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 Facts at a Glance
Full country name: Republic of Madagascar
Area: 594,180 sq km (231,730 sq mi)
Population: 14 million
Capital city: Antananarivo (Tana) (pop 750,000)
People: Malayo-Indonesian; mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry; French; Indian; Creole; Comoran
Language: Malagasy and French
Religion: Christianity and Islam
Government: Republic
President: Didier Ratsiraka
 Environment
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world - after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo - and is about the size of Spain and Portugal combined. It lies in the Indian Ocean, separated from Mozambique on the African mainland by the 400km (248mi) Mozambique Channel. Unlike its volcanic neighbours - Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues and the Comoros - Madagascar was formed by continental drift rather than volcanic eruption (it tore off the African mainland around 165 million years ago). A narrow coastal strip in the east is where most of the rainforest grows; the central plateau in the high altitudes is cool; and there are plains and low-lying plateaus to the west.
Madagascar is a continent in miniature, with vastly different habitats and, like many islands, a huge number of endemic (and some very weird) species. The international conservation community has singled it out as one of the ecologically richest countries on the planet; Madagascar and the nearby Comoros have nearly one-quarter of all the flowering plants in Africa. It also has 90% of the known species of lemurs, and half the world's chameleons are found there. Add baobab trees, unique cacti and aloes from the dry areas, and you start to build up a picture of an incredibly rich ecology. When humans arrived, they brought rice and slash-and-burn techniques to clear the way, and today the situation is grim, with barely 15% of the original forest cover remaining.
Apart from its southern tip, Madagascar lies wholly within the tropics. The hauts plateaux, however, that run nearly the length of the island and form its backbone, are cool enough to grow apples and stone fruit, and even vineyards above 800m (2896ft). Snow is not uncommon in winter at the highest altitudes. Trade winds prevail from the east and the monsoons come from the north-west. Most of the rain hits the east coast and the far north, but in the rain shadow south-west of the highlands it remains almost perpetually dry. From January to March, the east coast, the far north and sometimes the far south are subject to occasionally devastating cyclones.
 History
The Malagasy people are a mixture of Asians and Africans, and have been on Madagascar for 1500 to 2000 years, although stone artefacts indicate an older culture possibly existed there. Most of the immigrants were Malay-Polynesians, who crossed the Indian Ocean from Indonesia and South-East Asia, but people came from eastern Africa as well. African slaves, Arab, Indian and Portuguese traders, European pirates and French colonists all mixed with the population to eventually create the 18 official `tribes' or clans inhabiting the island today. The first Malagasy brought the food crops that they'd grown in South-East Asia with them, and the agricultural regions with their endless rice paddies today look as if they belong in Asia rather than Africa.
Marco Polo reported Madagascar's existence in the narrative of his travels, and it was also known to Arab cartographers. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive, in a fleet under the command of Diego Dias in 1500. In the centuries that followed, the Portuguese, Dutch and British all failed to establish permanent bases on the island, but from the 17th century, bands of outlaws succeeded where their governments had failed. Pirates contributed booty, buried treasure, and genes to the island's population, especially around Île Sainte Marie. At one stage when they were just saying no to piracy in the Caribbean, more than 1000 English, French, Portuguese, Dutch, American and other pirates were based on Madagascar's east coast. They used it as a convenient base to attack shipping rounding the Cape of Good Hope.
Increasing trade in arms and slaves with Europeans brought about the rise of Malagasy kingdoms, and small, rival states eventually emerged. By the late 18th century, the Merina clan had begun to dominate. The British signed a treaty in 1820 recognising Madagascar as an independent state under Merina rule, and British influence remained strong well into the 20th century. But by 1883, the British had gone cold and France had become the recognised and sole European power in Madagascar (in exchange for French recognition of British sovereignty in Zanzibar).
