Celebrate the beauty of Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island, home to an eclectic mix of tranquil forests, bustling cities and golden beaches. A land frozen in time – a secret place where magic and mystery combine. Walk through undisturbed rain forests, hike over spikey tsingy, canoe along unexplored rivers and discover an underwater world of dazzling corals. Roughly the size of France, Madagascar is home to more than a million species of orchids, a million species of butterflies, three hundred and seventy species of reptiles, two hundred species of mammals and one hundred and seventy palm species.

Not only is the island blessed with such a bewildering array of fauna and flora but most are not found anywhere else in the world. With breathtaking waterfalls, crater lakes, pristine white beaches and volcanic mountains waiting to be explored, the island boasts a world of entertainment for everyone. Accommodation options include luxury beach and bush lodges, exclusive camping and quality city hotels.

Embrace the gentle warmth of the Malagasy people as you immerse yourself in the intricacies of their fascinating cultural beliefs. Wander through ancient palaces, marvelling at their rich yet fractious history. Explore the impressive national parks and nature reserves, bargain your way through the colourful markets, sip cocktails at sunset and dine on delectable French delicacies.

 

Location: Madagascar

A chain of mountains runs like a spine down the east-centre of the island descending sharply to the Indian Ocean, leaving only a narrow coastal plain. These eastern mountain slopes bear the remains of the dense rainforest which once covered all of the eastern section of the island. The western plain is wider and the climate drier, supporting forests of deciduous trees and acres of savannah grassland. Madagascar’s highest mountain is Maromokotro (9450ft/2,876m, part of the Massif of Tsaratanana, in the north of the island. In the south is the ‘spiny forest’ also known as the ‘spiny desert’.

 

General Information on Madagascar:

Location: 400km off the east coast of Africa, south of the Equator.

Size: 587040km²

Climate: Tropical, with most rain falling between December and March

Population: 16 Million approx. (15,660,000 at the last census in 2001)

Capital: Antananarivo (Tana; Tananarive)

Other main towns: Fianarantsoa, Antsirabe, Toliara (Tuléar), Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin), Toamasina ( Tamatave), Mahajanga (Majunga), Antsiranana (Diego Suarez). The French colonial names in parentheses and still commonly used.

Currency: The franc Malgache (Fmg) is being replaced by the ariary

Language: Malagasy, French; some English spoken

Religion: Mainly Christian, roughly divided between Protestants and Catholics. Some Muslums and hindus largely in the Asian communities.

International telephone code: +261 20

Time: GMT +3

Electricity: 220 volts, plugs two-pin (continental style)

Flag: White, green and red (white vertical band, green and red horizontal bands)

National anthem: Fatherland, Liberty, Justice

 

Madagascar’s most popular areas:

Antananarivo

Looking down from the plane window as you approach Antananarivo you can see how excitingly different this country is from any of its near neighbours. Clusters of red clay houses and steepled churches stand isolated on the hilltops overlooking a mosaic of green and brown paddy fields. Old defence ditches, tamboho, form circles around villages or estates, and dotted in the empty countryside are the white concrete Merina tombs from where the dead will be exhumed in famadihana ceremonies.

Most people stay only a day or so in Tana (as Antananarivo is often called), but there is plenty to see in the city and the surrounding hauts plateaux. A week would not be too long to experience the cultural, historical and natural sites which lie within a day’s excursion from the capital. The kingdom of Imerina thrived for over a century before French colonisation, so it is here that the rich and fascinating history and culture of the Merina people are best appreciated.

 

The Highlands South of Tana

Many visitors drive the full length of Route Nationale  (RN7) to Toliara, either by hired car or by public transport. It is a delightful journey, provising an excellent overview of the hauts plateaux and Merina and Betsileo culture, as well as spectacular scenery, especially around Fianarantsoa. More and more excursions off this main route are opening up, ideal for cyclists or backpackers.

