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Our Madagascar Travel Guide

Our Madagascar Travel Guide
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Tourism in Madagascar

It is not a destination that is very popular with people because tourism is not yet very well established there. I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of information about the country and the more I searched, the more I realized that it was going to be a real adventure.

I felt like I was traveling in the 80s with this bush trip; it is one of the few countries that seems to have been forgotten by time and modernization. I advise you to go there to live this unique experience before tourism develops further.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 02-les malgaches-2

The roads aren’t very nice, so you have to plan a lot more time to cover the distances. On the beautiful roads, we needed more than 5-6 hours to cover 300 km.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 02b-pays rural

The structure of the country is not really set up for independent travel. This is still possible, but it will take a lot of patience and resourcefulness. Public transit was unreliable and did not reach most of the national parks. As far as hotels and youth hostels were concerned, there was not much choice either.

Ranomafana

This tropical rainforest is home to the entire population of golden bamboo lemur. The latter is critically endangered because there are not many forests left that contain giant bamboos. The ground was wet all the way through so it was a very wet hike, so it was a very muddy.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 04-lémurien bambou doré
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 03-randonnée dans la forêt
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 05-close up lémurien bambou doré-2

During the two days of hiking in this park, we could see this type of lemur only once. We’ve really been looking for them, though. Maybe they’re too good at camouflaging themselves? Or there aren’t many of them.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 06-lémurien doré sur bambou

Ranohira

Then we left the highlands and continued our journey through more arid lands. There was a small family of striped lemur near the Malagasy village of Ranohira. When I think of Madagascar, it is the image of this lemur that comes to mind.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 07-ring-tailed lemur-2
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 08-ring-tailed lemur bébé
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 09-ring-tailed lemur faché
Annual fee
$150
Our valuation
$350
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$350Total$350Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 35,000 points
Ends Nov 1, 2026
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on Scotiabank's website

With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card +* CardMC, you’ll earn 25,000 welcome bonus Scene+ points after charging $2,000 in purchases to your account within the first three months.

Plus, every year, earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 Scene+ points when you charge at least $40,000 in purchases to your account. In total, the offer represents up to 35,000 Scene+ points and a value of up to $1,250 in the first year, including rewards, savings on foreign transaction fees and airport lounge access.

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you earn 3 points per $1 spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland and participating Co-ops, and 2 points per $1 spent at other grocery stores, restaurants, eligible entertainment and eligible daily transit. You earn 1 point per $1 on all your other everyday purchases.

These points can be redeemed against any travel purchase at a rate of 1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb), or as cash back with Scene+ at the same rate.

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card also offers:

  • No fees for foreign currency transactions
  • 6 complimentary airport VIP lounge passes
  • Excellent insurance for your travels and purchases
  • Visa Infinite* Concierge Services

We have named this credit card the Best Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Annual fee

Primary card$150
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$60,000
Household$100,000

Conversion fees

0%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xRestaurants
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xEntertainment
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$650
2nd Year Value$397

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7
Airport lounge access$240

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (65+)Up to $1,000,000 / 3 days
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $2,500
Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $1,000
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Isalo National Park

The transition to a desert landscape was drastic. Our hikes in Isalo National Park were rather in a lunar and canyon scenery. Personally, I prefer open places like Isalo compared to the rainforest of Ranomafana.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 10-savane à isalo
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 11-paysage désertique-2
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 12-formation rocheuses-2

It was very hot and we had several opportunities to cool off in natural pools and observe the few waterfalls. We had a guide with us who took us to these oases. It wasn’t hard to find them, but it was almost impossible to know which way to go to get to them.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 13-oasis

In addition, we could see another variety of lemur.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 14-grand hapalémur

Finally, regions with a lot of rock formations like Isalo change completely depending on the time of day. The sunset brings out all kinds of new colours.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 15-fin de journée
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 16-coucher de soleil3
Annual fee
$120
Our valuation
$900
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$900Total$900Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 45,000 points
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on American Express's website

Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class="checkmarks"]This Credit Card is one of the Best Aeroplan Credit Cards in Canada. For a limited time, you can earn up to 75,000 Aeroplan Points as a Welcome Bonus (an estimated $1,275 value) With this Card you can earn:
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With this welcome offer for the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, you can earn up to 45,000 Aeroplan points. Here’s how:

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Annual fee

Primary card$120
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$0
Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 2xAir Canada flights
  • 1.5xRestaurants
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,428
2nd Year Value$379

Travel insurance

Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

Ifaty – Toliara

We finished our week’s trip to the beach to rest with all his hikes.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 17-village d-anakao

Of course, we went to see baobabs which are emblematic of Madagascar. They were all over the way. Some of them are low enough that you can climb them to get a piece of fruit!

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 18-fruit baobab
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 19-baobab

The fishermen brought their catch of the day to our hotel so our meals were always very fresh. You couldn’t ask for anything better!

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 20-poulpe-2
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 21-cuisinier

And they also took us for a ride in a dugout canoe when they weren’t fishing!

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 22-bateau
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 23-tour de pirogue
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 24-villa sur la plage
Featured
Annual fee
$120
Our valuation
$990
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$990Total$990Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 110,000 points
Ends Sep 22, 2026
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on American Express's website

Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card is the best credit card in Canada for free hotel nights.

