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Traveling in Madagascar with kids

Traveling in Madagascar with kids is undoubtedly tough - but for well-travelled families, it is also extremely rewarding. Best wait til the children are a bit older to ensure they make the most out of this life changing experience - meeting and interacting with Malagasy communities, canoeing down remote rivers, discovering otherworldly wildlife and camping out under the stars.

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Traveling in Madagascar with kids

Stopping in a village and meeting the locals will give young people a real education about the country they are visiting.

Kids love wildlife – but Madagascar is not a zoo. Extreme temperatures, long, horrendous roads, basic conditions and possible stomach upsets and bug bites will test any child’s sense of adventure – even if there is a fluffy lemur at the end of the trail. For this reason, tour companies rarely accommodate children under eight – and you should consider their curiosity and energy levels before traveling in Madagascar with kids. Active teenagers, on the other hand, will have a blast – there are incredible hikes for all abilities, plus camping, kayaking, river expeditions, snorkelling and even kite surfing… as well as fluffy lemurs. Additionally, stopping in a village to see development and conservation projects in action gives youngsters a real education about Madagascar.

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Activities for families in Madagascar

Stay in a treehouse

Every kid’s fantasy accommodation; go all Robin Hood with truly unique jungle cabins, high in the trees and accessible via ladders and rope bridges. Family-sized cabins cater for up to five people… but you’ll have to venture down to ground level if you need the loo in the night!

Get on the water

Madagascar has 5,000km of coastline, plus numerous rivers through its forests. Sea kayaking and river canoeing are great activities for budding explorers – they’ll see wildlife and local villages up close, and can even paddle from deserted island to deserted island.

Scramble around the Petit Tsingy

While the Grand Tsingy trail is notoriously tough, the Petit Tsingy is much easier to tackle, with a short hike to get there followed by a trail along rope bridges and iron ladders, before scrambling round the unusual rock formations. A fun challenge for energetic teens – keep an eye out for lemurs, too.

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If you'd like to chat about Madagascar or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.

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1-866-821-6866

Call toll free

Calling from outside the USA

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Family travel advice in Madagascar

Mark Jacobs, from our supplier Azafaday, shares his tips on keeping healthy in Madagascar:

"Take your health seriously, with appropriate insurance, inoculations and taking professional advice so that you are as prepared as possible. Madagascar is desperately poor with a very poor infrastructure, and there are numerous common diseases which you can avoid very easily if you have the right jabs and decent insurance. People are used to going to sanitised places, but Madagascar will shock them."

"There are numerous common diseases which you can avoid very easily if you have the right jabs and decent insurance."

Laurenne Mansfield, from our supplier, Pioneer Expeditions, shares her advice on traveling in Madagascar with kids:

"Sometimes Madagascar suits families better than groups of adults. Families have different expectations; the children have the innocence of discovering a place and parents will appreciate seeing them interacting with local kids."