Safety Tips in Madagascar

Since we last visited Madagascar in November 2008, the tourist visa requirement has been waived. This is good news, as it was a fairly pricey addition to the holiday budget, and on the face of it, this would seem to simplify the immigration process.

Sadly, not so! The unhelpful and apparently unconcerned air hostesses on the Air Mad flight that we arrived on told us that they didn't have any immigration forms, and so an entire planeload of passengers from a full flight descended on the arrivals hall to hunt down the few - woefully insufficient - remaining arrivals forms. Passengers were then given conflicting advice from immigration officials about whether families with children needed to complete one form per person regardless of age (which is correct) or whether only the adults needed to fill in forms. Only once we reached the front of the queue at immigration were we then informed that there was another form that needed to be completed, which just further added to the chaos. As a result, passengers were struggling to complete additional forms whilst their passports were being passed from one official to another - I am always particularly worried when I and my passport become separated. All in all it was an unsettling experience, particularly for people not used to travelling in the developing world, and a less than ideal welcome to a country after a long international flight.

How do you survive such an unseemly scrum? Well, first prize would be to try and ensure that your tour operator provides you with the necessary forms in advance so that you are able to complete these before you arrive - given that the forms are in French, this would also allow non-Francophone visitors to seek assistance from the air hostesses or immigration officials if required. You would also think that Air Mad would be professional enough to make sure that it carries sufficient arrivals forms so that each passenger is issued with one during the inbound flight: the main tourist office in Tana was emphatic that they are meant to do so, and was shocked to hear that this is not the case. However, this would presume on a certain minimum standard of planning and customer service that has not been apparent in any of our dealings with Air Mad on either of our visits.

Otherwise, try to hold onto your temper and your sense on humour and, if all else fails, resort to visualisation techniques, and try to focus on the ice-cold Three Horses Beer that is awaiting you on your arrival at your hotel - however frustrated you feel at the time, it will be worth it!

Please find below a website that lists names & locations of night-service drugstores (Pharmacies de garde). Seems it's weekly updated with the weekly rotation.

Further down, ambulances to call in case of emergency.

For hospitals, I'd stick to Clinique Saint-Paul.

You could also find those in local newspapers.

The finances of the inauspiciously (but aptly) named Air Mad have never been particularly robust, and are sicker than ever given the downturn in business since the coup in January 2009. So, if you're heading for Madagascar, be warned of the unwelcome additional randomness that this potentially brings to your travel itinerary.
With cash being tight, Air Mad has trouble maintaining the size of its fleet and retaining the services of pilots. As a result, the airline often seeks to economise by 'consolidating' flights that are not full. This usually happens at little or no notice, and the first that the hapless traveller knows of the change is when they appear at the airport to check in for a flight that no longer exists.
This happened to us recently on a flight between Antananarivo (Tana) and Ile St Marie. We had been repeatedly warned at the necessity of checking in 2 hours in advance - even though this is an internal flight - as the flight is often overbooked and so we dutifully pitched up at 04:15 for the 06:35 flight, bleary-eyed and with two cranky children in tow. We were summarily informed that our flight had been cancelled and our bookings transferred to the flight leaving at 1340. After we queried why we had not been informed of this change in plan when we had reconfirmed the night before, we were reluctantly referred to the "Welcome" desk.
However, the reception we got there was anything but "welcome". Having told us that we had been e-mailed to inform us of the change (a blatent untruth, as said e-mail was never received by either us or our travel agent, and anyway, what's the point of e-mailing people who are already in transit?), the 'welcome lady' then seemed to be of the opinion that we should simply accept the 7 hour delay with quiet resignation. When prompted to clarify what Air Mad intended to do to ease our situation (when it was patently obvious that she intended to do nothing whatsoever), she sulkily attempted to fob us off with a voucher for breakfast in an airport cafe that wasn't due to open for another hour. Unsurprisingly, we failed to be enchanted by this less-than-grand gesture, and eventually she capitulated and gave us a day voucher for the guest house in which we had been staying, which also covered the cost of the taxi both ways.
As it was, the later flight that we were transferred onto was delayed and turned out not to be a direct flight, so we found ourselves kicking our heels for 45 minutes in the transit lounge at Tamatave. In hindsight, clearly they had decided to cancel the Ile St Marie flight - presumably because it was not full - and had combined it with the scheduled Tamatave flight, and the upshot was that we arrived on Ile St Marie nearly 10 hours later than we had planned on (so much for our fantasies about enjoying our breakfast overlooking the ocean!).
It came as no surprise that our return flight from Tana to Johannesburg was also delayed ...
If you would like to avoid the dubious pleasures of flying Air Mad - at least on the international leg - it is possible to fly between Johannesburg and Tana with Airlink, a subsidiary of South African Airlines, which has a somewhat better reputation for time keeping. However, be warned that if you choose to take this option, you do not qualify for discounts on internal flights (which are operated by Air Mad), which can have rather nasty cost implications. For the cynically minded (such as myself), it seems like whatever course of action you take, Air Mad will manage to frustrate you, one way or the other!

