Flights

Joining us at ReefDoctor and getting to Madagascar means flying to its capital Antananarivo, or Tana as it is more commonly known. From Tana you will then need to travel on to Toliara - please note that Toliara may also be written as Tulear (the French spelling) and Toliary (the old Malagasy spelling).

Unless you are planning to travel in Madagascar prior to joining us in Toliara, we suggest that you buy a flight from Tana to Toliara for your inbound journey, you only need to buy a one-way flight (return flights are not always available and you may choose to return to Tana by another route).

Flying to Toliara is expensive but much quicker - it takes between 18 and 24 hours in a taxi-brousse (assuming there are no problems along the way). Instead, we suggest exploring Madagascar on your return trip to Tana when you can easily break the journey - in fact we highly recommend it to get a flavour for how the country changes from the coast to the highlands. Flights between Tana and Toliara are approximately £80, whereas public taxi-brousses can be as little as £12.

Arranging your flight via ReefDoctor

Although ReefDoctor cannot directly arrange your flight, we have an affiliation with WEXAS Travel who can organise all your travel requirements at a very good price. WEXAS are experienced in sending our staff and volunteers to Madagascar and they also offer excellent travel insurance, which we recommend you consider on top of your diving insurance.

To make your travel arrangements through WEXAS contact Alex Crosby directly at:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7838 5861/3315
email: alex.crosby@wexas.com
WEXAS Ltd
45-49 Brompton Road
London SW3 1DE
UK
Fax: +44 (0)20 7589 8418
http://www.wexas.com

Arranging your own travel

If you are making your own travel arrangements you will need to get a flight to Tana, and then an internal flight to Toliara (unless you are travelling in Madagascar before joining us). There are normally two flights a day between Tana and Toliara, but you will need to stay overnight in Tana if your inbound flight arrives in the evening (there are no night flights to Toliara).

We suggest you try the main airlines that service Madagascar for cheaper deals, arriving via Mauritius or Johannesburg can also work out cheaper. The main airlines flying in to Madagascar are:
Air France: http://www.airfrance.com
Air Madagascar: http://www.airmadagascar.com
Corsair: http://www.corsair.fr
Air Mauritius: http://www.airmauritius.com

For your reference the airport code for Tana is TNR and TLE for Toliara.

If you are planning to fly to Toliara or want to make other internal flights while you are here, note that if your international ticket is with Air Madagascar, you will get a 25% on all internal flights. So allow for this when comparing prices.

Luggage allowances

However you arrange your travel be sure to check the luggage allowance for your flight - normally 23kg on international flights - and if you need more to accommodate your dive gear ask your travel agent or the airline to provide you with a ‘sports equipment’ allowance, making sure that any allowance you are given extends to your internal flights in Madagascar.

Not all airlines offer a sports allowance, and some may charge a fee so explore all the options first. Air France charges around £40 and requests that the sports equipment is packed in a separate bag to your normal luggage.

Note: The import and export of drugs, foodstuffs (including fruit), shell items, some wood items and protected plants and animals is illegal.

Airport security and bags

Due to the threat of terrorist attack, airports and airlines are constantly bringing in new security measures and controls. After recent developments in the UK, the Department for Transport has produced a factsheet on what you can and can’t take on board a commercial airliner in your carry on bags.

For your check-in bags we recommend that you secure them all with a padlock, so avoid ruc-sacs. If you are concerned about the bags being opened by security personnel, look at the advice links below to find out about recommended locks.

Also remember that Madagascar does not have the baggage handling facilities of developed countries - your bags will come in for rough treatment so make sure that your luggage is sturdy and reliable.

For more information visit:
UK Department for Transport
www.dft.gov.uk

US Transportation Security Administration
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm

AirSafe.com baggage advice
http://www.airsafe.com/issues/baggage.htm

AirSafe.com Travel Tips
http://www.airsafe.com/issues/security/waiting.htm

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