Admire Lemurs on the RN7 — Self-Launched Madagascar Adventure
12 days · Madagascar (RN7 Route)
Green Island Discovery charges £1,810
No-markup version: ~£647 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A do-it-yourself version of Green Island Discovery's 12-day "Admire Lemurs on the RN7" loop, following Madagascar's legendary Route Nationale 7 from Antananarivo through the highlands to Ranomafana, Isalo and the reef-fringed coast at Ifaty. Rather than a private guided vehicle, you'll use shared taxi-brousses and a couple of strategically placed domestic flights (which cut out the brutal 8-10 hour driving days reviewers complained about), book local parks guides directly on arrival, and stay in guesthouses and budget hotels. Expect ring-tailed lemurs at Anja, dancing sifakas and indri in Ranomafana, canyon hikes in Isalo, and baobabs and pirogue rides at the coast — all for roughly a third of the tour price. Costs are backpacker/budget estimates and assume a private-room budget-hotel mix; sharing rooms or dorms would cut it further.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Antananarivo
Antananarivo
Land at Ivato Airport and take a taxi into the city centre (~25,000-40,000 Ar, around £5-7 — agree the price before you get in). Settle into a guesthouse in Antsahavola or Ambatovinaky and spend the afternoon walking the Haute-Ville, Analakely market and the Rova viewpoint if time allows. Pick up a local SIM (Telma or Orange, ~£3-5 for data) and change some cash — Ariary is better value than card or USD in the provinces. Book tomorrow's taxi-brousse seat at the Ampasampito or Ambodivona station, or ask your guesthouse to reserve it.
🚌Airport taxi (~£6) / on foot
🛏Budget guesthouse, Antananarivo
- →Ivato Airport transfer
- →Analakely market wander
- →SIM card and cash setup
Antananarivo to Antsirabe via Ambatolampy
Antsirabe
Take a taxi-brousse from Antananarivo to Antsirabe (~4 hours, 15,000-25,000 Ar, around £3-4). If you leave early you can break the journey at Ambatolampy to see the aluminium casserole workshops — most taxi-brousses will drop you on the highway and you flag another onward; alternatively hire a taxi-brousse 'place' onward. In Antsirabe, hire a rickshaw (pousse-pousse) for a couple of hours to see the colonial-era 'water city', then walk or cycle the short distance to Andraikiba and Tritriva lakes (~£6-8 for a local guide and rickshaw). Cool highland evening — bring a fleece.
🚌Taxi-brousse Antananarivo–Antsirabe (~£4)
🛏Guesthouse, Antsirabe
- →Ambatolampy aluminium workshops
- →Tritriva Lake
- →Andraikiba Lake
- →Pousse-pousse ride through Antsirabe
Antsirabe to Ranomafana via Ambositra
Ranomafana
A long but scenic day: taxi-brousse Antsirabe to Ambositra (~2.5 hours), then onward to Ranomafana (~4-5 hours). Break in Ambositra to visit a Zafimaniry wood-carving/arts workshop — the marquetry here is the region's signature craft. Arrive in Ranomafana village in the late afternoon and organise a night walk with a local guide from the village or your guesthouse (~£8-12) to spot chameleons, mouse lemurs and frogs. Book your national park permit and guide for tomorrow morning on arrival.
🚌Taxi-brousse connections (~£7-9 total)
🛏Guesthouse, Ranomafana
- →Zafimaniry arts workshop, Ambositra
- →Chameleon and nocturnal lemur night walk
Ranomafana National Park to Sahambavy
Sahambavy
Do an early-morning guided walk in Ranomafana National Park (park entry ~30,000 Ar plus guide fee split between the group, roughly £12-16 total) — this is the best chance for indri, golden bamboo lemur and twelve species of lemur in the rainforest. Afterwards take a taxi-brousse or shared minibus onward to Fianarantsoa (~2 hours) and on 20 minutes to the Sahambavy tea estate area, where you can stay in a train-carriage or garden guesthouse on the tea plantation — a cheap and memorable base.
🚌Taxi-brousse Ranomafana–Fianarantsoa–Sahambavy (~£4)
🛏Tea estate guesthouse, Sahambavy
- →Ranomafana National Park guided walk
- →Highland scenery transfer
Sahambavy to Ambalavao — Fianarantsoa culture
Ambalavao
Morning tour of the Sahambavy tea plantation with a tasting at the factory (~£3-5, often included by the guesthouse). Head into Fianarantsoa's old town (Haute-Ville) on foot — colonial architecture, the cathedral and the rambling staircase streets. Visit an Antemoro paper-making workshop and a silk cooperative (wild landibe silk) in Ambalavao, roughly £2-4 each. Take the afternoon taxi-brousse down to Ambalavao (~1 hour, under £2) and stay in a small town guesthouse.