The French invaded from the west coast in 1895, surprising Merina defences and setting up a colonial administration with General Joseph Galliéni as the first governor general. He sent Queen Ranavalona III into exile in Algeria in 1897, effectively abolishing the monarchy. He attempted to suppress all British influence and crush the Malagasy language, declaring French the official language. Although the French abolished slavery in name on the island, in practice they introduced such a repressive tax regime that anyone who couldn't pay went into forced labour. Land was expropriated by foreign settlers and companies, and an import and export economy developed based on coffee plantations.
During WWII the French administration turned coats over to the Vichy French quislings, so Britain invaded, ostensibly to prevent Japan from using Madagascar as an Indian Ocean base. The British handed it back to de Gaulle's free French in 1943. Post-war, Madagascar underwent a nationalist backlash; many Malagasy had been trained to French standards and schooled on notions of liberté, égalité and fraternité, and were no longer willing to be second class citizens in their own country. The 1947 revolt was crushed at the cost of many thousands of Malagasy lives (possibly as many as 80,000), but the rot had set in.
Several indigenous political parties were born in the 1950s, and when de Gaulle returned to power in France in 1958, the Malagasy voted to become an autonomous republic within the French community of overseas nations. Madagascar underwent a peaceful transition to independence in 1960, although the colons, as the French settlers were called, still pulled the strings. Philibert Tsiranana, the first president, gradually became more oppressive, and although he was a Merina (and they generally leaned toward the Soviet camp), he refused to establish a dialogue with any communist nations. He ferociously repressed a revolt in the country's south in 1972, which was the beginning of his undoing. He resigned soon after and handed power to his army commander, General Gabriel Ramantsoa.
The economy began a slow nose dive almost as soon as Madagascar gained independence. When it withdrew from the Communauté Financier Africaine (CFA), the nosedive gathered pace as the French farming community departed wholesale, taking capital, skills and technology with them. A quick shuffle of army general presidents - one of whom was assassinated after only a week in office - couldn't stem the haemorrhaging economy. A new group of officers led by Admiral Didier Ratsiraka had a shot at the top job, nationalising banks and other major businesses without compensation. The remaining French packed up their money and skills and went home.
By the late 1970s Madagascar had severed all ties with France and the government was seriously courting the communist nations; Ratsiraka even produced his own `red book' of government policies and theories. A mounting debt crisis in 1981-82 prodded the government to slow its reforms, and to trot out the standard austerity measures the IMF demanded as terms of a loan. The economy improved marginally with the IMF's programs, but quickly slumped again. Ratsiraka won the election in March 1989 under dubious circumstances, which led to riots. More came in 1991 when peaceful demonstrators were killed by North Korean-trained presidential guards in front of Ratsiraka's opulent new palace (built with North Korean aid).
The early 90s was plagued by civil unrest. After a four year rule by Professor Albert Zafy that failed to unite the country or overcome years of bureaucratic misrule, Ratsiraka was voted back into power in 1996, to almost universal surprise. That only 25% of the 6.5 million registered voters bothered to cast a ballot indicates that the Malagasy have overwhelmingly lost faith in the political process.
 Economic Profile
GDP: US$10.3 billion
GDP per head: US$790
Annual growth: 2.81%
Inflation: 35%
Major industries: Agriculture, petroleum products
Major trading partners: France, Italy, Japan, USA
 Culture
Most contemporary and traditional Malagasy music revolves around dance rhythms with influences from Indonesia and the African mainland, notably Kenya. These rhythms are accompanied by the flute, whistle and valiha, a unique, 28-stringed instrument resembling a bassoon but played more like a harp. The lokanga voatavo, or cordophone, is also popular, as are a few types of guitar, including the kabosy, similar to a ukelele. Vaky soava is a rhythmic style of singing accompanied only by hand clapping, and perhaps the most renowned exponent is Paul Bert Rahasimanana, who developed a personal style that included adding a musical accompaniment. He weaves themes of poverty, love, loss and hope into his music.
The regional town of Fianarantsoa has developed into a literary capital of sorts in recent years, and several contemporary novelists and writers work there. While literature didn't really flower until the 1930s and 40s, traditional oratory, called kabary, is highly regarded. Kabary's roots are in early political assemblies, in which each speaker spoke in turn. It evolved and was eventually popularised and extended to the general public as a form of entertainment. Kabary is an integral part of hira gasy, popular spectacles that include music, dancing and story telling, held regularly in Tana on most Sunday afternoons.
