MADAGASCAR and you’llexperiencearefreshing ontheoverused take ‘unique’tag. someoftheworld’slongestplacenames, andunfailinglypolite andfriendlypeople, cooking, the ‘turningofbones’ceremony. balconiesand,insomeareas,brick houseswithcarved dancewiththeirdeadancestorsin some material withsupernaturalattributes. objects peopleslive Hill intraditionalmultistoried Their culture issteeped intabooandmagic, animalsandeven imbuingcaves, waterfalls, has more incommonwiththeirorigins inSoutheastAsia thanwiththeAfrican continent. Indian Oceantraderoutes, theygrowriceinterraced paddies,andspeakalanguagethat priority. is Madagascarregarded astheworld’s numberoneconservation baobabsandanorchidthathasbecome ahouseholdname. Notfornothing bottle-shaped bird thatever lived. plantsincludeforests Extraordinary oftwisted, trees, spiny‘octopus’ and smallestchameleons,thelaststompinggroundofelephant bird,thelargest over apolicesiren, 70varietiesoflemur,includingone thatsoundslike theworld’sbiggest animals toevolve intosomeoftheweirdestformsonplanet.Nowhere elsecanyousee metres ofseaand165millionyears ofevolution–longenoughforMadagascar’splantsand considered, ofAfrica: itbarely thetwoare qualifiesaspart separated byhundreds ofkilo- Forget Hollywoodfripperies, allthings Infact, noplaceelseonearth. Madagascar islike Madagascar 878 © LonelyPlanetPublications Throw inasoupçonofpirate history,coastlineslittered withshipwrecks, great regional And thepeopleare nolessinteresting: arrivinghere some2000yearsagoalongthe
FAST FACTS
Visa Time code Telephone toApril) hot (October Seasons Population Money Languages Capital Budget ATMs Area One-month, single-entry visa US$32;issuedon arrival single-entry One-month, 587,401sqkm GMT/UTC +3 % In allmajortowns Ariary;US$1=1983Ar Antananarivo US$25toUS$30perday Wet(November toMarch),dry(MayOctober), 00 Countrycode French, Malagasy 16.9million % 261; international access
Any timeof yearisfineforavisitexcept CLIMATE &WHENTOGO lonelyplanet.com are a few suggestions. than tryingto fittoomuch into onevisit. Here concentrate onexploringthem well,rather one ortworegionsIt’s best to choose and ITINERARIES ing Christmasand Easter. holiday periodfrom JulytoAugust,anddur- get full,andprices goup,duringtheEuropean lower during thenight. and even temperatures duringwinter candropto10°C areas, andotherhighland In Antananarivo mer) toaround25°Conthe areasabout 30°Cincoastal insum- (higher by cargo boat. istoodangerous totravelat thistimethesea in thenortheastfallsfromJulytoSeptember; cooler temperatures andlittlerain.Mostrain regionsthese are withblueskies, pleasant, during summer,butthewinter months in freezing showers. cangetAntananarivo) coldandwindy, with plateaux to October),butduringthistime the travel anywhere (May isduringthedryseason and October/November. Thecoolesttimeto the besttimetotravel inmostareas isApril cyclones intheeastandnortheast.Ingeneral, andwhenthere’simpassable, riskof ahigh in manyareas canmake someroadsallbut from January toMarch, whenheavy rainfall HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
with tumblingsteams. forest ful birdsinprimeval crisscrossed counter lemurs, chameleons andcolour- Parc NationaldeRanomafana of cities. try’s finestdiningatthismostun-African Antananarivo turnred cliffs atsunset. sandstone under awaterfall whilewatching the Parc Nationaldel’Isalo this west-coastbeach idyll. canyons orlazeonsoft, white beaches at Ifaty hills. c overed therainforest-sun burnsthemistoff Wake criesof totheeerie indris asthe Parc Nationald’Andasibe-Mantadia Hotels and populartouristattractionsoften Average maximumtemperatures varyfrom hot The westandsouthwestget searingly ( p896 ) Dive amongsharksincoral (central highlands; which include (central highlands; ( p884 ) Tuckintothecoun- MADAGASCAR ••Highlights ( p894 ) Cooloff hauts plateaux 83) En- (p893 ) ( p898 ) hauts .
teaux and yourpickofnights), the ( National deRanomafana p893 ( de l’Isalo ; two p894 andParc; twonights) back toTana, stoppingatParc National a beach. Fromthere, take arental car for diving,snorkelling orjustlazingon days inIfaty( p896 ) orAnakao( down toToliara( p895 p895 ) andspendafew ) d’Andasibe-Mantadia ( p898 ( ), then fly p884 atParc) and twonights National inAntananarivo spend adayandnight Two Weeks forest nationalparks. one of thecountry’smostpristinerain- Mantadia ( p898 in stay ) foratwo-night way easttoParc Nationald’Anasibe- lets. Head backtoTana, then wend your out- at thecountry’sfinestwoodcarving do somewalkingandsouvenir shopping the way,youcanadmire thescenery,and whichever towntakes your fancy.Along (p892) Ambositra and Antsirabe ( p891 (p894), ), andstoppingat Ambalavao the through ( p884 ). Then,take atwo-daytripsouth Antananarivocuisine inthecapital, great andsampling enjoying thesights One Week aae (p9 na Taomasina. near (p898 ) galanes des Pan-some adventuring onCanal hinterland ( p897 ), andfinishoff with a few daystoexplore the FortDauphin any orall of theabove locations. Addon whatever takes yourfancybylingering in One Month
LONELY INDEX PLANET MUCH? HOW
Sambos (samosas) Souvenir T-shirt Bottle ofThree HorsesBeer 1L bottledwater 1L petrol A zebu 50km bustrip Shared-taxi ride Seafood feast Cup ofcoffee townsenroute. Spendthefirst dayandevening US$210 Withamonthyou canindulge Forataste of eastandwest, US$1.35 hauts plateaux, US$0.80 US$13.50 US$2.10 US$3.80 US$1 US$0.45 US$0.45 US$1.20 taking in taking hauts pla-
879 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR 880 Baie deSaint-Augustin MADAGASCAR Tsimanampetsotsa Réserve Naturelle Toliara (Tuléar) MADAGASCAR Intégrale de Morombe Beheloka Anakao Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ ὈὈὈ Itampolo Ifaty Androka Ihotry Moroni Lac Tambohorano Belo-sur-Tsiribihina Betioky M Lin Ankazoabo Morondava Maintirano
Sakaraha o Mer ta z a Fomboni Cap SainteMarie River Beloha Andranovory ara Grande Comore
River de Beza-Mahafaly m Réserve Spéciale Manja
ndra Mohéli b
Mangoky Comoros Besalampy Ampanihy
Bekily i
Onilahy
RN7 q
Beroroha
T OLIAR Man
de Kirindy u Tsir Forestière Anjouan Parc National des Tsingyde Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Réserve M AHJNG de l'Isalo Bemaraha National e Ilakaka
Miandrivazo ibihina ambolo Réserve Privée Amboasary Parc Mandabe Mutsamudu Faux Cap de Berenty
Tsingy deNamoroka C
River Ranohira Réserve Naturelle Beraketa Ambovombe h RN13
Intégrale des
Soalala Zom
River a Mayotte
Ihosy Matsiatra
n Ihosy andao
Mitsinjo d'Andohahela Ma
Parc National Betroka
River Lac Kinkony
Tsiroanomandidy n Mania Mamoudzou
ha
d'Andringitra e Parc National
F IANRTSO Fianarantsoa
River Mana jilo Katsepy
(Fort Dauphin) l Taolagnaro
A NTRIVO Mahavavy
ANTANANARIVO nara River
Lokaro Peninsula River (Majunga)
Mahajanga
Marovoay River Betafo River
Manafiafy (BaieSainteLuce) Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ River Ambondromany
Ambalavao
Ankaratra
Miarinarivo
(2658m) Pic Boby de Ranomafana Andrin
Ma Parc National
Massif
ss
if RN7 Manambondro gi tra Maevatanana Antsirabe Vangaindrano RN4 Ambositra RN4
Ranomafana Farafangana Betsiboka Ifanadiana Ambohimanga
Ambatolampy Vohipeno River Réserve Forestière
Moramanga
Manakara d'Ankarafantsika
Vohiojala Mahaj
d'Ampijoroa Sofia
Parc National
a mba
Parc National de Zahamena River (Port Bergé) Mananjary Alaotra RN6 Nosy Be Boriziny Hell-Ville Canal des Pangalanes Lac
Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈ Tropic of Capricorn of Tropic Parc National Nosy-Varika T OAMSIN Montagne d'Ambre RN2 d'Andasibe- Mantadia Parc Nationalde Béalanana Réserve Spéciale Antsohihy Soanierana-Ivongo de l'Ankàrana Contrebandiers Ambatondrazaka
Parc Nationalde
Mananara-Nord Route des Tsaratanana Mahanoro River Vatomandry Massif Ambanja 120miles 200km 0 0 A NTSIR Maroantsetra Ambila-Lemaitso Mandritsara RN6 Marojejy (Tanjon'ny Bobaomby) RN5 Massif (Tamatave) Toamasina Mahambo Ambilobe Mahavelona Maromokotro Cap d'Ambre (2876m) Mangabe (Diego Suarez) Andapa Mananara Antsiranana Ὀ Ambodifotatra Nosy Réserve Spéciale Parc National d'Analamerana lonelyplanet.com Peninsula de Marojejy Masoala Île SainteMarie (Nosy Boraha) I NDA O CEAN Iharana (Vohémar) Parc National Sambava Antalaha Masoala Cap Est making Madagascar (andespeciallyÎleSainte morecan buccaneers hadnotably success, here.lish abase EuropeanandNorthAmeri- Dutch andFrench theyfailedtoestab- fleets Sao Lourenco, butlike British, subsequent sailors namedtheislandIlhade Portuguese & Colonisation Arrival European Indian Ocean. controlled much of themaritimetradein powerful Hindu-Sumatranempire of Srivijaya tion accelerated inthe9thcentury,when roots buriedinthesubcontinent.Themigra- dies, SoutheastAsian foodcropsandlinguistic ditions such asplantingriceinterraced pad- skirted tra- theIndianOcean.Theybrought settlers arrived craftthat incoast-hugging 2000 years ago,whenthefirst Indo-Malayan gascar wasuninhabited untilabout 1500or Mada- that suggests evidence Archaeological HISTORY lonelyplanet.com into exile. therebel80,000 people andsending leaders French suppressed after killingan estimated culminated inarevolt in1947, which the by the1920s. Strikes anddemonstrations and Nationalistmovements haddeveloped colonial presence grew of inalllevels society, abolished slavery. of Resentment theFrench roads, expanded the educationnetworkand Malagasy language, theyconstructed however colony in1897.The French suppressed the 1895 andturned theislandintoanofficial bar. The French captured in Antananarivo over totheFrench inexchange forZanzi- genious methods. Malagasy subjectsusingbarbarous and in- the execution of tens of of thousands her she persecuted themissionariesandordered passionately disliked allthings I,nicknamed‘TheBloodthirsty’, Ranavalona hiswidowandsuccessor, court. However, missionariestoenterChristian theMerina the Britishin1817andallowedhundreds of of fortune,entered diplomatic relations with thewinds became kingin1810and,sniffing subdue neighbouring tribes. HissonRadama acquired theweaponryto Ramboasalama, Merina chief, of whose thecentralhighlands, pean merchants. Mostpowerfulof allwere the withthegrowthofdevelop tradewithEuro- the 17thcentury. Marie) intheIndianOceanduring theirbase In 1890theBritishhandedMadagascar Powerful Malagasy kingdomsbeganto MADAGASCAR ••History vahaza (white); Madagascar Today Madagascar scraping avictory. by everyone surprised 1996 andRatsiraka his primeminister). Electionswere calledin offor abuse constitutionalpowers (egsacking of thepeople. He impeached waseventually toignite theeconomyandgaintrust Zafy economic mismanagement madeithardfor ending his17years inpower. thrashedRatsiraka, and Professor AlbertZafy powers. electionswere General heldthatyear, voted inareferendum tolimitthepresidential In1992Malagasieseconomy toastandstill. the and theensuingdemonstrationsbrought were stilldemandinghisresignation by1991, sparking riotsthatleftsixpeopledead. People term,biously ‘elected’ tohisthirdseven-year and obey theIMF. wasdu- In1989 Ratsiraka and 1982forcedhimtoabandon thereforms more socialistreforms, butadebtcrisisin1981 came topower. ment headedbyAdmiralDidierRatsiraka loyalists,andanewgovern- by Ramantsoa officers. Theywere almostimmediately routed beforeweek beingassassinated byrebel army lastedsor, Richard justone Ratsimandrava, wasforcedtoresign. Hissucces- Ramantsoa farmers. Theeconomytookanosedive and system, which ledtoanexodusof French thefarming andcollectivised bases military downtheFrenchChina andtheUSSR,closed Gabriel Ramantsoa. byarmygeneralin 1972andwassucceeded and industry.Tsiranana wasforcedtoresign to keep controlof mostof Madagascar’s trade car’s first president, andallowedtheFrench Social Democrate (PSD),becameMadagas- tions. Philibert Tsiranana, leaderof theParti within theFrench communityof overseas na- endum tobecomeanautonomousrepublic By 1958theMalagasies hadvoted inarefer- Nationalism &Independence ahead anddeclared president himself anyway, of went 2002.A monthlater Ravalomanana protests andageneral strike atthebeginning manana and hissupporters mounted mass siraka refused toaccept thevote. Ravalo- and businessman, claimedvictory,butRat- Marc aformer yogurtseller Ravalomanana, the general elections.Duringthe first round In 2001Madagascans wenttothepollsfor Years of communist-styledictatorship and madefriendswith The socialistRamantsoa The Ratsiraka years wereThe Ratsiraka characterised by
881 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR are concerned,theyare justthat–anisland no-no. As GrandeÎle’ farasthecitizensof ‘La pushy behaviour isregarded asshocking. totheMalagasy,important andimpatienceor are Politenessmises sought. ingeneral isvery isavoideding thatconfrontation andcompro- or ‘brotherhood’, isenshrined insociety,mean- cept of Fihavanana, which means‘conciliation’ to beof people. Thecon- apolite butreserved Your first impression of the Malagasies islikely CULTURE armies of Malagasies employedformonths. feat thatwon’tbelostonvisitors, andkeeping repair andmaintenance of manymainroads,a traditions. Hisactionstodate have included the country, andrestoring Malagasy language and of breaking French cultural influenceonthe economic potential. can helptofinallyfulfilMadagascar’s huge millionaire, aself-made that Ravalomanana, They, like millionsof Malagasies, are hoping the US,pledged of atotal US$2.3billioninaid. which, alongwithFranceand World Bank, tion. He tothe generally noises madetheright out corrup- tostamp politicians inaneffort increaseseconomy, andannouncedsalary for about reformingdent set thecountry’sruined elections inDecember2002.Thenewpresi- itspopularityatparliamentary party sealed to Paris. ‘ILove Ravalomanana’s Madagascar’ fledinexile president,the rightful Ratsiraka as When theUSrecognised Ravalomanana votes anddeclared thewinner. Ravalomanana its fuelandfoodsupplyforweeks. porters cuttingoff blockadedAntananarivo, Bridges sup- were bombed,andRatsiraka’s Madagascarthat nearlybrought tocivilwar. rivalsupporters clashesbetween sparking off 882 continues to be widely spoken. mains influential and theFrench language foreground. of deadfamily members laidout neatlyinthe photograph with the shroud-wrappedbodies tion ceremonies, peoplemayline upfora (literally, ‘theturningof thebones’)exhuma- but alsodeparted ancestors. AtFamadihana gasy life, cousins includingnotonlydistant ‘primitive’ Africans. people, byimplicationfarsuperior tothe The familyisthe centraltenet of Mala- Regarding theMalagasy asAfricansisabig hasdeclaredRavalomanana hisintention The Supreme Courtheldarecount of the Despite independence, French culture re- AAACR • utr MADAGASCAR ••Culture down toshade theface. one eye orwith thebrims demurely turned items, andmaybeworn cocked jauntilyover ance. Hats are themostbeloved of allfashion women alike take great care withtheir appear- totheMalagasy,important andmen and traditional rituals. is generally great respect andreverence for cent years, amongChristians there buteven r have meetings becomepopular inre-evival is Muslim.Happy clappy–styleChristian- small proportion,mainlyonthewest coast, andProtestant churches.Roman Catholic A to traditionalbeliefs,whilehalfbelong tothe Half of Madagascar’s population stilladheres mation andreburial knownasFamadihana. best knownof which istheceremonial exhu- system of most tribes,thisismanifested inacomplex reverence andrespect foritsancestors. Among really meansanynon-Merina groups. ally, rina highlanders andso-called Me- isthedistinctionbetween Also important of smallergroupsmakinguptheremainder. (5%),withanumber (5%)andAntandroy saka (12%), Tsimihety (7%),Sakalava (6%),Antai- Merina (15%),Betsileo (27%),Betsimisaraka on oldkingdoms.Themainethnicgroupsare boundariesare based 18 tribes,whose roughly The Malagasy people are dividedinto officially PEOPLE good daytoholdacelebration. is associated withnobility,isconsidered a cisions, marriages orreburials. Friday,which ences thedates of partiesheldtomarkcircum- the beliefin gasy lifestyle. in Oneexampleof thisisseen are apopularleisure activity. beautiful spotof familyortribalsignificance, outings, usuallyaccompaniedbyapicnic,to waterfalls orinfrontof royaltombs.Family ofleft atthebase baobab trees, besideforest in specificpartsof thebuilding. should allbeastrologicallyalignedandplaced thatfurniture,dictates doors andwindows maybe.how poorthehouseholder Custom nished withcare andattention, regardless of extended family,ancestors included,isfur- Personal adornmentandfashion are hugely Time anddates have aninfluenceonMala- Traditional Malagasy culture isrooted in It’s stillcommontofindsacred offerings The Malagasy home,asthecentre of the côtiers fady refers fromthecoast,but tothose vintana (taboos) andburialrites, the (taboos) (destiny),which influ- lonelyplanet.com côtiers . Liter- exhibitions. ( p884 of fordetails textile) inAntananarivo Ask Culturel attheCentre AlbertCamus computeras shellsoreven circuitboards. textiles such aslycra,or‘foundobjects’,such as daysancestralmaterials suchemonies. These were inburialandreburial alsoused cer- aristocracy inlife anddeath, expressed bythecolourred. Wornbythe past hadstronglinkswithroyalprestige, colour andpattern combinations,andinthe (red silk).Thesilks were woven inmany valuedtextileshighly called collected fromthewildsilkwormtomake pernatural powers. TheMerina cocoons used withsu- beingimbued,itisbelieved, even Malagasy society,withsometypesof cloth Textiles have alwaysplayedahuge partin &CRAFTS ARTS lonelyplanet.com shores toOctober. fromAugust through Humpback whales migrate past Madagascar’s aye-aye and noisyblack-and-white lemurs. lemurs, and ring-tailed the incrediblemouse lemurs, which include sifakasand theindri, extinction. including giantlemurs, have hunted been to yearsthe lastthousand manylarge animals, issues. Over pressing global conservation isoneofminent disappearance themost among itsbiggest tourist drawsanditsim- of Capricorn. island’s southerntipliesnorthof theTropic peak isMadagascar’s point.Allbutthe highest offshore. The2876mvolcanicMaromokotro beaches, sandy withcoralreefslong, sweeping marked byalternating mangrove forests and the eastern zoneisrainforest. Thecoastsare teaux (known asthe central highlands of ordeciduousforest; dryspinydesert the with itsownecosystem: thewestconsists into three parallelnorth–south zones, each cluding ÎleSainte Marie totheeast. coastline issprinkledwithsmallislands,in- up to570kmwide,andthe5000km-long years. Theislandmeasures 1600kmlongand in itspresent positionforabout 100million around 165millionyears agoandhasbeen Madagascar splitfromtheAfricanlandmass ENVIRONMENT Madagascar’s best-known mammalsare the Madagascar’s uniquewildlife istoday Madagascar canbedividedgeographically lamba mena ) have mostly deforested; nowbeen and are combinedwithmodern MADAGASCAR •• Arts &Crafts MADAGASCAR ••Arts lamba mena lamba mena hauts pla-
as pizza and pasta areas pizzaandpasta easytofind, too. de canard paté defoie gras simple zebu excellentFrench cuisine,from mally alsoserve the mostusualalternatives. nor- Restaurants noodle soupwithfish, chicken orvegetables) or meat)asatisfying with stew) and dishes include fish, chicken, duck orvegetables. Favourite often accompaniedbyastew madefrombeef, andis Western Riceisthestaple standards. is areal joyandpricesare extremely cheap by You won’tgohungryin Madagascar –eating FOOD &DRINK help withtree nurseriesandrebuild schools. wells andsmalldams,buyvegetable seeds, sion fees are returned tovillagers tobuild helping village residents: 50%of parkadmis- visiting anationalpark,youare economically totriplethesizeofised protected areas. By parks andPresident hasprom- Ravalomanana living onthisfragilelandscape. peoplehaveplants, andeven time atough island. Itsupportsvery few native animalsand sun-loving grasscovers more than80%of the burn’ farming.Todayawasteland of invasive, by‘slash-and- erosioncaused the consequent issuesareenvironmental deforestation and coveretation remains. Madagascar’s big strikingly marked tortoises. the potentially dangerous Nilecrocodileand geckos, harmless snakes such asthetree boa, est andsmallestspecies.Otherreptiles include gascar’s reptiles, andincludetheworld’slarg- roller shrikes, couasandvariousspeciesof ground includethediverse vanga the world.These proportionofthe highest anycountryin of which 51%(120species)are endemic– a fish of the day. lobster, prawns or squiddishes together with areas menuincoastal every features cheap fansareand greens. inforatreat Seafood – can usually whipupsome noodles, souporrice mainlyricedishes andsnackscheaply) serve ians, butlocal Madagascar hasmore than14national Only 10%of Madagascar’s originalveg- Madagascar has209breeding birdspecies, French restaurants rarely cater forvegetar- Chameleons are thebestknownof Mada- mi sao .
(duck fillet) ravioto (friednoodleswithvegetables steack frîtes hotelys romazava (goose liver (goose paté)and (porkstew withmanioc), (Malagasy eateries that . Western staples such Western staples (steak andchips) to soupe chinoise (beef-and-vegetable magret (clear
883 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR of Malagasy wineissomethingyouprobably rum flavoured withfruitsandspices.Ataste and international routes, lies12kmoutside bothdomestic Ivato airport,which serves ORIENTATION Antananarivo. pendence thecity’snamereverted backto the present-day Analakely area. After inde- drained swampsandpaddyfields tocreate and ernment. Theybuilttwogreat staircases, ing itTananarive of gov- and usingitasaseat dynasty. hillsandfoundedtheMerinaAntananarivo’s built hisown there.the garrisonhestationed Andrianjaka (Townof afterAntananarivo theThousand) the Vazimba andnamedhisnewsettlement 1610 aMerina king,Andrianjaka,conquered populated bytheVazimbabeen people. In manga (BlueForest), tohave andisbelieved wasoriginallyknownasAnala- Antananarivo HISTORY than Africancities. and grandedifices,recalling Europeanrather with painted shutters tosoaringchurch spires rockyhillspastnarrow,wooden houses steep, few others onearth.Cobbledstreets windup (commonlyshortenedcapital to‘Tana’) islike unpronounceable seemingly Madagascar’s ANTANANARIVO restaurants. in better and SouthAfricanwinesare served won’t wanttorepeat, butimported French but thealcoholic specialityis (knownasTHB)andGold, Three Horses Beer 884 palace). churchespast several tothe bondrona. Narrowstreets leadfurther uphill opposite, leadstothe busydistrictof Am- eter Haute-Ville. directly Anotherstaircase, Place deL’Indépendance intheratherqui- leadingto Analakely, withasteep staircase towards thecrowded mainmarket area of L’Indépendance runs fromthetrainstation Basse-Ville (LowerTown).Thebroad Ave de vided intoHaute-Ville (UpperTown)and Antananarivo. The mostpopularlocal-brand beers are In 1895theFrench captured Tana, renam- Central Antananarivo can be roughly di- canberoughly Antananarivo Central NAAAIO • itr ANTANANARIVO ••History rova (palace) on the highest of (palace)onthehighest rhum arrangé rova (queen’s (queen’s – Jona 1960 medicines; employs several French doctors. medicines; employsseveral Has X-ray equipmentandstocksmostbasic drugsand culturalevents. courses, andsponsorsvarious French- andMalagasy-language Andavamamba) Offers 22 21107;[email protected]; LalanaSeimad, printing services. services. printing h Fire Fire centres. & 2-6pm)Bothmainpostofficeshavegoodinternet run andrelatively clean. HasX-ray equipmentandiswell Ankadifotsy) Rajaonah, nité St-Français;Map p885 ; times. for longersurfing [email protected]; Pharmacie Metropole Metropole Pharmacie Clinique desSœursFranciscaines HospitalierdeSoavinandriana Centre Services Medical Teknet Group Outcool WebBar Cyber-Paositra minute. All of thefollowingplacescharge 30Arper Access Internet Police Espace Medical Ambulance Emergency Camus Albert Culturel Centre Alliance Françaised’Antananarivo Centres Cultural deMadagascar Librairie de L’Indépendance. magazines isfromthestreet vendors inPlace The bestplacetopickupEnglish-language Bookshops INFORMATION tianarivo; tianarivo; taire d’Antananarivo; Map Map taire d’Antananarivo; p885 ; centre hasalibraryandexhibitionhall. danceandfilm;the programofconcerts, sors anextensive L’Indépendance; % English) andafew booksinEnglish. (French-English andMalagasy- French), dictionaries 38 Ave maps, guidebooks(in deL’Indépendance)Sells best and isconveniently located nearHôtel Colbert. pharmacies. This isoneofthe has many good,well-stocked Lalana Ratsimilaho; 8am-10pm Mon-Sat,3-8pmSun)Alsohasfaxand 22 21375,23647;[email protected]; 14 Ave de ( % (Map (Map p887 ; (Map (Map h 18) ( 9am-11pm Mon-Sat,3-9pmSun) % p887 ; (Map (Map p887 ; ArabeRamanantsoa; h
24-hour clinic Place deL’Indépendance h 22 20040) % h (Map (Map p887 Ra- ; LalanaAndrianary 10am-1pm &2-6pmTue-Sat) Spon- [email protected]; 8am-noon &2-6pm); 17; LalanaKarija) 8am-noon Mon-Sat) Antananarivo 8am-noon Mon-Sat) Antananarivo Mp p887; (Map % (Map (Map p887 ; 22 61046;LalanaDokotera % ( (CCAC; Map (CCAC; Map p887 ; % 22 39751; % (CliniqueetMater- lonelyplanet.com 22 26566) h ( % % (Map (Map p887 ; 22 20025; (HôpitalMili- Araben’ny26 8am-noon 22 22454; 22 20856,
h Discounts
24hr) lonelyplanet.com Supermarket (5km);Relaisdes Anosy (250m) d'Antananarivo Française To Alliance (12km); HôtelManoirRouge Plateaux (10km);Escape4x4 To MarchéArtisanale(3km); Airport (12km);TropicTours La Digue(3km);Score (12km); Ivato 4 6 1 3 Andrianjaka 2 5 ANTANANARIVO 17 Kianja & Travel(12km) Isotry EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION il ail...... B1 Villa Vanille...... Grill duRova...... Madagascar Hilton...... Le KarthalaGuest House...... Rova...... Musée Andafivaratra...... Monument auxMorts...... Daily FlowerMarket...... Barbers' Stalls...... Clinique desSœursFranciscaines.. Soavinandriana...... British Embassy...... Aventour...... Centre Hospitalierde Ampefiloha Lalana Pastora Rahajason Lalana Andrianaivoravelona Joseph
