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.

Notes

International flights mainly go to Ivato airport (Antananarivo), with a few landing at Fascene airport (Nosy Be).

Airport Guides

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.

Travelling to Madagascar by Rail

Driving to Madagascar

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.

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.