Let's kick off this Madagascar topic with an itinerary for review.

I plan to visit Madagascar in June 2023. I am already prepping to get the itinerary (somewhat) right, so I can book my flights (will use miles, have already booked the first leg). Hoping to find someone that has looked into a Madagascar itinerary before and can make further suggestions. Have already read the Bradt guidebook, this overview of where to see which lemurs and some helpful websites. I liked this quote from Bradt: "The type of person who can afford the trip is often the type least suited with the Malagasy way of life".

So, as always, my goals are:
- See all 3 WHS
- See TWHS that are up for nomination shortly (there is 1, a church on St. Marie)
- See other TWHS that sound interesting
- See some good mammals
- Add in a few more things that give a feel for the landscape and culture of the country

Will use public transport as much as possible. Maybe rent a car + driver for a few days as well.
As the roads are bad and public transport slow, I try to move around not too much and stay an extra night here and there to relax.
The journey starts with a short visit to Reunion, as it is an easy combination and provides another tick.

D1. Flight from Amsterdam via Paris.
D2. Arrival in Reunion. Overnight in St. Louis (3n).
D3. Hike to some Cirque viewpoints among the Pitons of Reunion (WHS)
D4. Heliflight over the main area (optional splurge, scenario B)
D5. Flight with Air Austral to Tamatave in Madagascar. Overnight in Tamatave.
D6. Minibus to Sainte Marie island. Overnight St. Marie (3n)
D7. Explore island, visit the TWHS church that is nominated for 2024 (seems to be of very little interest).
D8. Explore island's natural surroundings.
D9. Minibus to Andasibe. Overnight Andasibe (maybe only possible to reach Tamatave in a day, then stay there)
D10. Visit Andasibe NP for its Indri lemurs.
D11. Continue to Antannarivo by minibus. Overnight Antannarivo (3n)
D12. Visit WHS Ambohimanga and TWHS Upper Town
D13. Day to organize further transport, and possibly visit TWHS Industrial Site of Mantasoa (by car).
D14. Minibus to Morondova (10h).
D15-18. Arrange short tour from Morondova to Tsingy de Bemaraha WHS (4n including logistics buffer)
D19. Back in Morondova. Visit Avenue de Baobabs.
D20. Minibus back to Antanarrivo. Overnight (2n)
D21. Buffer day in Antanarrivo.

From here, the scenarios diverge:
Scenario A (budget one):
D22. Minibus to Fianarantsoa.
D23. Move on to Ranomafano and overnight (2n).
D24. Visit Ranomafano Park (Rainforests WHS)
D25. Back to Antanarrivo (9h minibus).
D26. Flight back Antanarrivo - Amsterdam via Paris.

Scenario B (mid-budget one):
Same as A, but with car + driver. Will then reach Ranomafano day earlier.

Scenario C (expensive one):
D22. Drive to Ranomafano.
D23. Visit Ranomafano Park (Rainforests WHS)
D24. Drive southwards to visit Anja Reserve for ring-tailed lemurs.
D25. Further south to Andringitra Park.
D26. Visit Andringitra Park (also a location of Rainforests WHS, interesting scenery but hikes may be too tough)
D27. Back northwards, stay and visit Antsirabe
D28. Back to Antanarrivo
D29. Flight back Antanarrivo - Amsterdam via Paris.

Regarding costs, I am estimating 1700 EUR for scenario A, 2600 EUR for scenario B and 3600 EUR for scenario C. All without international flights and with good mid-budget hotels for a single person / food / transport / entrance fees / visa.

Ok... here is a start, but I will be able to add more later. Most of my touristy-type activities took place before covid, so I am not 100% sure of the current status of some of the more remote destinations, though I can check...

D5: I will have to ask around about the status of Air Austral to Toamasina (Tamatave). I don't think it has restarted yet, but by next June, it may have. Also, I am not sure if visa-on-arrival was ever available at Toamasina, so that needs to be confirmed. When flying into Antananarivo, visa-on-arrival is definitely the way to go. The two times I did that this year it was actually faster getting through passport control that way than it was for people who already had visas. You would need cash of $US 45 or EUR 40, for the visa but those prices may have changed with the recent slide in the Euro

D7 I have not been to Sainte Marie, and I agree the church doesn't sound very interesting. The coasts are usually hot and the east coast can have heavy rainstorms (usually not too long). If you were going to skip something from this itinerary, this might be it, but you would probably be a better judge than I of the likelihood of the church getting inscribed.

