Travel to Madagascar
Flying to Madagascar
Madagascar's national airline is Air Madagascar (www.airmadagascar.com). Although they are no longer banned from the list of carriers allowed into the EU due to safety concerns, the airline is still not recommended as cancellations and delays are common. Other major airlines serving the country include Air France (www.airfrance.com), Kenya Airways (www.kenya-airways.com) and Airlink (www.flyairlink.com), the last of which partners with South African Airways to connect Madagascar with countless countries via Johannesburg.
For flights to Madagascar within the Indian Ocean region, Air Austral (www.air-austral.com) and Air Mauritius (www.airmauritius.com) are the main operators.
Air notes:
International flights mainly go to Ivato airport (Antananarivo), with a few landing at Fascene airport (Nosy Be).
Flight times:
From London - 16 hours (including stopover); from New York - 19 hours (including stopover).
Air passes:
Easy Pass: Air Madagascar offers discounts of up to 50% off domestic flights for passengers who choose them as their international carrier.
Departure tax:
None.
Travel by rail
Getting to Madagascar by boat
The country’s main port is at Tamatave. There are also ports at Diego Suarez, Majunga, Morondava, Fort Dauphin and Tuléar. It is occasionally possible to book a passenger cabin on a cargo ship that is scheduled to call at a Malagasy port.
By water note:
The waters north of Madagascar have become known for piracy in recent years, but there have been few incidents as far south as Madagascar.
Cruise ships:
International tour operators promote Madagascar as a stopping place on extended cruises of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Expensive private cruises can be arranged from Europe and the USA.
Cruise ships typically call at the northern ports of Diego Suarez, Tamatave and Nosy Be. The southern ports are frequented far less often by cruise liners.
Ferry operators:
Every two weeks a passenger ferry runs between Toamasina and Mauritius via Réunion (www.croisiere-madagascar.com). There are no regular scheduled ferry crossings to other Indian Ocean islands or to mainland Africa.
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