Madagascar broke away from the other landmasses long enough ago that its wildlife evolved on its own. Around nine in ten of its species are found nowhere else: over a hundred kinds of lemur, half the world's chameleons, the baobabs, the spiny forest. There is nothing else like it, and that is the whole reason to come.
It is also the hardest country in this region to travel in, and you should decide with that in front of you. Distances on a map mean nothing. The RN7, the main road south from Antananarivo, is paved and reasonable, and even on it 300 km takes six to eight hours. Off it, on the roads to Morondava and the Tsingy, you plan in days, not hours. A 200 km stretch to Bekopaka can take ten hours and includes river ferries.
Two weeks is the realistic minimum, and most of a third week is better. Domestic flights on Tsaradia cut out the worst drives but are expensive and are rescheduled or cancelled often enough that you must leave a full day of buffer in Antananarivo before any international departure.
This is not a good first trip to Africa. There is no safari infrastructure, the lodges are simple by East African standards, the roads are punishing and it demands patience. If you have travelled in difficult places and you want the wildlife specifically, it repays all of it. If you want comfortable game viewing, go to Kenya or Tanzania first.
When to go
| Months | What it is like |
|---|---|
| Apr-Jun | The start of the dry season. Rain has stopped, the landscape is still green, roads are drying out and prices are lower than later in the year. Some western roads and parks may still be reopening in April. |
| Jul-Aug | Dry, peak European holiday season, and cool. Nights in the highlands around Antananarivo and Antsirabe drop to 5-10°C and lodges are not heated. Humpback whales are off Île Sainte-Marie from roughly July to September. |
| Sep-Nov | The best window for wildlife. Many lemur species give birth from about September, so infants are visible on their mothers. Reptiles and chameleons become far more active as it warms. Orchids flower in the rainforest. November gets hot and the first rains arrive. |
| Dec-Mar | The rainy season and the cyclone season, with the east coast most exposed. Unsealed roads become impassable, many western parks including Tsingy de Bemaraha close, and the rainforest parks are wet, leech-heavy and hard going. Some lodges close entirely. It is the greenest time and the best for frogs and reptiles, but it is not a first visit. |
| Year-round | Climate varies hugely by region. The east coast is rainforest and wet in most months. The highlands are cool. The south and west are semi-arid and much drier. It can be raining at Ranomafana and dry at Isalo on the same day. |
Before you go
- Almost every visitor needs a visa. An e-visa or a visa on arrival is available, and it is paid for at the airport. Check the current rules and have the fee in euros or dollars in cash.
- The ariary is a cash currency. ATMs exist in cities but are unreliable in small towns and absent near the parks. Bring euros to change, and carry enough cash for the days you are away from a town.
- Roads are the single biggest factor in planning. The RN7 from Antananarivo through Antsirabe, Ranomafana, Fianarantsoa, Isalo and on to Toliara is the standard overland route and takes a minimum of ten days to do properly. Everything off it is slower than you will believe. Night driving is not advisable anywhere.
- Domestic flights are expensive and schedules change. Never book a domestic flight to connect on the same day as an international one.
- Malaria is present across most of the country, especially on the coasts and in the lowlands. Take prophylaxis and use repellent. Speak to a travel clinic well before you go.
- A local guide is compulsory in every national park and is booked at the park entrance or through your operator. They are the reason you see anything; wildlife here is small, well camouflaged and often high in a tree.
- French is the working second language and English is limited outside tourism. A few words of French makes an enormous difference.
- Petty theft is common in Antananarivo. Do not walk at night, and keep phones out of sight in traffic.
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