Travel to Madagascar – Top Medical Schools

Madagascar: travel information

How to get to Madagascar

Air traffic

Since Madagascar is an island, the easiest way to reach the country is of course by plane, whereby travelers from abroad will land at the international airport of Antananarivo (Ivato). Airlines that fly to the island include Air Madagascar, Air France, Air Mauritius, Aeroflot and Inter Air. Air Madagascar and Air France offer flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Antananarivo. CorsAir offers flights from Paris Orly Ouest to Madagascar. Other international destinations are Johannesburg (South Africa) and Bangkok (Thailand).

Ferry connections

There are 18 seaports in Madagascar. The largest are Toamasina and Mahajanga, with Toamasina being by far the most important seaport in Madagascar. About 70% of Malagasy shipping freight traffic is guaranteed through it.

Travel in the country

Air traffic

Because of the mostly extremely poor road conditions, air traffic in Madagascar was already of great importance in the 1950s. 58 of the approximately 400 airfields were served by scheduled flights. Today it is the state-owned Air Madagascar, which offers a total of around 40 destinations in Madagascar. There are domestic flights to all major cities in Madagascar. The almost 60 landing strips make the Malagasy domestic flight network one of the largest in the world.

Bus

Bush taxis and collective taxis operate between the provincial cities in Madagascar. The bush taxis cover longer overland distances and run regularly.

Railways

There are four railroad lines in Madagascar, which together form an approximately 1,030 km long rail network. After rail transport had been operated for a long time by the state Réseau national des chemins de fer malagasy, rail transport was privatized in 2003 and “leased” to the Madarail company for 25 years. The Tananarive-Côte-Est line connects Antananarivo with the seaport Toamasina, and the Fianarantsoa-Côte-Est line connects the Betsileo capital with Manakara.

Shipping

There are numerous waterways in the country, but due to their natural characteristics they are mostly more suitable for canoes and are therefore hardly important for travelers who do not only want to be on the water locally. The Betsiboka is an exception; it can be shipped over a length of 80 kilometers.

Rickshaws (pousse-pousse)

In the cities themselves there are often vehicles that are pulled by animals or even people. These are rickshaws, which are called pousse-pousse in the country. This is the country’s usual means of transport for shorter distances, with which the poor Madagascans earn their living.

Roads

Madagascar’s road network covers around 50,000 kilometers and carries most of the domestic traffic. About 5,300 kilometers of it are paved. Unpaved roads are difficult or impossible to drive in the rainy season. The most important Malagasy overland routes include Route Nationale N ° 1, which runs back and forth between Antananarivo, Lac d’Itasy and Tsiroanomandidy, as well as the economically important Route Nationale N ° 2, which connects the port of Toamasina with Antananarivo. Route Nationale N ° 4 is also important for domestic traffic; it runs between Antananarivo and Mahajanga.

Rental cars

In Madagascar you can get the usual rental cars. However, due to the volume of traffic and the driving style of the Madagascans that takes getting used to, driving by car is strongly discouraged.

International license plate

According to Abbreviationfinder, Madagascar’s international license plate is:

Tourist Office in Madagascar

Office National du Tourisme de Madagascar

Lot IBG 29C Antsahavola

PO Box 1780

101 Antananarivo

Tel: 00261 – (0) 20 – 226 6115

Email: [email protected]

www.madagascar-tourisme.com

Madagascar: entry and exit regulations

Currency

The national currency of Madagascar is the ariary.

Local currencyUp to 1,000 MAG can be imported. The local currency may not be exported.
Foreign currenciesThere is no limit to the amount of foreign currency that can be imported, but must be declared. The export is limited to the declared, imported amount.

Import and export of goods

The import rules are very strict. Duty-

free imports for people over the age of 18:

1 liter of alcohol, 25 cigars or 500 grams of tobacco or 500 cigarettes.

Clothing and everyday items can be imported.

Jewelry and valuable electronic devices must be declared upon entry.

Perfume may not be imported duty-free.

Certain precious and semi-precious stones, fossils and fossils from Madagascar may not be exported or not exported without the corresponding accompanying documents.

The import and export of weapons, ammunition or explosives is strictly prohibited.

In addition, the import and export of to Washingtonhe species protection law forbade protected plants and animals. Violation can result in substantial penalties.

Souvenirs

Country-specific Malagasy goods are wood carvings, handmade paper, Malagasy musical instruments, leather and wickerwork, embroidery with folk Malagasy motifs and woven fabrics, mohair carpets and jewelry made of semi-precious stones and silver.

Travel medicine, vaccinations and warnings

Infectious Diseases

In Madagascar, the following infectious diseases are to be expected in Germany and Central and Northern Europe:

Malaria: There is a significant risk of malaria in the country all year round, including in the cities. About 80% to 90% of infections occur with the very dangerous malaria tropica, the rest with malaria tertiana.
Schistosomiasis
Cholera – however, there is only a risk of infection for travelers who come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food
Intestinal infections from contaminated food or water, including amoebas, lamblia, salmonella, shigella, worm infestation and all kinds of viruses and bacteria
Hepatitis A and B
Polio, polio
Plague – over 500 people died from the disease between 2010 and 2017
Filariasis
tetanus
rabies
Typhoid – however, there is only a risk of infection for travelers who come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food

Recommended vaccinations

when traveling to Madagascar are recommended vaccinations against the following diseases:

Diphtheria – a vaccination against diphtheria should always exist, also in the home country.
Hepatitis A and B
Polio, polio – vaccination against polio should always exist, also in the home country
Tetanus – a vaccination against tetanus should always exist, also in the home country.
Rabies – but only for high-risk travelers who can come into contact with the vector animals.
Typhoid – but only for travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.

Compulsory vaccination

For all persons older than one year and coming from a yellow fever infection area designated by the WHO, there is a compulsory vaccination against an illness with yellow fever.

Yellow fever vaccination of children

in most countries where yellow fever r vaccination is required, this also applies to children over the age of one year in some countries from six months. It should be noted that vaccination against yellow fever had a number of side effects, such as encephalitis. Around two-thirds of those affected were children under six months. Therefore, under no circumstances should children under this age be vaccinated. But children under one year of age should also not be vaccinated if possible. If in doubt, yellow fever infection areas must then be avoided. Any vaccination against yellow fever may only be carried out in specially authorized yellow fever vaccination centers!

Malaria prophylaxis

When traveling to Madagascar, it is advisable to take a prophylaxis against malaria. If the side effects seem questionable to you, you should at least carry a “stand-by preparation” with you so that you can start taking the therapeutically active drug immediately if you suspect a malaria infection.

Madagascar: Diplomatic missions

Visit Countryaah for a full list of Madagascar embassies and consulates in each country around the world.

German representations in Madagascar

Embassy in Antananarivo

101, Rue du Pasteur Rabeony Hans (Ambodirotra)

PO Box 516

101 Antananarivo, Madagascar

Tel: 00261 – (0) 20 – 222 3802/03

Email: [email protected]

www.antananarivo.diplo.de

The German embassy in Madagascar is still responsible for:

Comoros
Mauritius

Austrian representations in Madagascar

The Federal Republic of Austria does not have an embassy in Madagascar, but is represented by an honorary consulate. The embassy in South Africa is responsible

Embassy in South Africa

1109, Duncan Street, Brooklyn

Pretoria 0181

Tel: 0027 – (0) 12 – 452 9155

Email: [email protected]

www.aussenministerium.at/pretoria

The Austrian Embassy in South Africa is still responsible for: