So far my African journey has been all excitement with sensory overload.

I flew Air Austral from Sydney to Reunion, spent the night on the island, and hopped aboard a comfortable Boeing 737-800 for my flight to Antananarivo “Tana.” The flight was fine, no accumulation of frequent flier miles, but the price was right, around $700 from SYD-RUN-TNR vs $1000 SYD-JNB-TNR on South African or Qantas. At the time of booking I was awaiting deposit of churned card bonuses and thus didn’t have the miles for award redemption. I suppose this is a first world problem for the frequent flier.

En route to Andasibe

Indri

Thunderstorm over Tana

Arriving in Tana Immigration was a bit unorthodox with mild, organized chaos. Surprisingly, I wasn’t charged for my entry visa. I didn’t ask any questions. In the arrivals hall the driver I had arranged through my hotel was waiting for me — Tiva. He escorted me to the currency exchange where I acquired 424,000 MGA (Ariary, pronounced R. E. R. E.), roughly 2000 MGA/USD. The airport was a good 45-minute drive from the center of the city. Along the road we passed countless pedestrians walking to their destinations. Men, women, and children carried a wide variety of buckets, baskets, and random objects atop their heads. I was most surely back in Africa!

Vakona lodge

Tana is a sprawling city with few tall buildings comprised of mostly wood or mud/cement housing. At the risk of sounding harsh, it felt a bit like being in a Favela in Rio, but with more infrastructure. Tourist facilities are nonexistent and I was advised not to wander out alone. I was told the Hilton was recently taken over, leaving award redemption to zilch. I stayed at a reasonably priced hotel in the center of the city that had an amazing view over the hilly cityscape and the bustling market below. I had zebu (beef) steak for dinner, read my book on my balcony, and drifted off to sleep listening to the sounds of the city.

My Cabin

The next morning I was greeted by Tiva’s cousin, Alain, who was to escort me to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park a four-hour drive east of Tana. We said goodbye to the hustle of Tana as the infrastructure changed from chaotic to thatched roof mud houses along the countries only paved “highway.” I use this term loosely. Rolling hills flanked with tropical rice fields turned into evergreen mountains, which turned into dry plateaus then into dense lush forests. They weren’t kidding when they said Madagascar was a biodiversity hotspot. And I’d only seen a fraction of it.

ring tail

Logistically, I would not advise anyone to try to navigate this route without the assistance of a guide. Those who do would be far more adventurous than I. Again, through the Hotel Palissandre, I arranged Alain to drive me to Andasibe for 100,000 MGA/day x 3 day, 150,000 MGA for fuel, 100,000 MGA for Alain’s person expenses, 200,000 MGA/night at the Vakona Forest Lodge x 2 nights, 25,000 MGA for Park Entry Fee and 50,000 MGA for a National Park guide including tip. All up, including meals 1,125,000 MGA or about $560 USD. I was quoted by an Australian company the exactly itinerary $1200 USD. A South African company quoted me $800 USD.

Lesson learned. Contact your hotel to see if you can get rid of the middle man and organize the trip on your own. So far, I’m amazed and excited to get photos of some of Madagascar’s most famous inhabitants, the lemurs.

Next week, I’ll share my experiences in Andasibe National Park tracking down the rare Indri Indri lemur and how I needed to get out of Madagascar to avoid a tropical cyclone.