Madagascar tours & travel

Capital city	Antananarivo
Population	22 million
Language	French, Malagasy
Currency	Malagasy ariary (MGA)
Time zone	(GMT+03:00) Nairobi
Electricity	Type C (European 2-pin) Type D (Old British 3-pin) Type E (French 2-pin, female earth) Type J (Swiss 3-pin) Type K (Danish 3-pin)
Dialling code	+261

 

The Malagasy people of Madagascar are a unique ethnic group made up of Southeast Asian and West African descent. About half of the population practice traditional beliefs in ancestral deities with the other half practice Christianity. However, even the Christian and Muslim minority still hold reverence for their indigenous beliefs. Death is an important part of the Malagasy spirituality, and the locals place great importance on funerary rituals. Malagasy have little to no concept of personal space, often touch during conversation and are notoriously unpunctual. 

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, sitting in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa. The Island separated from the continent of Africa 88 million years ago, and due to its isolation during that time, developed some of the world’s most unique flora and fauna. Today it is one of the most interesting regions of biodiversity for biologists. Although the island was once entirely covered in rainforest, it’s lost much of this through human development and deforestation. Other geographical features include tropical coasts, highlands and a number of extinct volcanoes. 

Madagascar trips offer the opportunity to visit the country’s abundant open-aired markets which is an experience unto itself. Across the country, you’ll find stalls and shops selling local products such as dark chocolate, coffee and beauty products made from the famous baobab tree. Handicrafts from the region tend to be quite inventive, including board games studded with semi-precious stones and knick knacks made form recycled tin. Malagasy in the west of the country are also specialists in wood carving, so you’ll find traditional boxes, masks and statuettes. Check with your home country’s customs regulation before bringing any of these products home with you. 

Alahamady Be

Malagasy New Year takes place in March and goes for two days. The enormous event involves traditional music, dance and traditional cleansing and blessing rites.

Donia

This traditional dance festival is held on a small island off the coast of Madagascar. It involves impressive parades of dancers and a mixture of both traditional and contemporary performances.

Malagasy cuisine, like the heritage, is a blend of Southeast Asian, African, Chinese and Indian influences. Rice is a staple in the Malagasy diet and is part of almost every meal. Some typical dishes include vary amin’anana i (rice mixed with leafy green vegetables) and Malagasy fried rice, which is Madagascar’s version of the Chinese dish. Accompaniments to plain rice are called loaka and include romazava (beef stew) and avimbomanga sy patsamena (potato leaves with shrimp). The Malagasy have their meals with a special drink made from boiling water and the remnants of rice from the cooking pot. 

• The Eighth Continent by Peter Tyson
• Lords and Lemurs by Alison Jolly
• Antipode by Heather E. Heying
• Flashman's Lady by George MacDonald Fraser
• The Sapphire Sea by John B. Robinson