Key sights / cities:
Antananarivo, Andasibe, Antsirabe, Morondava, Tsingy de Bemaraha, Kirindy Reserve, Belo Sur Mer
Madagascar is not for the faint of heart. Nothing is easy on the island and anything can and will go wrong. However, travelers that do make the effort to see the island will be massively rewarded. The island split from mainland Africa 165 million years ago forming a world unto its own. The country is truly unique with massive biodiversity, varying cultures, and few tourists. This is a must visit country for the well-traveled and is relatively easy to plan.
Over the course of two weeks, we saw lemurs and baobabs galore, explored new and treacherous landscapes, snorkeled in pristine waters in the Mozambique channel... you can fit so much adventure into a short amount of time in Madagascar. Yes, the roads are uncomfortable and drive times are long. Yes, amenities are few and far between and there will be detours and delays. But in Madagascar, every component of the trip is a part of the adventure. Its a true escape from familiarity into new experiences.
We visited in peak season and started trip planning around 10 days out with the help of our driver. With the right mindset, the right driver, and patience - Madagascar is a world class destination. Itinerary options, advice, and surprises are below:
Popular Itinerary Options:
Tsingy, Baobabs, and Coast (West): This is the route we took to the most popular destinations in Madagascar. The route runs west from Antananarivo (Tana) stopping in the town of Antsirabe (a gem of a town with a massive market, colonial architecture, and great food) and ending up on the west coast. Upon reaching the coast, there is a beach town called Morondava that acts as the hub for activities to the North and South. We traveled to the Avenue of the Baobabs at sunset and sunrise and headed on a treacherous 10 hour drive to reach Tsingy de Bemaraha which is the main draw of this route. The Tsingy is an incredibly unique landscape to explore (more on that below). We used some extra time to explore a beautiful beach village on the west coast called Belo Sur Mer. We ultimately flew out of Morondava to spare us another 20+ hour drive.
Rainforests and Ringtails (South): This is also a popular route that is favored by many as you can see ringtail lemurs (a la King Julien from the animated movie Madagascar) and rainforest landscapes. This route will take you to Ranomafana and Isalo National Parks. In our research on this path, we didn’t find the landscapes to look as unique as the Tsingy or the iconic Avenue of the Baobabs so we decided to leave this for another trip.
Stunning Beaches (North): The north features developed islands such as Nosy Be. There are direct flights from Europe to Nosy Be making it a more popular, developed destination among tourists. Many people tack this on the end of their trip, but you would need to fly there and flights are pretty hit or miss here.
Advice:
Don’t create an overly ambitious itinerary, really think about what is important for you to see. We sent our list of destinations to our driver and he immediately whittled it down. Whole days of the itinerary will be dedicated to driving from place to place which will seem like overkill, but its not. Road conditions vary from surprisingly decent to downright awful (driving over quicksand essentially). Any accident or disruption will lead to a meaningful delay. On top of this you can’t drive at night due to safety concerns. Between the possibility of breakdowns, closures, inclement weather, or illness / injury - you need buffer time.
Pay attention to seasonality. Weak infrastructure and bad conditions in the rainy season make certain parks unreachable. For example,Tsingy de Bemaraha is closed from November to April.
Finding the right driver is key. We found our driver recommended on Trip Advisor and he was vital. He was a skilled mechanic (luckily we only watched his skill as he helped others) and importantly he had fantastic relations with those we met along the way which is important. As we traveled, he would ask for advice regarding road conditions, pay off the right villagers, find us the right guides, keep our belongings safe, direct us to the safe restaurants… he was integral.
We decided not to do a tour, but rather to just find a driver and book our own hotels. We think this is a great option in Madagascar as accommodations are incredibly hit or miss and we wanted control over that element. We also changed our itinerary after understanding the drive times better. We had that flexibility with our own driver.
Finding an English-speaking driver is tricky. French is the common language here and most tourists are from France.
Do not self drive. We met a few Europeans experienced with overland travel in Africa who were stranded due to car problems. Their advice - don’t try to drive this country on your own.
For some itineraries, you’ll need to cross crocodile-infested rivers on very rudimentary ferries… watching a tourist try to drive his truck onto the “boat” was nerve wracking and almost ended in disaster.
Take flights, but do so with caution. Flights within the country can cut down on days of drive time, but note that Air Madagascar is nicknamed “Air Maybe”. They can change your flight time and flight date arbitrarily (politicians use the fleet for their own personal travel, leading to cancellations). There are <10 planes in the fleet, so book in advance as tickets sell out. Given these factors and that we wanted to see the country on the ground, we only booked one flight at the end of our trip to save us the 2 day commute back to the capital.
