Isalo National Park
Isalo National Park
4.5
About
Distinguished by a canyon and beautiful, rolling plains, the Parc National de Isalo is an attractive reserve of Madagascar's land and wildlife.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
660 reviews
Excellent
457
Very good
153
Average
30
Poor
12
Terrible
8
PeterE5
Sydney, Australia55 contributions
Feb 2020 • Solo
I spent 3 days in Isalo National Park and loved it. Although it's rainy season here this area is relatively dry and a good place to go at this time of year. It is difficult to get to sites and trailheads without transport, and the access roads are poor, but I managed to join another traveller with a vehicle, making things much easier.
I am sure my experience was made much better by my guide Sandra. Sandra is a local Ranohira woman, has 3 years experience as a guide, has recently completed her tourism degree and speaks excellent English, as well as French and Malagasy. There are over 100 guides for the park, but only 5 females. So just in the interests of advancing women in Madagascar I would recommend hiring a woman, but Sandra was excellent. The guide rates are set at 120,000 ariary for full day, or 80,000 for half day. You can hire a guide at the guides office, across from the National Parks office, or they may approach you first.
The Fenetre (Window) of Isalo is a unusual rock formation and great place for sunset - you need a vehicle to get there.
My first hike was to the Piscine Naturelle, then we crossed within a wide canyon to Namaza camp site where there were lemurs and many birds, and then up the gorge to Piscine Bleu and Piscine Noire with waterfalls and beautiful natural swimming pools. Beautiful!
My second hike was to Canyon des Makis and Canyon de Rates (but no rats!). They are two beautiful gorges. We were the only ones hiking there that day.
I thoroughly recommend the Park and these hikes.
I am sure my experience was made much better by my guide Sandra. Sandra is a local Ranohira woman, has 3 years experience as a guide, has recently completed her tourism degree and speaks excellent English, as well as French and Malagasy. There are over 100 guides for the park, but only 5 females. So just in the interests of advancing women in Madagascar I would recommend hiring a woman, but Sandra was excellent. The guide rates are set at 120,000 ariary for full day, or 80,000 for half day. You can hire a guide at the guides office, across from the National Parks office, or they may approach you first.
The Fenetre (Window) of Isalo is a unusual rock formation and great place for sunset - you need a vehicle to get there.
My first hike was to the Piscine Naturelle, then we crossed within a wide canyon to Namaza camp site where there were lemurs and many birds, and then up the gorge to Piscine Bleu and Piscine Noire with waterfalls and beautiful natural swimming pools. Beautiful!
My second hike was to Canyon des Makis and Canyon de Rates (but no rats!). They are two beautiful gorges. We were the only ones hiking there that day.
I thoroughly recommend the Park and these hikes.
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Rainforests & Rollercoasters
london - uk1,309 contributions
Sep 2019
Great national park with
Like most others you need a national guide to take you round the park and we had Jose. The park its self if stunning, parts of it look like Mars (or how i imagine Mars to look like!). We saw a wide variety of birds and by the picnic area there are lots of cheeky lemurs!
We decided not to walk to the main pools and instead took a much quieter path through the park, it was incredibly peaceful and serene. Before we stopped for lunch we walked to the black and blue pools. The walk to get to them involves clambering over rocks, walking through river beds, walking between boulders , slippery in some places but feels very tropical. I took a dip in the black pool and its very refreshing! No where to change so you just need someone to hold a towel for you whilst you make a quick change of outfits.
We had lunch cooked for us at the picnic spot which included zebu kebabs with salad followed by pineapple. We organised this through our main tour guide and we paid 70,000 including soft drinks.
The ring tail lemurs make lunch very entertaining!
Like most others you need a national guide to take you round the park and we had Jose. The park its self if stunning, parts of it look like Mars (or how i imagine Mars to look like!). We saw a wide variety of birds and by the picnic area there are lots of cheeky lemurs!
We decided not to walk to the main pools and instead took a much quieter path through the park, it was incredibly peaceful and serene. Before we stopped for lunch we walked to the black and blue pools. The walk to get to them involves clambering over rocks, walking through river beds, walking between boulders , slippery in some places but feels very tropical. I took a dip in the black pool and its very refreshing! No where to change so you just need someone to hold a towel for you whilst you make a quick change of outfits.
We had lunch cooked for us at the picnic spot which included zebu kebabs with salad followed by pineapple. We organised this through our main tour guide and we paid 70,000 including soft drinks.
The ring tail lemurs make lunch very entertaining!
Written April 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dirk W
Antwerp, Belgium190 contributions
Nov 2019
Isalo National Park; the second largest and one of the most visited national parks in Madagascar. There are already a number of other cars in the parking lot, but fortunately it is not yet a busy affair.
First we walk a bit past the beautiful arched rock formations and in the meantime Hery starts telling about the local fauna and flora. Afterwards we dive into the dry forest and we immediately come across a group of ring-tailed lemurs. That's the jackpot right away, so again we take full pictures of our new favorite animal. Since we cannot get enough of these cuddly critters, we are stuck here for a long time and are already hopelessly behind our timetable.
Once we say goodbye to the ring-tailed lemurs, we descend further to the bottom of the canyon and walk along and over the small stream towards Blue and Black Pool. This walk is again not a 'walk in the park' because we again have to cross an obstacle course of various boulders, rocks and narrow ridges. However, the views of the exuberant green vegetation that we now get are more than worth the effort. No large animal species can be found at the bottom of the canyon, but we do see some beautiful dragonflies, colorful butterflies and several birds.
Near the picnic area where you can also admire a number of large chameleons, boa and sifakas.
First we walk a bit past the beautiful arched rock formations and in the meantime Hery starts telling about the local fauna and flora. Afterwards we dive into the dry forest and we immediately come across a group of ring-tailed lemurs. That's the jackpot right away, so again we take full pictures of our new favorite animal. Since we cannot get enough of these cuddly critters, we are stuck here for a long time and are already hopelessly behind our timetable.
Once we say goodbye to the ring-tailed lemurs, we descend further to the bottom of the canyon and walk along and over the small stream towards Blue and Black Pool. This walk is again not a 'walk in the park' because we again have to cross an obstacle course of various boulders, rocks and narrow ridges. However, the views of the exuberant green vegetation that we now get are more than worth the effort. No large animal species can be found at the bottom of the canyon, but we do see some beautiful dragonflies, colorful butterflies and several birds.
Near the picnic area where you can also admire a number of large chameleons, boa and sifakas.
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Maik
3 contributions
Serious safety incident
Sep 2022 • Family
The ranger of this park commanded me to follow him into a car of the national park. On the parking lot there was a guy holding an axe. I had to sit in the car and they took me to the park's office. There i was commanded to go into a room where i could not get out. Nine people were keeping me in the room threatening me to harm me. I had to pay a very, very large amount of money. Do not go into this park. The parkrangers are not safe. You are not safe in this park.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
dcstuart
St. Albert, Canada29 contributions
Oct 2022
The day was 34°C and we were glad to have our wide-brimmed hats. We hiked for two hours to reach the most unexpected “hidden” oasis where plunged into the refreshing pool. We keep marveling at how similar the landscape was to the badlands in Alberta. It was an arduous hiking day but an experience we were happy not to forgo as many others opted out. We climbed 75 flights on this particular day!
Written January 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Berry
3 contributions
Sep 2022 • Friends
Extremely dangerous place for white people! Do not go here if you value your life. We were taken hostage with an axe just because we walked in the Parc from a different place. We had to pay 270.000 just to get out of this place and we were led out of the office empty handed and in the middle of nowhere.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Julie Z
Nairobi, Kenya1 contribution
Dec 2022
We had a wonderful time doing two very different hikes in the park. Our English speaking guide, Marc, was exceptional. He had excellent knowledge of the geologic history of the area, knew all the flora and fauna, was very thoughtful about our plans and pace, and clearly keeps up good relationships within the community. He had an excellent eye for spotting fascinating and well-hidden chameleons, insects, and birds. Definitely ask for Marc!
Written January 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Belfasttravelguy
Belfast, UK1,688 contributions
Sep 2022 • Friends
I was here as part of a group tour with our guide and local guide. The scenery was spectacular and there was so much wildlife to see including various types of lemurs, chameleons and plants. We did a lot of walking, some of which was out in the open in the sun and some in the shade amongst the trees and beside the river. It was great to be able to swim in the various freshwater pools too to cool off! The lunch was really good too and cheap!
Written September 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kristiina
Tartu, Estonia7 contributions
May 2022
Isalo NP was one of the highlights of our trip to Madagascar. Magnificent views, great hiking trails, beautiful natural pools with small waterfalls to have a bathe, wonderful endemic species to explore. We will use an opportunity to send our best regards to Roland, our park guide. His knowledge about the fauna and flora, local customs and respect to nature in general was amazing – we hope we could remembered everything he told us about Isalo and Madagascar. For those who love back-bags, hikes, beautiful scenery and nature, this is a must place to visit in Madagascar in our opinion.
Written July 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kim | Our Planet in my Lens
The Netherlands680 contributions
Jun 2019
There are numerous hiking circuits in Isalo National Park ranging from easy hikes of a few hours to average or heavy multiple-day circuits including camping. Every circuit will show you parts of the amazing landscape of Isalo National Park.
We chose to do a hiking trail including a night at a remote campsite inside Isalo National Park to cover more of the park. It’s not possible to do an overnight trip on your own! We planned our hiking trip in Isalo with Momo Trek. I highly recommend contacting them if you’re searching for a local and reliable agency for multiple hiking-days inside Isalo National Park. Porters will carry your camping equipment and backpacks directly to the campsite. They follow a different route, so you have to pack a daypack with stuff you really need during the hike (like water, mosquito-repellent, sun cream, camera-equipment and lunch).
We chose a medium level hiking circuit, a combination of two circuits including one night of camping inside Isalo National Park. The medium hiking circuit offered different sights. The natural pools and the waterfall were unexpected oases among the rocks, where fresh water flows.
We enjoyed our packed-lunch – arranged by Momo Trek – at the beautiful natural pools ‘Piscine Noire’ and ‘Piscine Blue’ with a small waterfall, we had a freshly prepared dinner under a sky full of stars at a remote campsite and we ended our Isalo trek with a breakfast at the plateau while watching sunrise over Isalo National Park. It was a truly memorable experience. Make sure to bring enough water during the hike(s), because it can get really hot in the fierce sun. Apart from some oases, the trails offer very little shade.
The team of Momo Trek is specialized in organizing hiking and camping tours in Isalo National Park. Momo Trek offers a very complete package including guide, porters, meals and camping equipment. This local Ranohira operator offers Isalo treks from a 2-hours hiking circuit to a 15-days all-inclusive hiking package including different campsites and expeditions to the remote Makay Massif. If you want to see more of Isalo National Park I highly recommend a minimal of a 2-day hiking package with Momo Trek.
After a long day of hiking, the Momo Trek staff already set up our tent and cooked a great dinner. We also enjoyed some beautiful polyphonic live sung Malagasy songs by the talented staff members. I loved the combination of their cooking skills and musical qualities. The meaning and sounds of these live sung Malagasy songs made the peaceful and serene atmosphere in Isalo National Park even more special. We were the only ones on the campsite and it felt like we had the whole national park to ourselves.
I really loved the hiking experience in Isalo National Park. We had a great English speaking guide with a lot of knowledge of the flora and fauna of Isalo, Madagascar wildlife in general and the history of Isalo National Park and the history and traditions of the Sakalava Tribe and Bara tribe.
Any questions? Don't hesitate to contact me through my TripAdvisor Profile @ourplanetinmylens. I'm happy to help and wrote different articles on my Madagascar trip that I shared on my profile.
We chose to do a hiking trail including a night at a remote campsite inside Isalo National Park to cover more of the park. It’s not possible to do an overnight trip on your own! We planned our hiking trip in Isalo with Momo Trek. I highly recommend contacting them if you’re searching for a local and reliable agency for multiple hiking-days inside Isalo National Park. Porters will carry your camping equipment and backpacks directly to the campsite. They follow a different route, so you have to pack a daypack with stuff you really need during the hike (like water, mosquito-repellent, sun cream, camera-equipment and lunch).
We chose a medium level hiking circuit, a combination of two circuits including one night of camping inside Isalo National Park. The medium hiking circuit offered different sights. The natural pools and the waterfall were unexpected oases among the rocks, where fresh water flows.
We enjoyed our packed-lunch – arranged by Momo Trek – at the beautiful natural pools ‘Piscine Noire’ and ‘Piscine Blue’ with a small waterfall, we had a freshly prepared dinner under a sky full of stars at a remote campsite and we ended our Isalo trek with a breakfast at the plateau while watching sunrise over Isalo National Park. It was a truly memorable experience. Make sure to bring enough water during the hike(s), because it can get really hot in the fierce sun. Apart from some oases, the trails offer very little shade.
The team of Momo Trek is specialized in organizing hiking and camping tours in Isalo National Park. Momo Trek offers a very complete package including guide, porters, meals and camping equipment. This local Ranohira operator offers Isalo treks from a 2-hours hiking circuit to a 15-days all-inclusive hiking package including different campsites and expeditions to the remote Makay Massif. If you want to see more of Isalo National Park I highly recommend a minimal of a 2-day hiking package with Momo Trek.
After a long day of hiking, the Momo Trek staff already set up our tent and cooked a great dinner. We also enjoyed some beautiful polyphonic live sung Malagasy songs by the talented staff members. I loved the combination of their cooking skills and musical qualities. The meaning and sounds of these live sung Malagasy songs made the peaceful and serene atmosphere in Isalo National Park even more special. We were the only ones on the campsite and it felt like we had the whole national park to ourselves.
I really loved the hiking experience in Isalo National Park. We had a great English speaking guide with a lot of knowledge of the flora and fauna of Isalo, Madagascar wildlife in general and the history of Isalo National Park and the history and traditions of the Sakalava Tribe and Bara tribe.
Any questions? Don't hesitate to contact me through my TripAdvisor Profile @ourplanetinmylens. I'm happy to help and wrote different articles on my Madagascar trip that I shared on my profile.
