Travel tips
Language: Malagasy is Madagascar's own language, which is commonly used throughout the country; French has always been the official legal language. English was listed as the official language in 2006, but it was not popular. It's best to hire a tour guide from China.
Time: 5 hours later than China.
Religious belief: 52% believe in traditional religion, 4 1% believe in Christianity and 7% believe in Islam. Please respect the local people's customs and religious beliefs.
Communication and network: There are three mobile phone communication service providers on the island, Telma, Airtel and Orange. International roaming between China Unicom and China Mobile can be automatically connected.
Most hotels and restaurants have Wi-Fi. I suggest you buy a local sim card to surf the Internet.
Voltage: 220V, French double round plug is used, and China tourists need adapters.
Visa: A round-trip visa of 1 15000 Ali (about 35 euros) will be issued within one month, and a round-trip visa will be issued in less than two months. Please refer to the following charging standards. Please click here for relevant information.
Yellow Book: Yellow Book is not required for entry, but tourists are advised to be vaccinated against yellow fever, cholera and hepatitis.
Tipping: there is a local custom of tipping, which is generally 1- 10 USD.
Currency: Ariari. Madagascar is a country with foreign exchange control, and the local currency can be exchanged with USD/EUR.
Banks: Bank of Madagascar in Africa and Industrial Bank in France. Common credit cards such as VISA and MASTER can be used in banks, star-rated hotels, shopping malls and some shopping places in Malaysia, but ATM is not popular in Madagascar. Common payment methods such as WeChat and Alipay cannot be used. It is suggested to bring the US dollars after 2006 to the local area and exchange them for Ariari (local people may refuse to exchange the US dollars before 2006).
Hotels: The star rating of hotels in Madagascar is different from that in China. Most hotels in scenic spots do not hang stars and have no air conditioning. Except the Capital Hotel, most hotels in the nature reserve are not equipped with toiletries and slippers, and generally no free mineral water is distributed in the rooms, so they need to bring their own or consume separately.
Dress: Dress required all the year round is mainly in summer, but in dry season, when traveling to Malaysia, jackets, windbreakers and sweaters are essential due to the large temperature difference between morning and evening. Tourism includes tourism in coastal cities, and swimsuits are also available.
Necessities: cooling oil or sesame oil, towels, slippers, toiletries, sunscreen (high power), camera, battery, charger, etc. Besides, don't forget the hotel reservation form and passport.
Shopping: Madagascar's handicrafts are dazzling, such as Madagascar's wood carvings and various colored gems, nautilus fossils, ammonites, crocodile skin products, unique local chess and so on.
Catering: Madagascar has all kinds of catering, including western food, Chinese food, Indian food and local food. Hotels generally serve western-style meals. There are also some excellent local specialties in the capital, which tourists who like to try early adopters can try.
Car rental and driver's license: self-driving is not recommended! Due to the limited objective conditions such as underdeveloped overall traffic, poor road conditions and lack of accurate and recognizable road signs in Madagascar, and even though Madagascar is a member of the International Driver's License Convention, the international driver's license is often not recognized by all local police, which is also an important reason for the inconvenience in road trip, so tourists mainly rent cars for sightseeing with local drivers.
Postcard: There are post offices in all cities and most towns in Madagascar. The ordinary surface mail time from Madagascar to China is about 10 day, and the postage is equivalent to 7 RMB.
Foreign exchange: the customs has restrictions on carrying foreign exchange, especially when carrying a large amount of foreign exchange, such as US dollars, euros, etc., it is best to declare. When leaving the country, if the amount is large (more than 7500 euros and there is no formal exchange certificate to prove the legal source), the customs can confiscate it, so guests are not advised to bring a large amount of foreign exchange into and out of the country.
Customs regulations: every inbound passenger (excluding accompanying children wi
Special tips
Madagascar has underdeveloped road conditions, long and tortuous roads, scattered cities, many long-distance driving and rugged mountain roads. It is often seven or eight hours' drive. It is recommended to prepare motion sickness medicine in advance in case of emergency.
There is a local habit of tipping, from hotel bellboy to restaurant waiter, tour driver or local tour guide. The reference standard is $65438 +0-5 each time.
Inland flights in air madagascar are dominated by state-owned airline air madagascar, and some local private airlines operate inland flights. Due to the limited fleet of automobile airlines, inland routes are often easily delayed or even cancelled. Therefore, when making the itinerary, it is recommended to return to the capital Tana the day before the departure flight.
If you want to see wild animals, you can bring your own telescope. Madagascar, one of the least developed countries in the world, is short of materials. Before you leave, you can prepare some small gifts such as ballpoint pens and notebooks, or candy as gifts for children you meet on the trip.
After staying in the hotel, please put valuables in the safe or carry them with you, and don't put them in the luggage of the hotel room. During traveling abroad, be careful not to expose valuables and a lot of coins in public. Don't act alone or join a team. Pay attention to personal belongings, such as jewelry, bags, cameras, etc.