Madagascar

[Trevor2522]

The Malagasy health bulletin, in French, of 11th August 2022, clearly states that both testing-on-arrival in Madagascar, and pre-departure testing (within 72 hours prior to arrival from abroad), have been scrapped. This has been reflected by the US embassy in Madagascar's advice https://mg.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/:

"Is a negative COVID-19 test (PCR and/or serology) required for entry? No.

Effective August 11, 2022, the Government of Madagascar has ended all COVID-19 testing requirements for entry.

Are health screening procedures in place at airports and other ports of entry? No.

Proof of vaccination is not required for entry.

The Government of Madagascar no longer allows free tourist visa extensions. Those on tourist visas must purchase a ticket to depart Madagascar and then go to the Immigration Office or Ivato Airport to get a stamp allowing them to remain until their return ticket date."

At 4%, Madagascar has the second-lowest Covid-vaccine take-up rate in Africa, after PDR Congo. Compare that to 95% in Manila and 60-70% in the Philippine provinces. This is good news for anti-vaxers concerned about shedding effects during exchange of body fluids.

https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/...-vaccinations/

Sex destinations no longer requiring Covid-vaccination, tests or quarantine include Madagascar, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia & Cuba. Thailand, Myanmar, Colombia: test. Philippines, Singapore, Brazil: vaccination.

Yellow fever certificates are only required for travel between endemic countries, e.g. Colombia > Brazil (both endemic) or Kenya (endemic) > Madagascar (non-endemic); Western countries (non-endemic) > Madagascar (non-endemic), not required; Western countries (non-endemic) > Colombia (endemic), not required; transit only, not required.

https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advi...ver-risk-areas

[Tavares]

I'm in Nosy Be for the first time, so here are some observations and tips which may be useful others. Special thanks to Pokeris for his reports and direct messages before I arrived.

Note: Current exchange rate for 1 U.S. dollar / 1 Euro is 4,100 ariary (AR)

AMBATOLOAKA
The center of the action in Nosy Be is a small town on the southwest coast called Ambatoloaka (Amba-TOO-LOO-ka). It's walkable with a great beach, lots of beautiful women, and a relaxing vibe.

TRANSPORT
Tuktuks are easy and cheap. You can go anywhere in Ambatoloaka for 1,000 AR, and a trip to Hellville (20 minutes) costs 3,000 AR.

GETTING CASH
I use two ATMs in town every day. The BNI Madagascar ATM accepts both Visa and Mastercard. The BMOI Bank ATM accepts only Visa. Neither bank charges a transaction fee, and their exchange rates are close to the official rate of 4,100.

PRICES
According to other tourists I've spoken to, Nosy Be is the most expensive part of the country. Having said that, the U.S. Dollar and Euro are strong, so I don't personally find Nosy Be expensive. For example, I typically spend 15,000 AR for a meal (whole fish / quarter chicken, rice, and vegetables). A bottle of water / soda at the supermarket costs 2,000 AR.

BARS
The two main bars in town are Taxi Be and Billiard (pronounced Bee-Yaa). They are next to each other, and are the focus of most action. You can hunt just these two bars since they are full of ladies. Action starts around 10 pm nightly. A bottle of beer / soda / water costs 5,000 AR.

LADIES
They are plentiful and very cooperative. The typical lady I see is 1. 68 M, 50 kg, medium brown skin. Similar appearance to ladies from Dominican Republic and Brazil. Most wear their natural hair in afros, twists, puffs, braids, etc. I pay 40,000 AR for short term, and 60,000 AR for long term. I've had no complaints so far. There seems to be no shame, guilt, or judgement from the local community; these ladies are providing a service to make money to support themselves and their families.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Lots of choices, depending on your budget. You can spend several hundred Euros per night if you want a top hotel. My first couple of nights were at budget-friendly Hotel Benjamin, not far from the beach. I paid 100,000 AR per night. Then I moved to a hotel which is on the beach. I'm now paying 65,000 AR per night. I also visited another hotel on the beach called Chez Pat. They have rooms starting at 70,000 AR per night.

BEACH
Ambatoloaka Beach is clean, easy to walk, and great for swimming. Plenty of hotels and restaurants to choose from, and the local Malagasy people also spend a lot of time here. Vendors are everywhere, selling t-shirts, essential oils, jewelry, etc. And lots of sunbeds on the beach with ladies who offer a massage for 20,000 AR. These ladies will also come to your hotel room for more services.

DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
Many ladies do not have smartphones, so Whatsapp is not common here. Be prepared to send a lot of SMS text messages. Most have Facebook, so Messenger is also popular.