While Madagascar officially shares one culture and language, the Malagasy people are divided into 18 tribes whose boundaries are based on old kingdoms rather than ethnic characteristics. Most Malagasy are of mixed race, but some, such as the Merina from the Antananarivo area, are predominantly Indonesian in appearance, and others, like the Vezo of the south-west coast, have close ties to eastern Africa and look like black Africans.
Despite the status of French as the official language, Malagasy is widely spoken. It belongs to the Austronesian language family, which includes Indonesian and many Polynesian languages, and its closest linguistic cousin is spoken on southern Borneo. It has also adopted words from French, Arabic, nearby African languages and English.
Around 50% of Malagasy follow traditional religions, and even confirmed Christians (41%) usually still devoutly carry out traditional practices. The Malagasy regard the dead with awe and reverence, and give the afterlife as much importance as the present; the dead play a role in the life of the living rarely seen in other cultures. Mourners carry out elaborate rituals at funerals, and if it is deemed that the dead are displeased, further rituals are enacted to appease them. The most famous of these is the famadihana, or turning of the bones, when the dead are exhumed, entertained, talked to and reburied with gifts and new shrouds. There are several Muslim communities, and Muslims comprise about 7% of the population.
The dominant element of any Malagasy meal is vary or rice, and vary doesn't accompany the meal, the meal accompanies the vary. Roadside canteens normally offer a big plate of rice with a few tidbits to garnish it, such as beef, fish or poultry. Other than rice, favourite Malagasy dishes include romazava (beef and vegetable stew) and ravitoto (pork stew with manioc greens). Many dishes are accompanied by achards, a hot, pickled vegetable curry. The seafood on the coast is excellent and cheap, and you can eat a range of tropical fruits (voankazo) such as pineapples, lychees, mangoes and bananas for most of the year.
The French influence ensures that the coffee is excellent and more popular than tea. The local THB or Three Horses Beer is also very good. Around Ambalavao and Fianarantsoa they produce several excellent wines, including a greyish coloured one appropriately enough called gris. The rotguts come in several different kinds but all are strong enough to unblock your pipes. Toaka grasy is a crude rum made from rice and sugar cane; trembo is a coconut toddy; and litchel is an alcoholic fruit drink made from lychees. Up the scale is a distilled rum called roma.
 Events
Madagascar has a host of holidays and festivals to cover most tastes and agendas. The usual Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas are celebrated, as well as Insurrection Day (29 March, to celebrate the rebellion against the French in 1947); Organisation of African Unity Day (25 May); Anniversary Day (8 May) and Republic Day (30 December).
In March, Alahamady Be is the low key Malagasy New Year. The Donia, a traditional music festival, is held on Nosy Be in May-June (the date varies); Fisemana is a ritual purification ceremony that the Antakàrana people undertake in June; and Famadihana (the `turning of the bones' burial ceremony) takes place from June to September. In November-December it's worth catching the Gasytsara contemporary music festival in Tana.
 Facts for the Traveller
Visas: All visitors must get a visa before arriving.
Health risks: Malaria, bilharzia, hepatitis and bubonic plague (no joke - give a wide berth to any dead animals you see).
Time: GMT/UTC +3 hours
Electricity: 110 to 220V; assume 220V when in doubt
Weights & measures: metric (see conversion table)
 Money & Costs
Currency: Franc Malagasy
Relative costs:
- Budget room: US$2-10
- Moderate hotel: US$15-50
- Top-end hotel: US$100 and upwards
- Budget meal: US$1-3
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$3-5
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$5 and upwards
Madagascar is about as cheap as it gets when it comes to travel. You'd be hard pressed to spend more than US$10 on a meal in most places, and you can get a room for the night for as little as US$2.50. Admittedly, it will be a dive, you may be sharing it with bedbugs and lice, and the hotel may also double as a brothel. You may want to spend around US$5 for a basic bottom-end room with at least the rudiments of cleanliness and security. In a nutshell, you could get by in the countryside for as little as US$10-15 a day for food and lodging, but your costs will increase considerably in Tana or particularly on the resort island of Nosy Be. Budget on spending US$30-50 to have a very comfortable time accommodation-wise with the best food the island has to offer, and US$150 and upwards if you want to stay and eat in the big hotels on Nosy Be and Tana.
