Off the beaten track and in the middle of the Indian ocean, this fascinating country is home to some of the world’s most unique animals that can only be found on this island. Madagascar was once a pirate haven. Interestingly, it is the 4th largest island in the world and sadly, the 5th poorest country in the world. Because most of the country is quite rudimentary and remote, getting around it can be quite difficult. Here, white people are a bit of a novelty and are referred to as “Vazas”. This term helps distinguish between locals and foreigners as Madagascar is still a very new tourist destination.
Like the many visitors before us, we came to Madagascar in search of the unique wildlife calling this island home, in particular the lemurs. Lemurs come in different shapes and sizes….50 different species to be precise. And these beautiful creatures can be seen year-round 🙂 We were so lucky to have seen 11 different species of lemurs which accounts for 22% of the different lemurs found in the wild in Madagascar and Madagascar only!
Lemurs, baobabs, rainforest, desert, hiking and diving: Madagascar is a destination meant for the well traveled and those comfortable with a more rustic setting. For outdoor enthusiasts, this place is incredibly interesting. Regular flights from Reunion leave daily making the trip from Mauritius short and sweet. Plus you get a stopover in Reunion!
Food and Beverage
Eating well is one of the delightful surprises you will discover in Madagascar. Wherever you go you will find freshly prepared, original dishes at independent outlets and complete escape from anything remotely fast food.
The Malagasy eat a lot of rice, it is kind of sacrosanct in this country. Away from the tourist routes, however, most dishes are accompanied by a sticky mound of rice sometimes mixed with small stones, so one must chew and swallow with caution!
For a real Malagasy meal, sampling hotely is worth a try. Hotely comes in several varieties like chicken, pork, beef and fish and they are all served with rice. Pumpkin soup is popular and very good! I discovered artichoke and camembert melt and it was fabulous.
Other dishes include tsaramaso which is essentially rice w/ beans and pork. Zebu is the beef that is raised here and it’s quite tasty!
There is also vary sosoa which is rice pudding / porridge and mofo boule or mofogasy which are donut like bread rolls made from rice with pineapple or banana inside. Mofo boules were a delicious treat!
If you are going to try a cola in Madagascar, it better be a World Cola! It’s basically the taste of cola but made with sugarcane and that makes it so pleasantly smooth. As for beers, TBH or Three Horses Beer is a pilsner that has been brewed in Madagascar since 1958. THB can be found even in the smallest villages. It is the most sold and purchased beer in Madagascar and has become somewhat of the country’s mascot.
Don’t judge the flavour of this cake by its appearance! Lol This brown cake called the “Koba” has recently gained a prestigious place among desserts during luxury weddings, and it’s of the most traditional Malagasy treats you can try. It is made from ground peanuts, banana and rice flour and usually served in slices and wrapped in banana leaves. It’s particularly tasty.
Antananarivo, the capital
Antananarivo is a bit of a tongue twister which is why locals refer to it simply as “Tana”. This city often gets a pass by travelers which is an opportunity missed. Yes, it’s chaotic and a traffic nightmare with a ramshackle ambiance…and where security is omnipresent. But if you look beyond this, you’ll find a colourful city full of charm, history and incredible views.
A trip to Madagascar just isn’t complete without a visit to the bustling capital city that sits at 1400 meters above sea level. Sundays are chill days and the traffic is almost non-existent as are the streets are not overflowing with people. It’s a great day to see the sights in this interesting city.
Tana can be a bit overwhelming to unrefined travelers but it is a wonderful city with a wealth of history and culture, delightful shopping and delectable cuisine.
Analakely Market
Antananarivo’s main market is a shadow of the former “zoma” (market), for which the capital was legendary. Analakely market is jammed packed full of vendors and buyers alike. This teeming place is not for the faint of heart due to its non existent personal space. But you can pretty much find anything here like clothes, household items, and every food product you could imagine, plus a few you probably couldn’t. It’s not a place where you would bring any valuables with you.
Lemurs’ Park
Lemurs’ Park is a private park located south of Antananarivo. This 5 hectare property was founded with the goal of educating the public about lemurs and reintroducing captive-born lemurs back into the wild. The park is bordered on one side by the Katsaoka River, which makes for a very picturesque setting. The flora in the park is stunning. There are many varieties of plants and ginormous bamboo trees.
It is currently home to 6 different types of lemurs, which are free-ranging in the pine forest and bamboo vegetation. We got to see all of the species that this park had to offer and they came right up to us without hesitation. Some were quite into posing for us! Lemurs are well known for their stink fights. This consists of male lemurs which will smear the secretions of their scent glands on their curled tails. Then they wag the stench with their tails to other males to start a so-called “stink fight”. The winner is the one who can stand the stink of the other for longer.
It’s a lovely place to go and have some one of a kind interactions with lemurs. Notable species include 2 groups of Coquerel’s sifakas, crowned sifakas, and a group of variegated black-and-white ruffed lemurs. They were all precious! Lemurs are the only mammals that like humans can have blue eyes!
