12-Nights Ultimate Madagascar — CALL

Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital city, sits at 4,500 ft/1,370 m in a twisting valley near the center of the island. Tana, as the city is often called, has unusual French- and Asian-inspired architecture, and winding cobblestoned streets and staircases that create a medieval impression. Attractions include the Rova of Antananarivo, The Law Court of Ambatondrafandrana, the Prime Minister's Palace, the colorful daily flower market on the edge of Lake Anosy, and the botanical and zoological gardens, where you can see the egg and 10-ft-/3-m-tall skeleton of the extinct elephant bird.

Antananarivo's original name was Analamanga (the blue forest). In 1610, the revered King Andrianjaka stationed 1,000 soldiers on the blue hill to defend it and renamed the city Antananarivo, meaning "City of a Thousand Warriors." The king also built a royal palace there. Sadly, the Rova (Queen's Palace) burned to the ground in 1996. Though virtually nothing remains at the site, there are nice views of the city from the hill where the palace once stood.

From Antananarivo, it's possible to make a one- or two-night excursion to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Day trips can also be made to the "Blue Hill" of Ambohimanga (14 mi/23 km away), where you can see an 18th-century royal palace and enjoy beautiful views overlooking terraced rice paddies; to Ambatolampy (a small, attractive town southwest of the capital—get a visitor's permit in Tana); and to Antsirabe. Plan about three nights in Antananarivo.

The combination of fair accessibility, comfortable accommodation, scenic beauty and varied wildlife make the 158-sq-mi-/410-sq-km Ranomafana National Park (about 40 mi/66 km from Fianarantsoa) one of the most alluring protected areas in Madagascar. It is quite possible to see 10 different lemur species in the course of a stay of two or three days. An otherwise elusive small carnivore called the Malagasy striped civet and the satanic leaf-tailed gecko can also be found.

More than 120 bird species have been recorded, and it's a good place for forest couas and ground rollers. Hiking conditions are excellent, even along the main road through the park, which follows a spectacular river as it tumbles downhill to the hot-spring resort for which the park is named. September-November is ideal for orchid lovers.