Isalo is one of Madagascar's most beautiful parks. It contains sculpted buttes, vertical rock walls and, best of all, deep canyon floors shot through with streams, lush vegetation and pools for swimming. All of this changes with the light, culminating in extraordinary sunsets beneath a big sky. Add all this to easy access off the RN7 and you understand why this is Madagascar’s most visited park.

　　At more than 800 sq km, it’s also a large park, so if you want to go off on your own there is plenty of room for exploration, with everything from two-hour to week-long hikes. There's also an excellent chance of spotting ring-tailed lemurs and Verreaux's sifaka around the Nemaza campsite.