The best currency to take is French francs, followed closely by US dollars, pounds sterling and Deutschmarks. The Malagasy franc is worth 100 centimes, but you probably won't see any of the practically worthless coins. Four main banks have branches throughout the country and you can change money there, and there will be at least one in every major town. They change recognised brands of travellers cheques and cash in major currencies. The upmarket hotels in Tana and some of the larger towns will also exchange cash and cheques for guests, but they normally charge a 10% commission. You can use credit cards in major hotels in large cities and resorts, airline offices and offices of the larger travel companies, but that's about it.
Tipping is not the norm except in expensive hotels in Tana and Nosy Be. It is generally discouraged by local tourist authorities, but rounding up a restaurant bill to avoid carrying worthless change around, or tipping for exceptionally good service is not a bad idea. Bargaining, on the other hand, is a way of life, except in the places where it is normal to tip. The concept of a fixed price is virtually unknown, except in mid to top-range hotels, and in smaller shops and markets you should never pay the first price asked. You won't be able to get things as cheaply as the locals can, but if you don't bargain you'll be helping to put the price of goods out of the reach of locals, and they will probably see you as an idiot to boot.
 When to Go
April to October (the southern winter) is the best time to go; you will miss the southern summer (November to March) hurricane season. But because Madagascar experiences wide climatic variation, the central highlands can still be pleasant during summer.
 Attractions
Antananarivo (Tana)
Tana is like many other Asian or African capitals: crowded, polluted and noisy, but it does have some spectacular parts that are worth exploring. The hub of the lower town is Araben ny Fahaleovantena (commonly known as Avenue de l'Indépendance). At one end is the railway station and at the other is Hôtel Glacier. This district is known as Analakely and is packed with permanent street markets, and swarms of off-white umbrellas perched precariously on old tyre rims shade the vendors.
To the south-west of Analakely is the Kianja ny Fahaleovantena (Place de l'Indépendance) in the area of Haute-Ville (Upper Town). That's where you'll find the main post office, several banks, restaurants and nightclubs. Uphill from there, narrow streets lead past churches and other former royal buildings to the ruins of the Rova, the former Queen's palace. The Rova was burned to the ground in 1995, almost certainly in a politically motivated attack during local elections.
The massive Zoma Market, off Araben ny Fahaleovantena, is one of Tana's main attractions. The traders are grouped according to what goods they sell, and it is one of the best places to buy Malagasy crafts. Thieves, however, are active, so carry only enough money to buy what you particularly want. In north-eastern Tana, the Andravoahangy Market is where stonemasons, embroiderers, booksellers, carpenters and other professional craftspeople make and sell their wares. You will see them at work here, but the selection of goods is better at the Zoma.
The Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza is worth visiting unless you have already been up country to visit the national parks. It has several species of lemurs (caged and uncaged) including the aye-aye, and other rare species such as egrets, herons, crocodiles and Aldabran and Malagasy tortoises. On the zoo grounds is the Musée d'Académie Malgache with some excellent natural and cultural exhibits, including the skeletal remains and preserved eggs of the extinct elephant bird, giant lemurs, a short-tailed white hippo and a dugong. In another room there are exhibits of Malagasy funerary art and tribal village life.
There's a wide choice of places to stay in central Tana, but not much value for money. The cheaper hotels are dirty and noisy and usually double as brothels, so if you don't want to pay the extra for safety and cleanliness, you should head out into the countryside. Tana doesn't have a great range of restaurants despite nearly 50 years of French rule, although many offer special menus du jour and plats du jour that are relatively cheap. Suburban Tana, and the area around the Zoma Market, are good for street stalls selling everything from yoghurt dishes and ice cream to meat samosas and other unidentifiable objects fried in batter. You'll also find hotelys of varying quality around the taxi-brousse stations just outside of the town centre, and you can usually get a passable meal at one of them.
