Madagascar

[Member #4178]

Last month, the Transpost from Tana to Mahajunga, it brokedown. We wait 5 hours by the road, a replacement comes. And trip is a 17-hour adventure.

I always fly when more then two hours drive.

what I am saying and this is not for everybody.

True.

With the infrastructure, you need a lot of time.

No! Just fly. Up to 50% discount if you came on air mad.

For hotels, sorry if you have no money and enjoy your mosquitos.

If you have no money just troll on ISG, no need to travel. But if you do then you get a very nice room around 20usd in small towns. (not cities). Bargaining is a norm.

But yes, The overall trip is bloody expensive due to the cost flights not other type of expenses. But for me the small town adventures are hard to find elsewhere in the world.

[Spelicci]

In the first years I was in Madagascar, people said girls here are very reserved.

But I was very surprised when I discovered that those Malagasy girls enjoy to be taken on nude pictures. They love it! Amazing!

[Spelicci]

For newbie tourists in Madagascar:

If you want to find good girls "safely", avoid looking them at night clubs alone. The best thing is to ask your driver or hotel receptionist who will be pleased to show you the place where you can meet girls "safely".

[Spelicci]

Like you, perhaps, I have been all over this country. Last month, the Transpost from Tana to Mahajunga, it brokedown. We wait 5 hours by the road, a replacement comes. And trip is a 17-hour adventure. We arrive so late, but behold the hotel is waiting up for us and welcomes in. You have to accept whatever comes is what I am saying and this is not for everybody. With the infrastructure, you need a lot of time. It is not love or hate but merely the reality. I've driven motorcycles through the countryside where girls see you coming and lift their shirts and skirts to show you what they have. Stop if you want, spend a week with her or keep going. This would traumatize you? Go back to Pattaya. For hotels, sorry if you have no money and enjoy your mosquitos. Regardez, what is to debate? We know what this country is. Enjoy the way you want, and while your at it you can tell all the world and invite them to come. Wouldn't that be nice.

Hi guys,

I think if you want to find good girls, cheap and without problem of any kind (transport, hotel,.) Madagascar is not the ideal destination for you.

In Madagascar, you have mainly two options:

1. Either, you're a rich tourist and :

- you can afford to pay a luxury hotel.

- air travel throughout the island,

- pretty and elegant girls proposed by the hotel or specialized agencies, without delay,

2. Either way, you're a simple tourist, with an average budget, and you should live rhythm like other tourists:

- with hotels and bungalows according to your budget, however very nice,

- the bus trips that are much cheaper,

- girls more "natural".

And this second option is not for busy people, because it will include real adventure (roads in bad conditions, traffic jam in towns, not comfortable taxi in comparison to european taxi, etc.) and is time consuming.

In any case, I really enjoy Madagascar and I hope to stay here for still many years!

[Golfinho]

'this is not a user friendly place "? I it very friendly but you did a big mistake to choose cities instead of towns. The reason you did so it you got bored very fast. For me Mahagenga, Diego, Tana, Tamateve was some kind of trauma. Then I went to Sambava and Antalaha and it was a world apart.

Like you, perhaps, I have been all over this country. Last month, the Transpost from Tana to Mahajunga, it brokedown. We wait 5 hours by the road, a replacement comes. And trip is a 17-hour adventure. We arrive so late, but behold the hotel is waiting up for us and welcomes in. You have to accept whatever comes is what I am saying and this is not for everybody. With the infrastructure, you need a lot of time. It is not love or hate but merely the reality. I've driven motorcycles through the countryside where girls see you coming and lift their shirts and skirts to show you what they have. Stop if you want, spend a week with her or keep going. This would traumatize you? Go back to Pattaya. For hotels, sorry if you have no money and enjoy your mosquitos. Regardez, what is to debate? We know what this country is. Enjoy the way you want, and while your at it you can tell all the world and invite them to come. Wouldn't that be nice.

[Legionnaire]

I fully agree on everything. Only about your daily budget is a subject so personal and very individual. Everyone has different needs appropriately. I really liked the comparison between African and Oriental style, perfectly summed up by the combination culinary. For mea Chateaubriand, merci.

[Amadeuss]

to visit you need a lot of time, months or more. Unless you have your once a lifetime tourist visit, this is not a user friendly place and not especially if you have no money.

I remember it was pointed out many times here: Mada is NOT a monger destination for english speaking only McBang-travellers. They better stick to Pattaya or Angeles or Dom Rep or even to FKK's.

