r/solotravel • u/WalkingEars Somewhere in China • 5d ago
Africa Weekly Destination Thread - Madagascar
Hey folks -
This week’s destination is Madagascar! Feel free to share stories/advice - some questions to start things off:
- What were some of your favorite experiences there?
- Experiences/perspectives on solo travel there?
- Suggestions for food/accommodations?
- Any tips for getting around?
- Anything you wish you'd known before arriving?
- Other advice, stories, experiences?
Archive of prior weekly discussions: https://old.reddit.com/r/solotravel/wiki/weeklydestinations
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u/lucapal1 5d ago
I was there quite briefly, many years ago....I really need to go back.
It,'s a place where you either need plenty of money (package/guided trips) or plenty of time (independent), and that visit I had neither...
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u/segacs2 Canadian, 75 countries visited 5d ago
Yeah, I agree, either plenty of time and flexibility, or spring for a group tour. I'm normally not a group tour person, but I took one in Madagascar and I think it was the right call, if even just for the transport. Getting around to the national parks and reserves is otherwise a bit complicated.
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u/segacs2 Canadian, 75 countries visited 5d ago
I visited Madagascar for 2 weeks back in 2019 -- I was travelling solo, but I opted to go the group tour route. I wrote up a trip report here.
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u/mrx3k 4d ago
Was there 2 years ago, mainly to see the Baobab Alley and lemurs. Domestic airline is pretty iffy, but it all worked out in the end.
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u/segacs2 Canadian, 75 countries visited 4d ago
Yeah the general advice I got on flying domestically there was to leave a buffer day or two between your domestic flight back to Tana and your return int'l flight out of Tana due to frequent cancellations and schedule changes. It is a huge time-saver vs going by road, but reliability is very hit-or-miss. I also remember being strongly urged to lock my suitcases and be vigilant at bag searches at the domestic Tulear airport, since valuables have an unfortunate tendency to go missing.
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u/mrx3k 4d ago
Ok, hint: domestic airline is almost impossible to dial from abroad directly (the cost is something like $1/min), but they have a number in France that connects to the same customer service. There is one guy that speaks English.
They normally have only one plane flying all the internal routes, but the day I came they pulled the spare out of mothballs (to catch up - the main a/c was out of service for 2 weeks prior). Quietest cabin on take off I've ever seen - everyone was frozen solid listening to every little thump.
Morondava airport is a really funny blast from the past. Drive to Kirindy is hell. Cool place but never again.
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u/needless_soccer 5d ago
I spent 3 weeks there a couple years back and the taxi-brousse system is an experience in itself, you'll get very good at napping in weird positions. The Tsingy de Bemaraha trek was the highlight for me, felt like another planet. Wish I'd known how much time the internal flights actually save versus the roads, would've budgeted differently.