In addition, there are radiated tortoises, chameleons, and other reptiles. The walk around the park was relaxing and time well spent. It was picturesque and gives you ample opportunity to see lots of lemurs and everything in between.
Andafiavaratra Palace
The Andafiavaratra Palace Madagascar is located on the highest hilltop of the capital city of Antananarivo. This used to be the residence of Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony of Madagascar when he governed the island in the late 19th century. However, today it is designated a historical landmark and a museum. Once there you can get great views of the city:)
Independence Avenue
The city is centered around Independence Avenue which is a wide double laned street lined with shops and hotels. It’s a good street to walk along to get the feel of the city and do some shopping. There are some restaurants and cafes too. There is a heavy police presence on both sides of the street from Monday to Saturday as protests can erupt at any time. It’s best to visit this iconic city landmark during daylight hours.
Le Palais de la Reine
The Palace was built for Queen Ranavalona in the 17th century. It’s an interesting spot to visit due to its location on the highest hill in Tana, providing gorgeous views over the city. The palace itself is quite beautiful, however, due to a devastating fire in 1995 it is mostly empty inside.
Kirindy Mitea Forest
Kirindy is a privately managed forest in one of Madagascar’s most threatened ecosystems: its dry deciduous forests. Believe it or not, the forest is well-known for the giant jumping rat. It is also home to 7 species of lemur and a number of endemic reptiles.
A relative of the mongoose, the fossa is unique to the forests of Madagascar. It can grow up to 6 feet long from nose to tail tip. The fossa is a slender-bodied catlike creature with little resemblance to its mongoose cousins.
It is the largest carnivore and top predator native to Madagascar and is known to feed on lemurs and most other creatures it can get its claws on, from wild pigs to mice. We saw this fossa eating a live snake for breakfast. It was pretty exciting 🙂 The fossa has retractable claws and fearsome catlike teeth. Its coat is reddish brown and its muzzle resembles that of a dog. It’s a pretty unique animal.
We visited during the dry season so many of the cool animals that reside here were hibernating. During the wet or rainy season, Kirindy Forest comes alive in the form of exploding green vegetation and its many species of reptiles and amphibians venture out of hibernation.
Avenue of the Baobabs
The dirt road that links Morondava to Belo Tsiribihina is adorned by dozens of rare and ancient baobab trees. This scene has become a cultural icon in Madagascar. The word on the street is that when Arab seafarers first visited this place over 1000 years ago, they said the devil ripped the trees out of the ground and put them back upside down, making their canopies resemble roots.
These giant, dry season-deciduous trees (members of the Mallow family), many of which are more than 700 years old with trunks that are over 150 feet around did not always stand alone. Unfortunately, the encroachment of modern civilization and increasing populations in the area led to massive deforestation leaving the remaining baobabs to stand in relative isolation. Today, there are only a handful of the ancient trees remaining in this area. Going to visit this wondrous site is usually done right before sunset so you can get the most picturesque views!
Here you will find the biggest baobab tree in the world. Referred to as the bottle tree, the baobab is also called “reniala” by locals which means “mother of the forest” in the Malagasy language. It’s is the most sacred of Baobabs and we got to meet her! Some baobabs can reach 30 meters in height and 9 meters in circumference. It’s enough girth to remind how small you are in comparison. These National treasures will leave you mesmerized I promise.
Baobabs are also useful plants as their trunks are tapped for water during the dry season. Their young leaves can be eaten as a salad vegetable. Additionally, and the brown pulp (tasting somewhat like tamarind) of the hard-shelled fruits is made into a pleasant summertime beverage which is enjoyed throughout different parts of Africa.
Morondava
Morondava is a very laid back seaside town decorated with sandy streets and tiny shacks lined along each side of the street. There is not much to do or see in the town itself, and most people come here on their way to and from the Parks and Reserves. However, the beaches here that face the Mozambique Channel are simply extraordinary! The water is warm and full of sandbars that you can easily swim out to. These beaches have some of the longest and far reaching tides I have ever seen.
Reserve Peyrieras
Located roughly 75kms from Antananarivo, this private park was started and owned by Andre Peyrieras. He was an entomologist as well as a naturalist. Here you can find lots of varieties of chameleons!
There are also lots of iguanas, geckos, and frogs. The reserve is also home to a collection of amphibians such as crocodiles and butterflies.
The forest area next to the river is home to sifaka and the common brown lemur. I had no idea that when I smeared my hand with mushed banana that a mama and her baby would come down and eat right out of hand. The baby crawled into my hand and licked the leftover banana juices. I was in lemur heaven. Fun fact: lemurs do not have claws, they have fingernails just like humans!
V.O.I.M.M.A. Community Reserve
This community Reserve was founded as an alternative to government National Parks. The local people wanted to manage their land and be a part of ecotourism in this area. Today this tiny rainforest serves as a valuable educational tool on top of a beautiful recreational area.