 

The South

This is the most exotic and the most famous part of Madagascar. the region of ‘spiny desert’ where weird cactus-like trees wave their thorny fingers in the sky, where fragments of ‘elephant bird’ eggshells may still be found, and where the Mahafaly tribe erect their intriguing and often entertaining aloalo stelae above the graves. Here also are some of the country’s most popular national parks and reserves, as well as its best beaches and coral reefs. No wonder the south features on almost all tour itineraries.

 

Tana to Toamasina

Since the early days of the Merina kingdom, there has been a link from the country’s main port to its capital. The route between the two cities will have been established during the expansionist days of King Radama I, when dignataries were carried by palanquin and goods were transported on the heads of porters. It gained greater importance after the arrival of teachers from the London Missionary Society, the first Europeans to have a significant influence on Madagascar. They arrived in Tamatave bearing not only the word of God, but technology in the formof printing presses. The track up the escarpment was narrow, difficult and slippery in the rainy season (most of the year) but the royal government refused to build a proper road, fearing this would facilitate an invasion from outside (in fact the French invasion took place by the much easier route from Mahajanga). The first road was built by the French, but maintenance was never a high priority, especially after independence, partly to reduce competition with the state owned railway. The collapse of the economy in the Second Republic meant that there was no money at all for maintenance and the road become at times almost impassable. However in the 1990s the road was rehabilitated to a high standard with aid from Switzerland and China.

These days many visitors take Route Nationale 2 from the capital. Most are heading for Andasibe but some continue to the coast. The route description here is aimed at those travelling in a private vehicle or by bicycle, but of course taxi-brousse travellers may choose to break their trip at any of the stops along the way.

 

South of Toamasina

The increasingly visited Pangalanes Lake resorts to the south of Toamasina, touches on the little visited  towns that may be accesses via the Pangalanes Canal, before rejoining the good road which joins the two seaside towns of Manakara and Mananjary, and continues to the pleasant town of Farafangana. After Vangaindrano the road/track becomes unpredictable, although a trickle of adventurous travellers manage to reach Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin). The Pangalanes region is a stronghold of the Betsimisaraka, the second-largest ethnic group in Madagascar. Perhaps because of the isolation imposed by lack of transport, there have been fewer mixed marriages here so culture has remained remarkably pure.

 

Toamasina and the Northeast

Punished by its weather (rain cyclones), eastern Madagascar is notoriously challenging to travellers. In July 1817 James Hastie wrote in his diary: ‘If this is the good season for travelling this country, I assert it is impossible to proceed in the bad.’ With this in mind you should avoid the wettest months of February and March, and remember that June to August can be very damp as well. The driest months are September to November, with December and January worth the risk. April and May are fairly safe apart from the possibility of cyclones. The east coast has other problems: sharks and dangerous currents. So although there are beautiful beaches, swimming is safe only in protected areas.

Despite – or perhaps because of – these drawbacks, the northeast is perhaps Madagascar’s most rewarding region for independent travellers. It is not yet on the itinerary for many groups, yet has a few beautifully situated upmarket hotels for that once-in-a-lifetime holiday, and wonderful exploratory possibilities for the intrepid backpacker. Much of Madagascar’s unique flora and fauna is concentrated in the eastern rainforests and any serious naturalist will want to pay a visit. Other attractions are the rugged mountain scenery with rivers tumbling down to the Indian Ocean, the friendly people, abundant fruit and seafood, and access to the lovely islands of Nosy Boraha (Ile Saint Marie). The chief products of the east are coffee, vanilla, bananas, coconuts, cloves and lychees.

 

Ile Sainte Marie

Here is a cliche of a tropical islaned with endless deserted beaches overhung by coconut palms, bays protected from sharks by coral reefs, hills covered with luxuriant vegetation, and a relative absence of unsightly tourist development. Most travellers love it: ‘As soon as we saw the island from the air, we were ready to ditch our travel plans and spend the rest of our trip nestled in paradise. Everything about the island is intoxicating: the smell of cloves drying in the sun, the taste of coco rum and the warmth of the sea.’ In addition to this heady holiday atmosphere, Ile Sainte Marie is the best place in Madagascar for whale watching.

