Travel guide Madagascar

The humpback whales sail along the Malagasy coast from July to October. Sainte-Marie is the most popular destination to observe these cetaceans, but it is possible to admire them almost everywhere: in Nosy Be, Tuléar, Fort Dauphin, Sambava... The whale shark, the largest fish in the world, is present in Madagascar during the last three months of the year.

A real drama is taking place: about 200,000 hectares of forest are lost per year. If nothing is done to stop this massive cutting, the majority of the tropical forest will have disappeared by 2040. Madagascar could become a red desert. NGOs are trying to politicize the debate, but the fight is arduous and the prospects are not very encouraging.

The religious spirit of the Malagasy is difficult to approach for a Cartesian mind. The people of the Big Island believe in an all-powerful God, creator of the world, who bears the name of Zanahary on the coasts, Andrianahary (Lord creator) or Andriamanitra (perfumed Lord) in the interior. The Divine seems to be little concerned by the affairs of men.

Fady means what is taboo, sacred or illegal, what one cannot do, what one cannot say, what one cannot eat. These codes that regulate Malagasy social life, both material and spiritual, are still followed today. The fady were once innumerable, and, if they are partly abandoned, many of them remain.

The colorful markets are held in the heart of the cities, usually in the morning, before the heat is unbearable. In the biggest cities of the island, the market day is either Tuesday or Thursday. The Malagasy economy being still a subsistence economy, everyone sells his production and is ready to negotiate with the customer.

Madagascar is a striking example of crossbreeding: Asian smile, cinnamon or darker eyes, African nose, European bearing, Indian elegance, fine or frizzy hair... The Malagasy have an astonishing singularity, born of a plurality of origins. The Big Island is a baroque and colorful country, which evokes the five continents in one country.

In spite of rich natural resources, Mada has one of the highest poverty rates in the world, we are talking about extreme poverty. If the encounters you will make will always be rich, this dramatic fact must remain in your mind: 81% of the population lives under the poverty line... and thus many of your interlocutors too!

The Malagasy soil fascinates geologists and lovers of minerals and precious stones. The craze for sapphire, for example, explains the sudden rise of "mushroom cities" in the middle of the desert. But sapphire is not everything: Mada is rich in emerald, ruby, garnet, seaweed, tourmaline, amethyst, citrine... and even green diamonds!

Mada was colonized by the French for nearly 70 years. In the 1970s, a Malagachization of society took place. The governments of the 1980s and 1990s had to open the country up to foreign influences again. A perverse neo-colonialism infiltrates everywhere in society, even in tourism. Let's remain conscious.

Mada is the country in the world where the inhabitants ingest the most rice per year (between 130 and 150 kg per inhabitant). A Malagasy eats rice three times a day: it is not only consumed at three meals, including breakfast, but the cooking water is also drunk. Even if the cuisine differs in each region, it is always based on rice.

Essential transport in Mada, bush cabs, often minibuses, travel the roads of the country, whatever their condition... Often equipped with 12 to 15 seats, they welcome 20 to 30 passengers. Tetris" atmosphere, and almost the equivalent of the weight is attached on the roof. It rocks, it shakes: an experience reserved for the most adventurous!

Omnipresent in Mada, the zebu is the source of all wealth. Characterized by a big fat hump on the withers and long majestic horns, it is at the same time a working tool when it is in the fields, a means of transport when it is accompanied by a cart, a savings account and the promise of a delicious meal!