AC Anosibe Lalana Dokotera Joseph Raseta Joseph Dokotera Lalana
Ramamonjisoa
Rue Pierre Lalana Pasteur Lalana Randriambololona ANTANANARIVO
11
Stibbe Arabe Victoire 18 P Minault
Kianja Lalana Ranaivo Toera Ampanjaka Arabe 1 Boogie Pilgrim(5km)
5 Rasoamanarivo Antanimena Air France(5km); To SouthAfrican
Embassy (4km);
See Central Antananarivo Map (p887) 11 10 Karija Lalana 13 12
Jules Arabe Rainibetsimisaraka Isoraka
Train Station
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Tsaralalana Mahafaka Lalana Rakotonirina D6 A5 C4 D6 D6 B5 B5 B5 C1 D2 D4 B4
13 Lalana Lalana Lalana 15
RadamaLalana I Western Taxi-Brousse Station.... Southern Taxi-Brousse Station... Northern Taxi-Brousse Station.... Malagasy Tours...... (see 12) B2 Interair...... (see 11) Cortez Travel & Expeditions...... Craft Market...... Grill duRova...... (see 12) Lumumba P Lalana TRANSPORT SHOPPING ENTERTAINMENT Lac Anosy 19 Mey
Ré Antanimena Befelatanana Kianja B 1946
6 union Naka Lalana
Zafindriandiky Lalana Ny Route des Hydrocasbures Place Kianja ὈὈὈ Ὀ Ὀ ὈὈ Marx Karl Basse- 7 Ville
Pochart Marché Ave de l'Indépendance de Ave
Antanimena
Lalana Lalana
Haute-Ville Rabemanantsoa Arabe Andrianampoinimerina Arabe
Lalana Massignon Behoririka
Ambiky Kianja
Refotaka Ankadifotsy Lac Jean Mahamasina
Lalana Mohamed V l'Indépendance
Behoririka
Raharisoa Arabe Arabe
Norbert Lalana Jean Ralaimongo Arabe Kianja Jaurès Dok Ramisaray Lalana Place de
Lalana Rabefiraisana
Rabe
Lalana Ramanankirahina Vladimir Lenine Lalana Lalana
Ambodivona
Lalana Razafindramanta zavana
ὈὈ ὈὈ Lalana Ranarivelo Lalana
18 17 16 15 14
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de Mahamasina Lalana
Analakely
iamamp Dokotera Rajaonah d'Ambanidia
Ilitch Oulianof Ilitch
19 Mey andry Arabe Rab Arabe Tunnel 4
Kianja Lalana 1929 Dokotera Raphael Raboto
Arabe Mahtmà
ozaka Ghandi
Ambodivona
Lalana Me Albertini Me Lalana Andriandahifotsy Lalana MDRM Kianja Embassy (2.5km) Amparibe
To Mauritian
Lalana 10
Arabe
Tsio Rue
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Sadiavahy Ambohimanga
mb Faravohitra
Lalana Rak ikibo
Lalana Razafindrakoto (21km)
200m 0.1miles 0 0 Joel
Ratsimba 3 na Justin
Rakotomalala Lalana Jean
Lala
Rajoro Lalana Lalana 2 An Henri Rakotabe Rue Ramboatiana Paul Rafiringa 16
dri 12 Lalana Ravelojaona Lalana amady Antsakaviro 14 D 9 German Embassy
Pasteur (500m); Lalana Pierre Lalana 8 (2km); Eastern Avaradrova Station (3km)
Lalana Raonivalo Taxi-Brousse
Rue To Institut
Pasteur Rabary 885 Rapiera MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR advances onVisacards. Sat) Changescashandtravellerscheques,gives I; Radama Near the Hôtel Colbert; posterestante issenthere. Near theHôtelColbert; Ville) ClosedonSaturday. Haute-Ville; laho, do advancesonVisacards. both brancheschangetravellerscheques(Amexonly)and hasan ATM;2-4pm) ThebranchonArabeRamanantsoa Maison de Tourisme deMadagascar deTourisme Maison Information Tourist Post office Paositra phonecards fromanyshoporkiosk. as plentydotted aroundtown.Youcanbuy international callsatboth postoffices, aswell There are publictelephones fordomesticand Post &Telephone UCB deChange Socimad Bureau BNI-CL BMOI 2-4pm); BFV-SG Bank ofAfrica Madagascar Hiltonisopen24hours. theATMMonday toSaturday,though atthe cheques. ATMs workonlyuntilabout 8pm All bankslisted exchange cash andtravellers Money 886 Aventour tickets and package holidays: air side thecountry, thefollowing agencies sell Madagascar, see p907 . Ifyou’re travelling out- For listingsof agencies offering trips within Agencies Travel an hour. butyoushouldallowatleast advances onMasterCard, Mp p887; (Map p887; 1960 hasanATM. advances onVisacards. ThebranchonAraben’ny26Jona Araben 3.35pm) HasanATM thatacceptsVisacards. .mg; Immeuble FIARO, Ampefiloha) MasterCard. h specific question. information; don’tbotherunlessyouhavea printed butfairlycluelessstaffandvery limited Friendly Mon-Fri) Elysée Ravelomanantsoa; % 8am-4pm) GivescashadvancesonbothVisaand 22 351 78; www.tourisme-madagascar.com; 3Lalana 22 35178;www.tourisme-madagascar.com; (Map (Map p887 ; Lalanades77 Parlementaires Français; h (Map (Map p887 ; PlacedeL’Indépendance; ’ NAAAIO • agr noacs ANTANANARIVO ••Dangers&Annoyances ny 26Jona1960
Kianja 19 Mey1946 Kianja Ave deL’Indépendance Arabe Ramanantsoa 8am-noon &2-3.30pm); (main post office; Map (main postoffice;Map p887 ; LalanaRatsimi- h h Mp p885 ; (Map (Map (Map p887 ; Araben’ny26Jona1960,Basse- 8am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 8-11.15am 8am-noon &2-5pmMon-Fri, 8am-noon &2-3.30pm)Providescash (BOA) h (Map (Map p887 ; 7am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8-11amSat) 7am-5pm Mon-Fri, % Place deL’Indépendance h (Map (Map p887 ; (Map (Map p887 ; 22 317 61;aventours@iris 8.30am-noon &2-7pm Mp p887; (Map (Map (Map p887 ; Lalana h Ave deL’Indépendance 8am-4pm) Gives h h h (Map (Map p887 ; 8am-4pm); 8-11am & h 8-11am & (Map (Map 8am-
with Rova ticket; with Rovaticket; barbers’ stalls end of andaneatlittle rowof thecauseway flower market to theshore There’s bya causeway. adaily a large white angel onanislandconnected a WWImemorial erected bytheFrench, is Morts covered in purpleblossom.The tiful inOctober,when thejacarandatrees are walk fromHaute-Ville andisatitsmostbeau- forsorcery. objects used of and musicalinstruments, andtalismans (known as graveinto tosee decorationsfromthesouth h p887; life. bring thestoriesof theMerina monarchs to furniture, portraitsandmemorabilia that Rova, the ace afew hundred metres downhill fromthe (5000Ar). ride oraneasytaxi central Antananarivo, TheRova 4kmwalk from queens. isastiff the bloodyhistoryof theMerina kingsand 3000Ar perperson) are fullof anecdotes about two. English-speakingfreelance guides (about stored andisagreat placetospendanhouror in afire partiallyre- in1995,ithasnowbeen hilloverlookinghighest Anosy.Gutted Lac admission 5000Ar; The &ACTIVITIES SIGHTS are nostreet lights. and remember thatinmuch of thecitythere if yougoout.Ifdowalk,inagroup, the citycentre andtheairport,sotake ataxi especiallybetween public transportatnight, ies of comparable size. Itisnotsafe totake Tana isprobably safer thanmostAfricancit- DANGERS &ANNOYANCES Tropic Tours&Travel ( also hasabranchintheHôtelColbert p888 ). [email protected]; 10Ave deL’Indépendance)Thiscompany Transcontinents &Tours Dodo Travel -tours.net; Rte de l’Aéroport, Ivato) del’Aéroport, -tours.net; Rte .dodotraveltour.com; LalanaElyséeRavelomanantsoa) ern shore. The inamagnificentpinkbaroquepal- Housed Lac Anosy 2-5.30pm Tue-Fri, 1-4pmSat) 2-5.30pm Tue-Fri, % Rova Rova (Monumenttothe Dead;Map p885 ), 22 21047;RueDokVillette;admissionbydonation; Musée de l’Art et de l’Archéologie etdel’Archéologie del’Art Musée (Palais Map delaReine; p885 ; LalanaRamboatiana; Musée Andafivaratra Musée (Map p885 ) isaneasydownhill aloalo Mp p885 ) (Map h (Map p885 ) h (Map (Map p887 ; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri) 10am-5pm Mon-Fri) 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) ), anextensive exhibition Mp p887; (Map ( % 22 58075;tropic@tropic %
on the lake’s west-
is worthpopping just opposite the 22 22398; %
(Map (Map p885 ; admission lonelyplanet.com 22 69036;www Monument aux is filledwith crowns the (Map (Map lonelyplanet.com
4 6
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INFORMATION ahefa Transcontinents...... Socimad Bureau deChange...... Post Office...... Police Station...... Pharmacie Metropole...... Paositra (MainPostOffice)...... Outcool WebBar...... Madagascar...... Librairie deMadagascar...... French Embassy...... Dodo Travel&Tours...... Cyber-Paositra...... (see 14) Cyber-Paositra...... (see 17) Centre CulturelAlbertCamus...... BNI-CL...... BNI-CL...... BMOI...... BFV-SG...... BFV-SG...... Bank ofAfrica...... Bank ofAfrica...... entGop...... B4 Teknet Group...... Maison deTourisme Lalana Mahafaka Lalana
indra Arabe Rainibetsimisaraka AC
Isoraka novo
34 Lalana
na 28 ANTANANARIVO ••CentralAntanananarivo Lalana 13 Lalana Russie Lalana Radama I
Russie Andrianary
33 47 Lumumba Patrice Lalana 30
Rue Station Train Arabe ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ Dok VilletteὈὈὈ 38
37 Ratianarivo
31
18 24 Parlementaires
Lalana des 77 des Lalana Ramanantsoa Français
Lalana Mey 1946 Réunion Kianja 19 7 Ambatomena 45 Basse-Ville 43
27 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 Lalana Indri Ghandi l'Indépendance de Ave
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Arabe 21 Rainitsa L E Ravelomanantsoa 20 19 Lalana Rajihanson- B1 A2 D3 A2 C4 C4 A3 B3 C2 B3 B3 B1 B2 D3 C3 C2 B4 C3 B1 Lac Anosy
Lalana Rabar rovy 9 8
1 Èmile Lalana Ambiky B Musée del'Artet Honey Salonde Thé...... Buffet duJardin...... Snack BarJim...... Résidence Lapasoa...... La Varangue...... Hôtel TanaPlaza...... Hôtel Sakamanga...... Hôtel leRoyalPalissandre...... Hôtel leCactusVert...... Hôtel Isoraka...... Hôtel Colbert...... Chez Francis...... l'Archéologie...... Main Market...... US Embassy...... UCB...... EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Impala...... (see 34)
Kianja Rue
10
Rue
Refotaka Rain Andrianampoinimerina Arabe
12 Jean Jaurès Jean
36 Lalana Titsy Lalana
ito 22 Andriantsilavo
vo Arabe Lietnà Adriamaromanana Albert Adriamaromanana Lietnà Arabe 3 Rue James 46 Adrianisa
Haute-Ville President's Arabe Palace 11 48
40 Rab 39 4
Lalana Rabefiraisana Ὀ Rainilaiarivony Ὀ ezava 2
36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 l'Indépendance Lalana na
Printsy Ratsimamanga Place de 41 A2 B4 C4 D2 A4 C2 B3 B3 B1 C3 A4 A4 C4 A1 A3 D2 44 32 14 Lalana Jean Ralaimongo 35 Le Sud...... (see 38) Hotel Glacier...... Snack BarJim...... (see34) Shoprite...... Shoprite...... Restaurant Sakamanga...... (see30) Le Sud...... La Varangue...... (see32) KuDéTa...... Setam...... MadaBus...... Hertz...... Espace Madag...... Corsair...... Budget...... Air Madagascar...... Air Austral/AirMauritius...... TRANSPORT SHOPPING DRINKING acéCmua ei ies. A2 Marché CommunalPetitVitesse..
26
50
Lalana Ratsimilaho Lalana
Araben'ny 26 Jona 1960 Jona 26 Araben'ny 200m 0.1miles 0 0 5
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15 Paul
17 Dussac d'Ambanidia Tunnel 6
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19 Mey
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Andriand Lalana
Lalana Rahemefy
ahhifotsy 887 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR furnished, withbathrooms.Malagasy meals den courtyard.Roomsare large andvery well A friendly,family-runB&Bwitha pretty gar- dinclbreakfast 30,000Ar) 22 27267;LalanaAndriandahifotsy; have goodviewsover Tana. with ahotshower. Themore expensive rooms good choice thatoffers clean,spaciousrooms and youcansplurge ongoodeatingnearby. of thebestbudget places,it’supinHaute-Ville anantsoa; dwith/withoutbathroom50,600/20,600Ar) showers, buttoiletsare shared. are viewsandroomshave fantastic internal storeysable several up,ontherooftop. There snack baralsohasafew cleanroomsavail- d20,000Ar) .mg; ArabeRamanantsoa; early. Cleanroomsandfriendlyservice. arrivinglate ordeparting option isforthose oftance theairport,thislong-runningbudget in French; dm/d/tr€4/6.80/12) Rouge Manoir Hôtel Budget usually don’tincludebreakfast. you have tocatch. anearlyflight Hotel prices neartheairportatIvatoif tion, oryoucanstay offersThe capital mosttypes of accommoda- SLEEPING French courses only. de L’Indépendance; p887; as wellproviding French lessons. sometimes runsMalagasy-language courses, 07; [email protected]; Andavamamba) LalanaSeimad, Alliance Françaised’Antananarivo COURSES 888 [email protected]; 15 Lalana Radama I;d60,000Ar) 15Lalana Radama [email protected]; great travellers placetomeet of stripe. every room; the pricieroneshave gardenviews. A phone andbath- wooden floors allhave TV, bookings are roomswith Airy, bright advised. One of the bestmidrange choices, butadvance d €15-44) Ratianarivo; LalanaAndrianary [email protected]; Sakamanga Hôtel Midrange in theevenings. (5000Ar) are available with advancenotice driamapandry; rwith/withoutbathroom40,000/29,000Ar) driamapandry; Hôtel le Cactus Vert Vert leCactus Hôtel GuestHouse Le Karthala Isoraka Hôtel Snack BarJim The Chez Francis % NAAAIO • ore ANTANANARIVO ••Courses Centre Culturel Albert Camus Albert Culturel Centre 22 21375,23647;[email protected]; 14Ave
Mp p887; (Map
h Mp p887; (Map Mp p887; (Map
10am-1pm &2-6pmTue-Sat) (
% (Map (Map p887 ; 22 44104;www.madatana.com, % Mp p887 ; (Map %
% Mp p885; (Map Within walkingdis- 22 61365;LalanaRainan- 22 37437;gusth@netclub 22 65581;11ArabeRam- ( % This Malagasy % % 22 20856,211 % 22 35809;
22 24895;fax (CCAC; Map (CCAC; Map 22 624 41; offers offers One A
