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You’ve planned an epic road trip through Southern Madagascar to visit the country’s most impressive wildlife destinations and iconic trees, but where are the best campsites in Madagascar? Hotels are expensive, especially near the more remote national parks. We chose to camp. But obviously, scenic camping is the most ideal and surprisingly difficult to find in Madagascar.
This is our list of the best campsites in Madagascar so that you too can enjoy incredible scenery straight from your tent.
Wondering HOW to Camp in Madagascar?
We rented our 4×4 off-road vehicle from Road Trip Africa and opted for a full outfit, including a rooftop pop-up tent and a ground camping tent, for maximum flexibility. Rentals like this aren’t cheap. They go for about $60-$120 per day, depending on the type of vehicle and time of year, but this is your best option for car-camping in Madagascar.
If you bring your own camping gear to Madagascar, the biggest problem you’ll face is transport. You really need your own vehicle, be it a motorcycle or a car, to camp in Madagascar successfully.
Rooftop Tent or Ground Tent? Which is Better?
You can absolutely stay at all of these campsites in Madagascar with the included ground tent from Road Trip Africa.
While I prefer a rooftop tent, many budget-conscious travelers hope to skip the $20/night fee to add the rooftop tent to their rental. The biggest problem you’ll face? The insects. You’ll have to face them regardless, but maybe not on their home turf.
The usual deterrents of ground camping are…
- firm desert landscape that’s uncomfortable to sleep on
- dangerous animals like snakes or lions
- Parking lot camping only
Fortunately, Madagascar doesn’t have these problems.
Is Wild Camping Allowed in Madagascar?
Technically speaking, wild camping is allowed in Madagascar.
Practically, however, it’s challenging to do in many areas of the country. Madagascar is very populated, and even if you’re traveling totally independently with your own car, getting away from where people live onto uninhabited land is unlikely.
There will be a few wild camping options on this list, but for the most part, this blog post will focus on paid campsites. This is where you’ll find the best views.
10 Best Campsites in Madagascar
While camping is definitely not super well-established in Madagascar like it is in Uganda and Tanzania, it is slowly starting to become more common, especially on the RN7.
These campsites in Madagascar make the extra effort of camping worthwhile.
1. Camp Catta (Andringitra National Park)
- Location: Google Maps
- Price Tag: 52,000 MGA ($16)
This might be my very favorite campsite in Madagascar. The famed Camp Catta sits on the edge of the Andringitra Reserve, about 2 hours off the RN7. You do have to drive about 30-35 KM on a rough dirt road to reach here, but once you arrive, you’ll have access to a restaurant with frequent ring-tail guests, a swimming pool, and exceptional cliffside views.
All the hikes into Andringitra Reserve start from here as well.
The campsite is out in the open land close to the lodge with rooms so you have access to amenties like showers, laundry, and bathrooms but still get the incredible views most of the rooms are missing.
2. Betsileo Country Lodge (Anja Community Reserve)
- Location: Google Maps
- Price Tag: 105,000 MGA ($22)
Originally, we had no plans to stay overnight in this area, but after realizing the next leg of the trip was all off-road, we made the excellent decision to try it out. This is one of the most expensive campsites in the country BUT that’s because they tailored it to car-campers. You have hot water, your own private bathroom and shower, a flat area to park the car, but lots of grass to spread out on.
You also have access to a swimming pool, restaurant, and exceptional views like these.
3. Mitsinjo Reserve
- Location: Google Maps
- Price Tag: 10,000 MGA ($3)
This is where you want to camp before visiting Andasibe National Park to see (and hear) the Indri. Admittedly, this small, tucked-away carport just behind the main park office isn’t the most scenic on this list. It does, however, get lemurs, chameleons, and tree boas frequently, and you’ll feel like you’re camping INSIDE the jungle. The only amenities are a public restroom and a spigot for water.
Be sure to check out my short RN7 itinerary for more info on visiting Andaside National Park.
4. Kirindy Reserve
- Location: -20.067074, 44.657379 (coordinates for Maps.Me or Google)
- Price Tag: Free (with visit to the reserve itself)
Another opportunity to camp with wildlife on the edge of a national reserve! This campsite is about 5 KM down a narrow dirt road at the park entrance for Kirindy Reserve. If you’ve found yourself in the region of Madagascar, you are most likely on your way to the Tsingy or in search of the elusive lemur-hunting fossa. But these lovely campsites in Madagascar are the perfect stopover either way.
Here, you’ll find a restaurant, restroom, bucket shower, and easy access to the popular night walks of Kirindy Reserve. There are only two hotels in the region (back on the main road) and both are extraordinarily expensive, so camping will really save you some money here. But that isn’t the best part. The best part is that fossa come wandering into camp every morning and evening so if you stay here overnight you’re pretty much gauranteed to see one.
5. Isalo Wild Camp
- Location: around -22.628251, 45.33888 (coordinates for Maps.Me or Google)
- Price Tag: Free
We hated where we stayed in Isalo. It wasn’t until we were leaving the town of Ranohira headed south that we saw all the incredible wild camping options that we could have tried out.
I’ve given you the rough coordinates to where this wide-open landscape and potential wild camp spots are, but you still have to find your own around here. Keep in mind this region of Madagascar is windy and cooler, so pack accordingly if you plan to wild camp out in the open.
There were also a few guesthouses and hotels in the region offering “camping” according to their signs. Feel free to check them out if wild camping isn’t for you. The big takeaway is, when you reach Ranohira, don’t stop. Camp further South of town for the best possible options.
