch at the next stop on most days, and a flight back. You set the departure times, so no day has to end on the road after dark.
Our trips
Trips that take you there
Private trips with your own vehicle and driver-guide. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
11 days · South
Classic South, Expanded Version
The classic route done properly: Andasibe, Ranomafana, Anja's ring-tailed lemurs, the canyons of Isalo and the reef at Ifaty.
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
How much does a trip to Madagascar cost?
What a private Madagascar trip costs, what our prices include, and what goes on top: flights, the visa, meals and tips, plus park fees if you travel on your own.
Nosy Be: things to do, when to go and how to get there
Lokobe, Nosy Komba, Tanikely and Iranja, when the rains and the whales come, flights and the Ankify boat, and how many nights to give Nosy Be.
All-inclusive holidays in Madagascar: what's possible
Where all-inclusive exists in Madagascar, how touring prices differ, what our prices include, what meals cost on the road, and how to end a tour at a beach resort.
Combining Madagascar with Mauritius or RĂ©union
Flights from Mauritius and RĂ©union to Antananarivo and Nosy Be, how to split the days, the months that suit both islands, the visas, and when a Madagascar beach will do instead.
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.