Friday and Saturday nights. Friday andSaturday nights. will have idea, so book ahead on the same splurging whileyou’re Others inthecapital. Tana for eateries and it’sworth is wellserved EATING spa, barandarestaurant withlogfire. facilities include free forguests, internet use rooms overlook bustlingAnalakely, andhotel all offer understated comfort.More expensive gant, quiethotel where the spaciousbedrooms phone&safe with minibar,TV, [email protected]; s/d 13LalanaAndriandahifotsy; business centre. spa, bars, tworestaurants apatisserie, anda and ahostof facilities,includingastunning choice but thisstandout offers great service bytheflashylobby, lack theluxurypromised safe, phone&minibar€89-255; rwithTV, Ratsimamanga; LalanaPrintsy [email protected]; speaking staff. has money-changing facilitiesandEnglish- rather sterile décor,butacceptscredit cards, much favoured by tourcompanies.Ithasa & phone€58 safe-hotels.com, inFrench; 2Ave deL’Indépendance;rwithTV, too. (opposite ), restaurant andphone. Ithasafine making facilities,TV dential Palace. Roomsfeature minibar,coffe e- tucked downacobbled lanenearthePresi- recommendedThis highly boutiquehotel is La Varangue Top End arranged. lish isspoken and airporttransfers canbe are available (mains10,000Ar).SomeEng- bathrooms withpowerfulhotshower. Meals minibarandsafe, andtiled rooms withTV, the Ivatohotels, thisplaceoffers spacious wanadoo.mg; d€38; There’s free forguests. internet use with minibar,four-post bedand/orbalcony. andsome appointed rooms, allwithTV fine Haute-Ville choice, withspotless, wood- 40; [email protected];15LalanaRéunion;s/d€35/38) has avery goodrestaurant. sized bathandasafe, andsomehave TV. It Rooms are abitcharacterless, buthave afull- .mg; 17 Lalana Printsy Ratsimamanga; droom/studio€50/70) Ratsimamanga; .mg; 17LalanaPrintsy Hôtel leRoyalPalissandre Hôtel Colbert Hôtel TanaHôtel Plaza desPlateaux Relais Résidence Lapasoa ; a
Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Mp p887; (Map ) A comfortable businesshotel A comfortable ap
Mp p887; (Map (Map (Map p887 ;
( % %
) €111/119 ap Newestandnicestof 22 27397;varangue@simicro 22 44122;relaisdesplateaux@ (Map (Map p887 ;
(Map (Map p887 ; % ) 22 21865;www.siceh Cheaper rooms ; ap % % 22 20202; % ) Anele- 22 60560; 22 611 A hour snacksandbeer. in the evening oratlunchtime.in theevening the better placestoindulge, butitisn’topen wonderful icecream. hot chocolate, breakfasts and,inmanycases, pastries,cakes, coffee, tea and rooms) serve pavilions atAnalakely. at thedailymainmarket (Map p887 ) bythe can alsobuyfresh vegetables, meatandfish Analakely (Map p887 ) inBasse-Ville. You in Haute-Ville (Map p887 ) andanotherat the mainmarket atAnalakely. oraround western endof ArabeRamanantsoa simpleMalagasy fare isalongthe serving stalls lonelyplanet.com boatiana, Avaradrova; mains 9000Ar; blackboard. Daily Malagasy specials are chalked upona andzebu meals. and excellent grilledseafood dishes, includes imaginative pasta andtasty on FridayandSaturday. Bistro-stylefood are advised is usuallybusyand reservations lunch &dinner) mains9000Ar; Ratianarivo; Lalana Andrianary dishes onthemenu. ceptional, andthere are alwaysafew Malagasy Thefoodis goodwithoutbeingex- cactuses. space centred onacourtyardplanted with the Haute-Ville bar/resto scene,withdining 8500Ar; chicken withchips. but ratherbasicfare, such asgrilledfishor floor above Jim,hasalively SnackBar bar fessional, restaurant, thisbright onthe1st 8000Ar; performances. as wellMadagascar, musical withnightly turing dishes fromMauritius andRéunion, inanoldcolonialvilla,fea-establishment, tanimena; mains8000Ar; steak anddeliciousricedishes. patisserie, hotely inthecitycentre serving 2500Ar; L’Indépendance; de L’Indépendance; cakes 2000Ar; de L’Indépendance;cakes Buffet duJardin Tana’s manygleaming There’s aconvenient Shoprite supermarket The bestplacetofindcheap Restaurant Sakamanga Sakamanga Restaurant Le Sud Vanille Villa Snack BarJim Honey SalondeThé Grill duRova Grill Impala h h h Mp p887; (Map lunch &dinnerMon-Sat) (Map (Map p887 2-coursemeals ; ArabeRamanantsoa; breakfast, lunch&dinner) lunch &dinner) Like itsnamesake hotel, thisplace h (Map (Map p885 ; (Map (Map p887 dishes rice ; ArabeRamanantsoa; Mp p885; (Map ANTANANARIVO ••Drinking 24hr) %
(Map (Map p887 ;
Theonlyoptionfor24- 22 310 22; 21 Rue Dok Villette; grills 22 31022;21RueDokVillette;grills h (Map (Map p887 ; More funthanpro- lunch &dinner) % Mp p887; (Map % h salons dethé 22 627 24;Lalana Ram- % A newadditionto 22 20515;PlaceAn- Wed-Mon) % h Aconvenient 22 33887;Placede
22 62167;13Ave lunch & dinner hotelys % h Aclassy 22 35809; Among breakfast, (tea and and Malagasy dishes. Thecabaret showcases Frenchjust downfromtheRova thatserves tracks westof thetrainstation. p887 ) isasimilar,butsmaller, market onthe Marché CommunaldePetit (Map Vitesse you couldimagine, andit’shelddaily.The fruit,vegetable,ing every fishormeatproduct Haute-Ville. It’sa packed, teeming place, sell- posite thebottomof thestairs leadingupto in thepavilions atAnalakely (Map p887 ), op- andbuy.Themain marketto browse isfound The markets incentralTana are great places SHOPPING third Wednesdayof each month. andmusicalsoireesat sunset, onthefirst and are SundayandFriday performancesevery Malagasy jazzandtraditionalmusic.There ish restaurant-cabaret thatalsoshowcases Avaradrova; duRova Grill ENTERTAINMENT jumpin’ onweekends. popular placewithcheap drinksthatgets snacks andburgers available. Ville bar-restaurant withfunkydécor;bar Le Sud DRINKING forFridayandSaturdaynights. essential and excellentfare.speaking staff Bookings withchic décor,friendlyEnglish- Lapasoa, A very stylish bar-restaurant nexttoRésidence 11,500Ar; Lalana Réunion;grills French foodinMadagascar. few localtouches, andisreputedly thebest menu mostlyfeatures French cuisine,witha restaurant inthehotel of name. thesame The h mains10,000Ar; Ratsimamanga; .mg; 17LalanaPrintsy below). Malagasy jazzandtraditionalmusic(see Mon-Sat, lunchSun) de L’Indépendance. 1.5km northeast of thenorthern end of Ave ket Digue. There’s another,smaller, craftmar- Digue supermarket inthe suburb of La in theroadabout 2kmsouth of theScore best-known market. Ittakes placeonabend La Varangue La For crafts,theMarché isTana’s Artisanale Hôtel Glacier Hôtel KuDéTa lunch &dinnerMon-Sat)
(Map p885 ) atAndravoahangy, about
(Map (Map p887 ; 21RueDokVillette) h
Mp p887; (Map (Map (Map p885 ; lunch &dinnerMon-Sat,Sun) (Map p887; (Map
(Map (Map p887 ; Araben’ny26Jona1960) Astylishrestaurant-cabaret % % % 22 281 54; www.kudeta.mg; 16 22 28154;www.kudeta.mg; A very classy,ifsmall, 22 627 24; Lalana Ramboatiana, 22 62724;LalanaRamboatiana, h 22 27397;varangue@simicro breakfast, lunch&dinner) A lively Haute- Astyl- 889
A MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR Hilton. RuePierre Marchande, Stibbe,Anosy)IntheMadagascar Budget don’t includepetrol. driver, insuranceandunlimited mileage, but generally usuallyinclude obligatory. Rates thecountry;drivers throughout for use are Car-rental agencies inTana allhandlerentals &Motorcycle Car opposite ChezFrancishotel. departures are allfromtheMadaBus office bookings,ticketsmation. Inthecapital, and fares andMadaBus’ website formore infor- individualdestinationsfor and Saturday.See and Friday,returning onTuesday,Thursday both destinationsare onMonday,Wednesday at key townsalongtheway.Departures to Taomasina andTana–Toliara routes, stopping ontheTana– service an expensive butefficient The buscompany Bus Interair Corsair Air Madagascar Air France Mauritius Air Austral/Air inTana.offices is alistof domesticandinternational airline of Thefollowing for details domesticflights. airport, see p904 relevant citysections . See ofFor details international fromIvato flights Air THERE&AWAY GETTING 890 about every hourto Antsirabe,about every Fianarantsoa almost everywhere in Madagascar, departing Taxis-brousses Taxi-Brousse rates. for general information oncarrentals and tour operators listed on p907 also . See p906 You canalsorent cars mostof through the Hertz Espace 4x4 madagascar.mg; 31Ave deL’Indépendance) 405 11;www.madabus.com; Lalana Rainandriamapandry) des Hydrocarbures, Ankorondrano) Rainitovo Antsahavola) Rainitovo Lalana Rabefiraisana, Analakely) Lalana Rabefiraisana, L’Indépendance) taires Français) www.airaustral.com, inFrench; Lalanades77Parlemen- ETA IHAD CENTRAL HIGHLANDS Mp p887; (Map (Map (Map p887 ; Mp p887; (Map Mp p885; (Map ( ( % % 23 230 23; fax 23 230 41; Tour Zital, Rte 23 23023;fax41;TourZital,Rte 22 44184;[email protected]; Ivato) (bushtaxisleave fromTana to Mp p887; (Map % % % % 22 22961;[email protected]; 17 MadaBus 22 63336;www.corsair.fr; 1Rue 22 31708;26Ave de 22 224 06; fax 2262421; Galerie 22 22406;fax2262421;Galerie Mp p887; (Map % 22 22222;www.air
Mp p887; (Map % 22 35990; % 032 04 is the Fima bus10orataxi(4000Ar). Dauphin.TogetthereFianarantsoa, take ToliaraandFort toAntsirabe, west coasts. There are regular departures points south,aswelltosomeontheeastand toall 1.5km southwestofLacAnosy.Providestransport Taxis-brousses toMoramangacost5000Ar. ofthecitycentre. At Ampasampito,about3.5kmnortheast region are the Merina andBetsileo. and attractive towns. Themain tribes inthe tures someof thecountry’s mostinteresting easily reached andfea- from Antananarivo, of ruraltranquillity. It’savery scenic region, terraced valleysof ricepaddies,thepicture a vastarea of rollinghillsinterspersed with The centralhighlands CENTRAL HIGHLANDS and are more expensive atnight. climb in.Fares at4000Ar aroundtownstart have meters, soagree ontheprice before you late Taxis even atnight. finding ataxi, don’t have you’llnever Otherwise, much difficulty it’s often quicker towalk toplacesnearby. tananarivo. Fares cost100Arto300Ar, but availableminibuses for getting aroundAn- if youare visitingplacesinthesuburbs. are taxis best totake ataxi; alsorecommended tels andrestaurants, whenit’s exceptatnight, hotels canarrange atransfer forafee. 12,000Ar. Mosttour companiesandmany Taxis to/from Ivatoairportshould cost about Ivato airportis12kmfromthecitycentre. AROUND GETTING taxi-broussestation Western Southern taxi-broussestation taxi-broussestation Northern taxi-broussestation Eastern carsbuses, andbuses. allwithachaotic ofstations), selection mini- tries formore details. theindividualtown en- and Toamasina. See airport. taxi-brousse station.Hastaxis-broussestoIvatoandthe l’Ouest; Map p885 ofthesouthern ) About 400mnorthwest Map p885 ; LalanaPastora Rahajason) (4000Ar). bus4orataxi theMalakia Toamasina. To gethere take to of thecitycentre, thisisthestationfortransport Nord; Map p885 ) InAmbodivona,about2kmnortheast There are afew large andmany buses ho- It’s usuallynoproblem towalkbetween There are fourmain (hauts plateaux) gares routières (Gare Routière del’Est) (Gare (Gare Routière de (Gare (Gare Routière duSud; (Gare (Gare Routière du (Gare
At Anosibeabout lonelyplanet.com (bus are tent 4000Ar,d/bungalow22,000/25,000Ar) ParkGreen you canpitch atent, it’snotsurprisingthat stairs roomsoverlooking green lawnswhere travellers cheques. thatcanchangeJean cashand Ralaimongo main postoffice. There are banksalongRue min 30Ar; Cyber Paositra in elegantfaçadesandwideboulevards. origins asa19th-centuryspatownare reflected cursions intothesurroundingcountryside. Its an idealdaytripfromTana forex- orabase ant-sira- (pronounced Antsirabe ANTSIRABE lonelyplanet.com (225km) Miandrivazo Betafo (22km); Lac Tritiva(18km); To LacAndraikiba(7km); 4 1 3 2 ANTSIRABE With charming roundbungalowsandup- The mostconvenient internet accessisat h ( % AC 7am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm Sat) 7am-7pm Mon-Fri,
(cnr Ave del’Independence&GrandAve; per 44 05190;RueLabourdonnais;campsitesper 10 CENTRALHIGHLANDS••Antsirabe Asabotsy
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Grande Ave Station (1.5km); Route Hahanaro Route Maréchal Foch. good restaurants alongthemaindrag,Ave the western dated. and spacious,themotel-style roomsare rather clean is attentive andalthough andefficient, swimming poolandtennis courts.Service 19th-century placeboastinganenormous .mg; d/ste90,000/125,000Ar; around. but forthepriceyou’dbebetter shopping off more expensive newroomsare much better, The rooms are large, justserviceable. though [email protected]; GrandAve; rfrom25,000Ar)
Station Train
Rue Voltaire Rue Rue Beniowsky
Hôtel desThermes Hôtel At the There are cheap Malagasy snackbars near
Route 8 Circulaire Imperial Hôtel Hôtel Imperial taxi-brousse L’Arche TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION Western Taxi-BrousseStation.... Tembike...... Southern Taxi-BrousseStation..... MadaBus...... L'Arche...... Gaëlle...... Imperial Hôtel...... Green Park...... Main PostOffice...... Cyber Paositra...... (see1) ôe e hre...... B2 Hôtel desThermes......
