Is Madagascar safe to visit? The main things to plan around are petty crime in towns, long road journeys and your health. Each is easier to manage with local guides and a route planned in advance. This guide covers what to expect and how our small group trips are set up.
What is it like to visit Madagascar?
Madagascar is a wildlife trip above all. On our tours you can track the indri, the largest lemur, in Andasibe National Park. In Ranomafana you can look for the golden bamboo lemur, a species only discovered by scientists in 1986. Night walks at Kirindy Reserve give you a rare chance to see the fossa.
It is also a very large island with slow roads, so a trip here takes time. Our group tours run for 18 or 23 days. One traveller called it a "fascinating country of great bio and cultural diversity, many endemic plant and animal species, spectacular landscapes, ancient customs, good food and music." Our guide to the best places to visit in Madagascar covers the highlights.
How much crime is there in towns and cities?
Petty crime is the most common problem for tourists. Our Madagascar solo travel guide notes that pickpocketing and late-night muggings can be common in parts of the country. It also suggests taking care in quiet areas after dark.
Keeping your phone and cash out of sight in busy streets and markets goes a long way. On our tours, a driver meets you at the airport in Antananarivo and the group moves between hotels together. That means you are rarely finding your own way around a town at night.
What is getting around Madagascar like?
Road journeys are long, and many roads are in poor condition. Part of our Wild Madagascar tour follows an off-road coastal track through the spiny forest, where around 95% of the plants are found nowhere else. Our guide on how to travel around Madagascar explains the options for getting around.
To keep the driving manageable, our Secrets of Madagascar tour flies west to Morondava for the baobabs and the Tsingy de Bemaraha. On the road, you travel with a professional driver.
When is the best time to go?
The rainy and cyclone season runs from November to April, when heavy rain can close smaller roads. All of our 2027 group departures run between May and October, in the drier months. Our guide to the best time to visit Madagascar goes through each season.
Long days on the road are part of any Madagascar trip, so it helps to have someone else at the wheel.
Fancy a trip? Start with our Madagascar tours and holidays.
What is a Madagascar tour like day to day?
Forest walks and night walks
Most days in the national parks start early. In Andasibe, a morning forest walk with an expert guide searches for the indri, and an evening walk shows you the nocturnal side of the forest. You can also visit the Mitsinjo reforestation project, which links up fragments of rainforest.
Ranomafana is explored on a morning walk in search of lemurs, reptiles and birds. At Kirindy Reserve, a night walk is your best chance to see the fossa alongside nocturnal lemurs.
The Tsingy and the Tsiribihina River
The Tsingy de Bemaraha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of limestone pinnacles, crossed on boardwalks and ladders. On Secrets of Madagascar you also canoe through the Manambolo Gorge. Wild Madagascar adds two days on the Tsiribihina River, camping on the riverbank each night and stopping at the village of Sahambano.
Secrets of Madagascar ends with time on the coast at Ifaty, a gentle finish after the long drives, with an optional beach extension if you want to stay on.
Food, water and money
Drink bottled or purified water throughout your trip, as tap water is not recommended. The local currency is the Malagasy ariary. Carry some cash for markets and tips, though larger hotels accept major credit cards. Tipping guides, drivers and hotel staff is customary but up to you.
What about health?
Speak to your GP or a travel health clinic well before you go. TravelHealthPro, the UK's National Travel Health Network and Centre, says there is a high risk of malaria in Madagascar. It also keeps its vaccine recommendations up to date (TravelHealthPro).
Good travel insurance matters on any trip this far from home. Make sure it covers your full itinerary and the activities you plan to do.
Is Madagascar safe for solo travellers?
Both of our Madagascar group tours are marked solo-friendly. Groups are capped at 12 travellers, and there are no compulsory single supplements. Travelling in a small group also means you have company on the long drives and the night walks.
Our solo travel guide has more tips if you plan to travel alone before or after a tour.
How does a small group help with safety?
Travelling with a tour operator and local guides means the parts of Madagascar that take the most planning are handled for you. You travel with an English-speaking guide and a professional driver, with local guides in the national parks. Arrival and departure transfers are included, and our 2027 departures are all guaranteed to run.
Our travellers often mention the people who look after them. One wrote that "we had two incredibly professional, kind drivers who not only got us safely to our destinations, but were friendly and cheerful, helping us in different ways during the trip."
Another said their driver was "an outstanding driver, considering very poor road conditions in Madagascar." A third found that "the local guides hired for the various parks were good."
[CLIENT: confirm how our Madagascar tours plan around road safety, for example no driving after dark, so we can state it here.]
Where should you check before you book?
We do not publish travel advice ourselves. Before you book, read the FCDO's Madagascar page. It is kept up to date and covers safety, entry rules and health. It includes specific guidance for parts of the south and west, where some of our routes go, so it is worth reading in full.
Conclusion
Madagascar takes more planning than most destinations, mainly because of the roads, petty crime in towns and health. With local guides, a professional driver and a route built around the drier months, those are much easier to manage. Undiscovered Destinations has run small group tours since 2004, with guaranteed Madagascar departures in 2027.
If the lemurs and the baobabs are what draw you, our 18-day tour is the place to start.
Fancy a trip? See the itinerary for Secrets of Madagascar and send yourself the full dossier.
