Practical information
Visas: You need a valid passport and a visa.
Visas can be obtained at a Malagasy Embassy or on arrival
at the airport if you are staying less than 1 months.
Health: Malaria is the main
serious disease that you need to be careful about. But
it's alwys wise to protect yurself against known tropical
diseases (bilharzia, hepatitis ...)
Time: GMT/UTC +3 hours
Electricity: 110 to 220V; assume 220V when in
doubt
Weights & measures: metric
When to Go
April to October (the southern winter) is the best
time to go; you will miss the southern summer (November
to March) hurricane season. But because Madagascar
experiences wide climatic variation, the central
highlands can still be pleasant during summer.
Money & Costs
Currency: Franc Malagasy
Relative costs:
- Budget room: US$2-10
- Moderate hotel: US$15-50
- Top-end hotel: US$100 and upwards
-
- Budget meal: US$1-3
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$3-5
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$5 and upwards
Madagascar is about as cheap as it gets when it comes
to travel. You'd be hard pressed to spend more than US$10
on a meal in most places, and you can get a room for the
night for as little as US$2.50. Admittedly, it will be a
dive, you may be sharing it with bedbugs and lice, and
the hotel may also double as a brothel. You may want to
spend around US$5 for a basic bottom-end room with at
least the rudiments of cleanliness and security. In a
nutshell, you could get by in the countryside for as
little as US$10-15 a day for food and lodging, but your
costs will increase considerably in Tana or particularly
on the resort island of Nosy Be. Budget on spending
US$30-50 to have a very comfortable time
accommodation-wise with the best food the island has to
offer, and US$150 and upwards if you want to stay and eat
in the big hotels on Nosy Be and Tana.
The best currency to take is French francs, followed
closely by US dollars, pounds sterling and Deutschmarks.
The Malagasy franc is worth 100 centimes, but you
probably won't see any of the practically worthless
coins. Four main banks have branches throughout the
country and you can change money there, and there will be
at least one in every major town. They change recognised
brands of travellers cheques and cash in major
currencies. The upmarket hotels in Tana and some of the
larger towns will also exchange cash and cheques for
guests, but they normally charge a 10% commission. You
can use credit cards in major hotels in large cities and
resorts, airline offices and offices of the larger travel
companies, but that's about it.
Tipping is not the norm except in expensive hotels in
Tana and Nosy Be. It is generally discouraged by local
tourist authorities, but rounding up a restaurant bill to
avoid carrying worthless change around, or tipping for
exceptionally good service is not a bad idea. Bargaining,
on the other hand, is a way of life, except in the places
where it is normal to tip. The concept of a fixed price
is virtually unknown, except in mid to top-range hotels,
and in smaller shops and markets you should never pay the
first price asked. You won't be able to get things as
cheaply as the locals can, but if you don't bargain
you'll be helping to put the price of goods out of the
reach of locals, and they will probably see you as an
idiot to boot.
pleasant during summer.
Tana is like many other Asian or African
capitals: crowded, polluted and noisy, but it does have
some spectacular parts that are worth exploring. The hub
of the lower town is Araben ny Fahaleovantena
(commonly known as Avenue de l'Indépendance). At one end
is the railway station and at the other is Hôtel
Glacier. This district is known as Analakely and
is packed with permanent street markets, and
swarms of off-white umbrellas perched precariously on old
tyre rims shade the vendors.
To the south-west of Analakely is the Kianja
ny Fahaleovantena (Place de l'Indépendance) in the
area of Haute-Ville (Upper Town). That's where
you'll find the main post office, several banks,
restaurants and nightclubs. Uphill from there, narrow
streets lead past churches and other former
royal buildings to the ruins of the Rova,
the former Queen's palace. The Rova was burned to the
ground in 1995, almost certainly in a politically
motivated attack during local elections.
The massive Zoma Market, off
Araben ny Fahaleovantena, is one of Tana's main
attractions. The traders are grouped according to what
goods they sell, and it is one of the best places to buy
Malagasy crafts. Thieves, however, are active, so carry
only enough money to buy what you particularly want. In
north-eastern Tana, the Andravoahangy Market is
where stonemasons, embroiderers, booksellers, carpenters
and other professional craftspeople make and sell their
wares. You will see them at work here, but the selection
of goods is better at the Zoma.