New Cardmembers can earn up to 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points with the current offer:

  • Earn 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 on your Card in your first 6 months of Cardmembership.
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This offer ends on September 22, 2026. The annual fee is $120, and there is no annual fee on Additional Cards, so you can add a partner or a family member at no extra cost.

Every year after your first Card anniversary, you receive an Annual Free Night Award good for a redemption of up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. At a valuation of 0.9 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, that certificate is worth roughly $315, which on its own more than covers the $120 annual fee. That is the main reason to keep this Card year after year instead of cancelling it.

To get the most out of the certificate, aim it at a night that would otherwise price close to the 35,000 point ceiling.

The Card also gives you 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. Those credits count toward the next Elite tier, so you begin every year 15 nights ahead of where you would otherwise start.

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Marriott Bonvoy points are generally valued at 0.9 cents each. On that basis, the 110,000 point welcome offer is worth about $990, and an Annual Free Night Award used at its full 35,000 point ceiling is worth about $315.

Marriott Bonvoy points pull their weight on free nights rather than on gift cards or merchandise, which is why this Card should be judged on the hotel stays it produces.

You earn 5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for free nights with no blackout dates at more than 7,000 hotels around the world.

The Card carries a solid package of coverages: $500,000 travel accident insurance, flight delay, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage and hotel or motel burglary at $500 each, car rental theft and damage up to $85,000 for rentals of up to 48 days, Purchase Protection for 90 days and a one year Extended Warranty.

Two things to plan around: the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on purchases made in a foreign currency, and the 21.99% purchase interest rate, which makes this a Card to pay in full every month. Like all American Express Canada Cards, no minimum income is published for this Card, and you can see whether you would be approved before you apply, with no impact on your credit score.

Annual fee

Primary card$120
Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0
Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 5xMarriott Bonvoy hotels
  • 2xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,437
2nd Year Value$312

Travel insurance

Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

Flights

First of all, this stage won’t be very easy with the points, but still possible with a little perseverance.

Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines serve Madagascar on the IST-TNR and ADD-TNR routes (in non-pandemic weather) so you can use Aeroplan points to cover the cost of the air ticket. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that availability on these roads is rather rare. A one-way economy class ticket will cost you between 70,000 and 100,000 Aeroplan points under the new fare structure.

It is still quite difficult to find bargains for plane tickets since not many airlines go there. If you are unlucky in your search with Aeroplan, you should turn to the members of SkyTeam to try to find availability on Air France (through CDG) or Kenya Airways (through NBO). Air France has much more availability for the awards redemptions.

It’s by planning trips like these that I realize how valuable the Amex membership points are. Although you shouldn’t earn miles and points without objectives, I still think it’s a good idea to keep a small bank of points-privilege points. A travel opportunity will arrive so quickly and you can still transfer these points easily for use with almost any airline!

However, once there, the expenses will be very minimal.

To give you an idea of the prices for our group of three people:

  • driver and 4×4 car, per day ~50-60€.
  • meal in a tourist restaurant ~3-5€.
  • 4 stars hotel room, per night ~40€.
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 25-enfants de madagascar

In our case, we shopped our itinerary on the spot. We knew what we wanted to do as a trip and simply hired a driver to take us where we wanted to go in the country. According to our driver, the majority of tourists in Madagascar book organized tours or hire a private driver.

We were in Madagascar on a humanitarian mission. Through all my travels, I always try to find a way to give back to the country that welcomes me. When I found out that I was a kid… borders.> had never sent a mission to Madagascar, we mobilized a team of dentists, optometrists and doctors to go there.

This mission touched me a lot because there were Malagasy people who had been living with dental pain for years. Another highlight of the mission was when a 58-year-old man received glasses and started crying because it was probably the first time he had seen clearly in a long time.

Our Madagascar Travel Guide - -dsc3640-1
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - -dsc3357-1

Important notes

  • Tourist visa available upon arrival for Canadians, expect a very long line.
  • ATMs are not always functional
  • Malagasy prefer the euro as a foreign currency
Our Madagascar Travel Guide - 26-avenue des baobabs

If you want to follow my adventures on Instagram, my account is wanderingaline!

Our featured card

Annual fee
$150
Our valuation
$350
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$350Total$350Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 35,000 points
Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now

on Scotiabank's website

With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card +* CardMC, you’ll earn 25,000 welcome bonus Scene+ points after charging $2,000 in purchases to your account within the first three months.

Plus, every year, earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 Scene+ points when you charge at least $40,000 in purchases to your account. In total, the offer represents up to 35,000 Scene+ points and a value of up to $1,250 in the first year, including rewards, savings on foreign transaction fees and airport lounge access.

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you earn 3 points per $1 spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland and participating Co-ops, and 2 points per $1 spent at other grocery stores, restaurants, eligible entertainment and eligible daily transit. You earn 1 point per $1 on all your other everyday purchases.

These points can be redeemed against any travel purchase at a rate of 1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb), or as cash back with Scene+ at the same rate.

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card also offers:

  • No fees for foreign currency transactions
  • 6 complimentary airport VIP lounge passes
  • Excellent insurance for your travels and purchases
  • Visa Infinite* Concierge Services

We have named this credit card the Best Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Annual fee

Primary card$150
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$60,000
Household$100,000

Conversion fees

0%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xRestaurants
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xEntertainment
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$650
2nd Year Value$397

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7
Airport lounge access$240

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (65+)Up to $1,000,000 / 3 days
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $2,500
Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $1,000
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

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