Do your research on accommodations. Even at the nicest option in certain locations, hot water and access to electricity are not a given. Bugs and even lemurs entering your room or bungalow is unavoidable. You’ll be eating at your hotel in many instances too, so pick wisely.
Try to add in a beach at the end of the trip. Madagascar is a rewarding, eye opening destination, BUT it is a bit stressful and exhausting. Rather than visit a lemur reserve that required 2 drive days to reach, we opted to go to Belo Sur Mer at the end of our trip. Our driver skillfully navigated the ~4 hour route through soft sand and shallow streams to reach what felt like paradise. We stayed at a very chic, simple ecolodge on the beach where we took a motorized canoe to a pristine island (Nosy Andravoho) for a day of swimming, snorkeling, and eating fresh seafood. HIGHLY recommend.
Don’t trust the hours listed online. We arrived at restaurants that should have been open, but were shuttered. We were told “Well, this is Madagascar - what can you expect!” We were told this phrase many a time over our trip… you have to moderate your expectations and just hope for the best.
Add in Andasibe if you have the time. We wanted to see as many lemurs as possible on this trip and started out with a stop in Andasibe. Its a few hours east of Tana, so a bit out of the way, but its full of lemurs including the largest species - the Indri lemur. We spent a morning in the park and saw dozens of Sifaka, Indri, Common Brown, and Bamboo lemurs up close. We added in a night walk here as well to see nocturnal species too.
Surprises:
The level of poverty is jarring. Driving through the countryside is eye opening. Many villages consist of straw, stick, and mud huts. Frequently, large groups of children chased our car with hands out looking for sweets, bread, or plastic bottles. In the few villages where children go to school, we were asked for pens or paper. We weren’t completely sure the best way to support these people we saw all over the country, but ultimately settled on identifying a trustworthy foundation to support.
The journey is part of the adventure. The long drives were challenging at times, but rewarding and exciting. We saw a way of life that is not easy to observe this day in age. We completed various side quests along the way - at one point, we were asked by a village leader to deliver a handwritten census to the mayor of the largest regional city. We forged rivers, spotted lemurs, drove past massive brush fires, watched people panning for gold in rivers… we even saw an oddly domestic lemur living amongst villagers. We rarely slept during the drives because there was so much to see!
Madagascar is home to an interesting ethnic and cultural mix. Upon landing in Tana, the people appeared to be part of ethnic group we hadn’t yet seen. Malagasy people are a mix of Asian islander (Austronesian) and African. People look very different across the island as the mix of Asian / African ancestry differs in each region.
Additionally, many people still include elements of traditional animism in religious practices. Burial practices are particularly interesting and there is still a belief in witchcraft.
Tsingy de Bemaraha is challenging if you have a fear of heights, but worth it. Doing the big loop at Tsingy de Bemaraha requires a harness and carabiners. You cross several tall, rickety bridges over extremely sharp rocks. You must cross several challenging passes inside a fragile cave. Jennifer faced quite a few fears in this park. We recommend this destination, but be ready for it!
“Fine dining” in the middle of nowhere. After 5 hours of driving down a sandy path and one wild ferry crossing, we arrived at a non-descript restaurant called Mad Zebu. The chef formerly worked at a 3 Michelin starred restaurant in France. He was cooking up legitimately impressive food with 3 courses costing $18. The contrast between the remote location and the quality of food is jarring in the best way possible. Call ahead for a reservation as everyone who passes through makes this stop!
Drivers move from place to place in a caravan, sometimes flanked by police, due to banditry! Bandits are the biggest problem in Madagascar. Our driver informed us that up until four months ago, you must travel in a caravan to stay safe. We didn’t come across any issues on this trip and it now unfortunately mainly impacts villagers, but it was surprising to learn how horrible this problem is.
Lovely weather in peak season. For an island nation, we were surprised by how pleasant the weather ended up being. Other than a swarm of sand flies near the beach, we didn’t have issues with bugs or other tropical inconveniences. Don't go in the rainy season as many roads turn into rivers.
Mainly French food for tourists. Don’t expect to be eating Malagasy food often here. We tried traditional food on a few occasions and loved it, but decided not to take too many food risks given how remote we were. We often ate at hotels or French restaurants in the capital. We had steak (made from zebu) frites on more days than not.
Fun Facts:
~90% of plants and animals in Madagascar are endemic and many are found nowhere else on earth
Madagascar was likely first settled by people from Asia
There are over 100 species of lemurs found on Madagascar
There are many baobab trees over 1,000 years old lining the roads of Madagascar
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world
Madagascar was most recently attached to India, separating around 88 million years ago
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