Madagascar

The Eighth Continent

90% endemic species, dancing lemurs, Avenue of the Baobabs, and the world's most unique ecosystem on a single island.

Madagascar is like no other place on Earth. Separated from the African mainland 88 million years ago, this island nation evolved in such extraordinary isolation that 90% of its plant and animal species exist nowhere else on the planet. Lemurs — the island's iconic primates — come in over 100 species, from the indri (which sings like a whale) to the nocturnal aye-aye. The Avenue of the Baobabs is one of Africa's most photographed scenes — ancient trees up to 800 years old lining a dirt road at sunset. The rainforests of Ranomafana, the spiny forests of the south, and the bizarre tsingy limestone formations of Bemaraha create a landscape of alien, astonishing beauty. Madagascar is not an easy destination — but for wildlife and nature lovers, it is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth.