Madagascar

The verdant volcanic islet of Nosy Be, hemmed in by a series of gorgeous palm-lined beaches, functions as a self-standing holiday destination complete with its own international airport. Activities include snorkeling, whale-watching, wining and dining, hikes to crater lakes, and boat trips to see the habituated black lemurs of Nosy Komba.

If you visit only one national park, make it Andasibe-Mantadia. The main attraction of this accessible park is the presence of Madagascar’s largest lemur, the Critically Endangered indri, a cuddlesome panda lookalike with an unforgettable far-carrying call. Several other lemurs occur here alongside a wealth of endemic birds, frogs, chameleons and orchids.

The capital Antananarivo has been the political hub of Madagascar for more than 400 years. Precolonial edifices include the three-storey Manjakamiadana Palace, constructed over 1839-40, and the hilltop Rova Ambohimanga, an out-of-town UNESCO World Heritage Site dotted with palaces and tombs dating back to the 18th century.

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tsingy de Bemaraha is the world’s largest ‘stone forest’, a surreal 50-mile-long karstic formation of tall jagged limestone pinnacles and labyrinthine valleys that supports a rich xerophile flora and fauna.

Situated 300 miles east of mainland Africa, Madagascar is a lushly vegetated tropical island whose long Indian Ocean coastline is adorned with picturesque swimming beaches. What sets the so-called Eighth Continent apart, however, is its staggering biodiversity: a tally of 10,000 unique plant and animal species, including more than 100 varieties of lemur, and a similar diversity of endemic chameleons and birds, protected in a network of roughly 50 hiker-friendly national parks.