Madagascar

[Paulos21]

What city or area?

For both Tana and Diego?

[La Isla]

Yes, I contacted them and they are nuts quoting prices of $2700+. South African Airways is quoting $2100. The crazy part is that the airfare is only $1350 Rt NY to Tana. But there is another $650 in taxes!

I found a Kenya charter company here in the US that flies direct JFK to NBO for $837 all taxes included. Air Mad will get me from there to Tana for 542Euros or $783US for a total of $1624US. That's about $500 cheaper than SAA and $1000US cheaper than Air France. Plus I still get the discount in Mada with Air Mad. I may take a few extra days and see Nairobi. Also, at least it'll pay for a flight or two around the country. I definitely will go to Ile Ste Marie and maybe one more city.

Yes, the train ride sounds like its a blast and a great way to see some of the countryside. I am definitely going to look into it. And hiring a driver is not a bad idea either. I found one on the web for $50US a day plus gas.

I am VERY excited about visiting Mada.

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Have you contacted Air France for any deals or advance booking? It's the shortest route.

For not much more than renting a big bike you could hire a car with driver and let him take ALL the risk.

You could get to Ile Ste Marie (Nosy Boraha) with Madasmiles.

http://www.madacamp.com/Madasmiles

They also link to the only railroad (Fianarantsoa. Manakara) which looks a hoot on YouTube.

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[Vahaza Be]

Hi, do you know of any friendly & honest taxi driver that I can book for the whole day?

What city or area?

[Paulos21]

There is an ample supply of poontang all over Madagascar, but it's not like Thailand, the Philippines or Indonesia. There aren't any real brothels, although the massage joints seems to be filling that niche of late. The scene is late night, and always has been as long as I can remember. So take a nap before heading out to the discos. Glacier and Buffet still have daytime barflies but low quality and some just too young. Any night with live music at Glacier usually produces a wide range of pros, semi-pros and newbies in search of vazaha money (and love) by 10pm.

Take time to make some Malagasy friends, chat with taxi drivers, gain some trust. And ask for introductions or referrals. Gifts for sex is the norm, even with nonpros. Patience and time, if you have it, will usually pay off.

Streetwalkers may not be everyone's thing, but Tsaralalana is usually full of cheap treats just after dark- some are awful, others are gems (including "students" and single moms trying to get by or feed their family). Walk through with a flashlight to have a closer look. Just let them shower before banging them.

Hi, do you know of any friendly & honest taxi driver that I can book for the whole day?

[Inovaovao]

Hallo everybody. I am new here. Actually it's my first post on this page, not only on this thread.

I've been visiting Mada twice, in 2008 and 2010, both times for 3 month. Believe me, I liked the lemurs, but the native inhabitants without any tail I liked the most. In 2008 I went east (Tamatave, St. Marie) , northwest (Nosy Be, Mahajunga) , middle (Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa) , and southwest (Belo-sur-Tsirbihina, Morondava, Tulear). Last year I went only north (Diego, Ramena, Ambilobe, Nosy Be (basically Hellville) , and Mahajunga). And of course always some time in Tana. I am a 'Glacier'-edict!

2008 I took that combi-flight St. Marie-Tana / Tana-Nosy Be (you manage two flight in one day, you pay only the more costly one. But there are not many possible combinations!) , and later I bought another flight from Morondava to Tulear. Each time it cost about 120€ (hey you guys in the US, you better get used to prices in €uro. So not really cheap, but good carriers they are. Don't worry about non existing security measurements at the small airports. Nobody ever tried to bomb AirMada. That year I actually visited 3 National Parks. 2 years later I couldn'd care less, all I saw were boobs and bumps, and that lovely color of them.

By reading through the last 20-30 pages of this thread I came along prices that made my hair stand up. Are you guys nuts? Yes, the first month in 2008 when I was staying in Tana (Anjary) , and was totally new to that business (and I mean totally new!) , picking my girls from 'Le Glacier' (or sometimes rather being picked, green as I was) , I payed once or twice 50. 000Ar for a night with unlimited shots (exept my personel limit). But than I learned, and in Belo I even managed 10. 000Ar (4€) , but not for a nighter. Of course very often you have additional costs, like drinks, cigarettes (for her and all her friends) , taxi in the morning, some late night snack p. P, but I always tried to keep this reasonable. I don't mind at all to treat and pay the girls correct, but I hate.



