Restricted areas
Madagascar is safe to explore independently, and doing so is a lot of fun. But if you have never been to Madagascar before, planning your route and estimating your travel time based on Google Maps only is not a wise thing to do. Remember, Madagascar is not the kind of travel destination where you can take a shortcut or follow some minor back road.
Our solution? Book a tour with a carefully designed route and accommodation, or use the itineraries in these tours as a reference and check out our road map below. We have marked the roads accessible by car and the off-limit areas for self-drive rentals.
Roads allowed for self-drive rentals
The black lines on the map below are allowed with all our rental vehicles and are accessible year-round.
The red line on the map below is fine to travel with all our rental vehicles. This Northern Madagascar route is accessible from approximately June until mid-December.
The orange lines (the road to Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park and the West Coast) are only accessible with our Class A vehicles. This route is accessible from approximately May to mid-November.
The blue line covers the route from/to Belo sur Mer. It is only accessible when you are accompanied by a driver-guide or pisteur arranged through Roadtrip Madagascar. To reach Belo sur Mer you have to cross a salt plain where you'll quickly get stuck if you don't know which track to follow. For those travelling without a driver or pisteur, skip Belo sur Mer or opt for a boat ride from Morondava.
The rest of the country is off-limits for self-drive hirers. If you want to explore other areas of Madagascar not included in our suggested itineraries, such as the Makay, the knowledge of our local drivers is necessary. Send us an email, and we'll be happy to think along.
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