I need help. I'll have between 14 and 21 days coming in February, and friends who have a great house in Mauritius, and I have been welcomed to come visit, but, I'm a strong believer you can't stay with anyone for more than 3 or 4 days without giving them a break. So, I want to use Mauritius as my home base, and then see some of the areas around on my own. I plan to fly over via Paris for a layover with friends there, but, I thought I could leave Mauritius and go to Africa, then fly back to the States from Africa. Just started checking everything out. Originally I was thinking of only spending 3 days in Madagascar, doesn't seem anywhere near enough. Should I focus on Madagascar, and drop Africa from this trip? Reunion seems so close, it seems silly not to go, but, the French have always said it's a bit dirty and not that great and between the two Mauritius is the real treat.
Right now I was thinking -
Mauritius 4 days
Reunion 2 days, 1 night
Mauritius 3 days
Madagascar 3 days
Mauritius 2 days
South Africa 2 days
I don't want to short change a location, and I don't want to go just to say I went. But, the frequent stays in Mauritius let me keep costs lowered, and see old friend. Any advice people have to give, I would really appreciate.
Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, maybe Victoria Fall - 20 days
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That's an awful lot of moving around! Looks like you either need to extend the amount of time you will spend on this trip, or visit one less location.
3 days is definitely not enough time in Madagascar (I haven't been to the other locations and cannot comment on those visits). It is relatively difficult to get around in Madagascar, so you will lose some time to travel. Additionally, you will not want to spend significant time in Antananarivo, the capital city.
If you go to Madagascar, but have limited time, I would recommend 3 days in Andasibe and 3 days in Ranomafana - these two reserves are relatively close to Tana and are accessible by car. They also have diverse wildlife and decent accommodations. In particular, the indri (in Andasibe) are not to be missed.