Written October 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Can you recomend best walk which will take up to 4/5 hour ??
Geerlings
Houten, The Netherlands955 contributions
We did the long walk, which gives great views and a lot of varied landscapes, rocks, dry plains and wet river banks with pools and waterfalls. It should not be too difficult if you are reasonably fit.
ofer k
2 contributions
We plan to do a 4 or 6 days trek in Isalo, in two weeks. Probably to the Portuguese cave. How should we organize in terms of food, water and cooking gear? We prefer to carry the gear ourselves and not take a porter. Is this possible?
Danskroo
Melbourne, Australia85 contributions
I would highly recommend Tourguidelovemada We used Arsene and he has so many connections to good guides! Thru our 3 weeks with his as private guide, we had local guides in each park, and they were all awesome. In this park we had Roxy, who was SO knowledgeable and spoke good English. I think it would be too tough without porter and guide, very dry, but absolute stunning! We would go back and spend more time there.
sunshinelpc
Toronto, Canada1,048 contributions
May I ask if Piscine natural is clean/clear now? As I read somewhere that there are a lot of sands after cyclone last year.
Anyone did canyon de makis-piscine natural-cascade? Is it worthwhile? Or
Cascade de Nymphes -piscine noire- piscine bleue?
Thanks
Carmen S
Largs Bay, Australia12 contributions
It's not clear at the moment. It's wet season now and that apparently makes it super sandy. During dry season is when it's clear. (According to my guide I had there a few days ago.)
sunshinelpc
Toronto, Canada1,048 contributions
Does anyone share the park fee in Madagascar this year?
Thanks
willie1975
chicago80 contributions
Including with a tour guide
Cristina
San Sebastian de los Reyes, Spain15 contributions
Hola es necesario coger un Tour antes de ir? O en el propio parque puedes contratar un guía?
Michael V
Vienna, Austria110 contributions
Es ist sehr hilfreich einen Führer zu nehmen, den Sie problemlos zu sehr günstigen Preisen vor Ort mieten können.
Salut!!!! Je voudrais visiter le Parc, mais je pense que le transport est très compliqué là-bas. Comment avez vous fait Vous êtes partis d'où? Avez-vous pris une agence ou êtes-vous allés tous seuls? Je serai à Farafangana et je ne sais pas s'il faut revenir sur Antanarivo ou pas.
Merci pour tes conseils.
Parc I
Isalo, Madagascar
Bonjour,
Pour plus d'informations, je vous prie de contacter l'adresse ci-dessous.
Yves RAMBELOMANANA
Chef de Volet Ecotourisme
Madagascar National Parks Isalo
+261 32 09 402 36
+261 33 49 402 36
Chiara T
Fes, Morocco1 contribution
buongiorno,resterò al parco per un'intera giornata...qual è il percorso che mi consigliate per vedere più cose possibili?
ruggero52
Monterubbiano, Italy2,798 contributions
Ciao Chiara. Quando sono stato all'Isalo, a causa di alcuni incendi, alcuni percorsi erano impraticabili per cui ne ho percorso uno solo, quello che conduce alla piscina blu ed a quella nera. Con un'unica esperienza fatta, non saprei dirti se un altro percorso potrebbe regalarti qualche emozione in più.
Ciao divertiti
Yyvanov
Paris, France13 contributions
Bonjour
Vous êtes aller dans ce Parc au début de cette année.
Pourriez vous me dire ce qu'il en est des visites possibles. Un précédent visiteur indique qu'il a brûlé.
J'ai l'intention de me rendre sur place fin mai.
En vous remerciant d'avance.
Jean
Christian G
Lodeve, France649 contributions
il y effectivement des parties qui ont brulé nous étions sur place mi-septembre lorsque cela c'est passé c'était très impressionnant puisque l'incendie c'est arreté à quelques centaines de mètre de notre Lodge mais le lendemain nous avons été au cascade sur le plateau c'était magnifique
andreccintra
Sao Paulo, SP
Quais os meios de locomoçâo para se chegar ao parque?
Vandijkopreis
Overveen, The Netherlands187 contributions
Wij waren met een eigen auto en chauffeur. Wellicht is het mogelijk om je met een taxi brousse bij het Isalo te brengen.
Isalo National Park (Ranohira) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Isalo National Park
- We recommend booking Isalo National Park tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 14 Isalo National Park tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Isalo National Park:
- Private Tour for the Highlights of Madagascar (From $3,139.77)
- The National Route 7, 7 days throughout the landscapes and National Parks (From $798.71)
- Hiking Tours Madagascar (From $1,401.39)
- 3 weeks circle trip (Kirindi, Andavadoaka, Salary, Isalo, Ranomafana, ...) (From $61.54)
- Madagascar Classic Tour 10D/9N ( Comfort) (From $3,161.00)