LANGUAGE
English won't get you very far here. All ladies speak Malagasy, which I don't, and about 80% speak French. I speak a little French, and a little goes a VERY long way. Conversation topics are repetitive (How are you? What's your name? Where are you from? How did you sleep? What are you doing tonight? When can we see each other?) so it's not difficult to learn the local French.

INTERNET
For mobile data, I bought a SIM card with Orange, and it works fine. I paid 30,000 AR for 4. 5 GB of data. The other service provider is Telma, but many tourists have told me Telma's service in Ambatoloaka is poor. Also, I regularly buy bundles of 450 SMS text message for 3,000 AR to chat with the ladies (see Digital Communication above). Wi-fi networks are available at many bars and restaurants. Just order a juice, and ask for the password.

BE CAREFUL
There are a lot of underage girls on the beach and in the streets. Always ask for an identification card. My hotel has security, and he takes the identification card when a lady arrives, then he returns it when she leaves.

GREAT REPORT, THANKS! All hotels are girl friendly, right?

[ChocolateHuntr]

I'm in Nosy Be for the first time, so here are some observations and tips which may be useful others. Special thanks to Pokeris for his reports and direct messages before I arrived.

Note: Current exchange rate for 1 U.S. dollar / 1 Euro is 4,100 ariary (AR)

AMBATOLOAKA
The center of the action in Nosy Be is a small town on the southwest coast called Ambatoloaka (Amba-TOO-LOO-ka). It's walkable with a great beach, lots of beautiful women, and a relaxing vibe.

TRANSPORT
Tuktuks are easy and cheap. You can go anywhere in Ambatoloaka for 1,000 AR, and a trip to Hellville (20 minutes) costs 3,000 AR.

GETTING CASH
I use two ATMs in town every day. The BNI Madagascar ATM accepts both Visa and Mastercard. The BMOI Bank ATM accepts only Visa. Neither bank charges a transaction fee, and their exchange rates are close to the official rate of 4,100.

PRICES
According to other tourists I've spoken to, Nosy Be is the most expensive part of the country. Having said that, the U.S. Dollar and Euro are strong, so I don't personally find Nosy Be expensive. For example, I typically spend 15,000 AR for a meal (whole fish / quarter chicken, rice, and vegetables). A bottle of water / soda at the supermarket costs 2,000 AR.

BARS
The two main bars in town are Taxi Be and Billiard (pronounced Bee-Yaa). They are next to each other, and are the focus of most action. You can hunt just these two bars since they are full of ladies. Action starts around 10 pm nightly. A bottle of beer / soda / water costs 5,000 AR.

LADIES
They are plentiful and very cooperative. The typical lady I see is 1. 68 M, 50 kg, medium brown skin. Similar appearance to ladies from Dominican Republic and Brazil. Most wear their natural hair in afros, twists, puffs, braids, etc. I pay 40,000 AR for short term, and 60,000 AR for long term. I've had no complaints so far. There seems to be no shame, guilt, or judgement from the local community; these ladies are providing a service to make money to support themselves and their families.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Lots of choices, depending on your budget. You can spend several hundred Euros per night if you want a top hotel. My first couple of nights were at budget-friendly Hotel Benjamin, not far from the beach. I paid 100,000 AR per night. Then I moved to a hotel which is on the beach. I'm now paying 65,000 AR per night. I also visited another hotel on the beach called Chez Pat. They have rooms starting at 70,000 AR per night.

BEACH
Ambatoloaka Beach is clean, easy to walk, and great for swimming. Plenty of hotels and restaurants to choose from, and the local Malagasy people also spend a lot of time here. Vendors are everywhere, selling t-shirts, essential oils, jewelry, etc. And lots of sunbeds on the beach with ladies who offer a massage for 20,000 AR. These ladies will also come to your hotel room for more services.

DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
Many ladies do not have smartphones, so Whatsapp is not common here. Be prepared to send a lot of SMS text messages. Most have Facebook, so Messenger is also popular.

LANGUAGE
English won't get you very far here. All ladies speak Malagasy, which I don't, and about 80% speak French. I speak a little French, and a little goes a VERY long way. Conversation topics are repetitive (How are you? What's your name? Where are you from? How did you sleep? What are you doing tonight? When can we see each other?) so it's not difficult to learn the local French.

INTERNET
For mobile data, I bought a SIM card with Orange, and it works fine. I paid 30,000 AR for 4. 5 GB of data. The other service provider is Telma, but many tourists have told me Telma's service in Ambatoloaka is poor. Also, I regularly buy bundles of 450 SMS text message for 3,000 AR to chat with the ladies (see Digital Communication above). Wi-fi networks are available at many bars and restaurants. Just order a juice, and ask for the password.