Nosy Be
Nosy Be is Madagascar's premier resort island, and several other smaller islands including Nosy Komba, Nosy Tanikely, Nosy Sakatia, Nosy Mitsio and Nosy Iranja are nearby. Nosy Be is popular with people looking for a resort-style holiday, as it has plenty of restaurants and nightspots, although you can dive in some excellent spots off some of the smaller islands. While there are relatively few scantily clad package tourists to contend with, Nosy Be is still horrendously expensive. Andoany (`Hell-Ville' in French) is the capital, and is a bright and pleasant town (despite its name) of 30,000. You can visit the old prison, built in 1855, and other colonial buildings, and the town feels as if little has changed since the French first arrived.
A little known highlight of Nosy Be is Marodoka, a coastal ruin gradually being reclaimed by the bush. Local legend attributes its construction to a boatload of Indian sailors shipwrecked during the 17th or 18th century. The Réserve Naturelle Intégrale de Lokobe contains the last 740 hectares (1,829 acres) of Nosy Be's original vegetation, and is home to boa constrictors, black lemurs, chameleons and the Madagascar hog-nosed snake. Mont Passot is Nosy Be's highest peak at a modest 329m (1079ft) and is a great place to watch the sunset or just take in the view. It is surrounded by the beautiful blue sacred Crater Lakes of Anjavibe, Amparihimirahavavy, Bemapaza, Antsahamanavaka, Antsidihy, Amparihibe and Maintimaso.
Air Madagascar flies between Tana and Nosy Be daily, and TAM and Air Austral, based in Réunion, both fly from Réunion. Nosy Be is 700km (434mi) north of Tana.
Réserve Naturelle Intégrale des Tsingy de Bemaraha
This area was once practically inaccessible, but since it became a UNESCO World Heritage site it has begun featuring on more and more tour itineraries. The largest protected area in Madagascar (152,000 hectares, or 375,440 acres), Tsingy de Bemaraha is in the west of the country and includes a huge forest of eroded limestone pinnacles that harbours a stunning display of wildlife. The reserve is actually two parks, the Petit Tsingy and the Grand Tsingy. So far recorded are 53 species of birds, eight of reptiles and six species of lemur. Organised trips into the Tsingy may include a spectacular canoe trip down the Manambolo River. In the south of Petit Tsingy is the spectacular Manambolo Gorge where you can see waterfalls, lemurs and magnificent untouched forests.
Reaching the reserve under your own steam during the wet season is virtually impossible. During the dry season take one of the occasional taxis-brousses from Belo-sur-Tsiribihina heading towards Bekopaka, 80km (50mi) away. The taxi will continue until the road becomes impassable, at which stage you'll have to walk or take a zebu cart across a few rivers. Bekopaka is within easy reach of the reserve. There are occasional flights between Morondava and Belo during the tourist season in the middle of the year, and there are regular taxis-brousses. Bekopaka is 600km (372mi) due west of Tana.
Parc National de Montagne d'Ambre
This is northern Madagascar's most visited attraction, and it covers 18,200 hectares (44,954 acres) of a prominent volcanic massif. It was created in 1958 to preserve the area's biological treasures as well as the massif itself. Montagne d'Ambre's flora and fauna are virtually the same as that in the eastern rainforests, with a few endemic species not found farther south. The forest is lush, with over 3.5m (11.5ft) of rain a year. Of the seven lemur species in the park, the most notable are the crowned lemur and Sanford's brown lemur. The reptile and amphibian life is diverse, and includes frogs, geckoes, chameleons and snakes. Look especially for the bizarre blue-nosed chameleon and the stump-tailed chameleon. Birdwatchers won't be disappointed as 73 species of birds have been recorded in the park.
