The Great Island Of The Indian Ocean – Madagascar

Located in the Western Indian Ocean, about 250 miles off the east coast of Africa, is the fourth largest Island of the world – the Island of Madagascar.  The first three are the Islands of Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo. The Mozambique Channel separates it from Africa.

It is over 1000 miles long and 350 miles wide.  The Island is set against a background of steep mountain range running along its eastern coast.

When to go

The Island is located just south of the equator and its diverse region comes with diverse climate as well.

While the overall climate is hot and subtropical, the mountains are colder. Most of the rain comes in the months from November to March. There are chances of storms and cyclones in this season in the east and the north regions of the Island of Madagascar.

Rest of the year accounts for the dry seasons. The regions in the south and the west of the Island are hot and dry throughout the year.

It is best to visit the Islands in the months of dry season, when the average day temperatures in the highlands are around 25 degree Celsius and that around the coast is 30 degree Celsius.

How to go

The Island country of Madagascar is well connected with major African and European countries by flight. It takes about 14 hours by flight to reach Madagascar from Europe and the distance by air is covered in 2 hours from Kenya and La Reunion, which connects you this Island if you are coming from France.  Major airlines that offer their services to Madagascar are Air Madagascar, Air France, Minnerve to La Reunion, Air Mauritius and there is Aeroflot from Moscow.

Besides, there is the favourite Island transportation – the cruise ships. You can get on one from San Francisco and New York.  There are freights operating from Oakland and New Orleans as well.

The Island’s Capital – Antananarivo, is well connected to other parts of the Island by air and other routes. When in the Island, you can choose to rent a car, hire a taxi or get on to one of those 11 seater minibuses to get around.

The five railway lines in the Island connect the Capital to Toamasina and to Antisirabe, Fianarantosa to Manakara and Moramanga to Lake Alaotra.
Buses too ply here but may not be a very good option to travel around with a lot of luggage.

Attractions

The Island can be categorized in three parts- the east coast flanked by a steep mountain range along the coastal lines, the central highlands with rice fields and the highest peak reaching about 9430 feet and the west coast with a rich wild life in the rain forests and coral reefs on the coasts.

The Capital of the Madagascar Island, Antananarivo or “The City of a Thousand Warriors” is where you will land first when arriving by plane. The city is fondly abbreviated to Tana and has a French flavour to it. Of its 3 levels, the Rova, the royal village/fort dominates from the highest point. This former residency of the Merina Dynasty is now a national museum. The lowest level belongs to the Zoma, the largest open air market of the world.

A major attraction here is the Tsimbazaa Zoological and Botanical garden with rare species of Malagasy flora and fauna like lemurs. The garden houses a skeleton of a giant extinct bird aepiornis as well.

Tsimbazaza (”They are not children”) is a botanical and zoological garden with many specimens of the very peculiar Malagasy flora and fauna: lemurs, extraordinary chameleons and insects, birds. There is a skeleton of a giant extinct bird, the aepiornis; standing ten feet tall over its nine-quart egg (an ostrich egg measures a quart and a half).

At 12 miles to the north of Antananarivo is Ambohimanga or the “Blue Hill”. Surrounded by forests, this village was an important Merina stronghold and has structures that are reminiscent of their ceremonies. This citadel ends with the rova.

Also worth visiting is Anteseranana, a cosmopolitan sea port at the northern most tip of the Island. The rainforests above the fort houses a number of lakes, waterfalls and grottoes as well as wildlife and flora that include crocodiles and orchids.

Ramena here is a good beach. Spread over 45, 500 acres is the Montagne d’ambre National Park. You need permit to stroll through its rainforests, tree-ferns, orchids and come across birds and reptiles.

Along the Antananarivo-Taomasina rail road is a small jungle town or a natural reserve of Andasibe or Perinet that’s worth a tour too. About a 100 miles south of Antananarivo is Antiserabe or “Plenty of salt” a resort and a hot-springs town. When here, you can also enjoy a boat ride or swim in the Lake Tritriva that’s nearby.

There is a national park, Isalo, covering 203,900 acres in the southwest of the country. You can take a permit to camp here as well.

About eight kilometers away from the Coast of Madagascar Island, in the Mozambique Channel, is the Nosy Be Island among the other smaller Islands like Nosy Komba, Nosy Mitsio, Nosy Sakatia and Nosy Tanikely. This volcanic Island is spread over an area of 312 square kilometers. The highest peak here is Mont Lokobe that is 450 meters high and there are about eleven volcanic crater lakes on this Island.

The 36 mile long Island of Nosy Boraha has historical traces of pirates having occupied this place, which makes it interesting.

Taolanaro or Fort Daulphin in the south east of Madagascar Island is known for its beaches, the Berenty lemur reserve, the Mahafaly tombs and native fauna like Baobabs.

An important town and port of this Island is Toamasina or Tamatave on its north eastern coast. The rain forest and the tranquil beaches northwards to Mahavelona attract visitors here. At 7 miles from the town are the Ivolina Zoological Park and the Botanical Garden. Further south is the popular beach of Votamandry.

A great scuba-diving, fishing, sailing and snorkeling point on the southwest coast of the Island is Toliary or Tulear.

There are several other attractions in the Island country of Madagascar. Mantasoa, 50 miles away from Antananarivo is a popular picnic spot with an artificial lake, pine forests and an industrial park that’s the first in Madagascar. At 60 miles from the Capital is Ampefy that attracts the tourists as a volcanic region with waterfalls and geysers.

On the north are two giant mountains. The Tsarantanana standing 2880 meters tall is the highest mountain here.

The town of Mahajanga too has lots of attractions. It is at the mouth of the Island’s biggest river, the Betsiboka, from where you can boat to the other surrounding islands. About 60 miles inland in the Island are the Anjojibe grottoes, definitely worth a visit. At Ankarafantsika is a nature reserve you can go to.

In the Sothern Highlands, you can start your exploration from Fianarantosa, an important centre for wine and rice production. In the surrounding mountain here you can explore Ambalavao, Ambondrome and Ifandana Crags, the latter being a mass suicide site in 1811, the Ambositra and Zafimaniny villages, the Isalo National Park which also serves as a gateway to the Ronomafana National Park.

On the east Coast, a popular beach resort is Mananjary though you need to be wary of sharks.

The Savannah forests cover western Madagascar.

About 60 to 80 kilometers inland from the west coast of the Island is the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve.  Spread across 152, 000 hectares, forests, lakes and mangroves here are home to rare species of birds and lemurs. The Reserve is an important water catchment area. Ancient cemeteries too are here in the Manambolo RiverGorge, to the north of which the reserves is.

You can make arrangements for other activities like trekking, mountain biking and hiking as well as games like golf, football, basketball and volleyball that are very popular here.

With rainforests, islands, coastlines and beaches, grasslands and rice fields, arid deserts and natural reserves and a rich variety of wildlife, the Country Island of Madagascar is a continent in itself which unleashes a world to explore for its tourists.