The island, due east of Soanierana-Ivongo, is 50km long and 7km at its widest point. The only significant town is Ambodifotatra; other small villages comprise bamboo and palm huts. The island is almost universally known as Sainte Marie – few people use its Malagasy name: Nosy Boraha. Sainte Marie unfortunately – or perhaps fortunately, given the dangers of overdevelopment – hasa far lesssettled weather pattern that its island rival, Nosy Be. Cyclones strike regularly and you can expect several days of rain and wind all year round, but interspersed with calm sunny weather. The best months for a visit seem to be June and mid August to December, although a reader tells me she twice had perfect weather in January, and another reports that in July most days were hot and sunny, but with frequent light rain overnight or in the morning, and fairly strong winds from the south.

 

The North

The north of Madagascar is characterised by its variety. With the Tsaratanana massif (including Maromokotro, Madagascar’s highest peak at 2,876m) bringing more rain to the Nosy Be area than is normal for the west coast, and the pocket of dry weather, with nine tenths of its 900mm annual rainfall concentrated between December and April. With changes of weather come changes of vegetation and its other naturalists.

This is the domain of the Antankarana people. Cut off by rugged mountains, the Antankarana were left to their own devices until the mid 1700s when they were conquered by the Sakalava; they in turn submitted to the Merina King Radma I, aided by his military adviser James Hastie, in 1823.

Roads in the area are being improved and Antsiranana is losing its isolation. Distances are long, however, so most people prefer to fly between the major towns.

 

Nosy Be

The name means ‘big island’ and is pronounced nossy bay by the local Sakalava people, although noos bay is nearer the highlands pronunciation. It is blessed, in the driest months, with an almost perfect climate (sunshine with brief showers). Fertile and prosperous, with the heady scent of ylang-ylang blossoms giving it the tourist-brochure name of ‘Perfumed Isle’, this is the place to come for a rest – provising you can afford it. Compared with the rest of Madagascar, Nosy Be is expensive.

Nosy Be developed tourism long before mainland Madagascar, so inevitably the island seems touristy or ‘commercialised’ to adventurous travellers. Since the recent demise of the sugar industry, all available land is being bought up for hotel development. This, in turn, has pushed prices even higher. That said, Nosy Be provides a taste of everything that is special to Madagascar, from good seafood to beaches, from chameleons to lemurs, so for this reason it is ideal for those with very limited time who are looking for a hassle-free holiday. It also has several options for realy luxury – not always easy to find in Madagascar. All of the accessible beaches on Nosy Be have now been taken over by hotels. None is perfect for swimming; they shelve to gradually so the water is shallow at high tide and they are a long walk out at low tide.

 

The West

The west of Madagascar offers a mostly dry climate, deciduous forest (with someexcellent reserves to protect it), and endless sandy beaches with little danger from sharks. It is effectively divided into two sections: the north, with its gateway town of Mahajanga, and the south with Morondava providing access. No roads directly link these two regions – the traveller is obliged to return to Tana or face the uncomfortable but adventurous journey by boutre – cargo boat. The lack of roads and agreeable climate makes this an ideal area for mountain bikers or walkers. Adventurous travellers will have no trouble finding a warm welcome in untouristed villages, their own deserted beach and some spectacular landscapes. This is the region to see one of Madagascar’s extraordinary natural wonders: the tsingy. Pronounced zing, this is exactly the sound made when one of the limestone pinnacles is struck (they can be played like a xylophone!). It is also a word for ‘sharp’ in Malagasy. Limestone karst is not unique to Madagascar, but it is rare to see such dramatic forms, such as impenetrable forest of spikes and spires. The endemic succulants that struggle for a foothold in this waterless enviroment add to the unworldly feeling of a tsingy landscape. There are now three national parks showcasing tsingy.

Opposite major rivers the sea water along the coast is a brick red colour: ‘like swimming in soup’ as one traveller put it. This is the laterite washed into the rivers from the eroded hillsides of the highlands and discharged into the sea: Madagascar’s bleeding wounds.