Montagne d'Ambre is ideal for walkers during the dry season, and it has about 20km (12.4mi) of well maintained paths. Worth seeing are the Petite Cascade, a beautiful small waterfall flowing into a gorgeous rock pool surrounded by fern covered cliffs, and the Petit Lac, a serene crater lake reached after a steep walk. Near the Petite Cascade is a path known as the Jardin Botanique, a forest track with a good mix of interesting and bizarre vegetation, including orchids, palms, lianas and bromeliads.
The park is about 800km (495mi) north of Tana, and the nearest large town is Antsiranana, served daily by Air Mad from Tana. You can hire a taxi-brousse from Antsiranana to the park, and the 40km (25mi) road is paved all the way.
Off the Beaten Track
Mahajanga
Mahajanga is Madagascar's second port, and sits at the mouth of the Betsiboka River on the Baie de Bombetoka, on the north-west coast. It's very hot and dusty, and very lethargic, and as it's difficult to get to travellers often ignore it. It is a crumbling frontier town with wide promenades, interesting architecture, shady arcades and flowering bougainvillea - one explanation for the town's name is that it comes from the Swahili meaning `Town of Flowers'. There are numerous churches and at least 20 mosques, and the town has Madagascar's largest Comoran Muslim community. The beaches around town are relatively safe, if stained blood red from the highland topsoil being washed out to sea.
Facing the Canal de Mozambique, Mahajanga is 400km (248mi) north-west of Tana. You can fly there from Tana, Nosy Be, and Antsiranana, and it is also a transit point for flights to remote west coast settlements. You can also make the trip by taxi-brousse from Tana, a 12-15 hour (much longer in the wet season) journey that is a vision of environmental catastrophe.
Réserve Forestière d'Ampijoroa
This reserve is the readily accessible section of a larger park that is the only fully protected example of dry western deciduous forest in Madagascar, and protects a particularly vulnerable region. Ampijoroa is best known for a centre jointly established by the Malagasy government and the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust for breeding two threatened species of tortoise. The reserve is home to seven lemur species, including the acrobatic black, white and chocolate coloured Coquerel's sifaka. Ampijoroa is one of the best places to watch birds in Madagascar, as 101 species have been recorded there.
If you can get to Mahajanga, Ampijoroa is not too difficult to reach from there. It is about 114km (70mi) south-east of Mahajanga, and about 455km (282mi) north of Tana. Taxi-brousses from Tana tend to arrive in the middle of the night, and you'll have to pay the full fare if you sleep through and wake up in Mahajanga. From Mahajanga it's only a two hour trip.
Parc National de Isalo
This park was established in 1962 and covers 81,540 hectares (201,404 acres) of a wildly eroded sandstone massif. The extraordinary landscapes are worth a few days exploration on foot, but you will need a guide. The grassy plains are surrounded by sandstone ridges sculpted into wild forms, and secluded in the rocks are many Sakalava Tombs. If your guide seems uneasy about telling you about the tombs, drop the subject; many taboos (fady) operate in the region.
The Canyon des Singes (`Canyon of Monkeys') makes for an interesting day walk, and you'll have a good chance of seeing sifakas (a common lemur) leaping through the trees. In the nearby Canyon des Rats are the Bara Zafimagnely Tombs, but you may have to ask your guide to show you them or skip them altogether. You can also walk along the canyon to the Piscine Naturelle - a hot and thirsty walk but worth it for the breathtaking landscape along the way. The Grotte des Portugais is at the northern end of the park. The cave isn't worth seeing, but the surrounding Forêt de Sahanafa is beautiful, with natural springs and a lot of lemurs.
The Isalo is about 400km (248mi) south-west of Tana, and the nearest town is Ranohira. You need to get a bush taxi from Tana to Ihosy, and another for 91km (490mi) to Ranohira. From Ranohira it is a short taxi-brousse ride to the park.
