Loads of people ask me my top 3 countries, and Madagascar is always one of them. Madagascar is a place I never dreamed of visiting. Thankfully a few years ago, a flight deal popped up for $880 roundtrip from LA, and I booked it straightaway. In the following blog, I want to help you if Madagascar is some place you’re thinking/dreaming of going, or maybe you already have tickets.
Flights to Madagascar
There’s really only one place to fly into, and that’s the nation’s capital, Antananarivo. It’s the only “city” on the land mass. You can catch a flight from Addis Ababa,Ethiopia or Johannesburg, South Africa (and maybe some other African cities). No matter what, your flight path will likely be 2-3 stops and LONG so be prepared. Bring all the snacks and the patience… and movies.
I booked my flights, now what!?
It took all four of my group to do research and figure out how we could best get around the country and see what we wanted to see. Madagascar is really not set up for tourism, it’s very rare that folks out of the cities ever even meet white people. There is some negative tourism from old Italian and French men looking for young Malagasy girls, but I won’t get into that. The best course of action that we did and that I can highly highly recommend, is finding a local tour guide. There are a few companies that you can hire to drive you around the country and help you make arrangements. We lucked out with the absolute gem of a company: Sobeha Madagascar, run by the most wonderful Jaolahy Mena aka Fredel.
Your Tour Guide Should…
We sent Sobeha the places we all wanted to hit, our timeline, and our budget, and Fredel MADE IT HAPPEN. He picked us up from the airport in our 4×4 (the only type vehicle you should be taking anywhere in Madagascar). He drove us to the accommodations he had arranged for us each night, and to every place he picked out for us to eat, and to every corner of Madagascar that we wanted to go. The ultra beautiful part was that when we wanted to circle back and visit Lemur Island (again), he manipulated our plans to allow that. The tour wasn’t in stone, and that was something that’s really crucial for this country. Your tour guide should be flexible and take care of most of the plans.
The Infrastructure
The country of Madagascar is so untouched, and non commercialized. It’s a wonderful and wild place. But you should be prepared that the roads are unpaved, most of them dirt (in the whole country!!). And there’s really only a few major roads that can get you east/west and north/south, so there’s a lot of driving to get from A to B. Madagascar may look small on a map, but it’s actually huge. Driving takes forever on dirt roads. We spent many many many of our two week trip in the car. So do with that info what you will! Bring ginger tablets. Always have snacks at the ready. And be ready to take blurry car photos of the sites. There are also very few buildings. There are a lot of shack-like, village-looking structures. They do a lot with little infrastructure. The photo above is a cow auction/market. You can see, they don’t have any buildings or specific designated area to hold this. It’s just in the open.
The People
The kindness I witnessed in Madagascar was unparalleled. People were so gracious and wanting to welcome us. We learned a few words of Malagasy (from our excellent guide) and that made ALL the difference. The national language is French, but the French are their colonizers so they don’t really prefer to speak that language (and rightly so). We found when we spoke French, the people could understand, and they would respond, but when we spoke Malagasy, they would respond with JOY. And all it really took was learning: Hello: “Salama”, Thank you “Misaotra”, Please “Azafady”, and things like that. Have your guide teach you correct pronunciation.
Don’t try to do it on your own.
Seriously. After having done a few proper tours in my life, there are definitely times where I left the tour and thought, “I could have done that on my own” … this was not one of those times. The roads are confusing. Driving the cars takes incredible skill. There’s no signal, or there wasn’t when I was there, so google maps wasn’t really a thing. You need a guide to navigate.
Also, the way that Madagascar runs is different. I believe our guide made the bookings for our accommodations sometimes on arrival, and you would need to be able to communicate incredibly well to be doing this, and even figuring out where to stay. There aren’t really “hotels” there. In every place we stayed, we would be in a tiny little village and our sleeping arrangements would be in the only western looking infrastructure.
The Stays
Don’t let that scare you though. Some of the coolest places I ever stayed were in Madagascar. One night, we had a bungalow literally ON the beach with our own private beach and an infinity pool out on a dock. The ocean was calm, the sand was soft. It was stunning and came out to be around $40/night. Another night, we were in the jungle, in a wooden cabin up off the ground. We woke to the sounds of the endangered Indri Lemur calls, which pierced my heart and I know will remain one of my fondest memories of my life.
Bring what you need
In most cases, I tell travelers not to stress too much about packing because you can always get what you need when you arrive. No where is that desolate. But Madagascar IS. Do not count on being able to easily find toothpaste or toiletries or even packaged snacks. There aren’t convenient stores. The stores are mostly open markets with fruit and vegetables, that you should definitely take advantage of, but don’t count on grocery stores. Walmart does not exist here. No chain really does. AND it’s magnificent and what makes it so special.
The Food
The food was hit or miss. I recollect eating a plethora of potatoes every day. It’s a lot of meat and potatoes. There was some fish options (expect a head and eyeballs). It isn’t the most poppin flavors, but it is filling and gets the job done.
The Cost
The cost is greatly going to depend on what you want and how long you are there. I was there in 2017, so I’m sure my pricing won’t be accurate even if I shared it. What you should understand is that you are paying for your guide and their arrangements. You’re paying for your accommodation which is generally pretty affordable. And you are paying for GAS and maintenance of the vehicle. The cost of the car and gasoline is a huge one. It is difficult to import gas (and everything) to the country, so it is expensive.
Benefits of Visiting Madagascar
The people are wonderful and welcoming. It’s a culture you’ll never forget that stands out amongst the rest of the world.
The wildlife is absolutely unparalleled. Ask any wildlife documentarian or scientist. You will see animals you’ve never heard of or seen before. You will get to witness them in their natural habitat, untouched by humans. You will get to see plants and other flora that will blow your mind. It truly feels like being on another planet.
It’s an experience that so few on earth will ever get to witness and enjoy. If you have the privilege of visiting Madagascar, you should absolutely do it.
And if you need more help, let me help you plan!
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