D10 You might consider two full days for Andasibe-Mantadia, as I don't know how certain it is to see Indri in one day. (I have never tried for them yet)

D12 Basically any taxi in Tana can take you to Ambohimanga, though it's like 45 minutes from.the city center if there isn't traffic and then later take you Haute-ville. On my two visits to A'himanga there was one English-speaking woman working there as a guide, but that was in '03 and '06. English getting much more common around the capital now, so I don't think you would have trouble getting a guide at the Site. One hour at the Site is plenty (but I rather like it, for a small Site). There are always plenty of guides hanging around the Rova in Haute-ville who can show you the sights. So you shouldn't need to arrange anything in advance for that day.

In June, the weather on the plateau is beautiful, it can even get a little chilly at night.

D14 If the direct bus to Morondava is running, it would almost certainly be longer than 10 hours, 13-14 would seem more likely. However, I just asked someone, and was told that there isn't a direct bus at the moment, but that is "unofficial." In such a situation you would need to overnight in Antsirabe.

(continued in the following post...)

Thank you, mrayers


Air Austral does offer this route for booking on its website, so I thought I was clever. Flying there instead of Tana saves another day of driving. Will look into the visa issue, there's no Madagascar embassy in NL so visa-on-arrival certainly is preferred.


I think we need to look more into the likelihood indeed. According to this jan 2022 news item, it will be part of an Upstream Process. I have time to monitor it until June 2023, and indeed will skip the island when inscription does not seem likely.

I've now also determined that D28 (late evening) is the day of my return flight. Any later, and I ended up in the high season with expensive flights. Now managed to get a bargain by using miles.

(... continued)

D14(b) Depending on how opposed you are to flying (I am too,) you might be better off by taking a one-way flight to Morondava, and doing the overland portion, with stops, on the way back.

D15-18/19 The Tsingy is going to take more research... There used to be an option to go halfway from Tana, then switch to a basic river longboat to get closer, then back to 4x4 for the rest of the way, however that was 20 years ago and I don't know if it is still possible. I will have to check on the preferred number of nights to do Tsingy from Morondava, to have a good experience. If you are going from Morondava to Tsingy and back you will pass through the grove on the Avenue of the Baobabs in both directions, and it can also be easily done as a day trip from town. It's not any sort of official protected area (unless something has changed) and if you enjoy photography, it can be worthwhile to be there more than once, with different lighting.

D20 Don't go all the way back to Tana, unless you have some other reason to.... Stay in Antsirabe instead.

D23 Ranomafana is a worthwhile stop, good for lemurs, though the forest is fairly thick so good views are not always easy.

D24 don't know much about Anja Reserve, will have to check (you should also see Ring-taileds at Tsingy)

D25 Andringitra is a very pretty park. Visits can be arranged in Ambalavao with reasonably short notice. There is a bit of driving and walking to do before you get to the park entrance, however I don't remember the trails in the park as being very strenuous, but that depends on which trail you use, I suppose. I also don't remember seeing much wildlife there, but that may have been just poor luck.

Another possibility. This would require a round trip domestic flight, but if you can work it, it would be a nice addition. Fly from Tana to Toalagnaro (Fort-Dauphin) at the southeast corner of the island. That is a fairly isolated seaside town with its own character. Andohahela National Park is nearby and it is interesting because it has two distinct halves. The eastern side is wetter and is already in the Rainforests WHS. The western side is more similar to the dry western forests biome, and I think it is part of the dry forests T-site (you might know better than I do). The famous Berenty Private Reserve is also nearby. I have not seen it, but it is fairly similar to an East African lodge, I believe, probably priced accordingly (I am not sure if it is open for day visits, or if you need to stay there. This would be a good place to see lemurs at close distance, in the event that you have been having trouble (Ring-taileds and Verreaux's Sifaka, primarily) as they are more habituated to humans (though, in general, lemurs are not very afraid of humans). There are a few scattered remnants of Spiny Forest in that part of the country , and If you have any interest in Botany that is worthwhile to see. The southern end of the island is rather distinct from the rest of the country, though it frequently suffers from severe droughts during El Nino years.

Misc.
- June is a fine month to visit. May is also very nice, as the countryside is a little greener, though some of the dirt roads can still be quite muddy
- I don't know how you feel about long flights (I really hate them) but if you would like an alternative, the flights with a stopover in Addis Ababa are condiderably less expensive than the flight to Paris and each segment is more tolerable. Most are overnight layovers, but the Ethiopians include a hotel voucher with the ticket price, and shuttles to and from the hotels, so I found that to be a nice option.

Edit: I checked the Air Austral site before making the first post. The flight to Toamasina was listed but every date I checked in December came back with "No flights available"
Edit2 "Will look into the visa issue, there's no Madagascar embassy in NL so visa-on-arrival certainly is preferred." I will ask someone here sometime before the end of the year. It certainly would be better if you could make that flight work...

