The result of a complex recipe prepared over millions of years.

Not for the faint hearted traveller, Madagascar has yet to develop as a world class tourist destination. But that is the attraction of this vast and diverse island.

Travelling There: Remember, Madagascar is not Mauritius; nor is it the Med. There are no hotel groups, no rows of deck chairs, no bossy guides with umbrellas. It is full of surprises. It is not for the soft tourist; you need a sense of adventure and the ability to wonder at what you are experiencing without comparing it to anywhere else you have been. No preconceived ideas or expectations....you need to let Madagascar happen to you. If you are still interested then we invite you to read further....

Geographical history: A long, long time ago there was a massive continent named Godwana. Over 65 million years ago this continent broke up to form (roughly speaking) Africa, Australia, South America and - broken off in the move - Madagascar. Somehow evolution sort of stopped on the 587,000 km² island continent. Animals and plants that hitched a ride evolved separately to their cousins that they left behind. They did not have the competition of better developed species and thus, the majority of the life here is endemic meaning not found anywhere else in the world.

The island first saw human beings only 2000 years ago so the flora and fauna has evolved without any human intervention. It is a sad, and hardly coincidental, fact that in the last two millennia Madagascar has seen more extinction than at any other time in her natural history. Very little is known about the origin of the Malagasy people but it is thought they are a mix of Indonesian and African with later migrations from East Africa and Southern India resulting in a mostly Indonesian language lightly peppered with Kiswahili.

The East takes in the natural rainforests of Andasibe and Mitsinjo, the Pangalanes lakes and canals, Tamatave, Île St Marie and Île aux Nattes. See our Tours-East page.

The North includes Nosy Be, Antsiranana (aka Diego Suarez) and the Mont d'Ambre Reserve, the islands around Nosy Be and Anjajavy, north of Mahajanga. See our Tours-North page.

Politics:The Malagasy people are as unique and delightful as the animals and are generally a content nation. Their politics, historically, are colourful and turbulent but rarely pose a threat to the tourist. The land is more than capable of sustaining itself and up until 1890 they were managing quite well on their own - in a Malagasy sort of way. But then the greed of the colonial powers, in this case France, found its way to Madagascar. There was little the Malagasy could do to hold back the French juggernaut and in 1894/95 France invaded Madagascar. For 65 years France ruled the island. They introduced a dual judicial system and a forced-labour mandate. Understandably the French were not popular colonists and between and after the two World Wars (in which Malagasy soldiers fought, and lost lives, alongside France) the nationalist movement gained momentum. Madagascar gained 'independence' (in name only) in 1960 but several coups during the early '70's succeeded with Didier Ratsiraka taking control in 1975.

To learn more about the chequered politics I suggest you read one of the books I recommend later in the site. Suffice to say there have been many coups (with very little loss of life) and dictatorships since and, most recently, in 2009 the mayor of Tana, Andry Rajoelina, whipped up support from the people and demanded the resignation of Marc Ravalomana. After a bitter battle of wills Ravalomana resigned and took refuge in Southern Africa. The latest news is that a power sharing deal has been signed and that Ravalomana and his predecessors have been granted amnesty. An election is set for December 2010. It is quite safe to visit Madagascar.

Quote:".... all this means is that most of Madagascar's wonderful unique species are found nowhere else and that the ultimate responsibility for maintaining them rests with the people of Madagascar themselves. The international community can and should do as much as humanely possible to help, but the final decision will be in the hands of the Malagasy people.

What then can we in the developed world do for Madagascar? .... we have to learn more about it and recognise its importance to the planet.. ....Closely related with this recognition is the importance of visiting Madagascar....ecotourism is one of the real conservation solutions for Madagascar, because it generates income for the country and demonstrates strongly and clearly to Malagasy decision makers and local people alike that biodiversity conservation pays, that it is good business, and that it offers a real competitive advantage for Madagascar - perhaps the greatest competitive advantage that the country possesses."

- CI President Russell A Mittermeier, chairman of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group