Trip planning & travel advice

Covid-19 rules – updated 9 Apr 2022

A phased reopening of Madagascar's borders began in October 2021. Besides Air Madagascar, airlines now permitted to resume their routes to Madagascar are Air France, Air Mauritius, Air Austral, Ethiopian Airlines, Ewa Air and Neos – although not all are yet doing so. Negotiations are ongoing for the resumption of services by Kenya Airways and South Africa's Airlink. The status of Turkish Airlines is unclear at present. At the time of writing, the following rules are in force (but are liable to change at short notice, so check official sources). Passengers flying to Madagascar are required to:
  • ​present upon boarding proof of a negative PCR test taken within the 48 hours prior to embarkation;
  • take a rapid antigen test upon arrival in Madagascar;
  • agree to be put under quarantine should the test on arrival indicate positive.
Note that there is no requirement to be vaccinated against Covid to enter Madagascar. Passengers departing Madagascar no longer need to take a PCR test before boarding (unless required by their destination country).
For detailed information on travel and tourism to Madagascar, see the books section for recommended travel guide books. Below are a few key excerpts from the Bradt Travel Guide to Madagascar regarding tour operators, airlines and visas.

Tour operators

A number of operators offer trips to Madagascar, either as package itineraries or tailor-made tours. Among the most experienced are Rainbow Tours and Reef & Rainforest. For further suggestions, see the African Travel & Tourism Association (ATTA).

Those interested in group travel may like to know that Anglo-Malagasy Society Secretary and travel writer Daniel Austin often leads small-group tours to Madagascar, typically with a focus on the island's wildlife.

Airlines

There are no direct flights to Madagascar from the UK. Air France flies from several UK cities via Paris a few times a week. Kenya Airways is generally a cheaper option with flights from London Heathrow via Nairobi most days, but sometimes with long layovers. Ethiopian Airlines offers another route via their hub in Addis Ababa through to Tana or Nosy Be. Although generally a more expensive option, South African Airways is a reliable operator to Johannesburg, from where you can connect to Tana or Nosy Be with their regional partner Airlink. The last single-stop option from London is via Mauritius with Air Mauritius but this can entail a lengthy stopover. Turkish Airlines offers a comfortable alternative route from various points in the UK via Istanbul four times a week at surprisingly competitive rates, but note that the plane makes a brief stop in Mauritius before reaching Tana.

Low prices from London are also to be found on the three-hop route via Abu Dhabi and Mahé with Air Seychelles – the first leg of which is operated by their codeshare partner Etihad – but note that the Mahé–Tana leg only operates in the high season, July to October. In 2019, Emirates filed an application with the Civil Aviation Authority of Madagascar to open a Dubai–Tana route, although it is not known if or when this might happen.

​Travelling from elsewhere in Europe: In addition to Air France, Air Madagascar also flies direct between Paris and Tana most days, taking 10½ hours – sometimes with a stop in Marseille. From most other European countries, it is necessary to transit via one of the aforementioned hubs (Paris, Istanbul, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Mauritius or Johannesburg). From Italy, Neos operates weekly flights direct to Nosy Be from Milan, Rome and Verona, but only during the high season.

​Travelling from other Indian Ocean islands: The airlines and tourist boards of the Indian Ocean islands are co-operating increasingly closely, and have been expanding flight links across the region. You can fly with Air Madagascar to Tana from Mauritius, Mayotte, Moroni in the Comoros, and Réunion – the last of which also has routes to Toamasina, Île Sainte Maire, Taolagnaro and Toliara. Air Austral connects the main five Malagasy airports with Réunion. Madagasikara Airways has flights to Réunion and plans to extend their regional network to include Dzaoudzi and Moroni soon. Air Mauritius also flies to Tana from Mauritius and Air Seychelles connects Tana to the Seychelles twice weekly (Jul–Oct only). Air Austral subsidiary Ewa Air has routes from Mayotte to a number of cities in Madagascar. Comores Aviation International links Anjouan and Moroni with Tana and Mahajanga and another Comoroan company, AB Aviation, also flies from Moroni to these two Malagasy destinations.

​Within Madagascar, domestic flights are mostly operated by Air Madagascar subsidiary Tsaradia.

Visas

Visa rules are the same for all nationalities. Every foreign tourist requires one and they are easy to obtain at the airport on arrival, although if you prefer you can get it in advance of your trip at the Malagasy embassy in your country (this option may be more expensive). Electronic visas are starting to be phased in with a view, ultimately, to replacing the visa-on-arrival system entirely. If you decide to get an e-visa in advance, be sure to use the official website evisamada.gov.mg as there are fake versions ready to scam the unwitting tourist! At the time of writing, the e-visa website cannot yet take online payments; you simply obtain a document called an ‘authorisation to disembark’ from the website, and then pay at the airport – so for now there is little advantage of the e-visa option over visa on arrival.

There are two categories: up to 30 days (115,000Ar/€35/US$37) and 31–60 days (135,000Ar/€40/US$45), payable in cash in euros, dollars or ariary. The 90-day visa is no longer available. However, once in Madagascar, it is possible to get a 30-day extension to a 60-day visa at the Ministry of the Interior (or, in theory, at any police commissariat). This entails going there with four passport photos, a photocopy of your bank card or foreign exchange receipt, a photocopy of your return flight ticket, two photocopies of your passport, and 80,000Ar in cash.