Fianarantsoa
Fianarantsoa is the academic and intellectual centre of Madagascar, and lies at the heart of the country's most productive agricultural region. Fianar has a surprisingly good selection of cheap and comfortable accommodation. To the west, Fianar's backdrop is dominated by the 1374m (4506ft) Mt Kianjasoa, and the city has a real high country atmosphere - take a jacket as it can get very cold. In the 1970s a Swiss corporation realised the wine-growing potential in the surrounding country, and it is now Madagascar's leading wine-producing region. You can also visit the Savahamby Tea Estate about 22km (13.6mi) east of town.
Basse-Ville is the poorest but liveliest area in the city, with the main post office, an amazing, Swiss-styled railway station, and taxi-brousse stations. Nouvelle-Ville is the business area with the banks and several hotels, but the most beautiful district is Haute-Ville, which sits on a hill overlooking the two other districts. It has many lovely narrow streets, a quaint atmosphere and picturesque views across Lac Anosy and the surrounding rice paddies. Haute-Ville is marked from below by a cluster of church spires; thanks to heavy missionary activity Fianar is the centre of Catholicism in Madagascar.
Because there is regular road transport between Tana and Fianar, there are only two flights a week. The road from Tana is good and there are plenty of taxis-brousses from Tana, 410km (254mi) to the north, and from Antsirabe, 240km (149mi) north along the same road.
 Activities
Madagascar has some outstanding diving and snorkelling locations, despite the environmental pressures on many of the reefs. The best opportunities are around the islands and islets surrounding Nosy Be. The tough roads are a challenge to cycling, and cyclists will need to bring sturdy mountain bikes and a generous reserve of spares. Whale-watching is growing in popularity, and two good places to indulge are Taolognar in southern Madagascar and the west coast of Île Sainte Marie off the east coast. The hiking is excellent in many of the national parks, and opportunities for photography are, of course, unlimited.
 Getting There & Away
The cheapest flights to Madagascar probably come out of UK bucket shops, but there are also direct flights from Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, Zurich and Moscow. There are no direct flights from North America or Australasia, so if you are coming from there you will need to fly to Europe, Mauritius or South Africa and change there.
 Getting Around
There are any number of ways to get around Madagascar, from air to zebu cart (a common form of transport in the back blocks); from pousse-pousse or rickshaw in the flatter towns to taxis-brousses (bush taxis) in the bush. Decrepit buses and sort of new minibuses are an alternative to the taxis-brousses between Tana and nearby towns, and they leave from the chaotic taxi-brousse stations. Taxis-brousses are the most popular and cheapest way to get around, and the term is generic to cover any form of public transport that is not a bus or minibus. They are often slow and break down, are overcrowded and sometimes dangerous, but are also usually great fun.
Because of the vast distances and the poor state of the roads, you may want to make some parts of your trip on `Air Mad' as the national carrier is fondly known. It has an excellent network to over 60 cities and towns, and despite its nickname is a reliable carrier. It also regularly offers discounts of up to 30-50% on internal flights if you have used it to fly into the country.
 Recommended Reading
- John Mack's ethnographic study, Madagascar, Island of the Ancestors is a superb overview of Malagasy culture.
- Mervyn Brown's A History of Madagascar is a readable history of the island.
- Madagascar - A Natural History by Ken Preston-Mafham is a large, glossy book crammed full with photos and enlightening text.
- Arthur Stratton's The Great Red Island is a comprehensive history of Madagascar.
- Lemurs of the Lost World by Dr Jane Wilson, describes an expedition to the crocodile caves of Ankàrana in far northern Madagascar.
- Madagascar Wildlife: A Visitor's Guide by Hilary Bradt, Derek Schuurman and Nick Garbutt, is the best book on the topic written in everyday language.
- The most complete coverage of Madagascar's national parks and protected areas is the French language Madagascar: Revue de la Conservation et des Aires Protégées.
- The Aye-Aye and I: A Rescue Mission in Madagascar by Gerald Durrell, is a delightful excursion by a witty writer, focusing on Durrell's efforts to capture aye-ayes for his captive breeding program in Jersey.
 Lonely Planet Guides
 Travellers' Reports
 On-line Info
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