 |
Madagascar
Madagascar lies 400 kilometres off the east coast of Africa and offers diverse and spectacular scenery: mountains, deserts, rainforests, dazzling beaches fringing the Indian Ocean and island archipelagos linked by coral reefs and clear turquoise waters.
Madagascar is legendary for its profusion of wildlife and flora, 80% of which is found nowhere else on earth.
Isolated from the continents 160 million years ago, Madagascar followed a unique evolutionary path into enormous tortoises, elephant birds, and lemurs. Lemurs were the highest primate form on the island until the Malagasy people, of Afro-Polynesian ancestry, arrived a mere 2000 years ago.
Madagascar is a new and unique destination that offers fantastic tropical holidays as well as inland excursions for those that want a more adventurous holiday. If you just want to spend your holiday on a deserted tropical beach with powder white sand then there is no destination like Madagascar. Far superior to Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives and Zanzibar, Madagascar is the most cost effective, easy to reach destination in the world. It's undiscovered locations and it's rich history make it a great alternative to over crowded, commercialised destinations such as Mauritius.
Madagascar is the new Bahamas of Africa!
CLIMATE
The climate of the eastern and northwestern coasts is dominated by the almost constant blowing of the southeasterly trade winds, which carry heavy rains during the austral winter (May to September). The central plateau and the western coast are sheltered from these winds but receive rain from the monsoon winds, which blow during the austral summer (October to April). These are a continuation of the Indian monsoons, but produce northwesterly winds. Neither the trade winds nor the monsoons reach the southern part of the island, which consequently receives little rain and is, in places, a semidesert. The central plateau enjoys a tropical mountain climate with well differentiated thermal seasons. Generally speaking, the climate throughout the island is moderated by altitude, with the coast being hotter (average temperature 21°-26°C or 70°-80°F) and wetter than the plateau (average temperature 13°-19.4°C, 55°-67°F).
VISAS & IMMIGRATION
All visitors must have visas, except citizens of some African countries. Proof of return ticket is required. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from departure date. If you are arriving from the African continent you must have a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
|
|