BE CAREFUL
There are a lot of underage girls on the beach and in the streets. Always ask for an identification card. My hotel has security, and he takes the identification card when a lady arrives, then he returns it when she leaves.

[SouthEaster]

Never been and thinking of going just for a few days. I was checking bars, hotels etc. And Jean La Rasta seems to come up in 2 places on maps. Are there indeed 2 separate places or is this info wrong. One sounds like the Oasis Hotel and the other as a bar / restaurant? Anybody who has been know the current situation regarding rooms in town? I saw a sterile looking but somewhat fancy hotel called Select or something. Has very good reviews for Mada in general.

[Golfinho]

I was thinking the same way and then they just started to open the doors from behind with the stairs first.

No more stairs, exit directly into Intl Terminal now.

Depends on which plane obviously. Did you actually ride from Europe or Addis on one of those cheesy little Chinese turbo props with rear exit doors?

[DzikaBomba]

Just get a seat at front of the plane, and get off fast. Not that it'll save you time

I was thinking the same way and then they just started to open the doors from behind with the stairs first.

[SouthEaster]

Is it open now? I recall a few months ago someone (can't recall who) said it was still not open. As for the luggage issue, I am one of those who does carry on only and it does come in handy sometimes. Last time I went I managed to make it past most people before immigration and was out the door and in a taxi less than 30 minutes after we landed. Fingers crossed it happens this way again.

[Golfinho]

All health requirements were dropped as of August 11th. Visa on arrival unchanged. Why somebody makes this online visa is anyone's guess. Still normal visa on arrival. No need for this "EVisa"..

Just get a seat at front of the plane, and get off fast. Not that it'll save you time: the luggage return even at this new terminal is amongst the world's slowest. But, if you're someone who moves with carry-on only for a three-month stay, you've just saved yourself a whole half-hour.

[Tinte]

Is is a online visa, issued 72 bevor heading to mada. Saves you time on arrival, the visa on arrival as it used to bee is still in place.

[Neddy69]

Well according to the IATA map, Mada has dropped "ALL" health restrictions for entry. I noticed in a post by choclatehunter something I had not seen before, a requirement to apply for a tourist visa 72 hours before you arrive. Is this for real? Never heard of it before. Also, some other health form also required to be filled out pre arrival. I assume all of this is dead now or am I wrong?

All health requirements were dropped as of August 11th. Visa on arrival unchanged. Why somebody makes this online visa is anyone's guess. Still normal visa on arrival. No need for this "EVisa".

La Buse.

[SouthEaster]

Well according to the IATA map, Mada has dropped "ALL" health restrictions for entry. I noticed in a post by choclatehunter something I had not seen before, a requirement to apply for a tourist visa 72 hours before you arrive. Is this for real? Never heard of it before. Also, some other health form also required to be filled out pre arrival. I assume all of this is dead now or am I wrong?

[Amadeuss]

Thanks for the info guys. I may pop by after I arrive and see if the construction is ongoing or over. I was also thinking that the proximity to Glacier was very good, one of the closest hotels.

Just across the Glacier you find the Tripolista Hotel. New Rooms with window 140.000 - and you pass by the reception by using the elevator direct to your floor.

[SouthEaster]

Thanks for the info guys. I may pop by after I arrive and see if the construction is ongoing or over. I was also thinking that the proximity to Glacier was very good, one of the closest hotels.

[Pokeris]

Booked for end of September. Can't wait! All I can say is yah fucking hoo! Saves me the hassle of searching out the testing place in CDG before heading to a hotel for the night. Anybody ever stayed at Shanghai in Tana? I see a lot of good reviews of the restaurant but not much on the rooms themselves. I like the location.

Shanghai hotel few years ago was fine for staying I liked as they have bathrooms with bath and big balconies. 4 month ago when I was passing by it was big construction site going on just next to the hotel wall on the side of the long staircases down to the glacier side so I imagine its still be noisy from early morning till evening.

[Amadeuss]

Booked for end of September. Can't wait! All I can say is yah fucking hoo! Saves me the hassle of searching out the testing place in CDG before heading to a hotel for the night. Anybody ever stayed at Shanghai in Tana? I see a lot of good reviews of the restaurant but not much on the rooms themselves. I like the location.

Cool place with the restaurant and little garden on site. Some rooms are great, some are a dumb. Bathrooms are dated but hot water is working (important in the cold months in Tana). Also WiFi is ok. Some of the beds are wobbly. But never they broke down. When checkin in, ask to have a look at available rooms. Most rooms facing the road are ok.

At night its ok to walk from Glacier up the stairs to the hotel, although the area is a bit dicey.