{"id":97407,"date":"2015-10-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/madagascar-cheap-fun-adventure-backpacking\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:53:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:53:00","slug":"madagascar-cheap-fun-adventure-backpacking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/madagascar-cheap-fun-adventure-backpacking\/","title":{"rendered":"Backpacking Adventures In Madagascar"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Don’t go with a plan.<\/h3>\n

Take your time and you’ll find places and sights that you never expected.”<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 4th largest island on earth is just a short flight from Johannesburg International and millions of years of isolation means you’ll find animals and plants here that you won’t find anywhere else on earth. Travelstart’s Mark Visser headed to Madagascar in search of surf, instead of the perfect wave he found tasty street food, beach braais and towering baobabs.
\n\"eye<\/p>\n

Eye Contact the Malagasy Way by mariusz kluzniak on Flickr<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mark Image courtesy of Mark Visser <\/span><\/p>\n

Getting there<\/h2>\n

Hop on a return flight Johannesburg to the capital\u00a0Antananarivo\u00a0from R7000 (on SA Airlink<\/a> and Air Madagascar<\/a>).\u00a0Find great flights here<\/a>. If you fly directly from Johannesburg the flight is only 3 hours and 10 minutes!
\n\"5179857316_3af609b34f_z\"<\/p>\n

Bici by Daniel Rubio on Flickr<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Currency<\/h2>\n

The local currency is the Malagasy Ariary. Take euros or dollars to change at the airport. 5000 Ariary (the price of a cheap meal or a quart of beer) equals R22.<\/p>\n

Language<\/h2>\n

Most people speak Malagasy and some French as a second language. English is harder to come by depending where you are, but you’ll be perfectly fine with hand gestures and the right attitude.<\/p>\n

What to Expect<\/h2>\n

Mark says:<\/p>\n

“The people are friendly, honest and always eager to help and it’s a lot bigger an island and more naturally diverse than one expects.”<\/h3>\n

Where to Stay<\/h2>\n

\"Madagascar Image courtesy of Mark Visser <\/span><\/p>\n

There are a couple of cool backpackers in Antananarivo.They’re inexpensive and have a buzzing community of French and Australian expats, peace corp workers and travellers. Expect to pay about\u00a016 000 Ariary per night (R71 per night). Airbnb is another wonderful way to see the country, meet locals and save money.
\nA stop at a simple hotel on the way to popular\u00a0Toliara,\u00a0with basic accommodation and a hot water shower can be found for about 20 000 Ariary a night (R90), see the photo above.<\/p>\n

What to Eat<\/h2>\n

\"food<\/p>\n

Image courtesy of Mark Visser <\/span><\/p>\n

“Try the ranovola (burnt rice tea) sakay, the chilli, garlic and ginger condiment served with every local malagasy meal”<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Malagasy food is the product of centuries of influences from East Africa, South East Asia,\u00a0France and China. Small restaurants offer interesting curries. Rice forms the hearty base of every meal, in fact the verb “to eat” in Malagasy means “to eat rice”. Beef from Zebu cattle is a common ingredient as are peanuts, rum, greens, and bananas. Vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang, coffee, lychees and shrimp are popular exports from the island. Be sure to try koba, a sweet dessert made from ground peanuts,rice flour\u00a0and sugar. A tasty curry from a street restaurant only costs about 5000 Ariary, just R22. The local beer costs 5000-7000 Ariary for a quart depending where you buy it (R22-R31).<\/p>\n

Also read:<\/strong><\/p>\n