The Parc Botanique et Zoologique de
Tsimbazaza is worth visiting unless you have already
been up country to visit the national parks. It has
several species of lemurs (caged and uncaged) including
the aye-aye, and other rare species such as egrets,
herons, crocodiles and Aldabran and Malagasy tortoises.
On the zoo grounds is the Musée d'Académie Malgache
with some excellent natural and cultural exhibits,
including the skeletal remains and preserved eggs of the
extinct elephant bird, giant lemurs, a short-tailed white
hippo and a dugong. In another room there are exhibits of
Malagasy funerary art and tribal village life.
There's a wide choice of places to stay
in central Tana, but not much value for money. The
cheaper hotels are dirty and noisy and usually double as
brothels, so if you don't want to pay the extra for
safety and cleanliness, you should head out into the
countryside. Tana doesn't have a great range of
restaurants despite nearly 50 years of French rule,
although many offer special menus du jour and plats
du jour that are relatively cheap. Suburban Tana, and
the area around the Zoma Market, are good for street
stalls selling everything from yoghurt dishes and ice
cream to meat samosas and other unidentifiable objects
fried in batter. You'll also find hotelys of
varying quality around the taxi-brousse stations
just outside of the town centre, and you can usually get
a passable meal at one of them.
Nosy Be is Madagascar's premier resort
island, and several other smaller islands including Nosy
Komba, Nosy Tanikely, Nosy Sakatia, Nosy Mitsio and Nosy
Iranja are nearby. Nosy Be is popular with people looking
for a resort-style holiday, as it has plenty of
restaurants and nightspots, although you can dive in some
excellent spots off some of the smaller islands. While
there are relatively few scantily clad package tourists
to contend with, Nosy Be is still horrendously expensive.
Andoany (`Hell-Ville' in French) is the capital,
and is a bright and pleasant town (despite its name) of
30,000. You can visit the old prison, built in
1855, and other colonial buildings, and the town
feels as if little has changed since the French first
arrived.
A little known highlight of Nosy Be is Marodoka,
a coastal ruin gradually being reclaimed by the bush.
Local legend attributes its construction to a boatload of
Indian sailors shipwrecked during the 17th or 18th
century. The Réserve Naturelle Intégrale de Lokobe
contains the last 740 hectares (1,829 acres) of Nosy Be's
original vegetation, and is home to boa constrictors,
black lemurs, chameleons and the Madagascar hog-nosed
snake. Mont Passot is Nosy Be's highest peak at a
modest 329m (1079ft) and is a great place to watch the
sunset or just take in the view. It is surrounded by the
beautiful blue sacred Crater Lakes of Anjavibe,
Amparihimirahavavy, Bemapaza, Antsahamanavaka, Antsidihy,
Amparihibe and Maintimaso.
Air Madagascar flies between Tana and
Nosy Be daily, and TAM and Air Austral, based in
Réunion, both fly from Réunion. Nosy Be is 700km
(434mi) north of Tana.
This area was once practically
inaccessible, but since it became a UNESCO World Heritage
site it has begun featuring on more and more tour
itineraries. The largest protected area in Madagascar
(152,000 hectares, or 375,440 acres), Tsingy de Bemaraha
is in the west of the country and includes a huge forest
of eroded limestone pinnacles that harbours a stunning
display of wildlife. The reserve is actually two parks,
the Petit Tsingy and the Grand Tsingy. So far recorded
are 53 species of birds, eight of reptiles and six
species of lemur. Organised trips into the Tsingy may
include a spectacular canoe trip down the Manambolo
River. In the south of Petit Tsingy is the
spectacular Manambolo Gorge where you can see
waterfalls, lemurs and magnificent untouched forests.
Reaching the reserve under your own
steam during the wet season is virtually impossible.
During the dry season take one of the occasional
taxis-brousses from Belo-sur-Tsiribihina heading towards
Bekopaka, 80km (50mi) away. The taxi will continue until
the road becomes impassable, at which stage you'll have
to walk or take a zebu cart across a few rivers. Bekopaka
is within easy reach of the reserve. There are occasional
flights between Morondava and Belo during the tourist
season in the middle of the year, and there are regular
taxis-brousses. Bekopaka is 600km (372mi) due west of
Tana.
This is northern Madagascar's most
visited attraction, and it covers 18,200 hectares (44,954
acres) of a prominent volcanic massif. It was created in
1958 to preserve the area's biological treasures as well
as the massif itself. Montagne d'Ambre's flora and fauna
are virtually the same as that in the eastern
rainforests, with a few endemic species not found farther
south. The forest is lush, with over 3.5m (11.5ft) of
rain a year. Of the seven lemur species in the park, the
most notable are the crowned lemur and Sanford's
brown lemur. The reptile and amphibian life is
diverse, and includes frogs, geckoes, chameleons and
snakes. Look especially for the bizarre blue-nosed
chameleon and the stump-tailed chameleon.
Birdwatchers won't be disappointed as 73 species of birds
have been recorded in the park.
Montagne d'Ambre is ideal for walkers
during the dry season, and it has about 20km (12.4mi) of
well maintained paths. Worth seeing are the Petite
Cascade, a beautiful small waterfall flowing into a
gorgeous rock pool surrounded by fern covered cliffs, and
the Petit Lac, a serene crater lake reached after
a steep walk. Near the Petite Cascade is a path known as
the Jardin Botanique, a forest track with a good
mix of interesting and bizarre vegetation, including
orchids, palms, lianas and bromeliads.
The park is about 800km (495mi) north of
Tana, and the nearest large town is Antsiranana, served
daily by Air Mad from Tana. You can hire a taxi-brousse
from Antsiranana to the park, and the 40km (25mi) road is
paved all the way.
Off the Beaten Track
Mahajanga is Madagascar's second port,
and sits at the mouth of the Betsiboka River on the Baie
de Bombetoka, on the north-west coast. It's very
hot and dusty, and very lethargic, and as it's
difficult to get to travellers often ignore it. It is a
crumbling frontier town with wide promenades, interesting
architecture, shady arcades and flowering bougainvillea -
one explanation for the town's name is that it comes from
the Swahili meaning `Town of Flowers'. There are numerous
churches and at least 20 mosques, and the
town has Madagascar's largest Comoran Muslim community.
The beaches around town are relatively safe, if
stained blood red from the highland topsoil being washed
out to sea.
Facing the Canal de Mozambique,
Mahajanga is 400km (248mi) north-west of Tana. You can
fly there from Tana, Nosy Be, and Antsiranana, and it is
also a transit point for flights to remote west coast
settlements. You can also make the trip by taxi-brousse
from Tana, a 12-15 hour (much longer in the wet season)
journey that is a vision of environmental catastrophe.
This reserve is the readily accessible
section of a larger park that is the only fully protected
example of dry western deciduous forest in Madagascar,
and protects a particularly vulnerable region. Ampijoroa
is best known for a centre jointly established by the
Malagasy government and the Jersey Wildlife Preservation
Trust for breeding two threatened species of tortoise.
The reserve is home to seven lemur species, including the
acrobatic black, white and chocolate coloured Coquerel's
sifaka. Ampijoroa is one of the best places to watch
birds in Madagascar, as 101 species have been recorded
there.
If you can get to Mahajanga, Ampijoroa
is not too difficult to reach from there. It is about
114km (70mi) south-east of Mahajanga, and about 455km
(282mi) north of Tana. Taxi-brousses from Tana tend to
arrive in the middle of the night, and you'll have to pay
the full fare if you sleep through and wake up in
Mahajanga. From Mahajanga it's only a two hour trip.
This park was established in 1962 and
covers 81,540 hectares (201,404 acres) of a wildly eroded
sandstone massif. The extraordinary landscapes are
worth a few days exploration on foot, but you will need a
guide. The grassy plains are surrounded by sandstone
ridges sculpted into wild forms, and secluded in the
rocks are many Sakalava Tombs. If your guide seems
uneasy about telling you about the tombs, drop the
subject; many taboos (fady) operate in the region.