Despite its small size, this reserve is an untouched paradise for many species of endemic plants and animals. If you are lucky you can spot the wooly lemur. They are active at night so we didn’t see any during the daylight hours. We did see brown lemurs which came down to greet us.
For reptiles and amphibian lovers, the reserve is home lots of frogs perched along its river. You can also quite readily and easily see chameleons as well. 50% of the worlds’s chameleons are found in Madagascar and Madagascar only!!!!!This is also a place to find the satanic leaf-tailed gecko and the truly bizarre insects that goes by the moniker of giraffe necked weevil. Yep, Madagascar is a really neat place to visit if you enjoy wildlife that come in many unique shapes and forms.
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
The Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is famous for being home to the Indri lemur which is the biggest lemur in the world. They can reach reach heights well over 32 inches and they are abundant in this park. Their packs are led by the dominant female and we spotted a pack whose female had a baby traveling on her back.
Indri lemurs like to sing in the treetops so it’s quite a treat when you get up close and personal with these neat creatures. Hearing them sing was poetic, beautiful and loud.
The park has 5 different trails that allow you to explore the forest through giant ferns. There’s also plenty of opportunities to see natural pools and waterfalls. The climate inside the park is quite cool. On average, temperatures hover around is around 20°C and it rains almost all year round.
Almost the whole park is formed by green art and trees that have never been disturbed by human activity. It has become a refuge for many different animals and plants. Therefore, it is not uncommon to come across a multitude of species like lemurs, birds, chameleons, and a plethora of insects….especially active at night!
Vakona Private Reserve
The Vakona reserve is the private reserve that belongs to the Vakona Forest Lodge hotel. The hotel sits on a lake which is full of crocodiles and various species of reptiles and amphibians. Madagascar has Nile crocodiles that make their way down the Zambezi River and cross the Mozambique Channel to make their home here. One has to be super cautious around water sources as the wet season will displace crocodiles inland.
The park is open to the general public and the lemurs that live here are quite habituated to people. They will let you approach them 🙂 September is lemur birthing month in Madagascar. We were fortunate enough to see lots of babies who were just days old!
There are several different types of lemurs in this reserve like brown lemurs, red ruff lemurs, the bamboo lemur, the black and white lemur and the ring tailed lemur. Lemurs like to get high like their human counterparts except they will indulge in centipedes…yes, they use the poisonous secretions to get high by licking the limbs.
The most famous of the lemurs is the Sifika or “the dancing lemurs of Madagascar”. The Malagasy name ‘sifaka’ comes from the distinct call this animal makes as it travels through the trees: “shif-auk.”Sifaka lemurs are leaf eaters and what sets them apart from other lemurs is that they leap and move in a vertical fashion.
This distinct vertical posturing and leaping through the trees using just the strength of their back legs makes it look like they are doing parkour. When standing next to one another, these lemurs will move in such a way that it looks like they are ballroom dancing. Their long and powerful legs help propel them distances of over 20 feet from tree to tree. On the ground, the animals cross treeless areas just as gracefully, upright and sideways hopping.
Worth the visit or not: WORTH (but with a caveat)
We came for the wildlife that is so unique to this island country. However, despite lemurs being its most famous resident, they are not all that Madagascar has to offer. Yes, the many species of lemurs are found here but this place is a treasure trove for all kinds of wildlife that can also only be found in this country. With over 300 species of birds, 260 species of reptiles and hundreds of species of insects, Madagascar is definitely really intriguing.
Despite a potential and demand for tourism, Madagascar’s tourism sector is underdeveloped. The island’s prolific and indigenous wildlife and forests are special tourist attractions. However, historical sites, and smaller communities make it a favorite with return travelers. The beaches were simply extraordinary!!! Getting to them is an ordeal. Most are remote and isolated.
That being said (or in this case written), I would classify Madagascar as a destination for experienced travelers due to its rustic nature and potential for exposure to crime and a plethora of diseases. It is also one of the poorest countries on the planet. Add past and current political strife that ebbs and flows continuously, regional conflicts, economic turmoil and the resurgence of the bubonic plague periodically and you have a fairly unpredictable country. That will and does deter many people from wanting to visit. Seeing this kind of heartbreaking abject poverty we witnessed continues to be disturbing to the both of us.
Experienced travelers tend to have a thicker skin and a much greater exposure and grasp on areas of the world that have these kinds of issues. Given this, my husband and I are fully cognizant and extra careful when visiting countries where these kinds of problems are experienced on the regular. We take extra precautions like not carrying cash, burying our cell phones in pockets and locking car doors when traveling by vehicle. This time, I did get very ill which turned out to be just a gastro (thankfully) however when it strikes in a remote location it is a bit scary to be dealing with.
If you are interested in experiencing the wide array of biodiversity that Madagascar has to offer then I recommend doing your research. This will ensure that you are well equipped with the lots of information that will help you decide if this is the right destination for you.
Happy Travels 🙂