🚌Local taxi-brousse Sahambavy–Fianarantsoa–Ambalavao (~£3)
🛏Guesthouse, Ambalavao
- →Tea plantation tour and tasting
- →Fianarantsoa old-town walk
- →Antemoro paper workshop
- →Wild silk workshop
Anja Community Reserve to Ranohira
Ranohira
Hike the Anja Community Reserve (park fees plus local guide ~£8-10) — a granitic outcrop where habituated ring-tailed lemurs are almost guaranteed and the community tourism project directly funds the village. Climb to the summit for the view, then grab lunch in Ambalavao and take a taxi-brousse south to Ranohira via Ihosy (~5-6 hours, ~£6). Stay in Ranohira village at the gateway to Isalo. Book your Isalo park guide and 4x4 transfer for tomorrow; the road into the park is rough.
🚌Taxi-brousse Ambalavao–Ranohira (~£6)
🛏Guesthouse, Ranohira
- →Anja Community Reserve hike and ring-tailed lemurs
- →Summit viewpoint
Isalo National Park full day
Isalo National Park
Hire a local park guide and 4x4 from Ranohira for the day (~£25-35 for the vehicle/guide split between travellers, plus ~30,000 Ar park entry) and walk the Namaza circuit with its blue and black pools, taking in the nymph cascade and a swim in the natural pools. Bring a picnic lunch and plenty of water — it's hot and exposed. This is the visual highlight of the whole RN7.
🚌Shared 4x4 to park trails (~£10)
🛏Guesthouse, Ranohira
- →Isalo National Park Namaza circuit
- →Blue and black pools swim
- →Nymph cascade
- →Natural swimming pool circuit
Ranohira to Ifaty via Antsokay Arboretum
Ifaty
The long transfer day. Take a taxi-brousse Ranohira to Toliara (~5-6 hours, ~£7), stopping at the Ilakaka sapphire-mining strip if you want to see the frontier town. Rather than the full drive to Ifaty, consider continuing by tuk-tuk or shared taxi (~£4, 45 minutes). En route or on arrival, visit the Antsokay Arboretum (~£3) with its endemic spiny-forest plants. Settle into a beach bungalow in Ifaty — the rooms are basic thatched affairs but right on the lagoon.
🚌Taxi-brousse Ranohira–Toliara–Ifaty (~£11)
🛏Beach bungalow, Ifaty
- →Antsokay Arboretum
- →Ilakaka mining town stop (optional)
Ifaty — reef and baobabs
Ifaty
Free day on the coast. Snorkel or dive the fringing reef (a two-tank dive ~£35-45 with a local dive centre; snorkelling with local fishermen ~£8-10), swim the lagoon, or hire a fibreglass pirogue with a fisherman to cross to the reef (~£6-8). In the cooler late afternoon walk out to the nearby baobab grove — the famous bottle-shaped Adansonia — with a local guide (~£5). Food is fresh grilled fish, cheap and excellent.
🚌On foot / pirogue
🛏Beach bungalow, Ifaty
- →Reef snorkelling or diving
- →Pirogue ride
- →Baobab forest walk
Ifaty — fishing village and slow day
Ifaty
Visit the local Vezo fishing village on foot or by pirogue (~£3-5 tip for a local guide) — the sailing outrigger canoes are working boats, not tourist props. This is a designated slow day: swim, read, eat seafood, and pick up Malagasy handicrafts from the market. Sort out your flight or ticket back to Antananarivo for tomorrow — either a cheap domestic flight from Toliara (Tsaradia/Air Madagascar, ~£70-90 if booked ahead) which spares you the two-day drive back, or a return taxi-brousse if you're on a very tight budget.
🚌On foot
🛏Beach bungalow, Ifaty
- →Vezo fishing village visit
- →Craft market
- →Beach time
Ifaty to Antananarivo
Antananarivo
Morning transfer to Toliara airport and flight to Antananarivo (~1 hour 20 minutes, ~£75-90 if booked in advance; road option is ~two days and not recommended). Check into your Antananarivo guesthouse and head to the Digue or Ambohipo craft market for Malagasy handicrafts — raffia, textiles, wood. Cheap and satisfying final evening in the capital.
🚌Flight Toliara–Antananarivo (~£80)
🛏Budget guesthouse, Antananarivo
- →Domestic flight to Antananarivo
- →Craft market shopping
Ambohimanga Rova and departure
Antananarivo
Half-day trip to the Royal Palace at Ambohimanga Rova, the hilltop royal complex 20 km north of the capital and one of Madagascar's most significant cultural sites (taxi or shared minibus ~£10 return, entry ~£4). If your flight leaves later, pop into a local NGO or charity project — the itineraries built by operators often stop at Padre Pio Charity House, which welcomes visitors. Then back to Ivato for your international departure.
🚌Taxi to Ambohimanga and airport (~£16)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Ambohimanga Rova Royal Palace
- →Charity house visit (optional)
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. Green Island Discovery
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Green Island Discovery | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£647 | £1,810 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,163 per person (64%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Green Island Discovery-style trips? Check them out here.~£647
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Admire Lemurs on the RN7 — Self-Launched Madagascar Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £647 per person for 12 days in Madagascar (RN7 Route). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Green Island Discovery?+
Yes — Green Island Discovery charges around £1,810 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £647 — a saving of roughly £1,163 (64%) per person.
How long is the Madagascar (RN7 Route) trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through Madagascar (RN7 Route).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, wildlife, hiking trip through Madagascar (RN7 Route), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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