Introducing Madagascar

Forget Hollywood fripperies, Madagascar is like no place else on earth. In fact, all things considered, it barely qualifies as part of Africa: the two are separated by hundreds of kilometres of sea and 165 million years of evolution – long enough for Madagascar’s plants and animals to evolve into some of the weirdest forms on the planet. Nowhere else can you see over 70 varieties of lemur, including one that sounds like a police siren, the world’s biggest and smallest chameleons, and the last stomping ground of the elephant bird, the largest bird that ever lived. Near Ifaty Ranomafana in Southern Madagascar you will see forests of twisted, spiny ‘octopus’ trees and in the west, marvel at the bottle-shaped baobabs, especially the Avenue du Boabab near Morondava. And be on the look out for the carnivorous pitcher plant found around Ranomafana, there are over 60 varieties of them. Not for nothing is Madagascar regarded as the world’s number one conservation priority.

And the people are no less interesting: arriving here some 2000 years ago along the Indian Ocean trade routes, they grow rice in terraced paddies, and speak a language that has more in common with their origins in Southeast Asia than with the African continent. Their culture is steeped in taboo and magic, imbuing caves, waterfalls, animals and even some material objects with supernatural attributes. Hill peoples live in traditional multistoried brick houses with carved balconies and, in some areas, dance with their dead ancestors in the ‘turning of the bones’ ceremony.

Getting there & away
Sea
It’s possible to travel to and from Madagascar by boat, but you will need plenty of time and determination. Travel is likely to be on cargo ships – unless you find a ride on a yacht as a crew member – so sleeping and eating conditions, combined with sometimes turbulent seas, can make it a rough trip.
Mombasa (Kenya) and the island of Zanzibar (Tanzania) are the main places to look for cargo boats to Madagascar. It’s also sometimes possible to find passage on a yacht heading from South Africa, Réunion or Mauritius to Madagascar.

Air
Intercontinental flights arrive at Ivato airport, 12km north of Antananarivo.
Air Madagascar is the national carrier, and with recent improvements to the fleet and service, is now relatively efficient.
The following airlines fly to and from Madagascar:
Air Austral (UU; 22 359 90; in French) Hub Saint-Dénis, Réunion. Flies in conjunction with Air

Mauritius.
Air France (AF; 23 230 23; ) Hub Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Air Madagascar (MD; 22 222 22; ) Hub Antananarivo.
Air Mauritius (MK; 22 359 90; ) Hub St Maurice.
Corsair (SS; 22 633 36; , in French) Hub Paris Orly.
Interair (D6; 22 224 06; )Hub Johannesburg.
Africa & the Indian Ocean
Madagascar is well connected with the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and Réunion, and reasonably accessible from mainland Africa.
Once you’re in Madagascar, Dodo Travel & Tours (22 690 36; ; Lalana Elysée Ravelomanantsoa), in Antananarivo, is a useful place to seek information about flights within this region.
The main hubs for flights to Madagascar are Johannesburg in South Africa and Nairobi in Kenya. There are flights several times weekly between Johannesburg and Antananarivo (about €500 return) on Interair, and twice weekly on Air Madagascar. Travel between Madagascar and Nairobi (about €500 return) generally works better if you purchase your ticket directly from Air Madagascar in Kenya or Madagascar.
Air Austral has regular flights between Réunion and Mauritius and Antananarivo (from €350 return) and Toamasina (from €350 return).

Asia
Air Madagascar has recently commenced a direct route from Antananarivo to Bangkok, Thailand. Air Mauritius has flights several times weekly from Singapore and Hong Kong to Mauritius, and South African Airlines flies regularly to Johannesburg from both cities. There are regular connections from Mauritius on Air Austral to Antananarivo, and from Johannesburg you can also connect with an Air Madagascar or Interair flight to A­ntananarivo.
It’s also easy to get flights on Kenya Airways from Hong Kong to Nairobi, from where you can connect to Madagascar.

Australia & New Zealand
There are no direct flights servicing Australia and Madagascar; the shortest (and often cheapest) route is to travel via Mauritius. Air Mauritius has weekly flights connecting both Melbourne and Perth with Mauritius from about A$1500 return. From Mauritius there are regular connections on Air Austral to Antananarivo.
Alternatively, Qantas and South African Airways both have flights connecting Sydney with Johannesburg from A$1600 return in the low season. From Johannesburg, you can connect with an Air Madagascar or Interair flight to Antananarivo. Try these agencies:
Flight Centre Australia (133 133; ); New Zealand(0800 233 544;)
STA Travel Australia (1300 733 035); New Zealand (0508 782 872; )

Europe
The main European hub for flights to/from Madagascar is Paris. Air Madagascar and Air France fly three to four times weekly between Paris and Antananarivo. Prices from Paris on both airlines usually start from about €1400 return.
It’s also possible to fly from many European capitals to Johannesburg, Nairobi, St-Denis (Réunion) or Port Louis (Mauritius), and from one of these cities to Antananarivo. The best connections are usually via Réunion or Mauritius, which are linked by Air Austral flights to Antananarivo (from €350 return), as well as by several flights weekly to other places in Madagascar. Contact one of the following agents to get you started:
Air Fare (020 620 5121; in Dutch) A well-respected Dutch travel agent.
Nouvelles Frontières (08 03 33 33 33; ) A good French option, with group tours to Madagascar.
OTU Voyages (0825 004 027; , in French) Has branches across France.
STA Travel UK (0870 1600 599; ); Germany (01805-456 422; , in German) International travel agent with plenty of other offices across Europe.
Trailfinders (020-7938 3939; ) Excellent, reliable UK travel agent with huge amount of experience.

USA & Canada
The cheapest way to fly from North America to Madagascar is generally via Paris. It may work out cheaper to get separate tickets – one from North America to Europe, and then a second ticket from Europe to Madagascar.
Another option is to fly from Atlanta or New York to Johannesburg, with a connection to Antananarivo. In the USA, the main travel agency specialising in Madagascar is Cortez Travel & Expeditions (800-854 1029; ). It has information on good-value airfares and can book Air Madagascar flights. The following companies might also be able to help:
Cheaptickets .A good source of online fares.
Flight Centre Canada (1 888 967 5355; centre.ca); USA (1866 WORLD 51)Contact it directly for fares.
STA Travel (800 329 9537;) Good deals to Paris.
Throw in a soupçon of pirate history, coastlines littered with shipwrecks, great regional cooking, some of the world’s longest place names, and unfailingly polite and friendly people, and you’ll experience a refreshing take on the overused ‘unique’ tag.

History
Archaeological evidence suggests that Madagascar was uninhabited until about 1500 or 2000 years ago, when the first Indo-Malayan settlers arrived in coast-hugging craft that skirted the Indian Ocean. They brought traditions such as planting rice in terraced paddies, Southeast Asian food crops and linguistic roots buried in the subcontinent. The migration accelerated in the 9th century, when the powerful Hindu-Sumatran empire of Srivijaya controlled much of the maritime trade in the Indian Ocean.

Travel Alert: The political situation is unpredictable in Madagascar and travellers should exercise caution. Refer to the BBC for news updates or the Safe Travel for current government warnings.