You need time? 2 weeks as minimum is ok. 3 weeks is better. Not user friendly? If you know about the different transport options as well being flexible in looking for accomodations then you should not have any problems. Expensive? Except the flights, all other expenses are below the typical McBang destinations. My budget (hotel, food, drinks, parting-fee) in Tana is 150 EU and far below 100 EU / day in the province. That is enough to enjoy a daily meal of Entrecôte de Zebu Malgache avec sauce au vin rouge et à la moutarde.

[Member #4178]

Beside, to visit you need a lot of time, months or more. Unless you have your once a lifetime tourist visit, this is not a user friendly place and not especially if you have no money. And never in rainy season jaja, an experience you never forget, and never want to remember.

You have a love and hate relationship with Mada, no Doubt you have submitted a good posts here but mainly from Tamateve, Diego, Tana and Tulear which all are cities that girls are well exposed to mongers. So they adapt the same tricks they do in the Philippines, bringing a sister, families etc.

You don't need months, one month is more the enough. Money? Yes the flights are expensive not to mention you like hotels with pools.

'this is not a user friendly place "? I it very friendly but you did a big mistake to choose cities instead of towns. The reason you did so it you got bored very fast. For me Mahagenga, Diego, Tana, Tamateve was some kind of trauma. Then I went to Sambava and Antalaha and it was a world apart.

Nothing much to do for sure, but what can you ask more the eager girls and fantastic beach. I was playing with the girl with my DSLR and got a local expat as a friend. My laptop had full of offline youtube clips. Stay away from cities Mada hanging for bad direction and out of the tourist path is your best bet.

[Golfinho]

LOL. I fully agree!

If you don't speak French, mcD burger is the only cuisine in Mada you get, and more than this you may not even know it.

Beside, to visit you need a lot of time, months or more. Unless you have your once a lifetime tourist visit, this is not a user friendly place and not especially if you have no money. And never in rainy season jaja, an experience you never forget, and never want to remember.

[Legionnaire]

To compare Malgache ladies with Kenyan whoxxs is to compare an Entrecôte au foie gras with a Mc Burger

LOL. I fully agree!

[Member #4178]

To compare Malgache ladies with Kenyan whoxxs is to compare an Entrecôte au foie gras with a Mc Burger

Don't forget that Mombasa is a slum: bad food, high crime, impossible hotel prices and a few hard core that may tend to extortion. Some of the bodies are hot but rarely a GF experience. Mombasa vacation is in fear.

Mada has many charming small towns with good food, excellent friendly accommodation (below 25$) with girls eager to please.

BrasilSoccer stupid comment on the excellent Tungsten2 report is a joke, not to mention he never post any photos from his Mombasa trip but do scorn other serious members.

[Spelicci]

You are in heaven man. Do the girls from costal towns understand french or Malagasy better? And in which towns did you find the prettiest girls in your opinion?

I almost went there this summer but decided, because of the costly airfare, language barrier and not able to secure long term reasonable accommodations, instead to go to Mombasa. No regret though cause I had a blast there. I stayed for 31 days and like some of you said earlier, Mombasa is a sex machine.

I think most of Malagasy people, if they don't speak, understand French language. And most of girls are speaking French that you can understand. But, just a few amount of people are speaking English (mainly people and girls working in high standing hotels.

Prettiest girls? It depends on your preferences, girls from Antananarivo and east coast are more Asian type, and from other towns are more "African type". But all those girls are quite sexy and sex lover! They can satisfy your need at any time!

[Amadeuss]

I had a blast there. I stayed for 31 days and like some of you said earlier, Mombasa is a sex machine.

To compare Malgache ladies with Kenyan whoxxs is to compare an Entrecôte au foie gras with a Mc Burger

[BrasilSoccer0]

You are in heaven man. Do the girls from costal towns understand french or Malagasy better? And in which towns did you find the prettiest girls in your opinion?

I almost went there this summer but decided, because of the costly airfare, language barrier and not able to secure long term reasonable accommodations, instead to go to Mombasa. No regret though cause I had a blast there. I stayed for 31 days and like some of you said earlier, Mombasa is a sex machine.

Here are some more pics from Tuleara, some outdoor fun times!

[BrasilSoccer0]

You are really boring!

WHERE IS THE BEEF?

I visited in mid-may to mid-July and need to post this while I still remember it. I've been to Kenya and Dar a few times but only considered Madagascar as a destination because of this site; I stayed within the tramlines of previous posts, so don't have anything ground-breaking to announce, but this may be helpful to anyone else thinking about going.

4 nights Tana. 5 nights Hellville / Ambataloaka. 15 nights Diego / Ramena. 3 nights Tamatave. 11 nights Tulear area. 15 nights elsewhere.

