So our tickets to Madagascar were booked. Time to get planning!
Itinerary
We had three weeks, and wanted to drive ourselves. By this I mean, Philippe wanted to drive, because I don't have a driver's license. Somehow, I missed the bus on that one when I was 18, and now its ten years later and I am a certified co-pilot. 😁
With this in mind, we decided to go west (Tsingy de Bemaraha, Avenue of the Baobabs), retrace our steps back to the capital city Antananarivo, and then head over east (Islands Ile St. .Marie, Ile Aux Nattes).
Link to itinerary on Google My Maps here
Renting a car
After scouring through the limited information available about Madagascar travel online, I found that self-driving was ill-advised due to poor infrastructure and long distances, and also virtually not available because none of the agencies offered cars without drivers. Not to be deterred, we scoured harder and found Coen Oldenhof, a Dutch film-maker based in Tana that rents cars without drivers to the crazy tourists who want 'em. Coen was very friendly and helpful, and suggested we rent a 4x4 (Nissan) for the west and a Renault 4 for the east. Pro-tip: Download the Madagascar map on Maps.me - this and my phone's GPS was our navigation system. Most of the hotels and restaurants were in the app, and it worked out perfectly.
Guide-book
Next, I ordered us a guide-book. The general consensus online, including in the review section of the Madagascar Lonely Planet, was to buy the Bradt Guide. In retrospect, I can confirm that this was a great decision - very thorough and thoughtful - not only is it very current, through its crowdsourced anecdotes, it gives you delightful insights into Madagascar's culture.
Vaccinations
After consulting with the doctor, I got the following vaccines:
- Typhoid
- Tetanus
- Hepatitis A
- Rabies
Medicines & First-Aid
For eastern Madagascar, it is advisable to take Malaria Prophylaxus ("Malarone"). These malaria mosquitos are active from around dusk (5 pm) till dawn, and as it turns out, the mosquitos there really loved sucking my blood, so I diligently took the medicine. It gave Philippe serious serious stomach pains and since he didn't get bitten so much, he stopped taking it mid-way.
Other than that, we took the following:
First aid // General
- Band-aids
- Plaster
- Antiseptic spray
- Hand sanitizer
- Mosquito spray with DEET
- Fenistil (soothing gel for inflamed skin)
- Sunscreen and After-sun lotion
- Sanitary napkins / tampons
- Carmex
Flu
- Paracetamol
- Ibuprofen
Tummy issues
- Electrolytes
- Immodium
- Talcid
- Iberogast (this is a wonder drug for all kinds of stomach-related discomfort)
Equipment
Most of the stuff on this list is very handy, and lasts a lifetime - so the purchase is well worth it.
- Headlights (we got Petzl)
- Travel sheets (we use the ones by Cocoon, they're perfect!)
- Mosquito net (most hotels have one though)
- Bungee cords (helpful for hanging up mosquito nets, in case not available in the hotels)
- Travel towels
- Bialetti coffee maker + ground coffee (this was the best idea ever, because we're avid coffee drinkers and often they only had Nescafe satchet coffee!)
- Travel mugs
- Water purifier tablets (this is not only good for emergencies, but also environmentally friendly)
- Pocket knife
- Light backpacks for day-to-day
- Hammock
- Notebook & pen
- Books
Clothes
I took a light water-proof jacket, a light sweater, cotton t-shirts, a few shorts, long cotton trousers, a jumpsuit, bathing suits, flip-flops and running shoes. Philippe took leather hiking boots apt for all climates, mine are gortex, so not so cool for summer. And of course, underwear and socks. You could take a sarong, or buy a local lamba - this is a colorful, patterned piece of cloth worn creatively by the Malagasy ladies.
Cosmetics
I decided to go almost au natural and only took face-cream, a shimmery primer (I swear by Indianwood paint pot by Mac), kajal, body cream, shampoo and lip-balm (Carmex).
And that's a wrap! This was all we took, and I have to say, everything on that list came in handy!
For more information about why to visit this wonderful country, check out my other blog post here