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Madagascar travel advice

If you're wondering how to plan your itinerary, how to get around, what it's like for hiking or how to choose a responsible tour operator, then look no further for top Madagascar travel advice. We've consulted experts from vacation companies working across the island, and shared their insider tips with you to help you plan, book and enjoy your Madagascar vacation.

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Madagascar travel advice

Trip planning

Madagascar trip planning advice

Laurenne Mansbridge is the director of our supplier Pioneer Expeditions:

"Don’t try and see it all. The logistics aren’t great – and it’s better to base yourself in one region. That way you get to see things properly, rather than just spending your time traveling."

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Trip planning

Mark Huggins, from our supplier Undiscovered Destinations:

"If you fly internally with Air Madagascar, be prepared for delays. There are no other airlines, and while flights are rarely cancelled, they don’t always leave when they should. Be prepared that everything might not go to plan!"

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Laurenne Mansbridge, Pioneer Expeditions:

"It's better to base yourself in one region. That way you get to see things properly rather than just spending your time traveling."

Mark Jacobs, Azafady:

Travel around and have contact with local communities, rather than just staying in a resort - you will actually get a feel for Madagascar.

Hiking

Madagascar hiking advice

Mark Huggins, from our supplier Undiscovered Destinations, shares his Madagascar travel advice:

"The paths are generally good in the national parks, but you need appropriate footwear with a good grip, because if you are looking for wildlife in a forest you have to go off the main path to find it. This can mean walking a couple of hundred metres from the main track; trainers are not good enough, you will end up slipping around."

Hiking

Choosing an operator

Advice on choosing an operator

Mark Jacobs, from our supplier Azafady:

"Tourism is incredibly important in Madagascar, but it must be sustainable tourism. That is absolutely essential. There are good tour companies and bad tour companies; in the better ones you travel around and have contact with local communities, rather than just staying in a resort, and you actually get a feel for Madagascar. A great tour gives a good and honest impression of the country, and takes it beyond being just another tourist resort in an exotic place."

Top tip: A local highlight

Top tip: a local highlight

Laurenne Mansbridge, Pioneer Expeditions:

"The Cafe de la Gare in Tana is a really amazing restaurant set in the old railway station. Architecturally it’s absolutely stunning; it’s got great food, a lovely ambience and it’s really good value. Most flights leave at 1am meaning you need to be at the airport for around 10pm – so this is a great way to spend your last night. You’ll feel like you’ve been transported back to the 1950s."

Top tip: A local highlight

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about Madagascar or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.

Toll free 1-866-821-6866

Calling us from outside the US?

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Toll free 1-866-821-6866

Calling us from outside the US?

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Health & safety in Madagascar

HEALTH

Malaria exists in Madagascar, so check with your GP or travel clinic before traveling and ensure your children are able to take anti-malarial medication before planning your trip. Make sure you are up to date with routine vaccinations such as MMR, polio and tetanus. Visit your GP at least six weeks before travel to obtain any other vaccinations. Never drink the tap water; bottled water is readily available, even in remote areas. Take plenty of sun screen – even in cooler temperatures at high altitudes you will burn quickly – and kids even faster. Keep children hydrated – much of Madagascar is humid, and children will lose fluids rapidly. Don’t eat at roadside restaurants and cafes unless they are recommended by your guide. Avoid ice in drinks (unless you are sure it is not from tap water), and bushmeat. Mosquitoes and other biting insects can cause irritation and diseases – not just malaria. Always cover up, use mosquito nets or screened rooms where necessary, and use a strong insect repellent. Be sure you or your guide has a first aid kit if traveling to remote areas – you could be more than a day's travel from medical supplies. Ensure your travel insurance covers medical evacuation – many procedures cannot be carried out in Madagascar and patients will need to travel to obtain adequate medical care. Consult the latest health advice on Madagascar.

Safety

Be aware that beaches are rarely guarded – keep a close eye on your children even if they are only paddling.

From time to time there are political demonstrations in Madagascar. This is unlikely to affect anyone outside of Antananarivo, but keep an eye on the FCO website for up to date information about this and any other local conflicts.

