Tourist visa and entry requirements Madagascar
We advise buying your tourist visa on arrival. There are some e-visa scam websites, and you might still have to pay an entry fee even though you already paid online. You can pay for your visa on arrival in Ariary, USD or Euro. Currently, the costs for a Madagascar tourist are 80.000 Ariary (€35) for 30 days, and 100.000 Ariary (€40) for 60 days.
A Yellow Fever vaccination card is required for persons travelling to Madagascar from the age of 1 year and above when travelling from a country with a risk of Yellow Fever transmission. This does not apply to travellers who have been in transit. Find the list of countries with a risk of virus transmission here.
International flights from Europe to Madagascar
An increasing number of airlines have flights to Madagascar. Skyscanner and Google Flights are good websites to look for deals and book tickets. Herewith is an overview of the major routes:
- Air Madagascar direct from Paris. You get a discount on onward domestic flights.
- Air France, direct from Paris
- KLM | Kenyan Airways via Nairobi
- Ethiopian Airways, via Addis Ababa
- Turkish Airlines, via Istanbul
- Air Mauritius, via Mauritius
- Air Seychelles via Qatar and Seychelles
- South African Airways via Jo'burg
International flights to Nosy Be
South Africa Airways and Ethiopian Airlines operate direct flights to Nosy Be. Direct charter flights are also available from Italy and Poland.
Domestic flights in Madagascar
Madagascar Airlines operates daily flights from Ivato (Antananarivo) to Nosy Be, Tulear, Diego Suarez and many other destinations in Madagascar.
Delays and cancellations can happen and are not uncommon. Therefore, we strongly advise you to factor in a spare day in Ivato so you don't risk missing your international flight in case your domestic flight is cancelled for that day.
How to travel to Nosy Be overland?
Ferries from Nosy Be to the mainland, specifically Ankify Harbour, depart from Hell Ville Harbour in Nosy Be and from the small island of Nosy Komba.
At Nosy Be port, you will be greeted by pushy ticket salesmen whose sole purpose is to hassle you and inflate the price of carrying passports to the ticket counter. It is advisable to ignore these middlemen and buy the tickets yourself directly from the ticket counter.
Ferries run multiple times a day and leave when full. You can also charter a smaller passenger boat. The lodge you are staying at in Nosy Koma or Nosy Be should be able to assist in case you like to book a faster passenger boat.
