Madagascar: A Wild, Untamed Paradise
By Katie McDonough, Executive Director of Custom Sales
If you think you’ve seen it all, Madagascar will prove you wrong. The massive island nation has been isolated from any other continent for about 88 million years so its flora and fauna evolved separately from the rest of the planet. As a result, approximately 90% of all its plant and animal species are endemic, existing nowhere else on earth. From the colorful, bustling markets of Antananarivo to long white sand beaches along an impossibly turquoise blue Indian Ocean, to the massive range of mountains and rainforests running down the spine of its center, stone forests and deserts, the ever-changing landscape dazzles even the most experienced traveler. Visitors are entranced by the smiling children, curious lemurs, crazy-eyed chameleons, extraordinarily colorful birds, verdant rainforests, and stone forests (tsingy).
I have been to Madagascar before, so this trip was a deeper dive into a complicated, wild, and exhilarating destination. It turned into a classic EXPLORE adventure that I can only describe with one word: EPIC.
Most lodges in Madagascar aren’t about high-thread-count sheets or infinity pools (though there are a few stunning options and virtually everywhere the food is fantastic!); the real luxury is in the experience. It’s about exclusivity in the purest form—nature, untouched and unfiltered. Lemurs leap through ancient rainforests, baobabs etch a timeless silhouette against the sky, and untouched beaches melt into an impossibly blue sea. Lucky me! I happened to be traveling when the ATLAS comet was passing Earth, giving us a brilliant light show each night as it grazed the horizon of the Indian Ocean.
Days here are about discovery. One morning, you’re hiking through a primary rainforest so dense it feels like stepping into a lost primordial world, where red-ruffed lemurs crash through the treetops and leaf-tailed geckos vanish against the bark. I found myself expecting dinosaurs to appear at any moment! The next, you’re paddling through a network of emerald mangroves, gliding past vibrant kingfishers while, beneath the water, flashes of movement reveal sea turtles dashing through coral gardens. One afternoon while snorkeling just off the beach I turned to find myself face to face with a spotted eagle ray, its massive wings undulating gracefully through the clear water. For a few seconds we floated together in perfect silence before it disappeared into the blue.
Although I missed whale season by a few weeks and didn’t get to have this experience for myself, the bays along Madagascar’s eastern coast are safe havens for hundreds of humpback whales when they migrate. Imagine kayaking, or even swimming alongside them, as they sleep near the rocks. That’s the kind of magic and adventure this place holds.
Madagascar isn’t just one destination—it’s many worlds wrapped into one. On this most recent trip I had the rare opportunity to visit a brand-new lodge on the arid western side of the island, tucked on the edge of a national park so little known it has seen fewer than 200 visitors in the past decade. This was true frontier travel. Towering tsingy formations—jagged, knife-like limestone spires—rise dramatically from the earth, while just beyond them a hidden oasis of turquoise-blue water nourishes a surprising pocket of lush forest and rare wildlife. Fossils of extinct giant lemurs are still being uncovered here, a reminder that this land holds not just life, but deep time. To stand in a place where almost no one has stood before—where nature still writes the rules—is a feeling I won’t forget.
Sadly, Madagascar is also a nation under extreme threat; most of its wildlife is vulnerable or endangered, and unregulated industries such as mining, forestry, and unsustainable agriculture are rapidly advancing the destruction of this magnificent place. Over 90% of Madagascar’s original forests have been lost, and with them, countless endemic plants and animals that existed nowhere else. Extreme poverty, famine, and drought are real here, yet the Malagasy people are warm, welcoming, and joyful. My journey was one of deep contrasts—from delight in its beauty to sense of urgent need to protect this extraordinary land.
Despite this reality, I found so much hope and inspiration during my journey. Conservation-based tourism is far and away the strongest tool in protecting these irreplaceable ecosystems. By traveling here—by choosing lodges and guides committed to sustainability—you become part of the solution. Every visitor helps preserve the rainforest, provides income to local communities, and supports efforts to safeguard the fragile balance of life on this extraordinary island.
Madagascar isn’t for everyone. It’s for those who crave the wild. It’s for those who dream of untouched beaches, ancient forests, and the thrill of discovery. It’s for those who want to stand on the edge of the world and feel truly alive.
So, if your adventurous spirit is calling, answer! And call EXPLORE! Madagascar is waiting. Let’s make it happen.