About Madagascar

Climate

Dry season from April to October, rainy season from November to March.
The rainy season is characterized by heavy rains at the end of the day and at night, and also corresponds to the hot season.
Bring a fleece from June to early September on the high plateaus for the evenings and a few cool days.

Languages

Malagasy is the official language. But Madagascar is a French-speaking country. In major cities and tourist areas, many Malagasy people speak fluent French.
All our driver-guides are French-speaking, and some are English-speaking.

Visa
If you pick it up on arrival at Ivato/Antananarivo international airport, the tourist visa is
– free for stays of less than 30 days
– 70€ (in cash) for a stay of 60 days
– 100€ (in cash) for a stay of 90 days
– 105€ (in cash) for a one-month stay (convertible)

It is possible to extend a visa for up to 3 months, but this is a lengthy and difficult process.
On the other hand, it is very difficult to extend a tourist visa beyond 3 months.
For people wishing to settle in Madagascar, the transformable and extendable visa must be acquired at a Madagascan embassy or consulate in the country of origin.

Vaccines
No vaccinations are required for travel to Madagascar, except for those who have passed through an infected area.
Make sure you take anti-malarial treatment, especially for trips to the coast, and mosquito repellent.

Electricity
The network is entirely 220 V with European-standard sockets (as in France).
Depending on the time of year and the town in question, power may be cut from a few minutes to a few hours.
Some isolated hotels are not connected to the national grid. As a result, they run on generators or solar power. In such cases, hotel management may cut off the electricity supply for a few hours in the middle of the night.

Money
The currency is the ARIARY. The old currency, the “Malagasy franc” or “FMG”, has been out of circulation since 2004.
Please note: the majority of the urban population continues to speak in “FMG”: 1,000 ARIARY = 5,000 FMG.
The weighted average rate of the ARIARY against the EURO is approximately 1 EURO = 3040 ARIARY as at 06/12/2013.
At a bank counter, the rate is around 2% to 3% lower than the weighted average rate (see http://www.banque-centrale.mg).
The ARIARY cannot be exchanged outside Madagascar. It is preferable to bring EUROS rather than DOLLARS, although the latter may be accepted.
Banks are generally open from Monday 08:00 to Friday 15:00, and close around 16:00 on weekdays.
Credit cards are rarely accepted by shopkeepers. Those that do often charge a 6% commission. VISA is preferable. Mastercard is still not widely accepted.
In Antananarivo, almost all banks have cash dispensers, but the limit is often a maximum of 360,000 ARIARY per withdrawal.
In the provinces, there are banks with cash dispensers in the larger towns.
Traveller’s cheques are accepted by banks, but remember to take the purchase voucher and any proof that they are yours. They are practically never accepted by retailers.

Time difference

From France: + 1 h in summer / + 2 h in winter
From Reunion Island = – 1 h
From South Africa: + 1 h

Plane : International routes

Airlines serving Madagascar
from Europe are :
* AIR FRANCE
* AIR MADAGASCAR
* CORSAIRFLY

– from Réunion Island are :
* AIR AUSTRAL
* AIR MADAGASCAR

– from Maurice Island are :
* AIR MAURITIUS
* AIR MADAGASCAR

Plane : National routes

Only Air Madagascar serves certain provincial towns.
Due to the limited number of aircraft available on the network, it’s best to book your flight as early as possible.
As delays can occur, we strongly advise you to avoid connections on the same day for a return flight to an international destination, at the risk of missing your plane. As far as possible, a delay of 24 hours is preferable between a domestic and an international flight.

Duty Free

Apart from Ivato international airport, there are several duty-free stores in town (Antananarivo, Antsirabe, Diego-Suarez…). You need to have your plane ticket and passport to use them.

Public holidays

Public holidays in Madagascar are :
– January 01 (New Year’s Day)
-March 08 (Women’s Day, for women only)
– March 29 (Commemoration of the events of 1947)
– Easter Monday
– May 01 (Labor Day)
– Ascension Thursday
– Whit Monday
– June 26 (National Holiday)
– November 01 (All Saints’ Day)
– December 25 (Christmas)

Phone calls

To call a landline number in Madagascar from abroad, dial :
+261 (Madagascar international dialling code) / 20 / area code / the correspondent’s number
Example to call Tanyah Tours: +261.20.22.39241

To call a cell phone from abroad, dial :
261 (International dialling code for Madagascar) / the correspondent’s number without the 0
Example to call Tanyah Tours: +261.320449373

To call from Madagascar to a foreign country do :
country code / area code / correspondent’s number

At the airport, you can buy a phone chip from one of Madagascar’s telephone operators (usually for around 500 MGA, or 0.2 euros). Remember to bring an unlocked cell phone.

Internet
Internet connections work in all major cities. Although operators boast of high-speed connections, the speed is rather average, and sometimes quite slow. Internet connections are available in many hotels, as well as in numerous cyber-cafés.

Telephone operators all offer Internet packages that allow you to have Edge or 3G on your cell phone, without a (pre-paid) subscription.

Safety
For safety reasons, we prohibit our drivers from driving at night (after 6 pm / 6.30 pm) on national roads outside towns.
In town, always watch out for pickpockets, so avoid moments of inattention, and backpacks on your back. It’s better to put it on the front! Always be careful when leaving the bank after withdrawing money.
At night in town, never go anywhere on foot. Take a cab, even for 500 meters.
Never wear jewelry, even fake jewelry, as it will attract attention (only you know it has no market value).
By observing these few rules, you’ll no doubt avoid a few problems.