0.3miles 500m 0 0 ( % ap
5 6 ( station and several andseveral station 44 48761;sht@wanadoo % (
Ave Maréchal Foch % 250m 0 0 7 Rue Jean Ralaimongo 032 0247925;mains 44 48333;imperial
) Rue Beniows Rue 9
Rue Labourdonnais is asprawling D 0.1 mi
ky , older 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
2
A3 D4 C4 D4 D4 D4 B2 D4 B2 891 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR friendly andhelpful,there’s agoodrestaurant arestreet intheupperpartof town.Staff rambling hotel tucked inbehindthemain 17,000-24,000Ar, withoutbathroom8000-11,000Ar) trek. half-/full-day the GrandHôtel, for30,000/40,000Ara des Guides can beorganised through the GrandHôtel. are intheupper(southern)part of town,near villages. Thebestsouvenir shops Zafimaniry at work,bothintownandnearby carvers Tana, andyoucanarrange tovisitthewood- wooden souvenirs. Pricesare cheaper thanin boo-sh-tr) isagreat placetoshop forcarved of Madagascar, Ambositra (pronouncedam- Widely touted asthearts-and-craftscapital AMBOSITRA short citytourshouldbeabout 4000Ar. coast. day river tripstothetsingyarea of thewest day.Tembikehalf-/full alsoorganises seven- hotel, for4000/7000Arper the Villed’Eau bike for bike riding.Bike rental isavailable at form of localtransport,butAntsirabeisideal L’Arche restaurant; thefare toTana is€9. taxi-brousse anarantsoa (8000Ar)leave fromthesouthern taxis-brousses leave fromthenorthern 5000Ar) alternative formore French fare is food andsometimesfeatures live music.An 7500Ar) 892 It’s in agreat location nearthe craftshops, that’s inkeeping with theoverall ambience. 12,000Ar) Commerce; dm 6000Ar,dwith/without bathroom18,000/ town. of the main roadasyouheadsouththrough may compensate. It’sonthe left-handfork but nohotwater, the viewsupstairs although has clean,basicrooms withshared facilities own tent here (5000Ar). upyour (menu 9000Ar)andit’spossibleto set Hôtel Sympa Hôtel Treks intothecountrysideare popularand Pousse-pousses MadaBus Taxis-brousses The Pousse-pousse Rooms at the
( ETA IHAD • Absta CENTRAL HIGHLANDS••Ambositra % , opposite thecathedral. serves tasty butunadventurous tasty French serves Prestige Hôtel Prestige are feel, but a bitdarkwithamedieval 032 0402927;www.tembike.new.fr)
( %
( station. station. % 47 71448) to Ambositra(6000Ar)andFi-
( % 032 0490021) trips start at1000Aranda tripsstart Grand Hôtel (rickshaws) to Tana cost6000Arand 47 71343;d/tr10,000/14,000Ar)
, which has anoffice near ( % 47 71135;rwithbathroom taxi-brousse Tsangatsanga Maison Tsangatsanga Maison
( % stops opposite
are themain 47 71262;Rue du Gaëlle , outside station; station;
(mains isa Tem-
friendly andwell-kept placewithgreat views opposite thetrainstation. the hesitate tobookintothisstylishhesitate place. The antique replica telephones, TV andfridge.antique replica telephones, TV panelled rooms are cavernous, and have baths, Thewood- courts, disco, shopsand sauna. of townoffers avastswimming pool,tennis mad, rambling placeon the northernedge s/d 30,000/36,000Ar,studio 50,000-80,000Ar; and friendly. endless hotwater andvalley views.Relaxed luxury asyoumove up thepricescale,like TV, spotless, andthere are incremental degrees of cheaper rooms have shared bathroombut are .mg; r€14-50) with hotwater andviews. over town.Roomsontheupperfloorare best, out bathroom19,000/17,000Ar) Arinofy Hôtel Sleeping &Eating main postoffice lers cheques. There’s internet accessinthe Nouvelle-Ville exchange moneyandtravel- (opposite ). Ranomafana de National forexploringtheregiongood base andParc most prepossessing of places,butitmakes a wine- andtea-making villages. Itain’tthe heart of the sprawling, hillytownliesintheagricultural Fianar andyouwon’tbemisunderstood. This butcallit ‘Place Where GoodisLearned’, The name Fianarantsoa canbetranslated as pop 137,700 FIANARANTSOA thefareBar; toTana is€17. southern Fianarantsoa cost7000Arandleave fromthe the forkinmainroad. northern and Tana (13,000Ar),andleave fromthe views fromthetop-storey balcony. comfortable roomswithbathroomsandgreat [email protected]; d/tr22,400/28,000Ar) painted three-storey atmosphere atlunch time. and thelarge diningroomhasaconvivial Tsara GuestHouse All thebanksliningmainstreet in Taxis-brousses option,thebrightly The mostsalubrious Hôtel Soafia Hôtel MadaBus stopsinfrontof Snack theOasis taxi-brousse taxi-brousse taxi-brousse One lookandyouprobablywon’t Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ( % hauts plateaux,
(
% (per min30Ar; 75 50638;campsite8000Ar,dwith/with- station, thisisamodest but station, travel toAntsirabe(6000Ar) 75 50353;[email protected]; ( % Hôtel Mania Hôtel station. 75 50206;tsaraguest@wanadoo station, 2kmnorthof station, A stiff climb up from A stiff h Taxis-brousses surroundedby 7am-9pm Mon-Sat)
ap ( % hasclean, 47 71021; ) This to , lonelyplanet.com 4.30pm) July and October.between weather is best,butthepark ismore crowded, and 11other lemurspecies callithome. The golden bamboolemur, discovered in1986, watching. Itwasdeclared toprotect therare rainforest thatoffers great lemur- andbird- The 41,500-hectare parkisasuperbtractof PARC NATIONAL DERANOMAFANA the fare to Tana is€23. and Toliara. Ranohira nar andAmbositra(7000Ar),Antsirabe, Tana, are plentyof (150,000Ar, onehour). once aweek Air Madagascar Fianar andTana fliesbetween &Away There Getting vegetarian choices. offers the finestdiningintownandafew Tsara GuestHouse Pickofstandard. thebunch istheresto at 1 3 2 FIANARANTSOA From the All hotels have restaurants of varying The park entrance and MadaBus stopsinfrontof Mad Trekking; To LacAnosy(2km) i aaacr...... C3 Air Madagascar...... Taxi-Brousse Station...... Tsara GuestHouse...... Hôtel Soafia...... Hôtel Arinofy...... Telecom...... (see 1) Main PostOffice...... TRANSPORT SLEEPING INFORMATION are village atAmbodiamontana (ask to Haute-Ville AC taxi-brousse station taxis-brousses CENTRALHIGHLANDS••Parc NationaldeRanomafana ( % 75 50206;mains9500Ar)
4 Rue
Maréchal Joffre Philibert Rue Angap office Ave du Mar daily between Fia- daily between
6 5 4 3 2 1 Tsiranana
Thoyer C3 A3 D1 C2 C2 (Rue MDRM)
Araben'ny Fahaleovantena B Basse-Ville Rue Rondriantsilanizaka Joseph Daily Produce Rue Ran ( Market , which h , there Nouvelle-
amana 8am- Ville
Rue Rue de Verdun
Maréchal du Zoma
5 Ave du Place
net andTV. There’s agoodrestaurant here the roaringriver, withhotshower, mosquito roomy cabins,perched onthe hillsideabove village, offersdownhill towardsRanomafana [email protected]; d100,000Ar; entrance. arriving by tion forthose take onetotwohours andare very popular. size). Nocturnalwalks(20,000Arper person) person, dependingontraillengthandgroup to explore thetrails(5000Arto35,000Arper fice. Attheparkentranceyoucanhire guides compulsory andare available attheAngapof- Permits be droppedhere ifarrivingby newly repaired road. brousse available (mains8000Ar). bungalows withtornmosquito nets.Meals are stretch of the river andoffers rathercramped 523 02;dwithbathroom 33,000Ar) village, down inRanomafana thelocal speciality,crayfish. Way serving basic Rue Paste Rue
Lattre The mostconvenient accommodationop- Ranomafana isabout three hoursRanomafana by Général Leclerc Rue Printsy
Ramaharo
u r de Rianala Gite Rianala
(1/2/3/4 days25,000/37,000/40,000/50,000Ar)
(5000Ar) from Fianarantsoa along a Tassi
1 Rue MDRM Rue gny Hôtel Domaine Nature Domaine Nature Hôtel 6 Train Station To Ambalavao(56km);
Toliara (550km) (dm 7000Ar) 0.3miles 500m 0 0
Ihosy (215km); Route 2
Nouvelle Ro
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to Trappist Monastery(7km); a Ihary Hôtel
Antananarivo Antananarivo (400km) taxi-brousse ) ( D , about3km % Vineyards (15km); Lazan'i Betsileo To Moromby 75 75025; isthe
3 ( % taxi- 893
are
75 ). MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR pendent travel partswillbeamply inthese thechallenge whomeet but those of inde- andready,in theruralsouthcanberough Apart fromthenewlyrepaired RN7,roads MADAGASCAR SOUTHERN gainvillées; thefare toTana is€29. can bemadeatFianar. nections topointsfurthernorthand south where a the southsideof town). of town(thezebumarket isheldjustoutside posite themainmarket onthesouthernside and there’s apatisserie-restaurant. It’sop- 22,000Ar) taurant with tourgroups. good restaurant (mains9000Ar)ispopular two-storey chalets orcleanbudget rooms.The aux Bougainvillées there’s finesouvenirs. ashop selling You cantake afree tourof thefactoryand which makes paper. thefamousAntaimoro tion is market cranksup.Thetown’sgreatest attrac- Wednesdaythecountry’sbiggest zebu every architectureare linedwithBetsimileo and from hand-spunwildsilk.Itsnarrowstreets of (New Valley) isfamousfortheproduction The picturesque littletownof Ambalavao AMBALAVAO 894 seven-day treksseven-day intothe park,including guid- at ChezMomo ( based right ), organises one- to restaurants. ( l’Isalo right ). All hotels listed here alsohave venient forexploring Parc base Nationalde The littletownof isthemostcon- Ranohira RANOHIRA lived.that ever ing groundsof massifsand thelaststomp- scenic sandstone rewarded bytheworld’sweirdestvegetation, 30,000/60,000Ar) budget rwith/withoutbathroom19,000/15,000Ar,d/fchalet Momo Trek Ambalavao is 56km southof Fianar, to At thenew,clean MadaBus stopsinfrontof Hôtel aux Bou- In thegroundsof thepaperfactory, lamba arindrano, OTENMDGSA • Rnhr SOUTHERN MADAGASCAR ••Ranohira Fabrique dePapier Antaimoro roomsallhave toiletandhotwater, ( % taxi-brousse 75 34128;[email protected]; d
( hasachoice of painted brightly % 033 1468546; [email protected]) Aepyornis, ( % colourfulshawlswoven willcost5000Ar. Con- 75 34001;[email protected]; Tsienimparihy Hôtel Res- Hôtel Tsienimparihy thelargest bird (admission free) Hôtel Hôtel , , cool canyons andspotting lemurs. It’s best fect for overnight hikes, rock-hopping along regions,the country’s mostspectacular per- water It’soneof into gorges bluffs. and craggy massifssculpted bywindand ing sandstone arenear Ranohira abruptly broken bytower- The flat, grassy plains of the PARC NATIONAL DEL’ISALO fare toTana is€37. by road. 91km northeast,fortransfers toFortDauphin for Toliar(12,000Ar)andtoIhosy (5000Ar), horse-riding. and offers finedining,amassage centre and hidden amongthesandstone, liant setting, country’s finesttop-endhotels. It’sinabril- outof thelivingrockandisoneofcarved the ap 22 33623;www.3dmadagascar.com/relaisdelareine; d€60; but airy cold, dungeon-like roomsonthegroundfloor, 801 76;dbudget/main35,000/50,000Ar) job of it,too. adamnedfine in grilledzebumeatanddoes The restaurant (menu12,000Ar)specialises offers simplethatched woodenbungalows. 30,000/40,000/45,000Ar) Toiles del’Isalo ofbut withinwalkingdistance town,the facilities. bungalows withmosquitonetsandshared budget option, withthatched mud-brick 13,000/16,000Ar, trwithhotwater25,000Ar) at 7.30am. but there are free dailytransfers intoRanohira Massif.Isalo It’sabout5kmsouthof town, pool where over youcanenjoysunsets the ing Malagasy meals,andasuperbswimming there’sHowever, agooddiningroomserv- deliver, andare abitoldandcrampedinside. morethatched bungalowspromise thanthey at165,000Arperpersonstart pernight. ing, cookingandcampingequipment.Treks bungalow/rondavel €15/25; campsiteperperson €3,dbudget [email protected]; a converted shedandabitdingy. with viewsupstairs. Thebudget roomsare in MadaBus the stopsinfront of Hôtel Berny; The eccentricstonemanor side ofOn theright RN7asyouheadsouth, Chez Momo At Taxis-brousses Relais de la Reine delaReine Relais ) Isalo Ranch Isalo Ranch , nearthepark’ssouthernborder, is chambres familiales
( ( % % depart daily from Ranohira depart dailyfromRanohira
resort-restaurant complex ( 033 1468546;d/trbungalows % 033 1102525;s/d/trbungalow p in Antananarivo 2431902; in Antananarivo
) brightly painted brightly ( % Hôtel Berny Hôtel lonelyplanet.com (family rooms) hauts plateaux features rather in Antananarivo isthebest
( % Les 75
rise or set through alarge, through orset squarerise holein Natural Window you cantake aplunge inthecoolwater, and to and RelaisdelaReine( opposite ). market ( hotels, Ranch such asIsalo opposite ) ChezMomo( through opposite ) andmore up- treks canbeorganised in length.Overnight days andrange fromoneto seven in Ranohira, length of each trek. andfinish Alltrailsstart compulsory for visitstotheparkandfees dependonthe are guides Official ( opposite ). available at are in caves faces,andsomeareas uponcliff high The Sakalava toburytheirdead peopleused October), whenwalkingismore comfortable. to visitduringthecoolermonths (Aprilto Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com 100,000Ar, three daily), but the trip can take arrange boat transfers to Anakao (return eggs. dunes littered with fragmentsof the little island of NosyVe andtreks tosand There’s windsurfing, snorkelling offshore at and makes apopularexcursion forafew days. south of towncanonlybereached byboat country vegetation. showcasing Madagascar’s extraordinary arid- garden, located 12kmsoutheastof Toliara, [email protected]; admission7000Ar) d’Antsokay Arboretum Sights &Activities office islocated onBlvdGallieni. cheques; there’s anATM atBFV-SG. Thepost Try alongBlvdPhilibert Tsiranana. town, alloffering access for30Arper minute. There are goodinternet cafésaround several Information Anakao ( below ). villages offor theseaside Ifaty( p896 ) and a great hurry.Many visitors itasthehub use main formof in transportandnobody’sever languid place,where Madagascar’s major west-coastport.It’sahot, Toliara isthelargest towninthesouthand TOLIARA (TULEAR) the rock. 25,000/38,000Ar perperson perdayandare Two popularshorttripsare adaywalk The picturesque village of seaside All banksexchange moneyandtravellers One-/two-day nationalparkpermitscost Canyon desSinges Canyon fady Safari Vezo Safari even today. even Angap , where youcanwatch thesun
( %
( h & PiscineNaturelle
94 41381; Ave deFrance) ( % pousse-pousses 7am-5pm) 032 0260015;andry.peti is abotanic in Ranohira in Ranohira SOUTHERNMADAGASCAR ••Toliara(Tulear) Aepyornis are the , where Anakao Anakao can
d’Antsokay; mains6000Ar) d’Antsokay; Euro-techno andMalagasy pop. crowded with peopledancing to amixture of goingstrong for years has been and gets Za staples. a longlistof Malagasy, French andChinese can watch thepassingparade anddinefrom 8000Ar) tensive chocolate-inspired menu. dessert dishes,andanex- thin-crust pizzaandpasta restaurant intown,withauthenticItalian 8800Ar, mains8000-11,000Ar; (5000Ar). dishes indeliciousgoat’s cheese specialises boretum d’Antsokayisrecommended and delaTableAuberge Eating &Drinking older-style bungalows are abitdingy. are spotless andnicelydecorated, butthe near bars andotherdistractions.Newsuites snow-white confection onthewaterfront right sea view50,600/40,600Ar; low with/withoutair-con40,600/30,600Ar,d/tw a breezy balcony. well run,andtherestaurant-bar isupstairs on d33,000Ar) Blvd Gallieni; resto. bathrooms, anddecentfoodintheattached boats toAnakao,withsuper-clean roomsand but thisisaclean,friendlybudget option. dark andpokydon’thave mosquitonets, with/without bathroom14,000/10,000Ar) the coast. you’re layingover tripsupordown between There’s agoodchoice of hotels inToliaraif Sleeping and placestoeatinAnakao. conditions. There’s plentyof accommodation hours eachseveral way,dependingonsea and drinks wellintothenight. Palatuvier thatoffers andsnacks allday, meals A newbar-restaurant opposite theHôtel le but nomosquitonets.It’sclean,friendlyand courtyard allhave bathroomswithhotwater bathroom 15,000/13,000Ar) Etoile deMer L’Estérel le Paletuvier Hôtel L’Escapade Lovasoa Hôtel Melita Chez Lala Za Great fromwhere outdoor tables you
