Madagascar

Holidays by Destination Africa Madagascar Reader Report Autumn 1999 

Madagascar was our first long-haul destination since the children were born. In our years just as a couple our holidays had been quite adventurous, and after a couple of trips to France we decided to attempt another "adventure" holiday with the four-year-old and 16-month-old girls. We chose Madagascar partly because, although it's 11 and a half hours from London, it's only two hours ahead so jet lag would be minimised.

We flew Air France via Paris (there are no direct flights and the alternative was Air Madagascar) and the video screen in the seat in front was a godsend for Tess, our elder child. She probably watched about six hours-worth of cartoons on the journey out. Phoebe, the 16-month-old, was more difficult. She wanted constantly to walk up and down the gangway, but the cabin crew were very adept at stepping round her.

Madgascar is the world's fourth largest island, way bigger than the UK, so as we were only there for a fortnight, we were very selective in where we went. A railway line exists, but trains are virtually non-existent, the alternative being bush taxi or hired car. Bush taxis are slow and always jam packed with people, livestock etc, so we chose a hired car.

Our first stop was a town about a hundred miles south of the capital, called Antsirabe. We stayed in the imposing Hotel Les Thermes tel: 00 261 20 44 487 61 which was very luxurious with bathroom and balcony overlooking the grounds. This was a pretty little town with a huge and very interesting market. The sight of the chickens, rabbit and even guinea pigs, the huge strings of sausages, chillis, fruits, spices and great sacks of rice was fascinating for the children and they proved as much an object of attention as the market was for them.

We took a sightseeing ride round the town in a couple of rickshaws (a legacy from the Chinese coolie labour used to build the railway) and if you can cope with being pulled along by a human beast of burden, it is a great way to see the town. Just make sure you agree a price before setting off. Unfortunately the thermal baths (a major reason for going) were shut as we had arrived at the weekend.

We returned to the capital and next day headed to the rainforest, about 70 miles east. We stayed in the excellent Vakona Lodge hotel tel: (2) 139 94 - a collection of little villas around a lake, with a "salle de reunion" to play table tennis and take meals, and a swimming pool and small children's playground nearby.

It was a great base to explore the wildlife. The hotel owns a small reserve which you can visit in a morning. First off is a trip to see the crocodile lake where we saw crocodiles swimming and basking on the banks in the sunshine. Our guide spotted a tiny chameleon in a tree which he gave to Tess to hold for a moment before taking us off to Lemur island, which has recently become home to 14 lemurs.

This is a sanitised view of Madagascan wildlife but was great for the children as, because the lemurs were reasonably tame, they got to see them at very close quarters. Tess held out a banana which they ate from her hand and Pheobe got very excited at seeing what she must have thought was a real, live teddy bear!

Our trip to the much larger Perinet reserve the next day was more for the grown-ups. On arriving very early in the morning, a guide was assigned to us who took it upon himself to carry our four-year-old - who was complaining about having to walk that early in the morning - for about 30 minutes until in the depths of the rainforest we came upon the spot where the famous "Indri Indri" live. It's actually the call of these creatures which is the most amazing thing - an incredibly loud, haunting wail which resonates for hundreds of metres around. Suddenly, in the quiet of the forest, we heard this fantastic noise and then spotted high up in the trees a huddle of black and white, furry creatures looking down at us - the Indri Indri lemur at last!

After pointing out to us a beautiful bright green chameleon in a nearby tree, the guide took us back to the entrance of the reserve about lunchtime. We tipped him handsomely for carrying his heavy human load all morning (the 16-month-old went in a backpack which we'd wisely chosen instead of a pushchair).

The last four days of the holiday were spent on a small island off the coast of Madgascar called Isle Sainte Marie. We flew, but you can take bush taxi to the coast and then ferry if you have lots of time. This was mostly a paddling and swimming time, but one day we hired a small boat with one other family (£40 for the four of us) and went "whale watching".

During July-September shoals of hump backed whales gather in shallow waters off Sainte Marie to reproduce. If you're lucky you can see them lumbering out of the water, spraying, then diving down into the Indian Ocean. We were lucky enough to see one whale which we followed for about two hours as it made its leisurely way up the coast. The sight of its huge tail flipped up and then disappearing under the waves was definitely "one of life's unforgettable experiences". Tess loved it, screaming and cheering with the other kids on board when the whale's hulking mass rose up out of the water once again. Although only four, she definitely realised she was witnessing a rare and amazing sight.

The Crique (5) 336 75 is the place to stay on this island - with lovely little coves for swimming, comfortable beach bungalows, and a good restaurant.

All in all I would highly recommend Madagascar for a very interesting holiday - fantastic wildlife, rare birds spotted all over the place, lovely beaches on Sainte Marie and very welcoming, friendly people, despite the grinding poverty most of them have to live in.

The flights there were pretty expensive (£750 for adults, about £500 for each of the kids) but once you get there you can live extremely cheaply (though car hire is much pricier than Europe) - a three course meal for us, omelettes for the children, and drinks would typically come in under £10.

We used the Lonely Planet guide to Madagascar and the Globetrotter Guide to Madagascar by Derek Schuurman and Nivo Ravelojaona, New Holland Press - good for general information and wildlife but not hotels, getting around etc. We booked flights through Trailfinders (020) 7938 366. We did not pre-book most accommodation but were out of season, which is mid July to October. For the first night in Antananarivo (the capital) I would recommend the hotel Relais des Pistards +261 (20) 22 291 34 with good family rooms.

Tips for travellers with children:

• Nappies are available, but only in the capital. We took a fortnight's supply with us.


• Although it's quite hot in the day, temperatures plummet at night in the highlands and it's very dusty. Take warm leggings, socks and jumpers.


• Don't order natural fruit juice - it comes diluted with water and added sugar, which gives you the runs. Despite the abundance of pineapples and oranges, it's a case of sticking to Fanta and Coke.


• You'll probably find your kids (if Caucasian) are treated like local celebrities. The Malagasy are very friendly towards you especially with children, so enjoy their attention and hospitality.


• You need to speak French - people speak Malagasy and French (it's an ex French colony) but rarely English.


• Take a mosquito net - invaluable. Most hotel rooms we stayed in had nets on ours and Tess' bed, but not for the cot for Pheobe.


• Take a pair of binoculars to view wildlife - but try to teach kids how to use them beforehand. It takes them time to learn.