100% Africa !

When visiting Madagascar, one has to take time to visit each unique town. As there are only 6 of them, spend some time in each, meet the people and take full advantage of the knowledge that can be scored in each town.
Antananarivo, or also known as ‘Tana’, is the Malagasy capital. About 1250m above sea level and in the Central Highlands, with a population of around 2 million people, Tana is the centre of the Merina tribe, resembling the Malayo- Polynesian part of the first Malagasy settlers. Set in a basin which is surrounded by 12 hills, most of the surrounding countryside is devoted to rice paddies. You can’t go wrong with a brief stay in one of the houses of this town, with multi-storeyed brick constructions, with wooden staircases and balconies, it’s a view on its own. Then there’s the cobbled streets, or the markets, the Parc de Tsimbazaza zoo, the museum, botanical gardens or the restaurants and night-life. All your available for your choice.
Found 170km south of Tana, you’ll find Antsirabe. In the colonial era, it was important for its temperate climate and thermal baths. Whilst you can still enjoy a bath or massage at the spa, Antsirabe is now famed for its craft centres, as many and varied as they are! Joseph’s semi-precious Gemstone Shop is but one to be mentioned. To the west of town, you’ll find two volcanic lakes.
Home to one of the world’s most beautiful deep-water harbours, is Antsiranana – which means ‘port’. It is the capital of Madagascar’s northernmost province. Surrounding the town are a ring of mountains, which also have a very diverse population of about 80 000 people, including Sakalava, Antakarana, French, Arabs, Chinese and Comoriens. This town is the gateway to Montagne d’Ambre and Ankarana National Parks, and visitors tend to pass through Antsiranana without exploring its decaying colonial architecture, it’s vibrant market and all the craft workshops. At ‘Windsor Castle’, you will no doubt find ‘sometsingy’ and a variety of drought-resistant endemic plants.
Fort Dauphin – No other town in Madagascar has such a stunning setting as this town. Set on a small peninsula, backed by high mountains, bordered by long, sandy beaches, what other town could be so picturesque? Fort Dauphin is known to be the lobster capital of Madagascar, and with excellent restaurants such as Gina, the Miramar and the Mahavoky offering delectable seafood dishes, you simply can’t resist! This town is also gateway to Berenty and Andohahela Reserves, and to the bizarre, spiny desert.
Tulear, or Toliara in Malagasy, consists of about 100 000 people, and probably has the greatest variety of ethnic groups of any Malagasy town. On the south-western coast there is an important port. Standing at the end of the RN7, 1000km from Antananarivo, it’s the crossroads between the RN6, it’s the route north to the beaches and spiny forest of Ifaty, and the route south to the beach resort of Anakao and Tsimanampetsotsa National Park. For birders, this city is the gateway to, well, heaven. Tulear is most attractive from end of September, to March. The flame trees are in bloom, setting the city alive with colour. With a number of comfortable hotels with swimming pools, take a break in your journey for a night or two. Spend a few hours wandering around the streets, admire the painted pousse-pousses, or mingle with the shoppers in the markets, and be sure to purchase yourself a fabulous mohair rug from Ampanihy.

When people refer to an island, one normally acquaints it as a small mound of terrain with one palm tree occupying it.  This isn’t the case when referring to the island of Madagascar, reigning in as the fourth largest island in the world. On a recent trip to the island, with the assistance of a car hire, I was able to explore this isolated island of contained history.  This particular island is especially unique as it hosts a number of native inhabitants both fauna and flora.  Madagascar is also one of the largest producer and exporter of vanilla.

What used to be known for its unique and various species of wildlife, Madagascar today embraces a new philosophy of responsible development, and has an increased emphasis on cultural richness.  Going through a car hire company, we explored this beautiful island which lies in the Indian Ocean off the south east coast of Africa, opposite Mozambique.  Sadly, what was once densely forest on the island, has mostly been cut down.  The French made the island dependency in 1885 and then in 1895, the monarchy ended and in World War II, the British took over Madagascar.