To be scamed and fooled. I am an European living in India, so all the f. And' time I am a (rich) 'Whitie' who is just waiting to be milked. You understand what I mean?

The average monthly salary for a restaurant waiter, a salesperson, a maid, . In Madagascar is less than 20€. So, if you pay that same amount for a quickie of 30 minutes, what do you expect them to think. You think the (very) young chicks of +6/10 will bother to find a mean job? You bet they won't.

So, guys, please come and visit Madagascar and the beautiful and willing Madagirls, they are desperately waiting for you, but PLEASE don't spoil the prices. Whenever you visit or live abroad, in a less developed country, you have to adjust all your payements (be it salaries of your maid, gardener or driver, be it tips in the restaurant, or be it hooker-money) you have an responsebility towards the local market. If you overpay you bring a delicate, economic system out of balance. I mean it!

We will always be the 'Richies' merely by having the money for a ticket and for the Hotels, and by having the luxury of 'going holiday'. I think it finally expresses more respect towards these underprivileged people if we haggle over the price asked, particularly for 'special services'.

[Vahaza Be]

Good price, but October is not peak season (although there are fewer tourists with the current clown in power). June-August (even September) rates tend to be crazy high.

So, in October, I can get to Nairobi from JFK for $800US with Iberia. Not bad.

I emailed Air Mada and they wrote back and said that the Nairobi-Tana leg was 493Euros or $700US. Flights are Wed and Fri. So it looks like the NY-Tana roundtrip flight can be done for $1, 500US plus I can still get the inter-Mada flights for half price with Air Mada. If I plan this right, maybe I will spend 3 days in Nairobi also just for a new experience.

[Trevor2522]

How about buying a $25 travel adaptor?

I fit a plug for the destination to travel ultra-light. Maybe you haven't seen how big and clunky British fused plugs are!

[Blackwhite99]

This site depicts 3 types of outlet in Madagascar, 2 of which are grounded but in different configurations. If taking a laptop which type of socket is most-commonly encountered?

How about buying a $25 travel adaptor?

[Trevor2522]

So, in October, I can get to Nairobi from JFK for $800US with Iberia. Not bad.

I emailed Air Mada and they wrote back and said that the Nairobi-Tana leg was 493Euros or $700US. Flights are Wed and Fri. So it looks like the NY-Tana roundtrip flight can be done for $1, 500US plus I can still get the inter-Mada flights for half price with Air Mada. If I plan this right, maybe I will spend 3 days in Nairobi also just for a new experience.

Disadvantage is you will (officially) need a yellow fever injection to enter Madagascar from Kenya. Plus Air Mada may stop in the Comoros to pick up passengers; they turn off the aircon on the apron. Not pleasant. But you will get your 50% domestic discounts.

Have you tried Air France for the whole trip? They might even offer a hotel for the transit in Paris if you time it right which would break the journey nicely. October is a quiet period for air travel after the brats go back to school. Getting to Ile Ste Marie is relatively easy by road & ferry and you are out of the typhoon season then.

[La Isla]

So, in October, I can get to Nairobi from JFK for $800US with Iberia. Not bad.

I emailed Air Mada and they wrote back and said that the Nairobi-Tana leg was 493Euros or $700US. Flights are Wed and Fri. So it looks like the NY-Tana roundtrip flight can be done for $1,500US plus I can still get the inter-Mada flights for half price with Air Mada. If I plan this right, maybe I will spend 3 days in Nairobi also just for a new experience.

[Trevor2522]

http://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=164

This site depicts 3 types of outlet in Madagascar, 2 of which are grounded but in different configurations. If taking a laptop which type of socket is most-commonly encountered? Grounding could still be achieved between grounded styles with bent wire and foil. I presume the distance between the main live and neutral power-supply holes is always the same? Of course being a third-world country the ground (earth) terminals might not always be properly wired-up behind the wall!

[Vahaza Be]

I just checked SoAf Airways online for May-June R / T JFK-Jo-burg-Tana, now $2500!

I'm sure Kenya Airlines is a good deal less.

