The world’s fourth-largest island is also a twitcher’s paradise with 70 different kinds of bird to check off your list, as well as two-thirds of the world’s chameleon species and over 15,000 endemic varieties of flora. From June to September, large pods of migrating humpback whales can be spotted off the coast of Île Sainte-Marie.

The island’s extraordinary diversity also extends to its natural landscapes, which varies from remarkable fossilised forests to fantastical geological formations, semi-desert and open savannah. Its rainforest-fringed shores, with their white sands and clear waters, make for superb snorkelling and swimming. You can also expect to find friendly locals and the ancient Malagasy ‘Cult of Ancestors’, a culture powerfully represented throughout the island by sculpted totems and richly decorated tombs.

Step outside of the ordinary and into the unexpected on a tailor-made holiday to Madagascar.