For more information on visiting Isalo National Park, be sure to check out my full Madagascar road trip itinerary.
6. Setam Lodge Parking Area (Ranomafana National Park)
- Location: Google Maps
- Price Tag: 40,000 MGA ($12)
Hear me out, while a “parking area” surely doesn’t sound like the most scenic campsite in Madagascar, it’s better than the car campsite located at Rianala Gate.
The parking area is very close to the main road, so it gets traffic all night. There are also zero amenities other than the water spigot. What it does have, though, is privacy and views—two things that you don’t really get otherwise.
For those on a budget or looking for ground tent-friendly options: The main office for Ranomafana National Park at Rianala Gate allows camping. It only costs 10,000 MGA or $3 per night. Rooftop tent parking is not good here, but the ground camping is nice.
7. Hotel Kanto (Manja)
- Location: -21.434231, 44.330112 (coordinates for Maps.Me or Google)
- Price Tag: 40,000 MGA ($12)
If you’re in Manja, this is the only place to camp. It’s also the only hotel. Not a lot of options otherwise. Regardless, you can expect a sub-par restroom situation and a nice garden area to camp in.
8. Residence Madalief (Antsirabe)
- Location: Google Maps
- Price Tag: 40,000 MGA ($12)
This is likely to be one of your very first camping experiences in Madagascar. And it’s a good one. The setting is a lovely garden space set far from the main roadway. You should 100% call ahead to let them know you are coming because if you arrive unexpectedly, you might be locked out of the long gated driveway.
Campsites are grassy, and you have access to a room in the lodge for restrooms and showers.
9. La Pineta (Ambatolampy)
- Location: Google Maps
- Price Tag: Free (with dinner)
La Pineta was one of my favorite restaurants in Madagascar. This lovely pale pink house serves up some excellent duck, curry, and frog leg specialties. It also has a huge garden tucked away from the main road that’s perfect for car campers! You’ll have an excellent restroom, shower, and water access too. The people who run the place are SO kind.
The only downside is that this garden is a nesting area for all the birds in the area, and around sunset, the noise is deafening. It lasts much of the night too. But it’s nature, you get used to it.
10. Baobab Avenue
- Location: Google Maps
- Price Tag: 50,000 MGA ($16)
Yup. THE Baobab Avenue. The large parking area that fills to the brim with tourists during sunrise and sunset empties out entirely after dark, and with the approval of the owners of the restaurant, you can stay here overnight.
There is a restroom, nocturnal resident Madame Berthe lemurs, and an opportunity to shoot some incredible astrophotography of the iconic trees. You’ll be assigned a security guard to watch over you while you camp, as the locals said the area is a security risk. But we felt totally safe camping in the open here.
The restaurant here is super expensive (and pretty underwhelming) so I would recommend skipping food and drink here.
4 Places I Don’t Recommend Camping in Madagascar
In these four destinations, we either were unable to find good camping options OR found that the budget-hotels in the area were a much better choice than the camping options. While you might be able to find camping in these locations they are not among the best campsites in Madagascar.
1. Ifaty
Tulear and Ifaty are both heavily populated beach areas. We found it very difficult to find campsites in the area, and wild camping was out.
This is also known to be one of the more sketchy areas in the country, security-wise. According to the locals, that is, we again had no problems with security and felt safe during our time in both cities. We chose to stay at a beachfront bungalow called Sur La Plage Chez Cecile for $22 instead. Full disclosure, we cooked our own meals on the patio of the bungalow and it was very basic but far better than parking lot car camping.
2. Morondava
This is another major coastal city in Madagascar with minimal camping options. It’s just too populated and too paved. The nearest camping is on the Avenue of Baobab, about a 30-minute drive away. But you’ll likely want to spend at least one night in the town itself to regroup before heading up to Tsingy.
There are two good options for budget travelers: the Select Hotel, which has a pool and an excellent breakfast restaurant attached, and Hotel Havana. It has comfortable a/c rooms but no pool and no restaurant. However, it is a little cheaper and in a good central area of town.
3. Tsingy de Bemaraha
After the ungodly drive from Morondava to Tsingy, you’re going to want a place to RELAX. You *could* camp in the one hotel that allows camping, it’s called Tanankoay. But facilities are super basic, and it has a tendency to be loud late into the evenings as it’s a fave local hangout. Instead, I recommend the lovely Olympe de Bemaraha. The rooms are comfortable, wifi is good in the lodge, and the pool with its views is the cherry on top!
While the restaurant here is quite expensive, it’s also very good! Specifically, the shrimp and zebu dishes. The Tsingy area is quite taxing, with hiking in the heat and challenging roads (especially for self-drivers), but it’s a great place to pamper yourselves a little bit.
4. Miandrivazo
This middle-of-nowhere town has some very affordable small lodges and only one organized camping area. We ended up staying at the lovely Princesse Tsiribihina. The pool, the views, the speedy internet, the restaurant, all of it was lovely. The rooms were admittedly a little warm, but that’s standard in this area of Madagascar. The campsite at nearby La Pirogue was okay for a ground tent, but not flat enough for the rooftop kind. Either option is good.
If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can also head out of town to the east and find a secluded or abandoned pull-out among the rolling hills! Just be sure to give yourself enough daylight time to poke around. Wild camping is definitely possible here if you’re committed to that endeavor.
Hope this quick blog post covering the best campsites in Madagascar helps you find the best camping spots in Madagascar for self-drivers and makes planning your road trip just a little easier! Let me know in the comments if you found any lovely campsites not included on this list for future travelers.
Save These Campsites in Madagascar for Later!
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