There is a risk of crime in Madagascar – particularly in cities and town centers at night – and thefts are also frequently reported on beaches. Take precautions – don’t carry valuables or large amounts of cash, and don’t leave your belongings unattended on beaches. Avoid leaving bags and valuables on show in parked vehicles.

Do not drive outside towns at night.

Madagascar advice from travelers

At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travelers are often... other travelers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.

We have selected some of the most useful Madagascar travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation - and the space inside your suitcase.

Be prepared for anything! We had a ferry crossing that grounded us on a sandbank, put us on a tiny passenger boat and involved a hot dusty walk through a rubbish dump before arriving at a restaurant serving haute cuisine at local prices.

Gill Berry

"Be prepared for things to be unpredictable and not to expect standards in hotels and lodges to be as in the UK". - Jean Maclean

"We found most things to be much better than we expected and enjoyed extremely comfortable accommodation in most of the places we stayed. We would happily recommend our trip to friends, but with the proviso that "Madagascar is not for sissies!" - Amanda Haley

"Tipping (guides, translators, taxi drivers, porters) may form the greater part of the typical day's expenditure. Such is the local economy that the most modest tip will be well received – meaning that the stress, if any, is not the cost but simply having local currency in appropriate small denominations. The advice is therefore to keep tipping amounts separately in your back pocket, for use as required." - Maggie Wood

Do some homework first. We hadn't really done any at all, and didn't quite realise how much trekking was involved to see some of the elusive wildlife and that the rainforest is not misnamed.

"Volunteer tip: Get in touch with the other volunteers in your group before you go and see if there are things you need to take that you can share within the group. Have fun! It's a working vacation, but it's an amazing experience and actually being in such a different environment to day to day life in the UK made it the most relaxing vacation I'd ever had". - Alexis Liming

"Take waterproof bags to put all your clothes and equipment into for canoe trips. Make sure you have a good torch as electricity supplies in hotels are unpredictable. No need for water purifying tablets as bottled water is available everywhere even in the back of beyond!" - Rosemary Llewellin

"Be tolerant of those begging, but don't give to them. Contributing to the local economy by buying local goods, even if you later give them away – they are very, very cheap by our standards – helps far more". - Linda Brightwell

More about Madagascar

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The best time to visit Madagascar depends on where you're visiting. The north is hot and humid, the east is generally wet and the south is often arid...

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Madagascar itineraries & maps

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Things to do in Madagascar

Meet lemurs, hike through Tsingy pinnacles, paddle down rivers or give something back by volunteering. There's an activity for everyone in Madagascar...

Best place to see lemurs in Madagascar

We've picked out key lemur species - from dancing sifakas to gremlin-like aye-ayes - and explored which forests, reserves and parks they inhabit...

Madagascar National Parks

Any trip to Madagascar will include a selection of its national parks, introducing the incredible scenery and unique wildlife that it is famous for...

Culture and traditions

The island is rightly famed for its unique flora and fauna, but the culture and traditions of Madagascar always add plenty of local colour to your trip plans.

Trekking in Madagascar

Madagascar has wildlife like nowhere else on this planet, and if you want to really appreciate its vibrant diversity, then the best way is definitely on foot.

Traveling in Madagascar with kids

Traveling in Madagascar with kids is extremely rewarding, but best wait til they are a bit older to make the most of this life changing experience...

Difficulties of travelling around Madagascar

Difficulties of traveling around Madagascar

From potholed roads to a lack of tourism infrastructure and the language barrier, the difficulties of traveling around Madagascar are something that no operator can avoid talking about.

Responsible tourism in Madagascar

Traveling responsibly is better for the lemurs, better for the Malagasy, and - we believe - a much more memorable vacation for you...

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Written by Vicki Brown

ABTA member P7085 so you are fully protected

Photo credits: [Page banner: BMR & MAM] [Air Madagascar: Maarten Visser ] [Local communities: Ryan Albrey] [Hiking advice: NH53] [Choosing an operator: Frontierofficial] [The Cafe de la Gare: travelmag.com] [Man and child in canoe: nomis-simon] [Cart: Frank Vassen] [Review 1 - Gill Berry: Cleo Dane Legge, Frontierofficial] [Review 2 - Ann Monk: Annabel Forde, Frontierofficial]

Madagascar travel advice