Africa
Highlights - Essential Info - Itineraries - Hotels
Visa Requirements - Holders of UK passports do require a visa for entry into Madagascar, and it is normally issued for stays of up to 30 days. The visa can be issued on arrival at the airport or it can be obtained from the Honorary Consulate in the UK before leaving home. You must also have a full passport with a minimum of six months validity from the date of your return to the UK and you should have at least two blank pages in your passport.
Health Requirements - There are no mandatory vaccinations required for entry into Madagascar although Tetanus, Typhoid, Polio, Hepatitis A and Meningitis are recommended. A Yellow Fever Certificate is required to enter Madagascar if you have come via an infected country as is a Cholera Vaccinations if you have come via an infected country. Malaria exists in Madagascar and it is therefore essential that you seek medical advice with regard to its prevention. Rabies does also exist and if you are planning on travelling in remote areas for any length of time you should discuss a rabies vaccination with your GP or Travel Clinic. Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present and one should avoid swimming in still or slow moving water.
We strongly recommend that you contact your doctor or the MASTA (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad) Travellers Health Line on 0870 60 62782 or their website at www.masta.org for all professional medical advice.
Time – Madagascar is 3 hours ahead of GMT (2 hours ahead of British Summer Time)
Money - The currency of Madagascar is the Malagasy Ariary (MGA) which has replaced the Malagasy Franc (MGF). Notes are in denominations of MGA 10,000, 5000 and 2000. Local currency can be bought only at banks and official bureaux de change in hotels and at the airport in Antananarivo, and hotels tend to have a less favourable exchange rate. Travellers cheques can be exchanged at most banks and a few major hotels. It is best to take travellers cheques in Euros or US Dollars. Credit and debit cards are of fairly limited use in Madagascar and tend to be only accepted in top class hotels. There are now a few ATM machines but these tend to be mainly in Antananarivo and some other larger towns.
Flights
|
Airline |
Route |
Frequency |
Via |
|
Air Madagascar in connection with British Airways to Paris |
Heathrow/Antananarivo |
Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun |
Paris |
|
Kenya Airways |
Heathrow/Antananarivo |
Wed, Fri & Mon |
Nairobi |
|
Air France |
Heathrow/Antananarivo |
Tue, Wed, Fri & Sun |
Paris |
Climate - a rough guide
Madagascar has a tropical climate with rain falling in the hot summer months between November and March. The winter months, April to October tend to be drier and milder in most areas.
The amount of rainfall and temperature varies greatly between regions and the central chain of mountains: the Hauts Plateaux is responsible for the marked difference between the east and west.
In the west one finds mostly savannah, once dry deciduous forest; and rainfall decreases from north to south whereas day/night temperature variation increases from north to south.
In the east there are no months entirely without rain although the southeast tends to be more settled. Drier months are May, September, October & November and it is possible to travel in April and December. Months to avoid because of torrential rains and cyclones are: January; February & March.
The central region is influenced by altitude, so day & night temperatures can vary greatly.
The southwest is the driest part of Madagascar, the north is similar to the east zone except for the dry climate of the Antsiranana region which gets little rain and a fairly reliable dry season and the northwest, including the island of Nosy Be has its own micro-climate with frequent heavy rain alternating with sunshine.
Please note also that in recent years the traditional seasons in Madagascar, as elsewhere in the world, have become less predictable than before.
When to go – Broadly speaking, the drier winter months, April – October are probably the better months to visit the country, but as mentioned above, rainfall varies enormously in different areas. Months to best avoid are February & March (the cyclone season) when it will most likely rain and worse. During August and the Christmas period the best places will be very crowded, so you may wish to avoid these months.
|
Antananarivo |
||||||||||||
|
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Temp (F) |
78/ 64 |
77/ 64 |
77/ 64 |
75/ 61 |
72/ 57 |
68/ 53 |
67/ 51 |
68/ 52 |
73/ 54 |
77/ 58 |
78/ 61 |
77/ 63 |
|
Rain (in) |
11.3 |
10.3 |
7.6 |
2.3 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.4 |
0.6 |
2.4 |
6 |
11.4 |
Temp (Fahrenheit) = Average Maximum Temperatures (day/night)
Rain (inches) = Average Monthly Rainfall
