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D on't listen to your friends; travelling in Madagascar has become quite easy. The hardest part is to get a cheap flight! Travelling from France won't leave you much choice as only 3 companies fly to Madagascar . You can also reach us via Singapore , la Reunion or South Africa .
Prices are more or less the same, but Nouvelles frontieres offers a 61 euros fee for a board bag. Please bear in mind that if you bring your own kit, you might be paying for your excess luggage (>30 kgs). For your information, the cost on Air Madagascar is of 17 euros per excess kilo.
Please enquire before leaving. On the other hand Air Madagascar offers discounts on national flights if you fly them from Paris . Interesting if you plan on at least two domestic flights. Taking the 22h00 flight Paris-Tana-Diego allows you to be in the water in the afternoon with no jetlag effect.
Visa
Not required for stays up to 3 months. You get a visa upon arrival at Tana airport and it only takes a few minutes to process. It will cost you around 35 euros. This visa's validity is only of 1 month, although you can have it extended with local authorities although it might be a bit of a hassle. If you plan to stay more than 1 month we suggest you secure a visa first from the embassy (4, avenue Raphael- 75016 – Paris- 0145046211). The visa will turn out cheaper (22 euros), will take 8 days to process and will have a validity of 3 months.
Santé
No required immunizations. We recommend that you be up to date on common shots. A malaria preventive treatment is highly recommended if not necessary.
The area comprising Diego is far less exposed to malaria than the eastern coast. A treatment equivalent to savarine should be more than enough to protect you. Try to avoid heavy treatments; you might regret it when you get here. No need to bring any medicine, all common drugs can be bought locally. We recommend a travel insurance that will cover assistance, and most travel agents and companies sell them at low cost.
Argent
There are a few international banks in Diego city (Societe generale, BNP, Credit Lyonnais ...) and you won't have any problems converting cash/traveller's cheques to local ARIARI (1 euro=2500 AR)
It is much more difficult to withdraw cash at ATM machines. You can only withdraw the equivalent of 305 euros per week and can take up to one hour. The best way is for you to bring cash and have it exchanged locally.
Mastercards are not well represented in Diego, a visa card is better. In case of emergency, a French check book might help you out.
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