MADAGASCAR

The fourth largest island in the world was created more than 125 million years ago when apiece of the African mainland broke away and drifted into the Indian Ocean. Isolated from mainland, this tropical Eden known as Madagascar, evolved into a safe haven for some of the most unusual life forms on earth – a zoologist’s dream island teeming with chameleons, mongoose and lemurs and an apothecary’s laboratory with precious medicinal plants and herbs.

Relatively undiscovered till a few decades ago by the inveterate traveler, the ‘Great Red Island’ of Madagascar has seen an increase in tourist traffic with travelers discovering and appreciating the unique delight of virgin rainforests, pristine beaches, warm blue waters of the Indian Ocean, sandy deserts and an astonishing array of unusual wildlife and truly impressive flora.

Capital: Antananarivo

Best Time to Visit:

  1. The best time to visit is anytime between April to October, winter season in Madagascar, because you miss the southern summer from November to March with its accompanying heat and hurricane.
  2. But if summer is the only time you can make it, do go because though the heat and humidity levels are high in summer, the central highlands are still very pleasant.
  3. The climate in Madagascar tends towards the wet and damp as the rains in the east coast lasts from November to March and come with the occasional cyclone thrown in. So that is the time of the year to avoid the island.

Minimum days required: 6 Days

Places of Interest:

  1. Isalo National Park
  2. Ranomafana National Park
  3. Ranomafana National Park
  4. Alley of the Baobabs
  5. Ankarafantsika National Park
  6. Amber Mountain National Park
  7. Marojejy National Park
  8. Nosy Mangabe
  9. Andohahela National Park,

Climate:

  1. Madagascar has a varied climate that changes along with the geographical zones. The coastal region has tropical climatic conditions; the interior parts of the island are more temperate particularly as the elevation increases; the eastern winds bring heavy rains to the eastern sides of the central plateau while the opposite side is more arid as it receives far less amounts of the seasonal rains. Trade winds prevail from the east and the monsoons come from the northwest. From January to March, the east coast, the far north, the western part of the island that is relatively unprotected and so is often at the receiving end of cyclones and low-pressure disturbances. Snow is not uncommon in winter at the highest altitudes.

Currency:  Franc Malgache

Things to carry:

  1. For a trip to the island of Madagascar, remember to pack in adequate supplies of regular medication and a first aid kit with standard basic medicines for fever, stomach upsets and cuts and grazes.
  2. A summer trip will necessitate light cool clothes, swimming gear, sunscreens, suntan lotions, antiseptic creams and insect and mosquito repellents.
  3. An umbrella or waterproof jacket is required in the unpredictable climate of Madagascar, where rainstorms occur with little or no notice. In the higher altitudes, light woollens are needed and in the winter months, heavy woollens alone will suffice.

How to get there:

Air

  1. Many international airlines operate in this part of the world with regular weekly flights to Europe and connecting flights from the neighboring countries of Africa and Asia.
  2. London is 13 hours 50 minutes flying time from Antananarivo. There are regular flights from Madagascar to Reunion, Mauritius, Kenya, Tanzania, the Comoro Islands, the Seychelles and Zimbabwe.
  3. In Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, the international terminus is 17km from the city. Airport facilities include restaurant and bureau de change (open during arrivals and departures of international flights). The airport is connected by a regular bus service to the Air Madagascar office