General info | Madagascar
Airlines :
Air Madagascar (MD) is the national airline of Madagascar. Other airlines flying in Madagascar include: Air Austral/Air Mauritius, Air France, British Airways, Corsair, and Interair. Air travel is a good way to get around this vast country, especially if time is short. Almost anywhere in Madagascar can be reached by air, apart from a few locations in the central highlands. Air Madagascar offers some good deals and extensive coverage, flying to over 50 cities and towns throughout the country.
Airport : The main airport is Antananarivo Airport (TNR), which is located 17km (11 miles) from the city. Facilities located at the airport include restaurants, bureaux de change and car hire offices. Other airports around the country like Arivonimamo (located near Mahajanga), Nosy Bé and Toamasina.
Transfers : Transfer to/from Ivato Airport in Air-conditioned minibus can be arrange by Dodo Travel & Tours
Driving: Traffic drives on the right. Car hire is not very common; driving can be quite a stressful experience. If you do choose to drive yourself, a national driving licence is normally sufficient, but make sure to make detailed. The best option is to hire a car and a driver. The road network in Madagascar is quite poor. Tarred roads are normally only used to link major towns in the most populated areas, with the remainder still dirt roads. These are often impassable in the rainy season, which runs from November to March.
Passport: You will need a passport that is valid for at least 6 months after your trip.
Visa: Only Malagasy citizens can travel to Madagascar without a visa. All other nationalities are required to have a visa upon entering Madagascar. It is about 50 € for a three months tourist visa. Payable in €, $, £ and Ariary.
Customs: Most of the local products of Malagasy flora or fauna (including dried flowers) require export permits.
Tax: A tax and tourist vignette is charged on the price of the rooms. There is no departure tax.
Vaccination: Foreign tourists should be in possession of Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate conforming to International Health Regulations, if they are originating or transiting through Yellow Fever endemic countries (Africa and South America).
Medication: It is strongly recommended to take anti malaria tablets before, during and after the trip (please see your doctor for advice) you must have medication and sticking plaster. Don't forget cream for mosquito and sun cream. It is advised to drink bottled water, to eat cooked or boiled food and to wash your hands before the meals.
Climate: The combination of southeastern trade winds and northwestern monsoon winds produce a hot rainy season (November—April) with frequently destructive cyclones and a relatively cooler dry season (May—October). Broadly speaking, the climate is tropical along the coast, temperate inland, moderately dry in the west, and arid in the south. Rain clouds originating over the Indian Ocean discharge much of their moisture over the island's eastern coast where precipitation as heavy as 150 in (3,800 mm) per year supports the area's rain forest ecosystem.
The central highlands are both drier and cooler, while the west coast is drier still, with high aridity in the southwest and southern part of the island where a semi-desert climate prevails. Annual cyclones cause regular damage to infrastructure and local economies as well as loss of life.
For more information please visit: www.tv5.org/meteo
Currency: The currency unit is the Ariary, denoted by the symbol Ar. Before the departure, take traveler’s cheque or bank note with you. Banks are open between 8am and 3pm from Monday to Friday.
Exchange rates: can be found by visiting Oanda.com the currency site. Foreign currency can be exchanged at local banks and exchange offices.
Credit cards: International Credit cards can be used only in Major hotels and in banks in major cities. Visa is the most widely accepted and American Express is also taken in some outlets. Mastercard is rarely accepted. In general we recommend clients to be prepared to live without a Credit Card once outside Antananarivo.
Culture: Madagascar's population is predominantly of mixed Asian and African origin. Research suggests that the island was uninhabited until Indonesian seafarers arrived in roughly the first century A.D., probably by way of southern India and East Africa, where they acquired African wives and slaves. Subsequent migrations from both the Pacific and Africa further consolidated this original mixture, and 18 separate tribal groups emerged. Asian features are most predominant in the central highlands people, the Merina (3 million) and the Betsileo (2 million); the coastal people are of more clearly African origin. The largest coastal groups are the Betsimisaraka (1.5 million) and the Tsimihety and Sakalava (700,000 each).
Language: The Malagasy language is of Malayo-Polynesian origin and is generally spoken throughout the island, with significant regional variations. French is spoken among the educated population of this former French colony. English is becoming more widely spoken, and in 2003 the government began a pilot project of introducing the teaching of English into the primary grades of 44 schools, with hopes of taking the project nationwide. In 2010, however, the de facto government introduced measures that would limit the use and teaching of English.
Food : Current day cuisine is generally quite flavoured, prepared in a simple manner without too much spices. The main course will usually consist of one main dish of meat, poultry or fish, as well as side dishes of vegetables and a bowl of rice, which will accompany almost every meal. Ron'akoho is something you should try, and is basically chicken bouillon (chicken stock) with ginger. Meat in Madagascar is generally much less fatty than in western countries, and is often much more organic. The only drink traditionally served with meals is ranonapango, a burned-rice drink. Desserts are often just some of the delicious local fruits, normally with some sugar sprinkled on top, and then flavoured with vanilla.
Water: It is advised to drink water in bottle.
Local Time: We must add two hours to the French time in winter and one hour in summer.
Public Holidays: 1 January - New year's day, 8 March - National Women's Day, March 29- The uprising against French rule - Easter -1 May - Labour Day; 26 June - Independence Day, 15 August - Assumption Day,1 November - All Soul's Day, 25 December - Christmas Day ; 31 December - New Year's Eve. Madagascar's diversity is reflected in its plentiful colourful festivals. Alahmady Be opens the traditional Malagasy year, followed by the rice harvest (May) and Donia, a celebration of traditional music on Nosy Be resort island (May/June). The 'turning of the bones' (July-September) and 'cleansing of the relics' (September-November) ceremonies fill out the calendar. Alongside the old traditions are the Catholic spiritual calendar - Easter, Assumption (August 15th), All Saints Day (November 1st) and of course, Christmas - and the calendar of political milestones: the 1947 uprising against French rule (March 29th), Independence Day (June 26th), with the Republic's Anniversary on New Year's Eve bringing in the New Year.
Security: leave all your valuable jewelleries home or they must be kept in the hotel’s safe. Prudence is recommended in urban zones. Beware of entry scams: do not be scammed by anyone who insists that you need their help to get a visa. Only the Embassy is able to provide this service.
Phone: The country code to call Madagascar from overseas is 261, followed by the area code (Antananarivo is 20 22 and Antsirabe 20 44). Cellular phone codes begin with either 33 or 32. Phone calls can be made at the telecom offices. Phone cards are sold in different denominations, and range from €1.50 - €30.
Internet: Internet cafes are readily available in the major centres, and they offer quite reasonable rates.
Dodo Travel & Tours (Madagascar)
Tana Waterfront, Ambodivona
B.P 12125 Antaninarenina
Antananarivo 101 - Madagascar,
Tél : +(261) 20 22 690 36
Fax : +(261) 20 22 257 05
Dodo Travel & Tours (Maurice)
Queen Mary Avenue, Floréal, Ile Maurice,
Tél: +(230) 698 68 09
Fax : +(230) 697 41 53
Maison du Tourisme de Madagascar : www.madagascar-tourisme.com
