Travel in Madagascar – Hotels, Madagascar Vacations, Lodging, Trips, Attractions and Travel Guide



Many Things To Do On A Vacation In Madagascar

Vacation and Travel to Madagascar
Silent beach (Madagascar, Nosy Be)

Located in the Indian Ocean off of the southeast coast of Africa, Madagascar is an island nation. Being the fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar is home to 5% of the worlds plant and animal species. Because of Madagascar being so remotely located and cut off from other neighboring continents, the plant and animals, many being found nowhere else on Earth, scientists often refer to Madagascar as the “eighth continent”.

The largest city and capital of Madagascar is Antananarivo, the area is situated in the middle of the island. Since the introduction of wood and stone in 1869, almost all the original buildings here were made of wood or rushes. Now the entire city has been rebuilt and now contains numerous European-styled buildings, including; royal palaces, the prime minister and nobles houses, the French residency and Anglican and Catholic cathedrals.

Nossi Be, is another island located just off the coast of Madagascar. This is the most popular tourist resort in the country. In this region travelers will notice distinct odors permeating the air; coffee, ylang ylang, lemon grass, patchouli, vanilla, cocoa and cinnamon, which are cultivated all over the island. Nossi Be is also home of the Lokobe Reserve, it contains the last lowland rainforest found on the island of Madagascar. This nature reserve is devoted to the protection and preservation of various species of lemurs, which are in danger of becoming extinct.

Ile Sainte-Marie, is also known as Nosy Boraha, is located off the east coast of Madagascar. The channel between Saint Marie and Madagascar is a very popular spot for whale watching. Large communities of humpback migrate from the Atlantic Ocean to this location for breeding purposes. The island also became a popular spot for pirates during the 17th and 18th century for several reasons. It was an ideal route for traveling ships returning from the West Indies and its bays and creeks provided protection during storms, and lastly the fruit supplies were abundant and it was located in quiet waters. Family lines from famous pirates such as, William Kidd, Robert Culliford and Thomas Tew can be traced to occupants on the island and there is a cemetery on this island, where many of them are buried.

Ambohimanga is considered to be the birthplace of Malagasy state. It is known by various names like; the holy city, the blue city and the forbidden city and is surrounded by forests on all sides. The Citadel was considered an important Merina stronghold and several structures associated with their ceremonies still presently remain. At the front gate stands an enormous stone, which took forty men to move into position.

Many tourists enjoy partaking of shopping by venturing into market places that are lively and bustling. Toamasina is in the cities main port and has several different markets. Madagascar also boasts the Zoma Market in Antananarivo, which is the second largest market of its kind in the entire world.

Some of the most popular hotels on the island are the Madiro, Amarina Hotel Madagascar, Nosy Be Hotel Madagascar and the Panorama Hotel Madagascar. Madagascar has rainy seasons that extend through the months of April through November. The dry season occurs April through November and provides an inviting, warm climate that many visitors find pleasant and enjoyable.

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