• On the clothing side, you have to adapt to the climate of Madagascar. So take light clothes, ideally cotton, and some long sleeves to fight mosquitoes. Also, don't forget a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, which are essential to withstand the heat. Remember to take good shoes and warm clothes for your hikes on the Hauts-Plateaux for the cool nights.
• In your pharmacy kit, be sure to take sunscreen with a high protection factor, a tropical-type mosquito repellent (with DEET, dosed at 25-50%), anti-malarial tablets, anti-diarrhoea tablets, aspirin, bandages, disinfectant, tablets against travel sickness, a soothing lotion for insect bites and a balm for sunburn, of the Biafine© type. Also take tampons or sanitary napkins, which are difficult to find locally.
• Finally, don't forget your camera to take home great memories. A travel diary will also allow you to write them down.

• Madagascar is a country that isn’t very touristy. It is a great country for more experienced and/or adventurous travellers. I’ve visited over 60 countries and I’m always looking for new countries to explore. To me, it didn’t feel like a big deal to travel to Madagascar, but now that I’ve been there I wish I prepared myself a bit better for this trip. So to help you out I’ve made this list with 10 things you need to know before your trip to Madagascar. With these tips, you’re better prepared than I was, and I’m sure you’ll have a great time on this beautiful African island.
• Visa
  A Visa is required for all travellers visiting Madagascar, even if it’s only for a short period of time. You can buy your visa at the airport or arrange it beforehand in your home country. Arranging it beforehand at the embassy is quite expensive, but it’ll give you peace of mind to know that you’re allowed into the country. Buying your visa to Madagascar at the airport is also possible. You’ll have to cue and officially you could be denied entry but I don’t think that’s very likely for tourists.
   For both options, you’ll need a return ticket, a passport that’s valid for at least another 6 months and a passport picture.
• Money
  The local currency in Madagascar is Ariary. When I was there, the exchange rate was 4600 Airiary for 1 Euro. Important to know is that you can’t pay with your bank card/debit card anywhere in Madagascar. Some bigger hotels and restaurants accept credit card payments, but there are no ATMs to get money with your bank card. A credit card is a must in Madagascar! Most banks only accept Visa but the IBN bank (white with green logo) accepts Mastercard as well. You can find an IBN bank in the bigger cities. Always ensure you have enough cash on you, as you’d be surprised at how few places you can pay with a card. Some big hotels or rental car agencies might accept euros as well. At the airport, there are 2 ATMs in the arrival hall, one where you can get money with a Visa and one for a Mastercard.
• 3 Transportation
  The roads in Madagascar are very bad. There’s one main highway; the RN7, that goes from the capital city Antananarivo to Tulear in the South-West. But even that one is often in bad shape. If you’re short on time (say 10 to 16 days), I’d advise you to just this RN7 highway. It’ll give you a chance to see quite a lot of what the country has to offer in a reasonable amount of time.
   The best way to do it is to rent a car, we did this as well. Most car-rental agencies will only rent a car, including a driver. Although it felt weird for me in the beginning, in retrospect, I’m very happy that we did this. We rented our car with Europcar and paid for it in cash Euros. We arranged it online beforehand, so we knew we had to bring enough. The advantages of a driver is that he knows the way, he knows the good hotels, he knows local guides that he can call beforehand to guide you in National Parks, it’s less tiring if you don’t have to drive yourself and it gives you a safe feeling.
• Are you more adventurous? You can also take the local busses ‘bouse bouse’. Don’t expect too much from them, though; they’re small vans made to seat about 10 people but often used by 20 at the same time. You’ll often see them on the road, packed with people inside and hanging out and packed with luggage, food and even live animals on the roof. The buses break down frequently and, as you can imagine, are uncomfortable.
• Keep in mind that Madagascar is a very big island (it’s the size of France and Belgium combined), so calculate enough time to drive from one place to another. Also, add about 25% to the time that Google Maps will tell you and don’t plan your schedule too tight. There are always things that can happen, like car trouble, animals on the road or the inability to bypass a slow truck.

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