(RTW) Madagascar

An avenue with baobab trees from the book “The Little Prince” and animals uniquely evolved. One of the poorest countries which was spotted in the film “Madagascar.” Infrastructures for sightseeing are not yet well developed; however, there were so many distinctive things attracting travelers to visit this country.

Visa

An arrival visa is required for both American and Japanese.

Itinerary – Detail

* M = Morning, A = Afternoon, E = Evening

Costs

The costs for 8 day were 1,473,310 ariary for two or US$441.89 at the exchange rate of US$1 = 3,334 ariary. The summary of costs by category is below.

Sightseeing

The sightseeing cost is for fees for a one-day tour of Avenue of the Baobabs and Kirindy forest. The tour was to see sunrise and sunset at Avenue of the Baobabs and to walk in Kirindy forests. The tour was 280,000 ariary and the admission fee of Kirindy forests was 70,000 ariary.

Food

We spent less than US$2 per meal per person in average. This was much cheaper than the other African countries where we had visited so far. Also, the food was much tastier compared to the others.

During the move between Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, and Morondava, we could have only some light food like pastries. However, we went to a high-end restaurant for tourists in Antananarivo on Christmas. On Christmas, each of us ordered an appetizer, main dish, and desert separately, and we paid only 35,000 ariary (=US$10.50) including tips.

We went to other restaurants for tourists multiple times but the average cost per meal per person was still less than US$2. You can have a meal for less than US$1 at local restaurants.

Accommodation

We stayed 7 nights in total at two hostels, Madagascar Underground in Antananarivo for 5 nights and Trecicogne in Morondava for two nights.

• Madagascar Underground: Private room 26,000 ariary / person / night　*Private room was cheaper than two beds in dormitory.
• Trecicogne: Private room 13,000 ariary / person / night　*Negotiation of the price started from 15,000 ariary.

Transportation

• Bus from Antananarivo airport to Madagascar Underground: 10,000 ariary / person
• Taxi from Madagascar Underground to bus terminal: 12,000 ariary *need negotiation
  
• Bus from bus terminal to Antananarivo downtown: 400 ariary / person
• Taxi from Madagascar Underground to bus terminal: 13,000 ariary *need negotiation
  
• Bus from Antananarivo to Morondava: 44,000 ariary / person *can negotiate
  
• Bike taxi in Morondava: 1,500 ariary *need negotiation
  
• Bike taxi from Trecicogne to bus terminal in Morondava (w/ backpacks)：2,000 ariary *need negotiation
  
• Bus from Morondava to Antananarivo: 35,000 ariary / person *need negotiation
  
• Taxi from bus terminal in Antananarivo to Madagascar Underground: 20,000 ariary *need negotiation
  
• Bus from Madagascar Underground to Antananarivo airport: 10,000 ariary / person

Negotiations is possible or required for transportation other than a bus between Antananarivo airport to accommodation in the city of Antananarivo.

It is possible to negotiate the price of long-distance buses between Antananarivo and Morondava. However, we recommend focusing on obtaining a better seat at the time that works the best with your travel schedule. The original price of the buses was less than US$15, and the room for discount is only a few dollars. Seats behind the bus driver provide a relatively less shaky ride with more leg rooms.

Our bus to Morondava was slightly expensive because we took the bus on Christmas day. On Christmas day, there were less buses to Morondava and the price was higher.

Visa

An arrival visa is required for both American and Japanese.

On our arrival day, paying with ariary was the cheapest based on the exchange rate. However, we paid the arrival visa in US$ since there was no ATM to get ariary until we passed the custom and luggage pickup area. In the table of expenses by category above, US$60 was converted with the exchange rate of US$1=3,334 ariary.

If obtaining ariary is possible before arriving Madagascar, the visa fee would be cheaper.

Others

We used a laundry service at Madagascar Underground for 10,000 ariary. The price was 10,000 per service regardless of weight. The rest of other costs consist of tips to a guy who helped take our luggage from buses etc.

Summary

The main sightseeing in Madagascar was Avenue of the Baobabs and Kirindy Forests. Originally, we planned to visit other towns with a long-distance bus; however, we got tired with the bus more than we expected. Therefore, we went straight back to Antananarivo after visiting Morondava. In the city of Antananarivo, we relaxed and explored the city, and also enjoyed a lot of nice food.

Once the infrastructures for sightseeing are well developed, we believe that Madagascar will be one of the top destinations for travelers. It is highly recommended to visit Madagascar while sightseeing in the country is still cheap.

Even in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, you can spend one day with less than 40,000 ariary (=US$12). With 20,000 ariary (=US$6), you can enjoy dinner at a nice restaurant per person. For those who enjoy trying new tastes, Madagascar can be your top destination for your trip!