Madagascar Post-coup Port Adjustments?

[kaisatsu]

I was just wondering if anyone knows of any port adjustments since the most recent coup in Madagascar. We're considering sailing the area in late January, and while I haven't heard any concerning travel advisories yet, I wondered if any of the cruise ships with scheduled port calls have been adjusting their itineraries.

[Capricruiser]

I'm booked on a Costa cruise for February that has three stops in Madagascar. My TA checked with the cruise line but there are no changes to the published itineraries.

[kaisatsu]

Thanks for the info!

 

Do you happen to know if Costa will be getting a group visa for the ship or if passengers need to applyfor the Madagascar visa in advance?

[Capricruiser]

Costa will arrange the visas for Madagascar but there will be a small additional charge which will automatically go on your on-board account.

[dspmaster]

Hi,

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been there last year and did not notice any security/safety issues. Like you, we were worried about these aspects. Looking back, Malagasy people are friendly (and very poor). The danger of any political demonstrations and thus police/military action are concentrated in the capital Tana which is far away from any port and nothing interesting to see. We wanted to see lemurs and they are amazing.

 

So now it is more decision between cruise organized tour and private local guided tour, really a matter of personal preferences. We have done both and overall reached a conclusion that private tour provides more flexibility and usually is cheaper. On other hand some people prefer the cruise tour because they feel safer trusting the cruise line. When selecting a private guide, it is important that he is licensed and check references.

 

 

 

 

Talking about guides - I can recommend one guide for the southern part of Madagascar, including Ft. Dauphin, that we used. His name is Dodi and he speaks excellent english and knows his stuff. He is flexible and can taylor his tour to your needs. He has been guide for 10 years and we found him very good. His web site is www.dodislemurtours.com and he can be reached at dodi@dodislemurtours.com .