No cheap way to get there from the US.

Good luck,

Vb

[Trevor2522]

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http://www.air-austral.com/en/bookin...d-one-way.html

Air Austral flies twice-weekly Bangkok - Antananarivo with a change of planes in Runion. Only 755.
B-777 and ATR-72. Can also enter at Nosy Be, Majunga or Tamatave but there may be a long layover in Runion. Weekly Air Madagascar from Bangkok is non-stop and more-expensive.

850 - 900 Paris CDG to Antananarivo in May 2011.

850 - 950 Paris CDG to Nosy Be in April - May 2011.

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http://www.corsairfly.com/fr/reserverVol.do

Paris Orly - Antananarivo 1071 in April 2011.

Corsair prices have risen sharply. And they only go in to the capital now. Air Austral is currently best-value from both Paris or Bangkok.

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http://www.airfrance.co.uk/cgi-bin/AF/GB/en/common/home/home/HomePageAction.do

London - Antananarivo, via Paris 997 (1130) in April 2011

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http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...readID=1519815

Air Madagascar is always the most-expensive but grants 40% (pay in Mada) or 50% (pay abroad) off internal flights if you enter with them long-haul. Worth considering if you are taking several internal flights where they're the only option. All prices quoted for 2-ways.

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Have you contacted Air France for any deals or advance booking? It's the shortest route.
For not much more than renting a big bike you could hire a car with driver and let him take ALL the risk.
You could get to Ile Ste Marie (Nosy Boraha) with Madasmiles http://www.madacamp.com/Madasmiles
They also link to the only railroad (Fianarantsoa - Manakara) which looks a hoot on YouTube.

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[La Isla]

$2K is a pretty good deal, and prices are much higher June-August (peak season).

Isle St. Marie is relatively undeveloped, but some decent spots for tourists. If you take the ferry across, make sure it's still in decent working order!

500CC+ motos in Mad are relatively rare. But tons of cheap 150CC Asian scooters all over now. Off-road motos are expensive to rent and usually are hired out on a daily basis for up to 40 euros / day.

Thanks for the info Vahaza Be. For the record, I plan on flying to Ile St Marie. Ferries in 3rd world countries in general are unsafe. I'll RTFF first, but I am sure I will have some more questions as I get closer.
BTW, I need to go there for work but your pics over the years certainly make me look forward to my time off there

[Vahaza Be]

$2K is a pretty good deal, and prices are much higher June-August (peak season).

Kenyan Airways is currently the best buy. JFK London Nairobi Tana.

Corsair flies out of France too at discounted prices, but hard to get reliable info on them.

SAA's nonstop to Jo-burg and then on to Tana takes the least amount of time and is cheaper than Air France or Air Mad via Paris.

Isle St. Marie is relatively undeveloped, but some decent spots for tourists. If you take the ferry across, make sure it's still in decent working order!

500CC+ motos in Mad are relatively rare. But tons of cheap 150CC Asian scooters all over now. Off-road motos are expensive to rent and usually are hired out on a daily basis for up to 40 euros / day.

Well after dreaming about going to Madagascar since I was a kid, I actually have a reason to go this year. I live in New York and all I can say is WOW. It's not cheap to fly there from here. It seems that no matter how you cut it, it's about $2000US R / T. I can go NY to Johannesburg to Mada. About $1900 with SAA. I can go through Paris, but its still about the same. However, I can get to Nairobi for about $800 RT! This is a good thing, because from there I can take AirMad and still get the 50% discount on domestic flights within Mada. Hell, I wouldn't mind spending a few days in Nairobi anyway. However, for the life of me, I can't figure out what it costs to go Nairobi-Tana roundtrip with AirMad. Does anybody know? Air Kenya does the flight, but with their record, I'd rather walk to Tanzania and swim over. It would probably be safer.

I hear Sept, Oct, Nov is a good time. This works out great as I need to be there sometime in October.

Oh yeah two things I'd like to do while I'm there:

1. Go visit the pirate graveyard in Ile St Marie (I'm an amateur pirate historian). Has anyone been to Ile St Marie.

2. Rent a motorcycle for a few days and cruise the countryside. Any ideas where I can rent a decent moto (500cc+)?

Thanks for your help