The Canyon des Singes (`Canyon of
Monkeys') makes for an interesting day walk, and you'll
have a good chance of seeing sifakas (a common
lemur) leaping through the trees. In the nearby Canyon
des Rats are the Bara Zafimagnely Tombs, but
you may have to ask your guide to show you them or skip
them altogether. You can also walk along the canyon to
the Piscine Naturelle - a hot and thirsty walk but
worth it for the breathtaking landscape along the way.
The Grotte des Portugais is at the northern end of
the park. The cave isn't worth seeing, but the
surrounding Forêt de Sahanafa is beautiful, with
natural springs and a lot of lemurs.
The Isalo is about 400km (248mi)
south-west of Tana, and the nearest town is Ranohira. You
need to get a bush taxi from Tana to Ihosy, and another
for 91km (490mi) to Ranohira. From Ranohira it is a short
taxi-brousse ride to the park.
Fianarantsoa is the academic and
intellectual centre of Madagascar, and lies at the heart
of the country's most productive agricultural region.
Fianar has a surprisingly good selection of cheap and
comfortable accommodation. To the west, Fianar's backdrop
is dominated by the 1374m (4506ft) Mt Kianjasoa, and the
city has a real high country atmosphere - take a jacket
as it can get very cold. In the 1970s a Swiss corporation
realised the wine-growing potential in the surrounding
country, and it is now Madagascar's leading
wine-producing region. You can also visit the Savahamby
Tea Estate about 22km (13.6mi) east of town.
Basse-Ville is the poorest but
liveliest area in the city, with the main post office, an
amazing, Swiss-styled railway station, and
taxi-brousse stations. Nouvelle-Ville is the
business area with the banks and several hotels, but the
most beautiful district is Haute-Ville, which sits
on a hill overlooking the two other districts. It has
many lovely narrow streets, a quaint atmosphere and
picturesque views across Lac Anosy and the
surrounding rice paddies. Haute-Ville is marked from
below by a cluster of church spires; thanks to
heavy missionary activity Fianar is the centre of
Catholicism in Madagascar.
Because there is regular road transport
between Tana and Fianar, there are only two flights a
week. The road from Tana is good and there are plenty of
taxis-brousses from Tana, 410km (254mi) to the north, and
from Antsirabe, 240km (149mi) north along the same road.
Activities
Madagascar has some outstanding diving and snorkelling
locations, despite the environmental pressures on many of
the reefs. The best opportunities are around the islands
and islets surrounding Nosy Be. The tough roads are a
challenge to cycling, and cyclists will need to
bring sturdy mountain bikes and a generous reserve of
spares. Whale-watching is growing in popularity,
and two good places to indulge are Taolognar in southern
Madagascar and the west coast of Île Sainte Marie off
the east coast. The hiking is excellent in many of
the national parks, and opportunities for photography
are, of course, unlimited.
Getting There & Away
The cheapest flights to Madagascar probably come out
of UK bucket shops, but there are also direct flights
from Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, Zurich and Moscow. There
are no direct flights from North America or Australasia,
so if you are coming from there you will need to fly to
Europe, Mauritius or South Africa and change there.
Getting Around
There are any number of ways to get around Madagascar,
from air to zebu cart (a common form of transport in the
back blocks); from pousse-pousse or rickshaw in
the flatter towns to taxis-brousses (bush taxis)
in the bush. Decrepit buses and sort of new minibuses are
an alternative to the taxis-brousses between Tana and
nearby towns, and they leave from the chaotic
taxi-brousse stations. Taxis-brousses are the most
popular and cheapest way to get around, and the term is
generic to cover any form of public transport that is not
a bus or minibus. They are often slow and break down, are
overcrowded and sometimes dangerous, but are also usually
great fun.
Because of the vast distances and the poor state of
the roads, you may want to make some parts of your trip
on `Air Mad' as the national carrier is fondly known. It
has an excellent network to over 60 cities and towns, and
despite its nickname is a reliable carrier. It also
regularly offers discounts of up to 30-50% on internal
flights if you have used it to fly into the country.
|