Security and safety

Madagascar as a whole is a safe country when compared to mainland Africa, and the people are very friendly and approachable. Overall westerners are very safe in Madagascar, however, you should be aware that this is a very poor country and you will be seen as wealthy by the people who live here. Check official travel advice before you leave on our travel links page.

As with all developing and developed cities and towns there is a risk associated with walking around at night, however this danger is very low in Madagascar.

Here are a few general tips to avoid awkward or potentially dangerous situations:

• If you are staying in Tana, most hotels have safes and these should be used to keep your passport, flight tickets and money until you leave.
• Make two copies of your passport, visa, airline tickets and any other important documents. Leave one at home and take the other with you - keep it separate from the original documents.
• If you wish to walk around the capital make sure you have the address of your hotel with you, have it written down so that you can give to any taxi driver to get you home
• As towns can be crowded you should keep your wallet and passport close to your person (i.e. in a money pouch or money belt) as like most big cities Tana has pick pockets.
• Try not to flash your money around. When you change money you will receive a large wedge of notes. Remember that what you have is more than many Malagasy people will make in one or even two months. Try and put your large notes in one place and keep lower denomination notes where they are more easily accessible.
• If you are overwhelmed by street sellers and do not wish to buy anything, smile and say no thank you (non merci), keep on walking and avoid making any eye contact.
• Never raise your voice in anger unless it is absolutely essential or an emergency. To gain the attention of people or a police officer say ‘aide-moi’ (help me) or ‘gendarme’ (police). 
• Always look left and right twice before crossing roads as traffic and people can come from all angles and vehicles have right of way over the pedestrian. Vehicles drive on the right in Madagascar, but this is no guarantee that they won’t be on the left! Accidents do happen so be especially alert around traffic.
• Carry some form of identification with you at all times. The police can and do stop vehicles and pedestrians to check papers, particularly late at night. When you reach Toliara we will arrange to get an authorised copy of your passport for this purpose.
• Certain parts of the country, and many practices, are covered by taboos (called fady) and some areas subject to fady may be forbidden to foreigners. These tend to be in remote corners of the country but if you intend to visit remote areas, get prior advice locally or from your tour operator.
When using local transport always
• Agree a price for the journey before entering a taxi, pousse-pousse or taxi brousse
• Try to ensure the driver of the taxi or pousse-pousse knows your destination - this is not always the case even when they say they do!
• Try and ensure that you know, as far as possible, the directions to your destination e.g. the correct name of your destination and the area of town it is in.
• Always try to have the correct money at hand, rather then pulling out a lot of money and then trying to find the correct amount - taxis and pousse-pousses frequently have no change!

ReefDoctor has been working in Madagascar for over five years staying in Tana, Toliara and Ifaty, and many of our staff and volunteers have travelled in the country before leaving. In that time we have had no serious incidents.

If you do have any problems while you are travelling in Madagascar, or while you are with us, make sure that you have the contact details for your home embassy or consulate.

Important notice
Please remember that Madagascar is a very poor country. Facilities and vehicles are often in an impoverished condition and breakdowns are common - try not to get frustrated by it, the Malagasy people don’t. In comparison to many of the people that you will meet in Madagascar, you are rich and may be over charged on occasion. Try to remember how small the amounts really are, and while we do not suggest that you allow yourself to be consistently over charged - bargaining is part of Malagasy life, in many instances you are unlikely to get the prices that locals do.

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