(Blvd Lyautey)
(Blvd Lyautey;mains8000-9500Ar; ( ( % %
( % 94 441 92; Rue de la Voirie; pizza7500- 94 44192;RuedelaVoirie; 94 43417;Ave deFrance; dwith/without
( ( % % 94 41182;[email protected];
A Toliara institution, Za AToliara institution,Za (
ap % Clean cabinsinawalled ( 94 41839;RuedeSacréCœur;d 94 42807;BlvdLyautey;mains % In ahandylocationfor The restaurant atAr- 94 44039;BlvdLyautey;bunga- 032 0260015;Arboretum h ) You can’tmiss this 9am-1am) Rooms are abit h The best 9am-1pm)
895 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ MADAGASCAR OUA for Tana at6.30am onTuesday, Friday 896 ern end of town. Several ern endof town. Several from ToliaratoTana (193,000Ar, onehour). Air Madagascar &Around There Getting daily for Tana. Morombe (285km) To Ifaty(22km); 4 1 3 2 5 TOLIARA (TULÉAR) The main MadaBus Mud Flats
OTENMDGSA • Iay SOUTHERN MADAGASCAR ••Ifaty
Blvd Route de Manombo de Route
To Anakao(40km) Lyautey Mangroves Betaritarika 11 Rue Gambetta
AC (
% taxi-brousse Rue Estebe Chanaron Lieutenant du Rue Church Lutheran 5
6 ( 032 42 08969) % Rue NotreDame
de Nazareth Mangroves 8 10 94 41585) Mosque 15
12
Rue Lieterand de Bridiers de Lieterand Rue Rue Marius Jatop Marius Rue station is attheeast- station taxis-brousses departs from Place Rue Lucciardi
has daily flights hasdailyflights 2 1 Marché du Rue Blvd Philibert Araben'ny Market Rue Racon Fahaleovantena
Tsiranana
3 Campistron Gouverneur Rue Ave de France de Ave B 13 Rue de Sacré Cœur
Blvd Tsiebo Calvin Rue de la Voirie Stadium Andaboly leave 4 Mahavatse la Mer(500m); To Muséede Port (550m)
9
Blvd
lages of Ifaty, Mangilly and Mandio Rano) Ifaty (actuallyanarea thatincludes thevil- Most travellers area visit thequietcoastal of IFATY cost €50. landaka, opposite Compagniedu Sud, and Carnot Rue and Saturday.Tickets atLa- canbebought Campan
Ave de Belemboka Blvd Gallieni
Blvd Branley Blvd Hospital 400m 0.2miles 0 0 Northern Taxi-Brousse B2 L'Estérel...... Station(Ifaty)...... Main Taxi-BrousseStation...... Lalandaka...... Air Madagascar...... Za Za...... Melita...... Etoile deMer...... L'Escapade...... Hôtel Lovasoa...... Hôtel LePaletuvier...... Chez Lala...... Post Office...... Cyber M@ki...... BFV-SG...... TRANSPORT ENTERTAINMENT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION
Rte de I'Université
Sanfily Rue No 4 No Rue Arboretum d'Antsokay(12km);
7 lonelyplanet.com
Baie StAugustin(35km); Route de'Intérél Général de'Intérél Route La Mangrove(21km); To Trajectoire(2km); D Ihosy (335km) Airport (7km); 14 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Miary (10km) A1 D4 B5 A4 A4 A4 A4 D4 A3 A4 B5 B5 B4 B4 provide information aboutParc National and mosquitonetsare but afew steps woodenbungalowshavefortable hotshowers Beach Club and arestaurant. place withcleanbungalows,butnohotwater, the beach, so bringcash. a look. the roadjustnorthof Mangilly iswellworth August, andtheamazingspinyforest along them? There’s whale-watching inJulyand a relaxed tropicalambience,whocanblame breezes whisperinginthecasuarinatrees and beach. Andwithcoralreefs justoffshore, sea to situnderapalmtree onawhite sandy Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com locations in the region. .com) d’Andohahela. and travellers cheques; BFV-SG has anATM. There are banks thatcanchange several cash Information under thecontrolof thedeHeaulme family. hinterland. the sunoralonger explorationof thescenic and makes anidealplaceforaholidayin location onaheadlandwit on amap.Itnonethelesshasspectacular amounts tomuch lessinreality thanitappears nation, FortDauphin(asit’susually known) it’samajorAlthough regional touristdesti- TAOLAGNARO DAUPHIN) (FORT transfers fromhotels costabout€15. until earlyafternoon andcost2000Ar. Private the northern ted, road. sandy area. but there’s apoolanddecked restaurant-bar where cheaper bungalowshave nohotwater, 02 62148;[email protected]; bungalow€20-50) from thebeach. Nextdooris into Parc National d’Andohahela and other a variety of trips byfoot,boat and/or 4WD .mg; 2-/3-/4-personbungalow€19/30/40) relaxed placewithagoodrestaurant. Com- without bathroom10,000/15,000Ar) Mangilly’s newestbeachside resort, There isnowhere tochange moneyinIfaty, Safari Laka Safari The Close totheroadbutonlyashortwalk Close Much of thearea’s touristinfrastructure is Ifaty is22kmnorthof Toliaraalongarut- , based at Motal Gina( atMotal , based right ), organises WWF &Angapoffice
( % Chez Julie
taxi-brousse 032 0260047;ifatybeachclub@wanadoo ( % Taxis-brousses 032 02329 96;www.safarilaka
( % 41 82248;bungalowwith/ Azafady station inToliara station
isagoodbudget ( h great beaches % Vovotelo is a pleasant, is apleasant, 92 21268)
SOUTHERN MADAGASCAR ••Taolagnaro Dauphin) (Fort ( leave from % 92 212 65;
( % Ifaty can 032 , rain and washouts. at least 40hours, more ifthere’s heavy been viaIhosy andtake timesaweek liara several venture initself. often viaToliara and Morondava. for alldeHeaulme facilities. looking Libanona beach. Prices are thesame which hasthebestroomsandlocation,over- opposite leDauphin,andHôtel Miramar, Also inthedeHeaulme braceare Galion, Le (mains 11,000Ar),withadailyspecials board. unpretentious restaurant offers fineseafood familiales roomy bungalowsfromdoublesto deHeaulmelong-standing flagshipoffers English isspoken. host of indooractivitiesifit’sraining.Some French restaurant (menu 15,000Ar) one of theroundbungalows.There’s afine lent midrange option,especially if youchoose home awayfromdeHeaulme, thisisan excel- budget d15,000Ar,bungalow31,800-53,000Ar) with hotwater. rooms allhave mosquitonetsandbathroom butcomfortable best viewsintown.Basic the beach withshipwrecks offers someof the f acing room,thisbudget hotel perched above with seaview15,000/17,000Ar) Annexe Mahavoky Hôtel Sleeping &Eating August toMay. good forsurfingandwindsurfingfromlate ming, whilethebeach in southwestern sideof townisbestforswim- a swimmingbeach. town features numerous Thelongbeach northeastofDauphin itself. a ruinatthenortheastern tipof thecape. the French in1643,butisnowlittlemore than fineviews, Offering Sights &Activities around FortDauphin. and canhelpyouarrange independenttrips that worksoncommunitytourismprojects www.madagascar.co.uk) ( areDaily flights available with &Away There Getting % Hôtel leDauphin Hôtel Gina Motel There are great several beaches atFort Access to FortDauphinby roadisanad- 92 21122) , thebigger oneswithfridge. The to Tana (192,500Ar,twohours),
( % 92 212 66; [email protected]; 92 21266;[email protected]; Taxis-brousses
is a volunteer organisationis avolunteer ( % Fort Flacourt Fort
Libanona ( 92 21238;d€48; % shipwrecks If youget aneast- 032 0799070;rwithout/ Baie desGalions beach onthe Air Madagascar wasbuiltby travel toTo- , butisnot Foryour chambres p
and a ) The 897 is
MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR where there’s also time of year,especially inthewetseason), fice for6000Ar(bewarned:itcanrain atany (mains 7000Ar)isopenallday. let theindriswake you.Thegoodrestaurant upunder yourduvetno heating–snuggle and have toilet,hotshower andmosquitonetsbut bungalow 46,000Ar) Feon-ny Ala per person. hour indri-watching circuitcosts10,000Ar arrange aprofessional guide;aone-totwo- (RN2). Here youmustbuypermitsandcan from themainAntananarivo–Taomasina road 25,000/37,000/40,000/50,000Ar) of touristsonanature Italian walk. forest louderthanaparty canopy–that’seven the hoots thatcancarryupto3kmthrough istheindris,whichlight greet thedawnwith excellent lemur- andbird-watching. Thehigh- National d’Andasibe-Mantadia. Bothfeature andtheless accessibleParctrain station) (often calledPerinet, after thenow-defunct Specialdel’Analamazaotra theReserve serves: Therefrom thecapital. are actuallytwore- est inMadagascar liesonlythree hours’ drive The mostaccessibleparcelof pristinerainfor- ANDASIBE (PERINET) north. on thePangalanes andpointsfurther Canal Tamatave pointfor trips isacommonstarting country’s great rainforest enroute. reserves of Taomasina (Tamatave), passingoneof the Tanatween andthecoasttoresort town be- The RN2twistsdownthemountainsides MADAGASCAR EASTERN 898 the Angap office. where it’san easy walk toFeon’ny Ala and hours) candropyouat theparkturn-off, from RN2. a classydiningarea withlogfire. private transport)offering spotlesschalets and oftwo sections thepark (accessible onlyby the modation option ontheroadbetween .mg; d115,000Ar; ataboutlunch 5pm). (itcloses h Vakôna Forest Lodge Vakôna Forest at withouttransport should stay Those The You canpitch atent nexttotheAngapof- Andasibe is142kmeastof Tana alongthe breakfast &lunch) ATR AAACR • naie(eie) MADAGASCAR ••Andasibe(Perinet)EASTERN Taxis-brousses Angap office ( % ap 56 83202;rwithoutbathroom18,000Ar, , where thatched bungalows , a resto serving breakfast and , aresto serving
(permits perperson1/2/3/4days le Forestier fromTana (6000Ar, three )
( isanupmarket accom- % 22 62480;vakona@wanadoo is aneasy2kmwalk
(mains 5000-7000Ar; room 15,600/13,600Ar) opening onto thestreet. managed place, with agood restaurant-bar s/d 30,000/60,000Ar; randa, is uptheroad(see p900 ). safe andhotwater.TV, Itsrestaurant, Ve- Le Rooms have four-poster beds,mosquito net, as Hôtel Joffre next doorbutcommendable. pensive up yougo. thehigher fridge andmosquitonets, get more ex- spacious rooms all have hotshower,TV, wanadoo.mg; BlvdJoffe; s/d23,900/30,900Ar; lumpy bedsandnomosquitonets. in apinch, butthedank,darkrooms have without bathroom17,000/15,000Ar) a goodplacefororganising tripstotheCanal. mosquito nets,butit’sinahandylocation andis Eden Hôtel Sleeping 60,000Ar, includingtransfers andguides. with daytripsperperson costingfrom Canal, Hôtel Eden( below intrips onthe ), specialises lypso Tours a dayorlonger, more adventurous trips. most visitors’ listsof thingstodo,whetherfor for great photoopportunities. lemurssemi-wild roamthegroundsandpose a lovely, tranquilspot,where smallbandsof facility forlemurs, is13kmnorthof town.It’s 10,000Ar; Ivoloina Parc Zoologique Sights &Activities GMFakraLibraire Sat) Thebestplaceforinternetaccess. CyberSky found onAraben’nyFahaleovantena. SG allhave ATMs. canbe Themainpostoffice travellers cheques. BNI-CL,BMOIandBFV- alongBlvdJoffreBanks willchange cashand Information of thecountry. Pangalanes andtheremote northeastcorner des is alsothejumping-offpointforCanal egant decrepitude of afadedcolonialport,and Toamasina isagreat placetosoakuptheel- (TAMATAVE)TOAMASINA and newspapersinEnglish,plustownmaps. Central Hôtel Hôtel Central Hôtel Plage Hôtel Hôtel Joffre Hôtel Touring the
h Generation Generation (Blvd Joffre; permin30Ar;
( ( % % 9am-5pm) Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com
( ( % 032 4024778;BlvdJoffre) 53 31290;BlvdJoffre; dwith/withoutbath- % ( % Canal desPangalanes Canal a (BlvdJoffre) Stocksafew magazines Offers basicroomswithout 53 32090;BlvddelaLibération;dwith/ 53 32390;[email protected]; Blvd Joffre; 53 34086;d35,000Ar) , ) (
% A spotless, professionally a smallcaptive-breeding 53 32105;generationhotel@
( % This placewilldo 53 01217;admission h 8am-9pm Mon- , based inthe , based Not asslick is high on ishigh a ) The Ca- lonelyplanet.com Anjoma Parc ZoologiqueIvoloina(13km) Airport (5km); Le Ravinala(4km); Hôtel Miramar(4km); Pandora Station(3km); Parc ZoologiqueIvoloinaOffice(3km); To Angap(2km); 4 6 1 Tanambo 3 2 5 TOAMASINA (TAMATAVE) des Pangalanes(2km) To GareFluviale&Canal Blvd Amiral
21
Ponthiau Kely (50m) To Bazary Rue le Conte de Lille de Conte le Rue (280km) To Antananarivo Catholic Church Blvd de la Liberté
AC Station
Train Blvd de l'OUA de Blvd Tanamakoa
EASTERN MADAGASCAR ••Toamasina(Tamatave) EASTERN Rue Guynemer Rue Blvd de l'OUA de Blvd City Hall
Fahaleovantena Rue F de Mahy
Araben'ny Blvd Pasteur
Ὀ Rue Choiseul Rue
17
Rue de la Fraternité la de Rue
Blvd Augagneur Blvd
Canal des Pangalanes des Canal
Rue Jones Rue
Fi
Bevan Blvd de la Libération Labourdonnais Blvd 19
Rue Victor Hugo
Rue Letimbre
Rue Lieutenant Noël
Blvd Augagneur Blvd
Rue Lieutenant la de Rue Rue de Petit Thouars Rue Convention B
Rue Rue
Blvd de Livondro
Rue
Rue Nationale Bernardin Blvd Paul Doumer Hovas des Rue Rue Île de France Pierre Saint de Fenoarivo-Atsinanana (105km) 20 7 Maitre
Rue Lubert
Bazary Be
To Mahavelona(60km); Blvd Joffre Blvd Amiral Bouvet Rue
Rue Bir Hakeim
Fahaleovantena 10
Araben'ny
Bérard Grandidier 1 Rue Rolland Garros Rolland Rue
Nativel 3 Stadium 12 6 2
15
Rue Aviate Rue
Billard Blvd Joffre Blvd Rue 16 Ὀ 11 8 13 9
14 Blvd Rue de la Batterie la de Rue Ratsimilaho Baie d'Ivondro 18 ur Goulette
Bertho
4 Harbour Blvd Ratsimilaho Blvd
Rue Flacourt 0.2miles 300m 0 0 SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Taxi-Brousse Station...... MadaBus...... Air Madagascar...... Shoprite...... Score...... Saify SalondeThé...... Le Veranda...... Le PerroquetBleu...... Adam &EveSnackBar...... Hôtel Plage...... Hôtel Joffre...... Hôtel Génération...... Hôtel Eden...... Central Hôtel...... Calypso Tours...... (see9) Post Office...... Librairie GMFakra...... (see3) Cyber Sky...... Customs...... British HonoraryConsulate...... BMOI...... BFV-SG...... N-L...... C5 BNI-CL...... TRANSPORT EATING Rue Romain Desfosse
ὈὈ ὈὈ Rue du Commerce du Rue I NDA O CEAN D 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 5
A3 B3 B4 C4 A4 C5 C5 C5 C5 C3 C5 B3 C5 C5 B4 C5 D5 C4 C5 B4
899 Port MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR Prices are sea- duringthehigh usuallyhigher rare andyou’lloften have topayforadouble. less withshared facilities.Singleroomsare clean room (withbathroom)fromabout€13, It’s usuallypossibletofindadecent, relatively ACCOMMODATION DIRECTORY MADAGASCAR is €25. hind theHotel Sharon; thefare to/fromTana wanadoo.mg; (14,000Ar). (127,800Ar). car areDaily flights available with &Away There Getting daily specials. French, andMalagasy Chinese dishesorthe nonguests alike of tuckintoafineselection h as wellgrills. out incane,offering goodthin-crust pizza mains &pizza7000Ar) watching thestreetside goingson. ofselection snacks,drinksandicecream while 5000Ar; fresh juicesandicecream. indifferent butgoodcoffee, plus patisserie or Score supermarkets. have achoiceSelf-caterers of eitherShoprite Eating 900 for hiking. Parc ( National de l’Isalo p894 ) is excellent Parc Nationald’Andasibe-Mantadia ( p898 ). clude Parc ( National Ranomafana p893 ) and Top spots forlemur- andbird-watching in- ACTIVITIES season. duringthehigh reservations placesmake advance tion orout-of-the-way For anythingother thanbudget accommoda- quoted inthisbookare prices. high-season Christmas, New Year andEaster. Prices son The Taxis-brousses Le Veranda Le Perroquet Bleu SnackBar Adam &Eve Saify SalondeThé
