What to see, what to do Madagascar?

In general, museum hours are as follows: Monday to Friday from 8am to 12pm and from 2pm to 5pm.

For visits to the national parks, it is wise to find out in advance where to buy tickets to enter the parks: it is not always on the spot.

Entrance to national parks can be expensive if you wish to visit several of them during your trip. The rates are fixed and informed on the official website (parcs-madagascar.com), keep in mind that guide fees are mandatory and therefore in addition to the price of tickets.

Madagascar celebrates every year the anniversary of its independence on June 26, 1960.

During the night of June 25 to 26, in all the popular districts of Antananarivo, processions go through the streets carrying lanterns in which a candle burns as a symbol of the recovered sovereignty. When one climbs to the belvedere near the Rova, one notices that the city shines with a thousand moving lights. Two days before, all the buildings - schools, train stations, city hall - were decorated with the colors (green, red and white) of Madagascar. On the 26th, the official ceremonies give place to a military parade, while hira gasy opera shows are organized in the different districts. At night, it is time for dances to the rhythms of tsapiky, salegy, and the inevitable afindrafindrao. In the other cities of the country and in the countryside, the festival is organized in multiple forms, the dance and the music having always an essential place there.

Madagascar is a particularly complex country that we strongly recommend you visit with local guides. It is best to contact a reputable travel agency or one of the guides recommended in these pages. There are regional and national guides. The latter, like most Malagasy guides, are passionate about their destination and have a very high sense of service. Their historical, geographical, ecological but also societal and cultural knowledge will make your stay much richer than if you did without their services! Let's hear it...

Beware of fake guides around tourist sites. For national parks in particular, only use official guides, listed in the park offices: their presence is often mandatory and it would be a shame to have paid for the services of a "useless" guide in addition...

In many places you will visit, certain fady will be in effect. Ask your guide about them (they can be very varied such as: don't wear a hat, don't wear shoes, don't eat on the spot, etc.).