Things to do in Avenue of the Baobabs
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Avenue of the Baobabs
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season shoulder months; roads passable and Kirindy open, with greener baobab canopies early in the season.
Core dry season and the most reliable window for the Avenue, Kirindy night walks and the Belo ferry.
Grandidier baobabs flower roughly May to August, with flowers opening around dusk.
Baobab fruit ripens around November to December, as the wet season and cyclone season begin.
Wettest months; the Kirindy track can be impassable, Kirindy effectively closes and Avenue access can be cut.
Cyclone season for Madagascar, with coastal and river crossed areas particularly at risk.
Best things to do in Avenue of the Baobabs
Avenue of the Baobabs
Grandidier baobabs line a dirt road north of Morondava, best at sunrise for quiet and sunset for colour.
Baobabs Amoureux
Two baobabs twisted into each other off the Kirindy road, a short stop between the Avenue and the forest.
Sacred Baobab
A huge village baobab where people pray and ask for blessings, visited quietly with a guide on a Kirindy day.
Andranomena Special Reserve
A quiet dry forest reserve past the Avenue with lakes, twin baobabs, sifakas and short walking circuits.
Where to stay in Avenue of the Baobabs
Nosy Kely, Morondava
comfort base for both Avenue sessions
Beach hotels and the town restaurants, about 45 minutes south of the Avenue with drivers used to dawn departures.
Marofandilia and Kirindy corridor
night walks and a short sunrise run
Forest lodges between the Avenue and Kirindy, so you sleep by the wildlife and avoid a late drive back to town.
Think twice about
- Menabe Region south of Morondava
Violent crime risk here, including armed carjacking, banditry and kidnapping risk; treat this section with particular caution.
- RN8 north of Kirindy and the Belo ferry road after dark
Unlit dirt roads with highway robbery risk at night in the west; cross and drive this corridor in daylight only.
- Tsiribihina River boats without a recognised operator
Armed criminals have boarded boats on this river and robbed passengers, so use only an established operator.
- RN34 between Miandrivazo and Malaimbandy at night
Violent crime risk on this section, including violent highway robbery at night in the west; treat it with particular caution.
Best restaurants in Avenue of the Baobabs
Mad Zebu
The famous French influenced lunch in Belo by the ferry, worth planning a northbound day around.
Blue soleil
Beachside seafood in Morondava, the dinner that fits a day ending with sunset at the Avenue.
Baobab Cafe
Cafe in Morondava known for breakfast and coffee, the practical start before a sunrise run to the Avenue.
Le Corail
A modest roadside spot in the cheapest band, strong on grilled seafood and zebu skewers at low prices.
Avenue roadside stalls
Stalls by the Avenue parking selling drinks, snacks, baobab fruit and carvings during the sunset wait.
Outdoor things to do in Avenue of the Baobabs
Kirindy Forest
Dry forest with three baobab species, where the night walk looks for fossa, jumping rats and nocturnal lemurs.
Marofandilia Reserve
Community forest by Camp Amoureux with day and night walks, about halfway between the Avenue and Kirindy.
Belo-sur-Tsiribihina Ferry Crossing
The vehicle ferry across the Tsiribihina to Belo, the gate north from Kirindy toward the Tsingy road.
Tsiribihina River
A multi day river descent to Belo past baobab forest and villages, ending on the road south to the Avenue.
Best hotels in Avenue of the Baobabs
Palissandre Côte Ouest
The top stay in Morondava, beach bungalows with a pool, the comfort base for sunrise and sunset Avenue runs.
Akiba Lodge Marofandilia
Refurbished forest lodge between the Avenue and Kirindy, with its own night walks and wildlife around camp.
Relais du Kirindy
Bungalows with a pool by a sacred baobab near Kirindy, so the night walk ends without a long transfer.
Chez Maggie Hotel & Restaurant
Beach hotel in Morondava whose in house operator can run the Avenue, Kirindy and Belo road from the desk.
Kirindy Lodge
Basic bungalows at the reserve camp, so you are in the forest at dusk and walk back after the night walk.
Is Avenue of the Baobabs expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MGA 190,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MGA 480,000 a person |
| Splurge | MGA 980,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Andranomena Special Reserve: a few days ahead
- Kirindy Forest: a few days ahead
- Marofandilia Reserve: a few days ahead
- Tsiribihina River: weeks ahead
- Palissandre Côte Ouest: weeks ahead
- Akiba Lodge Marofandilia: weeks ahead
- Relais du Kirindy: weeks ahead
- Kirindy Lodge: a few days ahead
- Book internal flights to Morondava weeks ahead in season; the schedule is thin and timings change at short notice.
- Book Kirindy side lodges and night walk guides days to weeks ahead in season through your hotel or operator.
- Never put the Morondava flight and an international departure on the same day; add a buffer night in Antananarivo.
Is Avenue of the Baobabs safe?
- Violent crime risk is higher on the RN34 Miandrivazo to Malaimbandy road and in Menabe south of Morondava.
- Highway robbery risk at night in the west; use recognised operators.
- Do not drive intercity or corridor roads late at night, cross the Tsiribihina only with a recognised operator, and carry evacuation insurance.
Avenue of the Baobabs travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Visiting the Avenue only once at midday, when the light is worst and the heat is highest.
- A driver substituting a nearer intertwined baobab for the Baobabs Amoureux you asked for.
- Trying to combine the Belo ferry, a long Mad Zebu lunch and a Kirindy night walk in one day and ending on the road after dark.
Getting around Avenue of the Baobabs: public transport and more
- The Avenue is about 45 minutes north of Morondava by car; Kirindy is about 60 km and roughly 2 hours by 4x4 only.
- Book one private 4x4 and driver for both a sunset and a sunrise session, and for the Kirindy overnight between them.
- The Belo ferry crossing takes about 45 minutes plus queue time; do the RN8 north of Kirindy in daylight only.
Who Avenue of the Baobabs suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | OK |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
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