Madagascar : The Bradt Travel Guide

by Hilary Bradt

• ISBN13: 9781898323976
• ISBN10: 1898323976
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1999-11-01
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. x
Perspectives on Madagascar	p. xi
General Information
The Country	p. 3
Facts and Figures	p. 3
History	p. 6
Climate	p. 10
The People	p. 13
Origins	p. 13
Beliefs and customs	p. 13
Malagasy society	p. 20
Ethnic groups	p. 23
Language	p. 29
Natural History	p. 31
Introduction	p. 31
Geology	p. 32
Madagascar's biodiversity	p. 33
Madagascar's wilderness	p. 54
Conservation	p. 69
National Parks and reserves	p. 73
Planning and Preparations	p. 77
When to go	p. 77
Red tape	p. 77
Getting there	p. 79
What to take	p. 81
Money	p. 85
Ways and means	p. 85
Highlights and itineraries	p. 91
Health and Safety	p. 95
Health	p. 95
Safety	p. 103
In Madagascar	p. 107
Money	p. 107
Transport	p. 108
Accommodation	p. 115
Food and drink	p. 116
Handicrafts and what to buy	p. 118
Music	p. 118
Miscellaneous	p. 119
Public holidays	p. 121
Madagascar and You	p. 123
Responsible tourism	p. 123
How you can help	p. 128
The Highlands
Antananarivo and Area	p. 135
Overview	p. 135
Ivato airport	p. 136
Antananarivo (Tana) today	p. 137
What to see/do	p. 150
Shopping	p. 152
Media and communication	p. 154
Miscellaneous	p. 154
Transport out of Tana	p. 156
Excursions	p. 157
The Highlands South of Tana	p. 167
Overview	p. 167
From Tana to Antsirabe	p. 167
Antsirabe	p. 168
Ambositra	p. 173
Fianarantsoa	p. 175
Ranomafana	p. 178
The road to Manakara	p. 183
Ambalavao	p. 183
The South
The South	p. 189
Overview	p. 189
Ihosy	p. 190
From Ihosy to Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin)	p. 191
From Ihosy to Toliara (Tulear)	p. 191
Ranohira and Isalo National Park	p. 191
Continuing south	p. 195
Toliara (Tulear)	p. 195
Sightseeing and excursions	p. 199
Beach resorts north of Toliara	p. 201
Continuing north to Morombe and Morondava	p. 203
Beach resorts south of Toliara	p. 204
Beza-Mahafaly Special Reserve	p. 206
The road to Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin)	p. 207
The far south	p. 206
Taolagnaro (Fort Dauphin)	p. 210
Sightseeing and excursions	p. 215
The wildlife reserves	p. 217
The East
Toamasina (Tamatave) and the Northeast	p. 229
Overview	p. 229
Toamasina (Tamatave)	p. 230
The route north	p. 234
Continuing north (if you dare)	p. 235
Manompana to Maroantsetra	p. 236
Maroantsetra and the Masoala Peninsula	p. 238
Antalaha and beyond	p. 243
Sambava	p. 244
Continuing north	p. 247
Andapa and area	p. 247
Protected areas	p. 349
Nosy Boraha (Ile Ste Marie)	p. 257
Overview	p. 257
Getting there and away	p. 258
Where to stay and eat	p. 258
Ambodifotatra	p. 262
Exploring the island	p. 262
Water activities	p. 263
South and West of Toamasina	p. 265
Overview	p. 265
Pangalanes	p. 265
Andasibe (Perinet)	p. 268
Other places of interest on RN2	p. 273
Lake Alaotra	p. 274
The southeast coast	p. 277
Mananjary and Manakara	p. 277
Continuing south	p. 281
The North and West
The North and West	p. 287
Overview	p. 287
Antsiranana (Diego Suarez)	p. 287
Excursions from Antsiranana	p. 292
The northern reserves	p. 294
Overland from Antsiranana to Sambava	p. 300
Overland from Antsiranana to Ambanja and Nosy Be	p. 301
Bays and inlets accessible to yachts	p. 302
Nosy Be	p. 305
Overview	p. 305
Getting there and away	p. 306
Getting around the island	p. 306
Watersports	p. 307
Souvenir shopping	p. 308
Hell-Ville (Andoany)	p. 308
Beach hotels	p. 310
Practicalities	p. 314
Excursions	p. 315
Nosy Komba and Nosy Tanikely	p. 318
Other islands in the Nosy Be archipelago	p. 321
The West	p. 327
Overview	p. 327
Mahajanga (Majunga)	p. 328
Further afield	p. 333
Ampijoroa Forestry Station	p. 334
Katsepy to Mitsinjo, Lake Kinkony and the south (the hard way)	p. 336
The route south from Mahajanga	p. 338
Maintirano and region	p. 340
From Maintirano to Morondava	p. 341
Morondava	p. 343
Reserves north of Morondava	p. 346
Travelling between Morondava and Toliara	p. 347
River trips	p. 349
Historical Chronology	p. 351
The Malagasy Language	p. 352
Madagascar's Mammals and Where to See Them	p. 355
Further Information	p. 360
Index	p. 365
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