I started and finished in Tana. I didn't expect to like it and so I didn't. The cobbled streets around Hauteville are cute and it's worth a walk up to the Palace for the views, but it's plainly over-populated and you have to run a gauntlet of hawkers trying to sell maps / guidebooks / musical instruments / vanilla / spices. Definitely an edgy feel to it, but once you're off the street and inside there are some funky bars around (Manson, Kudeta, Mojo). It only occurred to me on my last night of the trip that everywhere else I'd just ambled along the same street and barely needed to use taxis. 2 nights twice were enough for me in Tana, not because it's small but because it was tiring, although I never made it to Le Caveau or Disco 16 which are close enough. Le Glacier is reliable day and night and I'm sure Indra can be good but when I visited it was largely full of drunk local guys (it was quite a shock to be in a club with less women than men). Stayed at Sunny City a few doors up from Hotel Sakamanga which was fine.

It was good to get to Hellville which has wide and empty streets. Stayed at Belle Vue which was really nice. Rooms at the back with a view even nicer. Bars like Nandipo, Le Manava & Porte Rouge were pleasant enough in the daytime but then I started to get sick and that was the end of my Nosy Be exploration. I made it up to Ambatoloaka and at 3pm was surprised at what a ghost town it was. Nothing was open, let alone full. There was music at night and Le Taxi Be seemed to be the centre but I can't pass on anything as I was bedridden for 2 days. I stayed at Chez Patrick which was definitely GF judging by my fellow guests' changing companions each morning at breakfast. There was a good cabana-style restaurant literally on the beach (Tantine?) that I visited for lunch. I'd called up a girl from Hellville just for the company but she started to get clingy (not pushy or demanding) and so once I was feeling better I just left Nosy Be which I regret now.

Upto Diego Suarez which I really liked. The port end of town is on a promontory and the locals don't live there much so it's laid-back and as a vazeha you can exist in a bubble. The French basically founded Diego so there's loads of elegantly mouldering Art Deco buildings and it is very atmospheric to wander around. If your favourite cities are eg New York or Dubai you won't like Diego; but then you probably won't like Madagascar. Action is pretty much confined to La Vahine which has music every night and is the only overt pick-up joint outside of the clubs. Fun to listen and watch but I didn't rate most of the girls. Also, given that most of the vaheza seem like retired postmen, (French, almost everyone is French) , girls seemed unnecessarily blinged-up. It's their country so they can wear what they like I guess, and I did pull one out of there my first night since she spoke ok english and filled me in on things but on my second day the first of 4 waitresses / receptionists separately volunteered what time they finished work / when their day off was and I was able to move out to Ramena and shuttle them over for a night and send them back. It was pretty blissful and of course there are waitresses in Ramena too. There's not much off the Rue Colbert and a real lack of other bars but you can sit in or outside the restaurants and watch the world go slowly by. It felt really safe too. I stayed in Hotel Ambassador which was a few doors up from La Boite Noire and fine but then moved into Hotel Karifa (?) which is yellow and just down from Place de la Musique and is perched right on the hillside with amazing views out over the bay. The LP guide mistakenly call it Villa La Baie de Diego Suarez. I spent 2 weeks in Diego but never on a weekend so can't comment on La Boite Noire and Nouvel Hotel club but the former was completely empty weeknights.

I did some touristy stuff for a while and then spent 3 nights in Tamatave which I didn't much like but again I barely needed to stray from Boulevard Joffre. My first night a waitress gave me her number but it didn't lead anywhere so on my last night I pulled a girl out of Queens who I'd earlier seen in La Terrasse which has some daytime action.

And on to Tulear. Once again, other than trips to the ATM you could just live on the main drag, going between Bo's Beach and La Grande Boeuf in the day and Tam Tam & Za Za at night. Being a small place, you may have to choose between GFE with one girl and brazenly working through the pros because I tried to juggle a waitress and 2 pros from Tam Tam and ended up having to change hotel. I stayed at Plazza Sur which is a stone's throw from Bo's and a 4 min walk from the rest. I visited Mangily which according to the guide is 'saturated with go-go tourism' but the place was quiet in July; no vazeha (just me and 2 Belgian lesbians) , no girls and not many bars. I liked Tulear; as has been said by others, the girls seemed more earthy than up north.

I spent 1 night in Fianarantsoa which looked horrible but I only saw the gare routiere and didn't make it to Fort Dauphin or Majunga or Morondava.

Those are the nuts & bolts. I'll post soon on general impressions, prices, language etc but basically I had a blast even though I missed out completely on Ambatoloaka. I was there in low season. Several hotels I was the only guest and it may have made the place seem less of a destination than it usually is.