lunch &dinnerMon-Sat) , ( ie between JuneandAugust andaround iebetween % AAACRDRCOY • comdto ••Accommodation MADAGASCAR DIRECTORY h 53 32356) MadaBus MadaBus Tue-Sun) h
( % 9am-7pm) 53 33435;CentralHôtel;menu13,000Ar; Theplacetoenjoyagood fromToamasinatoTana ( % An intimate placedecked leave dailyforTana
(
% ( % Central Hôtel guestsand Central
53 35148;cap-sainte-marie@ ( departure pointisbe- % 53 33181;BlvdJoffre) 032 40 270 55; Rue Lubert; 032 4027055;RueLubert; 53 33456;BlvdJoffre; mains Air Madagas- Serves a ntiquities. lery, antiquecoins,fossils,funerary artand stones (inexportquantitiesonly), jewel- Aepyornis fragmentsof tortoiseshell, mounted insects, liveMadagascar: plants(including vanilla), It’s forbiddentotake thefollowingoutof CUSTOMS provide but are hardtofindelsewhere. Many hotels are available supermarkets, inAntananarivo’s lers are afairlyrare nappies Disposable sight. travel withyoungchildren, sojuniortravel- Madagascar isareasonably hardplaceto CHILDREN 6.30pm to8pmfordinner. from noonto2pmforlunch, andfromabout noon onSaturday.Mostrestaurants are open and8amto until 5.30pmor6pmonweekdays Mostshopsareor 4pmweekdays. alsoopen open from8amtonoonand2pm3.30pm andbanksare postoffices Offices, normally BUSINESS HOURS least favourable. ruary andMay, whendivingconditionsare Many dive centres Feb- are between closed and manyplacesoffer a internationally recognised divingcourses divefor diving.Companiesinevery spotoffer Bike ditional information,check out to bringyourownbike fromhome. Forad- tripsyou’llneed forlong-distance although and bicyclescanberented inmanyplaces, parents withchildren. or doubleroomswithanextrasingle bedfor The waters aroundIfaty( p896 ) are ideal Madagascar isagoodcountryforcycling
PRACTICALITIES
Radio and TV programming isallin and TV Radio Daily newspapers include is220VAC Electricity (useEuropean distances road and measures Weights, (www.madagascar-on-bike.com). French. L’Express de Madagascar gasikara, plugs). two-round-pin use themetricsystem. chambres familiales (elephant bird) eggshell, precious (elephantbird)eggshell,
Madagsacar Tribune baptême (allinFrench). Midi Mada- (family rooms) and Madagascar on Madagascar lonelyplanet.com (‘try dive’). Massachusetts Ave,Massachusetts NW,Washington,DC20008) Sandton 2146) Hotel,Nairobi) 41723, 1stfl,Hilton K1J7M4Ontario) 649 BlairRd,Ottawa, 100Clarence St,Sydney,NSW2000) 6th level, London W128DT) especially atdawnanddusk. malaria occurs here repellent, –wearinsect the water. are Mosquitoes ubiquitousand sure localadvicebefore toseek headinginto danger fromsharksandstrongcurrents. Make be sufficient). with youatalltimes(aphotocopywillnot trouble withthepolice,carryyourpassport when incrowdedareas. Toavoid getting into external moneybelt,andwatch yourpockets risk –donotkeep yourvaluables inapackor herently dangerous. Petty theft isthemain Travelling Madagascar throughout isnotin- DANGERS &ANNOYANCES in French) gasy customs more information,check detailed out more than5000Aroutof Madagascar. For lonelyplanet.com USA UK South Africa France embassies are alllocated inAntananarivo. port inToamasina (Tamatave). Thefollowing The UKhasanhonorary consulate nearthe inMadagascar Embassies &Consulates USA UK South Africa Kenya France Canada Australia Madagascan Embassies &Consulates EMBASSIES &CONSULATES travel ifpossible. therisks,trytoavoid ous. Tominimise night brousse vehicles andreckless drivers makes Ave Paris 75016) Raphael, Ambohitrarahaba) Ambatomena) Nearthe ShanghaiHotel. tovo, Haute-Ville) Eastofthe UCBbank. tovo, Haute-Ville) Officially, youareOfficially, notallowedtotake any A combinationof packed, unroadworthy Some areas alongthecoastare subjectto Mp p885; (Map ( % (Map (Map p887 ; ( % ( (Map (Map p887 ; ( % 020-8746 0133; 16 Lanark Mans, Pennard020-8746 0133;16LanarkMans, Rd, % ( . (bush taxi) travel (bushtaxi) potentially hazard- % 202-265 5522;[email protected];2374 ( % 02 218393;[email protected]; BP 01 45 04 62 11; [email protected]; 4 01 45046211;[email protected]; 613-744 7995;[email protected]; ( ( % % % 02-9299 2290;[email protected]; (www.madagascar-contacts.com/douanes, (www.madagascar-contacts.com/douanes, % 22 27370) 22 423 03; Rte d’Ambohimanga, 22 42303;Rte 011 4423322;POBox786098, % MADAGASCAR DIRECTORY ••Dangers&Annoyances MADAGASCAR DIRECTORY 22 209 56,22212 57;14Rue Raini- 22 214 88; 3 Rue Jean Jaurès, 22 21488;3RueJean Mala- taxi- December inthesouthwest. andinNovember between JuneandSeptember, September. ceremoniesreburial are heldespeciallyfromJuneto takàrana peopleinJune. immigration. for ayellow-fever certificate uponarrivalat yellow fever ispresent, youmay beasked If youhave justarrived froma country where HEALTH site –are sex culturallyinappropriate. whether amongcouplesof oroppo- thesame lesbian travellers. displays of – Overt affection there are noorganisations catering togayand and isnotopenly practised, Homosexuality gascar forpersons under21years of age. practicesareHomosexual illegalin Mada- GAY &LESBIANTRAVELLERS per maincourse. profiteroles orgoose-liver patéforaround€7 haute cuisine Frenchcourse. Top-endrestaurants serve costing about 6000Arto8000Arforamain ples such as plainFrench food,includingsta- ally serve for under€2.Midrange restaurants gener- hotelys ter are usually orsmallMalagasyfood stalls The budget restaurants aslisted inthischap- FOOD Sambatra Famadihana Fisemana Santabary Be Alahamady at thetouristofficeforexacttimes. Many of dates change these yearly,soinquire FESTIVALS &EVENTS 1022, DaresSalaam,Tanzania. Commission,POBox High c/o Canadian shouldbeaddressed All inquiriesforCanada French) Reunion holidays occur,checkthese ion travel intheregion. Tofindout when when many expatsfromMayotte and Réun- to organise during French school holidays, areAccommodation andflights often harder HOLIDAYS For more information,see p883 . . that serve mainlyricedishes orsnacks thatserve
A ritual purification ceremony oftheAn- purification Aritual (www.ac-reunion.fr/academie/calendri.htm, in (www.ac-reunion.fr/academie/calendri.htm, Circumcision festivals held by most tribes Circumcisionfestivals heldbymosttribes The first rice harvest heldinApril/May. harvest Thefirstrice Literallythe‘turningofbones’;these The low-key Malagasy NewYear Malagasy Thelow-key inMarch. steack frîtes , which might includelobster, which might (steak andchips), L’Academie dela
901 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR also producesstreet mapsof theprovincial than adequate forvisitingthecountry.FTM fairly dated butgenerally accurate, andmore towns forabout 10,000Ar. Themaps are and majorat bookshops inAntananarivo Madagasikararintanin’i (FTM) are available maps producedbyFoibenTaosa-Official MAPS is15years.sex Thelegalagevisa. of forheterosexual consent ing immigrationlaws,sodon’toverstay your your country.Madagascar isstrictinenforc- you’re arrested, arepresentative asktosee of recreational drugsisillegalinMadagascar. If of andpossession marijuanaandother The use LEGAL MATTERS inremotebut maybehigher areas. atabout 30Arperminute,towns. Pricesstart aresome postoffices) available inmostmajor Fast andreliable emailfacilities(including ACCESS INTERNET Day Republic Day Christmas All Saints’Day Day Assumption National Day Monday Pentecost Thursday Ascension UnityDay ofAfrican Organisation Day Anniversary Labour Day Monday Easter Day Insurrection New Year’s Day a publicholiday. are theafternoon generally before alsoclosed onthefollowingpublicholidays;banks close 902 major youcan withdraw towns. However, majortananarivo, cities andtouristareas. and USdollars are sometimesaccepted inAn- quoted inariary.Euros are widely accepted, areuntil 2009.Prices inmostbusinesses now gasy francs;theFMg willremain legaltender lonial ariary(Ar), which isworth five Mala- from the Malagasy franc (FMg)tothepreco- Madagascar iscurrently changing itscurrency MONEY capitals. against theFrench in1947 There are ATMs andother inAntananarivo Government andprivate offices companies AAACRDRCOY • nentAcs ••InternetAccess MADAGASCAR DIRECTORY 1 May (IndependenceDay)26June 30December 1November 25 December 1January March/April 15August 29 March; celebratestherebellion 29March; 8 May (51 days after Easter)May/June (51daysafter (40 days after Easter) (40daysafter 25 May
May/June a of Madagascar, dial number.line, then theseven-digit To call out followed by20ifyou are diallingfromaland ternet cafésalsooffer faxservices. offices andfrom upmarket hotels. Somein- Faxes fromtelephone offices, post canbesent TELEPHONE &FAX gered tropical hardwoods. products, which are fromendan- often carved damagefar lessenvironmental than wooden and workupwards. from50%ofhard isexpected –start theprice ( sanale p889 ) inAntananarivo. Bargaining best placeforshopping istheMarché Arti- you’re rideawayfromtheairport, ataxi paper.taimoro for itsproductionof silkandhandmadeAn- coloured woods).Ambalavao ( p894 ) isknown and carvings Madagascar, withdozensof shops selling ( highlands p892 of) istheshoppingcapital crafts andsouvenirs. Ambositrainthecentral Madagascar offers varietyof afantastic handi- SHOPPING cheaper. Australia andtheUSA.Postcardsare slightly a letter toEuropecosts 1500Ar,and2100Arto isgenerally reliable. Sending service the postal There are inallmajor postoffices townsand POST arrivals. international flight atthebanks,andisusuallyopenfor as those port hasexchange rates thatare justasgood major currencies. banks change travellers cheques andcashin cashadvances(inariary).Majorto obtain MasterCard atsomebanks canalsobeused also accepted inaminorityof and places.Visa withMasterCard cardisVisa, most useful fices andatsomelarger travel agencies. The some upmarket hotels, atAirMadagascar of- cards. time of research ATMs onlyaccepted Visa andatthe only around€150pertransaction, code. telecarte The best way todialinternationally is with The countrycode forMadagascar is do inmindthatembroidery andraffia Bear The foreign-exchange counter atIvatoair- If youwanttoleave yourpurchasing until Credit cardsare rarely accepted, exceptat (phonecard). Card phones are (phonecard). Card scat- marqueterie marqueterie % 00 before thecountry (objects inlaidwith lonelyplanet.com % 261, this bookaspartof each telephone number. prefixesabroad. These are listed throughout locally, fromelsewhere inMadagascar orfrom prefix mustbedialledwhetheryouare calling digit thenatwo-digitnumber).The number (usuallygiven intheformof athree- dialling international operatorcanbereached by 6am, alldaySundayandonholidays.The areCalls 30%cheaper 10pmand between minute toEurope,theUSAandCanada. to theComoros,andaboutFMg20,250per FMg13,500 perminute to France, FMg13,500 forinternational callsaremuch Rates higher). more upmarket rates hotels (although willbe canalsobemadefrom least 100units.Calls tels. Forinternational at callsyouwillneed (Agate) andatsomeshopsho- offices, at postoffices, atAgence d’AccueilTelecom tered aroundalllarger are towns.Cards sold lonelyplanet.com the provincial you willfind hotels capitals with andmost ofthe best option. InAntananarivo is folded up. Travelling around byrental caris unable to accommodate unless it awheelchair Public transportisverydisabled. crowded and Madagascar hasfew, ifany,facilities for the TRAVELLERS WITHDISABILITIES Antananarivo; Ravelomanantsoa, inFrench; 3LalanaElysée www.madagascar-tourisme.com, deMadagascar de Tourisme lists of Contact hotels andguesthouses. Tourist officesinMadagascar canprovide INFORMATION TOURIST number. bile phone,dial When callinglandlinenumbers fromamo- Madagascar, todialthezero. youwillneed 20 prefix, butaddthecountrycode. number fromabroad, omitthezeroand 031, 032and033.Ifdiallingamobile phone Madagascar. Mobile-phoneprefixes are 030, % numbers thathave onlytwodigits),dial direct-dialling telephone facilities(allthose two-digit area prefix. If youare quoted afive-digit number,addthe number. digit area prefix followedbyafive-digit local Mon-Fri) Mobile phonesare incommonusage in To reach remote areas thatdonothave For callstomobile numbers fromwithin Numbers inMadagascar consistof atwo- 15 forthelocaloperator,thenrequest the inthecapital. % 10. MADAGASCAR DIRECTORY •• Tourist Information ••Tourist MADAGASCAR DIRECTORY % 020 before theseven-digit
h (Map (Map p887 ; 8.30am-noon &2-7pm % 22 35178; Maison Maison .miusa.org) LocatedintheUSA. WOMEN TRAVELLERS p901). (see able fromitsembassyinAntananarivo fortravelVisas toSouthAfricaare avail- forOnwardTravel Visas process. daysto costs about€21andcantake several air orboatticket. Aone-monthextension size photosaswellacopyof yourreturn twotofourpassport- tosupplybetween need oranyprovincialtananarivo You will capital. extended attheimmigrationoffice inAn- mal three-month canbe maximum,visas the date of issue. withinsixmonthsentry andmustbeused of valid foruptothree months fromthedate of ation before arrivingwithoutone. are Visas (about €30)–butget anupdate onthesitu- on arrivalatIvatoairportinAntananarivo areOne-month, single-entryvisas available lent of about€29/34forsingle/multiple entry. Malagasy embassyorconsulate fortheequiva- car. canbearrangedVisas inadvance atany All visitors musthave toenter Madagas- avisa VISAS Handicapped forthe Society fortheAdvancementofTravel ( forDisability&Rehabilitation Royal Association Located inAustralia. Network National InformationCommunicationAwareness USA Mobility International impaired: formation onworldtravel forthemobility with anysortof handlesorholds. manoeuvre in,andalmostnone awheelchair There are very few bathroomslarge to enough either liftsorground-floor accommodation. who frequent nightclubs. more pestering from thehordes of prostitutes very rare, andin fact maletravellers facefar Physical harassment andviolent crimeare you are singleand/or don’thave children. curiosity aboutyour situation,especiallyif car. The most youcanexpectissomemild cure inany waywhentravelling inMadagas- Most womendo not feel threatened orinse- Located intheUSA. % The followingorganisations provide in- As longasyouhave thenor- notexceeded 020-7250 3222;www.radar.org.uk) LocatedintheUK. (NICAN; (SATH; % % 02-6285 3713;www.nican.com.au) 212-447 7284;www.sath.org) ( % 541-343 1284;www
903 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR Johannesburg. useful place to seek information about flights informationaboutflights placetoseek useful Lalana ElyséeRavelomanantsoa) Tours Africa. ion, andreasonably accessiblefrommainland dian Oceanislandsof Mauritius andRéun- Madagascar iswellconnected withtheIn- AFRICA &THEINDIANOCEAN Interair Corsair Air Mauritius Air Madagascar Air France Air Austral Madagascar: isnowrelatively efficient. service, with recent improvements and tothefleet 12km northof Antananarivo. arriveIntercontinental flights atIvatoairport, Air requirements. way. See p903 forinformationabout visa beforeissue yourvisa lettingyougoonyour Immigration officials generally justcheck or THERE&AWAY GETTING MADAGASCAR IN TRANSPORT 904 Réunion and Mauritius andAntananarivo Kenya or Madagascar. your ticket directly from AirMadagascar in return) generally works better ifyoupurchase Madagascartween andNairobi(about €500 onAirMadagascar.twice weekly Travel be- anarivo (about€500 return) onInterair, and Johannesburg between weekly andAntan- robi inKenya. There times are several flights are Johannesburg inSouthAfricaand Nai- within thisregion. car.mg) HubAntananarivo. Hub Paris Orly. Paris Charles deGaulle. Air Mauritius. with French) HubSaint-Dénis,Réunion.Fliesinconjunction .com) HubStMaurice. Air Austral has regular between flights Once you’re inMadagascar, The followingairlinesflytoandfrom Air Madagascar isthenationalcarrier,and The main hubs for flights toMadagascarThe mainhubsfor flights
