If you are looking for a unique experience, Madagascar is one of the weirdest and most wonderful countries you are ever likely to visit!
There's something exotic about even the concept of Madagascar, to say nothing of the reality. The astonishing bio-diversity of this unique island makes Madagascar one of the most exciting destinations in the world. Isolation and evolution have resulted in a fascinating mix of the bizarre and the beautiful - 90 per cent of the plants and animals of Madagascar are found nowhere else on earth – a staggering statistic! Any fan of wildlife and true wilderness, and ones who do not like their travel too cut and dried will adore this amazing island. Go soon, whilst this magical island remains off the beaten track!
Travelling in Madagascar you will discover its dense tropical rainforests, the perfect playground for the rare and mischievous lemurs, whilst chameleons and butterflies dangle on marsh reeds. The mangroves throb with the pulsing croak of yellow frogs during the mating season, while offshore dolphins and hump back whales are frequent visitors. Inland the roads twist through mountains and across rivers revealing small villages where a thousand years of sacred rites are still intrinsically entwined into the daily life of the people who are descended from Arab, African and Indian tribes.
Once these have been explored visitors can move on to countless beaches, unspoiled islands and more than 1000 kilometres of coral reef.
Madagascar is much larger than it seems on the map. It is 2.5 times the size of Britain, with difficult geography and just a few good roads, so travel can be time consuming. Air Madagascar has a good domestic flight network; charter flights are expensive. For all these reasons holidays in Madagascar cannot be rushed, and plenty of time is needed to plan your visit. Given the size of the island it is best either to stick to the south or for the more adventurous the north.
When to go
Climate and rainfall varies considerably throughout the island. Generally the wet season is during the months of January, February and March. However Northern Madagascar is fine at this time. During the rest of the year it is easy to travel throughout the country. The East gets more rain than the rest of the country but its beauty more than compensates for this.
Getting there
Air Madagascar, Air France and Inter Air have flights into Madagascar. Air France flies direct from Paris. Air Madagascar flies from both Johannesburg (South Africa) and Nairobi (Kenya), while InterAir flies from Johannesburg.
Sea travel is possible, but it's not as easy as you might expect.
Journey Ideas in Madagascar