Little by little the doors for tourism are opening. Initial entry is limited to arrival by specific airlines from nominated departure points, and only to Antananarivo. A great start and all looking positive for 2022.

Like all of the world, we eagerly await the day when we can recommence travel to Madagascar.

In the meantime our thoughts are with the Madagascans who are currently not only fighting the Covid Virus, but also the famine in the South.

As is the case throughout the world, Madagascar has had to take severe measures to limit the spread of Covid-19. This has led to further hardship for so many of the nation's people. For those in the travel and tourism sector, work has been halted for many months as borders have been closed, and there has been no income.

As we near the end of the year the better news is that Madagascar has opened Nosy Be (island) to tourists. Visitors may not leave the island and must fly in directly from overseas. Ethiopian Airlines has been operating a service from Addis Ababa to accommodate visitors. This is a small, but very welcome start.

Recovery for the island nation will be slow and long, so when international travel resumes Madagascar will be looking forward to the tourism sector to help rebuild the nation.

We encourage you to have Madagascar on your future travel list and help Madagascar recover.

As you are all aware the travel industry has been hit hard by current pandemic. Rebuilding air networks and restarting camps, lodges and hotels is going to be a slow process as we all learn how to live with coronavirus.

For us, while it is not exactly business as usual, we are still operating and already assisting some clients with plan for 2021 (Australians do not expect that we will be permitted to travel to most destinations until next year).

Our expectations are that while many locations will start to open during late 2020, most will not be accessible until next year.  We certainly don't see Madagascan travel really starting until the middle of the year, though we do expect demand to be very high as globally people start to catch up with their lost love of travel.

When you start planning your trip to Madagascar start talking to us, and remember that through our sister agency  "Journeys Unlimited" we can assist you to any destination.

What a great start to 2020....... A new International Terminal at Antananarivo, increased domestic and regional services by Tsaradia, Air Austral and Ewa...... opening new arrival gateways at Tolanaro and Diego, and increasing connectivity to Toliara, Toamasina, Mahajanga and Nosy Be. Also new domestic carriers are emerging, making domestic travel easier. Flights from Tana to Fianarantsoa should give Ranomafana National Park a great boost.

Travellers are just starting to discover just how wide a range of sports, leisure and natural history options are available on the island, with more activities and destinations being added constantly.

For a Madagascan holiday designed just for you, email us today.

With excellent flight connections between Madagascar and Ethiopia, we will be commencing group tours in 2020 which take in both nations. Two truly unique countries with tremendous cultural and natural diversity, which as a combination will deliver an unparalleled experience for our clients. It is with pleasure that we join with our partners in both nations to offer these tours. Due to the difference in climatic timings, we believe there are only a few months of the year when one can experience the best of both worlds, without being hampered by precarious weather patterns. Our first 2020 tour will depart in October ......

We are often asked whether there is any advantage travelling with a small group, versus travelling by yourselves. For Madagascar, travelling alone can be tricky in many ways. Language can be a problem, especially if you haven't a good grasp of French. Domestic travel by road can be time consuming and if just fro one or two people, quite expensive, as you will probably need x 4x4 (4WD) vehicle for many areas of the island, and they are costly to hire. Self drive is even more problematic.

We can organise travel for one or more people without joining a group. We always recommend that we organise most of the tour in advance to ensure guaranteed transport and accommodation (it is not unheard of that foreigners who have booked on a website arrive and find absolutely record of their booking - whether they have paid in advance or not). Using a tour operator who has decades of experience makes sure that your tour will go smoothly.

Our group tours are always accompanied by experienced English speaking professional guides. We select them not only on their many years of experience, but because of their specialist knowledge (particularly for natural history), They add incredible value to your experience. These guides are also available for individual travellers, as well as for small groups, they add a small cost to your tour, but add soo much !!!

..... read about the countryside and some unusual traditions .... our next chapter in this series 

Never underestimate what Madagascar can offer. For those who dive, Madagascar is special.

Let me share with you some comments from a friend of mine at Airlink, who operate direct flights from Johannesburg to Nosy Be and Antananarivo. Chris Hoare observes that the Nosy Be area has over 450 kms of reef which protects from fishing fleets and weather and creates a stunning diving environment. Says Chris “It’s also on the western side of Madagascar, so is well sheltered from the prevailing north-easterly winds as well as the tropical cyclones that come through the region in late January through to March on the eastern side of Madagascar”.

From Chris' expereince , “when you dive in South Africa, usually you’re dealing with commercial entities that are trying to maximise what they do with their equipment,”. “They limit the amount of time you can spend underwater, 50 minutes, 50 bar. But in Nosy Be they don’t pressure you during the dive, so you can really relax and maximise your underwater time.”

Given the location of Nosy Be region only “Deeper dives and night dives will require more advanced certification,” Open Water dive certification is basically fine. Chris points out, “Generally, for logistical reasons, Nitrox is not that readily available, but the profiles and the planning of the dives is such that you can still do up to three dives a day without compromising safety. Talking of safety, there is a DAN-accredited decompression chamber facility on Nosy Be, which is pretty unique in the context of other dive destinations in our region.”

For divers Nosy Be presents superb opportunities and opns the door to the rest of the amazing experiences of Madagascar.  Dive Nosy Be  - Discover Madagascar

Thanks to Chris Hoare for letting us share his experience and insights. Fly Airlink - our favourite airline to Madagascar.

New air routes are being opened into Madagascar allowing better access to areas of the nation besides the capital, Antananarivo. You can already fly directly into Tana from Paris, Marseille, Istanbul, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Mauritius, Reunion, and the Comores. Nosy Be, Sainte Marie and Toamasina also have direct services from overseas.

In December a new service will commence, linking Reunion with Tolanaro and Toliara. This opens up southern Madagascar to many more travellers and is great news for a part for the country that is definitely worth discovering. Jointly operated under the new sharing arrangements between Air Madagascar and Air Austral this will be a twice weekly service.

This week sees the launch of Madagascar's new domestic airline, "Tsaradia". In Malagasy Tsaradia means "have a good trip". This is a joint venture between Air Austral (Reunion based) and the Madagascar Government. It will use the existing Air Madagascar fleet, supplemented by aircraft from Air Austral. This new strategic direction for aviation for Madagascar has already paid dividends, with a noticeable improvement in on-time reliable services during recent months. Congratulations to Tsaradia and Madagascar.

Our 2019 Madagascar Group Tour has been launched.

Basic details on our website. Email or phone us for full information. The number of participants on this tour is strictly limited. Departing on the 10th Sept 2019, with an option to extend it to include the fabulous wildlife Parks of Ankarana and Amber Mountain in the north of the island after the core tour.

You will not be disappointed by the variety this tour offers. Join us in discovering Madagascar in 2019.

A new short film showcases the hidden beauty of Madagascar

See this article at Lonely Planet............... (and watch the video !!)

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2018/04/26/film-showcase-hidden-beauty-madagascar/

As the cyclone season draws to an end Cyclone Fakir passed between Madagascar and Reunion/Mauritius during the past few days. Thankfully Madagascar was spared further damage after a punishing cyclone season. Now the on-going process of rebuilding homes and infrastructure continues. A slow and expensive exercise.

Madagascar sits in a zone where Tropical and Sub-tropical cyclones occur. (Called "cyclones" here, they are also know as Hurricanes and Typhoons, depending on which part of the world they are found in.) Each year a few impact Madagascar. This year Cyclone Ava pounded the nation in late December and early January causing many deaths and much destruction. In the past week Cyclone Eliakim has hit the east coast, again with deaths and destruction. Rebuilding homes and schools, and re-establishing farms is a slow process and the impact will last for some time. Our thoughts are with those affected.

Should you be considering visiting Madagascar then note that the "cyclone season" officially runs from mid-November until the end of April, and the main areas impacted are the far north, north and east coasts.

Madagascar is not well known throughout much of the world.

People don't know where it is, or how big it is ..... but most people know it for lemurs, though even then they think there are only a few species.

It is fantastic news that with the recent discovery of a new species, "Grove's Dwarf Lemur",
the total number of lemurs now known has reached 113 !!!
MAY 2018 UPDATE - SPECIALIST LEMUR GROUP DECLARES ONE PREVIOUSLY
IDENTIFIED SPECIES NOT TO BE INCLUDED SO NOW 112 IS THE OFFICIAL NUMBER  !!!

Here is the cute, nocturnal "Rufous Mouse Lemur" photographed in Ranomafana National Park - a must visit place !!