RNPR NMDGSA • GtigTee&Aa There INMADAGASCAR &Away ••Getting TRANSPORT Mp p887; (Map (SS;
(D6; (AF; (UU; % % (MK; % 22 63336;www.corsair.fr, inFrench) % % 22 22406;www.interair.co.za) Hub (MD; 23 230 23; www.airfrance.com) Hub 23 23023;www.airfrance.com) % 22 35990;www.airaustral.com,in 22 69036;www.dodotraveltour.com; % 22 35990;www.airmauritius 22 22222;www.airmadagas ,
in Antananarivo, isa in Antananarivo, Dodo Travel & DodoTravel .co.nz) .com.au); flights to Antananarivo (from€350 return), toAntananarivo flights as or Mauritius, which are linked by AirAustral The best connections are usually viaRéunion and from oneof cities toAntananarivo. these Denis (Réunion) orPort Louis (Mauritius), toJohannesburg,pean capitals Nairobi, St- return. fromabout €1400 both airlinesusually start Paris andAntananarivo. PricesfromParis on France flythree between to fourtimesweekly Madagascar is Paris. AirMadagascar andAir to/from The mainEuropeanhubforflights EUROPE STA Travel Flight Centre to Antananarivo. agencies: Trythese nect withanAirMadagascar orInterair flight FromJohannesburg,low season. you cancon- with Johannesburg fromA$1600return inthe Airways bothhave connectingSydney flights to Antananarivo. there are regular connectionsonAirAustral from about A$1500return. FromMauritius both Melbourne andPerth withMauritius Air Mauritius connecting flights hasweekly cheapest) route istotravel viaMauritius. and Madagascar; theshortest (andoften Australia There are nodirect servicing flights AUSTRALIA &NEWZEALAND you canconnecttoMadagascar. ways fromHongKongtoNairobi,where A ntananarivo. with anAirMadagascar orInterair to flight from Johannesburg youcanalsoconnect and ritius onAirAustraltoAntananarivo, There are regular connectionsfromMau- regularly toJohannesburg frombothcities. to Mauritius, andSouthAfricanAirlinesflies fromSingaporetimes weekly andHongKong Thailand. AirMauritius several hasflights direct routetoBangkok, fromAntananarivo Air Madagascar hasrecently commenceda ASIA €350 return). (from €350return) andToamasina (from centre.co.nz) .com.au); Alternatively, andSouthAfrican Qantas It’s alsopossible to flyfrommanyEuro- It’s alsoeasytoget onKenya flights Air- New Zealand New Zealand
Australia
Australia ( ( ( % % % ( % 1300 733035;www.statravel 0508 782872;www.statravel 0800 233544;www.flight 133 133;www.flightcentre lonelyplanet.com Contact it directly forfares. itdirectly Contact centre.ca); to Madagascar. velles-frontieres.fr) AgoodFrench option,withgrouptours Has branchesacrossFrance. deals toParis. offices acrossEurope. Internationaltravelagentwithplentyofother German) .uk); Dutchtravelagent. well-respected to Madagascar isgenerally viaParis. Itmay The cheapest waytoflyfromNorthAmerica USA &CANADA experience. Excellent, reliable UKtravelagentwithhugeamountof Trailfinders STA Travel OTU Voyages Frontières Nouvelles Air Fare agents toget youstarted: in Madagascar. oneof Contact thefollowing tootherplaces weekly flights well asbyseveral lonelyplanet.com Madagascar. from SouthAfrica, Réunion or Mauritius to possible tofindpassage onayacht heading cargo boats toMadagascar. It’salsosometimes bar (Tanzania) are the mainplacesto lookfor canmake trip. itarough seas, tions, combined with sometimesturbulent crew andeatingcondi- member –sosleeping ships –unless youfindaride onayacht asa determination. Travel islikely tobeoncargo plentyofby boat,butyouwill need timeand It’s possibletotravel toandfromMadagascar Sea STA Travel Flight Centre online fares. Cheaptickets to help: alsobeable The followingcompaniesmight airfares andcanbookAirMadagascar flights. .air-mad.com) &Expeditions Travel Cortez travel agency specialisinginMadagascar is tion toAntananarivo. IntheUSA,main New YorktoJohannesburg, withaconnec- ticketsecond fromEuropetoMadagascar. from NorthAmericatoEurope,andthena work outcheaper toget tickets separate –one Mombasa (Kenya)Mombasa andtheisland of Zanzi- or Another optionistoflyfromAtlanta Germany ( % USA
UK ( ( % ( . Ithasinformationongood-value % ( 020 6205121;www.airfair.nl, inDutch)A % ( ( (www.cheaptickets.com) Canada % % % 800 3299537;www.statravel.com)Good 01805-456 422;www.statravel.de,in 020-7938 3939;www.trailfinders.com) 1866 WORLD51;www.flightcentre.us) TRANSPORT IN MADAGASCAR •• Getting Around INMADAGASCAR ••Getting TRANSPORT 0825 004027;www.otu.fr,inFrench) 0870 1600599;www.statravel.co ( % ( % 1 8889675355;www.flight 08 033333;www.nou
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A goodsourceof Specialists in ecotourism andresponsible travel. Specialists inecotourism combined withRéunionandMauritius. tureassociates.com; Australia)RunstourstoMadagascar, to Madagascar. Specialistandgeneral-interest guidedtrips tours.co.uk; UK) .com; USA)Focusesonlemursightings. .reefandrainforest.co.uk; UK) Focusesonwildlife viewing..reefandrainforest.co.uk; UK) flights is20kg. flights cheques andcredit cards. alsoacceptstravellersoffice inAntananarivo but smalleroffices mayonlyacceptariary.The and AirMadagascar inlarger offices towns, US dollars attheheadoffice inAntananarivo from sometravel agents. Madagascar’s and headoffice in Antananarivo and routes (butnotfares) isavailable fromAir and avoiding longroadjourneys. travel isagoodwayof covering large distances Tickets are relatively inexpensive, andair networkofsive domesticroutes. andefficient pendance, Antananarivo) % carrier, national The Air AROUND GETTING Wildlife tours. .wildlifeworldwide.com; UK) Wildlife Worldwide Tours &Rainforest Reef Tours Rainbow Manaca Lemur Tours &Expeditions Travel Cortez Associates Adventure the UKandUSA. to, andaround,Madagascar fromAustralia, companies operatinggeneral interest tours Madagascar, see p907 . Followingare afew For alistof organised tourcompanieswithin Tours frequent last-minute schedule changes. and again on thedayof departure, asthere are check withthe airlineafew days inadvance firm your AirMadagascar tickets, it’sbestto as possible. it’s alwaysworth bookingasfarinadvance Air Madagascar are flights frequently full,so RESERVATIONS &CHECK-IN Madagascar flightsandtours. Madagascar operatorforAir www.air-mad.com; USA)Well-established The baggage allowance formostinternal You canpayfortickets inariary,eurosor A handyfreetimetables bookletdetailing While it’s officially unnecessary torecon- unnecessary While it’s officially 22 22222;www.airmadagascar.mg; 31Ave deL’Indé- ( % ( 866-362 6222;www.manaca.com; USA) % ( % 1-510-620-9708; www.lemurtours 020-7226 1004;www.rainbow ( % , hasapretty comprehen- ( % ( 0845-130 6982;www Air Madagascar Air Madagascar % 02-8916 3000;www.adven ( 01803-866965; www % 800-854 1029; Mp p887; (Map
905 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR of publicroadtransportinMadagascar. However, punctuality, comfortand,arguably, safety. asthe stations Tamatave thesame mostly use routes. These Bus buscompanies, suchLong-distance as Bus May between andSeptember.season east coastisgenerally unsafe during therainy the boatisovercrowded. Boattravel onthe areand don’tget orif iniftheseas rough cant lossof life. Alwayscheck forlifejackets passenger ferries, have capsizedwithsignifi- cargo boats,including transport. Overloaded times called On thenortheastcoast,cargo boats(some- Boat conditionforlongjourneys. enough Sainte Marie, theyare notnormallyingood onÎle masina, AntsirabeandAmbodifotatra bikes inmanylarger towns,includingToa- a break enroute. bicycle on and rocky. varies fromvery tomuddyorrough sandy times available inlarger towns.Theterrain inner tubesandotherbasicpartsare some- spare Carry parts,although mally essential. as by It mayoften bejustasfasttotravel bybicycle Bicycle destination. you are reunited withyourluggage atyour to keep yourbaggage-claim ticket until 906 often driving conditions androad difficult costs include insurance. Dueto the Rental held adriving licencefor atleastoneyear. generally beatleast 23years oldand have of any caryourent before out. setting most towns.Make sure tocheck thespare tyre and repairs of varyingqualityare available in all citiesandinmost major towns.Spare parts an International DrivingPermit (IDP). To drive in Madagascar tohave youwill need &Motorcycle Car To rent acarinMadagascar, you must youareAlthough ableto rent mountain If youhave checked inbaggage, besure It’s usuallynoproblem totransportyour You’ll find petrol stations ofYou’ll findpetrol stations some kindin
(www.madabus.com) RNPR NMDGSA • GtigAon Around INMADAGASCAR ••Getting TRANSPORT taxi-brousse taxis-brousses taxis-brousses boutres taxis-brousses . A mountain bike. Amountain isnor- , operate ontheToliarand ) are of theprimarymeans remain themainform if youwanttotake andoffer better Mada- fare. pay about the equivalent of the If youdo findaride,you willlikely have to taxis-brousses and most passingvehicles are likely to be townsandcitiesisthin, between it. Traffic try intheworld, andwedon’trecommend Hitching entirely isnever safe inanycoun- Hitching try toavoid it. to drive asthere atnight, so isnolighting, carts ontheroad.Itisparticularly hazardous broken-down cars andslow-moving zebu tions, watch outforpedestrians,animals, there shouldbenoproblem. isinorder passport, butaslongyourvisa casionally foreigners willbeasked fortheir probable) infractionsof thevehicle code. Oc- of detecting anyof the1001possible(and and carryoutrandomchecks, inthehope side. Thepoliceoccasionallystopvehicles Driving inMadagascar isontheright-hand ROAD RULES social callsenroute. a few extrahours toallowforbreakdowns or common thanaccidents,soalwaysfactorin gerous vehicles androads.Delaysare more (especially drunkenness) ratherthanbydan- during therainyseason. Ihosy–Fort Dauphinroute isvery difficult orrocky.The exceptionally muddy,sandy badly deteriorated. Nonpaved roadsare often paved, andmanyof thatare those paved are than15%ofLess thecountry’sroadsare ROAD CONDITIONS vehicles aswell. longer, journeys,andprovide rougher support Some placesalsorent for motorcyclessuitable 250cc toatinyPeugeot range fromaHondaorYamaha 125ccor ontheislandonly).Atmostplaces,they use including ToliaraandÎleSainte Marie (for or fulldayatvariousplacesinMadagascar, intherainyseason. and essential themainroutestions off a4WDisadvisable, a 4WD,excludingfuel.Foralmostalldestina- average 100,000Arto140,000Arperdayfor driver obligatory with theirvehicles. Prices hazards, mostrental agencies make hiringa Most accidentsare byhuman failing caused If youaren’t tolocaldrivingcondi- used Motorcycles canberented bythehalfday ortrucks, which are often full. mobylette lonelyplanet.com taxi-brousse (moped).
Tourist rates start atabout1000ArandareTourist rates start wedging yourself intooneatsomepoint. independently aroundthecountrywithout Madagascar andyou’llfindithardtotravel Taxis-brousses TAXI-BROUSSE sometimes doubles. you climbaboard.Whenit’sraining,theprice always negotiable, soagree toafare before luggage, it’spolite tohire two daily amounttotheowners. Ifyouhave heavy as theyrent theirrickshaws andhave topaya pousse-pousse fare. Youmayfindtheideaoffensive, butthe ably behoundedbydrivers lookingfora throng someMalagasy townsandyou’llprob- colouredBrightly POUSSE-POUSSE Local Transport lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thingwith ourcontent.’ the above -‘Do theright thetermsand conditionsonour siteforalongerway ofsaying youknow, orresell it.See everyone site,massemailit to only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse,access thischapterisnotdigitally Tomake people, whorarely speakEnglish. Malagasytion barrierwiththe fairlyreserved behardtobreakotherwise the communica- able ifyoudon’tspeak much French, asitcan tours, andculturalhistorictours. 4WD circuits,wildlife-watching trips, walking lance guidesoffer mountain-bike excursions, Madagascar’s manytouroperators andfree- Tours the edges of thestation. up inthetransportcompanyoffices thatline paint ontheirwindscreen andfares are pinned your custom. totryandwin luggage andyellinginyourear by pushy atyour butharmless touts,tugging arrival toatown,youmaywellbe besieged organised onceyouget thehangof it.Upon an extraseat. with youinthevehicle, topayfor you’llneed foreigners. Ifyouwanttokeep abackpack conditions. Pricesare forlocalsand thesame and aredurationroute ondistance, based Fares foralltripsare bythe government set An organised tourcanbeparticularlyvalu- Vehicles displaythedestination inwhite The taxi-brousse men need work,notsympathy, menneed are apartof dailylife in TRANSPORT IN MADAGASCAR •• Getting Around INMADAGASCAR ••Getting TRANSPORT pousse-pousses system isrelatively well pousse-pousse (rickshaws) . guides andoff-roadexcursions. Vehicles, Isoraka) car-circuits.com; 50ArabeRamanantsoa, rental andticketing. efficient companythatcanorganisecountrywidetours,car Immeuble FIARO,Ampefiloha)Arelatively newbutvery Pangalanes. alongthe Canaldes andtrips tours,trekking offering duRovarestaurant, operatorbasedatGrill Upmarket Avaradrova).malagasy-tours.com; LalanaRamboatiana, usual circuits. orchid toursandFamadihana ceremonies, aswellthe Bicycleexpeditions, 56 Araben’ny26Jona1960,Analakely) tananarivo–Toamasina andAntananarivo– tananarivo–Toamasina Plans are, afoottorestore however, theAn- ated onlytheFianarantsoa–Manakara line. Chemins deFer Malgaches (RNCFM),oper- Nationaldes system, knownastheRéseau At thetimeof writingtheMalagasy rail Train Setam Tours Malagasy Cameleon Mad Espace Mada &Expeditions Travel Cortez Pilgrim Boogie Aventour p886. about foreignFor details travel agencies, see range excursions Madagascar. throughout companiesthatcanar-Antananarivo-based by bothpartiesinadvance,writing. menu plans.Trytoget agreed allthedetails, cluding vehicles, campingequipmentandeven check asmuch aspossiblebeforehand –in- Andasibe services. Tsingy deBemaraha. includingParcfocusing onwesternMadagascar, National Tours Ankadivato-Ambony) Lot 11-K,LalanaRasamoely, including theCanaldesPangalanes. Englishspeaking. placesinMadagascar, ecotours andcampsinseveral .net; ÎledesOiseaux,Tsarasaotra, Alarobia) Adventurous wide range of itineraries forindividualsandgroups. wide rangeofitineraries a agencyoffering Antanimena)American-based riandiky, 25LalanaNyZafind- 74; [email protected]; The ruleof thumbfororganised tours isto Following isalistof someof thereliable (Map (Map p887 ; Mp p885; (Map Mp p887; (Map ( ( % % Mp p885; (Map % 22 34420;[email protected]; 22 53070;www.boogie-pilgrim % 22 32431;www.setam-mg.com; % 22 317 61; [email protected]; 22 31761;[email protected]; % 22 26297;www.madagas © LonelyPlanetPublications Mp p885; (Map 22 35607;www % 22 219
907 MADAGASCAR MADAGASCAR