The natural park "Ankarana" is home to many scorpions.
For some reason they like the smell of boots ect. Leave your boots outside the tend, and tjek for scorpions before going to sleap. I had a big fellow, in my tend when I woke up one morning.

There are many mosquitos in Berenty Reserve. The chalets, although they have mosquito nets, let in a lot of insects. We were constantly finding them inside our nets during the night and consequently got bitten a lot. This was November and I'm not sure if this is typical for other months in the year.
Applying mosquito repellant was essential here and taking along some of the mosquito coils that burn during the night would be a good idea as they were not provided when we were there.

Although very cute, the Ring Tailed Lemurs of Berenty Reserve have learned that tourists take a siesta in the afternoons and that 3.30pm is the perfect time for room raiding. They wait until they think you are either asleep or out and, if you leave your window open the whole group will invade your room. They are looking for food but most of the things that tourists bring also interest them. They will lift the lid off your suitcase if it's not locked, check your cosmetics and make sure they approve of your holiday wardrobe too!
You can actually see them staking out your room - and you can set your watch by their timing. Unfortunately it can get very hot in the afternoons but if you leave your windows open you are asking for trouble from the Ring Tails.

For sure, to get sick and stay into hospital are not the aims of your travel over here. Still, this is something to be known: Madagascar is not (yet) a country where to fall ill.

I've heard so many bad (even lethal) experiences in my family & friends circle about care units & hospitals (esp. public hospitals) over here. For most of them, the danger rather comes from the careless behaviour of care professionals (doctors, surgeons, nurses...) than from a supposedly aging machinery.

Aging machinery has nothing to do with, for instance, the death of a newly-born who got spasms at birth for having stayed too long in the womb although the mother had already called for help for a long time while the midwife & the nurse kept on chatting in the corridor. Aging machinery has nothing to do with, for instance, the death of a newly-born due to some complications during a week-end whilst the doctor, upon a phone call from the worried father-to-be during the week-end, answered he was still enjoying it in the countryside & the delivery would take place on the following day (Monday).

I could go on with such a sad list....

Now, I'm just giving you one address of hospital I know well. More expensive than public hospitals but at least, you could go there blindfolded:
CLINIQUE SAINT-PAUL
Route d’Ambohipo Ambatoroka
Phone: (261) 20 22 271 47
Their team is growing in specialty: from paediatrics to cardiology through urology, aesthetic surgery...

Another one I've heard positive things about is Polyclinique d'Ilafy. Even more expensive than Clinique Saint-Paul but hey! Health doesn't have any price. It's your first wealth after all (or so we, Malagasy, use to think).
Phone: (261) 020 22 425 66 or (261) 20 22 425 69

If you have to go into a hospital, please, ask to be sent there. Both Clinique Saint-Paul & Polyclinique d'Ilafy are in Tana.

Now, don't let my tales put you off, save these addresses on your laptop, on your pda, amongst documents you'd travel with and be welcome. And, above all, I wish you a safe stay over here.

Though locals drink water from tap (I do.. I am still a local over there...lol), just don't do it. Otherwise, you won't enjoy your travel in Madagascar as you will have to be stuck in the toilets most of times :-)) Also, in urban areas, to clean up running water, they use chloride & it smells & tastes... chloride.

Be sure that if you are having a soda drink - mineral water (Olympiko, Eau Vive), the bottle cap is sealed. Avoid "natural juices" in restaurants and snacks since most of time, they water down beverages, with water from tap. One thing is possible, buy juice in tetrapak packaging. Tiko brand is Malagasy & has a fine passion fruit juice although their orange juice tastes too chemical, in my books.

You could try Ranovola, a typical beverage in Tana area (and surroundings). Ranovola is an amber-coloured hot beverage that you will drink while having lunch. It is obtained by boiling water in the kettle that had cooked rice. The taste is special. Imagine a grilled-rice beverage. Of course, Ranovola is safe (boiled and over-boiled) for you.