A Madagascar Travel diary

Odyssey World travel specialist, Gemma, visited Madagascar and was fascinated by the land of lemurs…

Day 1

I arrived very early this morning at half past midnight, and after negotiating through immigration (there is a new price for visa for stays up to 30 days – 25 Euros) and retrieving luggage, it was nice to meet the guide with a sign saying my name! He was great and immediately suggested I change my money as there are very few money exchanges in Tana. I felt like a millionaire, 3000 Araiary to 1 Euro!

Another tip is getting a sim card, which is easy here – definitely advisable if you want to keep people updated on your travel escapades – roughly £10 will cover the cost for SMS and data for about 30 days. Always have little denominations to be able to tip those that carry your bags – about 5000 (£1.70) is the norm however the guides at the palace that take you around would normally expect about 10,000.

From the airport, I was driven only 10 minutes to the Realis du Plateau hotel; the reception was still open and I was shown to my room which was very clean, with nice comfy bed and simple furnishings. There was a TV, air-conditioning, and a small fridge. The bathroom was newly fitted and the shower was more than powerful enough. As my guide said we had to leave early in the morning due to traffic I went straight to bed. The lady travelling with me, Elizabeth, had made full use of the spa and swimming pool facilities which I was told were very good and not expensive – I’ll be making use of that on the way back!

Day 2

This was an early start from our hotel and we had a tour around the bustling city of Antananarivo – the city of one thousand warriors. We made our way from the airport and drove south/east though the paddy fields and saw a secondary industry of brick making in process – the paddy fields only produce a maximum of 2 crops per year and so in the dry season, the Malagasy dig up the clay to make bricks for house building. The houses used to be made solely from timber and the tombs from stone however the city has experienced terrible fires in the past and have now replaced timber with bricks in the construction of buildings.

The traffic in Tana is unreal, the streets are narrow and it is unusual that the Malagasy with their Indonesian influence do not opt for the smaller modes of transport. Here the taxis are very old Citroen ami8’s the public buses are literally hope on/off (from the back door) and very few mopeds. A few people are still under cepu (cow) power to transport heavy goods.

We were taken to the palace of the last Queen of Madagascar, she was loved by her people but unfortunately had to make a peace agreement with the French in the late 1800’s which included her living out her days in exile in Algeria. In 1936 her remains were relocated from the burial site in Algeria to a new tomb at the palace. The palace was once a magnificent building, however due to internal political conflict the building has never been restored properly and remains a shell of its former self.
Lunch was at the Café de la Gare – a welcome relief away from the busy street hawkers. The prices are reasonable and there is a phone shop where you can pick up a sim card. The toilets are inside an old railway carriage in the gardens. The food is superbly presented and the staff are very attentive and welcoming.

After a long day it was time to head to our hotel for the night – Maison Gallini. WOW, this place is special. It is the home of the Consulate of Monaco and is impeccable inside. The furnishings are very tasteful, there are only 4 guest rooms over the 3 floors, however they are outstanding quality. The third floor is the private residence of the consulate who was travelling when we stayed, I did sneak a peak at the bathroom though…!!!

Staff are faultless and the food was home cooked and very tasty, it was also possible to order wine with the meal. The whole place is stunning but you also feel very relaxed – a real luxury holiday home!

Time for bed – we have an early start tomorrow for more adventures…

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See Our Favourite Madagascar wildlife holidays trips here…