P.S. A link to one of my early Web sites once appeared in the print version of the Bradt Guide (~2005 edition) ;-)

I am now leaning toward that option. According to recent reports on the Tripadvisor forum, it easily takes 13 hours to travel between Tana and Morondava. On the way back (by road) I can then stop at Antsirabe.


It is tempting (and coincidentally Solivagant suggested it too), but I think it would be "biting off more than I can chew". Especially when the St. Marie island detour still is 'needed'.

Here are some additional current transportation schedules/costs for Els, or anyone else who may be stopping by...

I went in person to the Air Austral main office today..
The flight Reunion > Tamatave is currently operating. Flights on:
Tuesdays, dep. Reunion @ 15:55
Wednesdays, dep. Reunion @ 10:15
Flight time: 50 minutes

I was told that this schedule is valid for the next 3 months, so by June it's possible it could change.

I also asked, and the airline agent confirmed that, yes, there is visa-on-arrival at the Toamasina/Tamatave airport. Presumably that's accurate.

Bus routes in the Highlands

Antananarivo <-> Antsirabe

3 tourist-class companies on this route, all three are well-managed, with fairly new vehicles, seating 10-16 passengers (the newness of the bus does not preclude problems, on a recent trip, a large pothole broke off one of the front wheels of the bus I was on.) Normal amount of baggage no problem. Tickets should be booked a couple of days in advance at a local office, or in one case, online. All have reserved seating, and they usually fill up, but not until close to the departure, so reserving a seat a couple days in advance gives you a good chance of scoring the prime seat next to the driver.

trip length 5 hours:

Cotisse/Sotrate (Tana station on north side of city, can be booked online)
8 departures daily between 8:00 and 18:00, cost 5/6 $US

Antsirabus (Tana station right in the city center)
3 departures daily, mornings, cost 4/6 $US

Soatrans (Tana station on the south side of city)
10 departures daily, between 2:00 and 17:00, cost 5 $US
6 VIP (10 seats in bus) departures, between 6:00 and 16:00, 6 $US

Antsirabe <-> Ambositra

trip length: 2 hours

Soatrans 3 departures daily, mornings, cost 3.75 $US

Ambositra <-> Fianarantsoa

Trip length: 4 hours

Soatrans 1 or 2 departures daily, morning/midday cost, 7.5 $US

Both Soatrans and Cotisse have busses continuing south, with drop-offs arranged

Antsirabe <-> Morondava

Trip length: 8 hours

Soatrans 1 bus daily, dep. A'be 7:00, dep M'dava, 3:00, cost 11 $US
* This schedule just changed in December, possibly due to rainy season, might return to later departures by June?

Cotisse 1 bus daily, dep. A'be 10:00, dep M'dava 5:00, cost, 11 $US

Thank you for the research! All sounds hopeful.

As can be seen above, it was quite a struggle to get a satisfying plan for Madagascar. I even let it rest for a few weeks because I could not get it all right.

This is the itinerary that I eventually followed:
D1. Flight from Amsterdam via Paris (11h).
D2. Arrival in Reunion. Car Jaune bus around the island, including the visitor center at La Plaine des Palmistes. ON in St. Denis (3n).
D3. Guided Hike to Cirque de Mafate, part of the Pitons of Reunion (WHS)
D4. Sightseeing in the sleepy capital St. Denis
D5. Flight with Air Austral (1.5h) to Tana in Madagascar. ON in Tana.
D6. Start of 7-day private tour of Central Highlands. Stop at aluminium factory in Ambatolampy. ON Antsirabe (2n)
D7. Guided bike tour to Lake Tritriva.
D8. Drive from Antsirabe to Ranomafana. Night walk in Ranomafana NP (WHS). ON in Ranomafana.
D9. Half-day diurnal visit of Ranomafana NP. Drive on to Ambalavao and ON.
D10. Visit Anja Reserve for its ringtailed lemurs. ON Ambositra.
D11. Visit two traditional woodworkers in Ambositra and the long drive back to Tana. ON Tana (4n)
D12. Visit WHS Ambohimanga. End of tour.
D13. Visit TWHS Haute Ville of Tana.
D14. Buffer/rest day
D15. Flight to Morondava. ON Morondava
D16-18. Short private tour with car, driver and guide from Morondova to Tsingy de Bemaraha WHS. ON Bekopaka (3n)
D19. Drive back to Morondova, visit Avenue de Baobabs along the way. ON Morondava (2n)
D20. Buffer/rest day
D21. Cotisse taxi-brousse back to Tana (16+ hours). ON Tana (3n)
D22. Buffer/rest day.
D23. Day tour with car + driver (and fellow WHS-er mrayers) to Mantasoa TWHS
D24. Cotisse taxi-brousse in the direction of Toamasina, got off at Andasibe (5h). ON Andasibe (3n)
D25. Visit Analamazoatra Reserve in Andasibe with local guide.
D26. Visit VOIMMA Community Reserve in Andasibe with a local guide and look around the fascinating village.
D27. Car+driver back to Tana. ON airporthotel + plane.
D28. Back home via Paris.

It was a well-balanced trip. I did not need the buffer days in the end, but the rest days were welcome. On day 22 I started feeling a bit tired for the first time. Positive points definitely were:
- Not staying more than 1 night in Tana at the beginning (you will return eventually and it is not a pleasant place to start with)
- I also would not have wanted Tsingy at the end, it is the most challenging part and you need all your energy for that.

Major omissions are the far south and the northeast, but they would have taken at least another 5 days each to do it well and in comfort.

More practical details to follow...

In addition to the Top Tips publicized today: here are some final practical tips for Madagascar, as I found little accurate or up-to-date info for independent travellers before I embarked on my trip.

When to go
'General interest' travellers usually go for the winter season, from May-September. I went in June and it was chilly in the evenings in the places at higher altitudes (Tana, Antsirabe, Andasibe). I often was the only guest in the hotels, the peak season is the (French) school holidays in July and August.
If you want to focus on wildlife, activity is at its peak from the third week in September to the beginning of December. The lemurs will be visible all of the year, but for birds, tenrecs, insects and reptiles Spring is better.

Tour operators
I used Madacartour for my 1-week journey of the Central Highlands by private car + driver. It is a small local company, professional, English-spoken. I especially liked their 'all-inclusive' offer which included park fees and local guides (fees + tips). For Tsingy I used R'jan Tsingy Expedition - he is a freelancer, more like a fixer, and geared to backpackers, but is experienced in doing the whole Tsingy thing. Be aware that Top tip #3 applies to both.
Any deposit from abroad can best be sent via Western Union; Wise doesn't work and bank transfers are costly.

Food and accommodation
Food is surprisingly good - every city does have at least one 'international' restaurant where you can stuff yourself on zebu steaks or langoustines for 5-8 EUR including a drink. Local restaurants can be good as well, if you know to find the right one (drivers and bus companies do). I never got used to the local coffee.
I stayed overnight in the better 3* properties, usually the best available in town. They were all clean though a bit dated. There will always be 2 or 3 minor flaws, things like mosquito nets not covering the full bed or the hot & cold water in the shower not mixing very well. I especially liked Maison d'Hotes Mandrosoa in Tana, a small 'Budget Boutique' option, right in the middle of the action but also with a pool, veranda and other cool places to relax.

Communications
Wifi is fairly good in the larger cities, especially in hotels that have generators. It wasn't available in Bekopaka or Andasibe, but I always used tethering via mobile data in that case. Everywhere where there are people, there seems to be mobile access. I bought a 12G sim from Telma at the airport for 18 EUR.

Was just reading the IUCN evaluation of the Andrefana Dry Forests (an extension to Tsingy de Bemaraha, to be discussed in the 2023 WHC).

Here we find an answer to Jay's question posted in reply to my Madagascar wrap-up: In regard to potential future sites for Madagascar, what were your thoughts regarding a natural site protecting the baobab (the giant baobab in particular)?
"However, the State Party also notes, and IUCN concurs, that future extensions including iconic baobab trees could indeed make further contributions to this criterion."
The current extension has baobabs too ("The dry forests are clearly distinct from the humid forests of Madagascar with flagship groups entirely restricted to dry formations such as baobabs"), but they may refer to the Avenue de Baobabs here as a future extension.

So yes, the baobabs will be part of the extended Tsingy WHS (approval was recommended by IUCN). A WHS comprising a group of 'dry' parks that will then be the direct counterpart of the 'wet' Rainforest of the Atsinana serial WHS. Although I must say that I would be disappointed to see the uniqueness of Tsingy de Bemaraha disappearing into the background of a serial site with lots of everything. And a 'tick' of the Avenue de Baobabs can surely not replace the Tsingy experience.

Hmm -- thanks for the update about the proposed dry forests extension that would include baobabs. Your adventure to Tsingy sounded so awesome, and the geology seemed so interesting that I would hate to see it extended and diluted. I'd love to see a separate nomination just for the dry forests, separate from Tsingy.

As of July 2023, Madagascar is still trying to get the Church in Sainte Marie listed. They are also part of the Upstream Process and have received funding. Still a long way to go though.
https://www.cath.ch/newsf/lunesco-entame-la-classification-de-la-premiere-eglise-de-madagascar/