FAQ

The number of infections is currently on the increase after having been in a decline for the first quarter of 2021 - the number of cases has been rising daily since April of 2021 - becoming the 'second wave' of infections in and North of Antananarivo. Moreover, a weekend lockdown is currently in place in the capital only. Follow the WHO map for more accurate current information.

Madagascar currently remains closed to all international visitors. You can check up-to-date information and updates on the Office National du Tourisme de Madagascar website We follow the guidelines that have been drawn up per country and look per booking when it is possible to travel to Madagascar again individually per booking.

At the moment all travel to Madagascar had been advised against, meaning all recreational trips are currently not allowed to continue. For further updates, please refer to the website of the ministry in the country of departure. For the UK, follow this link.

We check the possibilities per booking. We keep in close contact with travelers who have already booked a trip through Mora Travel. When you have booked a trip, we will contact you by telephone (or email) at least one month in advance to discuss the current situation.

If a trip can not continue due to the coronavirus, we will contact you at least 1 month in advance. We will then discuss with you the options for rebooking a trip to another date. If a trip has already been paid for in part, we will issue a voucher. For domestic flights, we must follow the airline's policy as stated in the terms and conditions. At least one month in advance will be contacted about the current situation regarding the booked trip. During the contact, we will discuss with you what the airline's statement about the domestic flights.

In case you want to postpone the trip to Madagascar, please contact Mora Travel by telephone or e-mail, and we will keep in close contact until we find a solution. Our cancellation policy is as follows: • Up to 30 days before departure: no cancellation fees • Between 30 days and departure date: postpone the trip in accordance with the traveler without fees (excluding flights)! • Refund or the postponement proposal will be made within 30 days of the written request from the traveler to cancel the trip.

You must hold a valid passport that is still valid at least 6 months from the date of return. Also, you need a visa to enter Madagascar. You can buy a visa at the airport, as the electronic permission system is currently inactive. The price is around €35,- for a stay up to 1 month, 1 or 2 months costs about €60,- (this can change due to exchange rate). We suggest you take the exact amount in euros (ask us for the actual prices) so that you can always pay as exact as possible.

There is no compulsory vaccination for Madagascar if you are from Europe/US currently. However, we encourage you to contact the Public Health Service in your country of origin to discuss the necessary measures for vaccination and malaria prophylaxis. The compulsory demands in regards to COVID-19 testing and vaccination are constantly being updated, hence we will advise you on the current situation upon booking.

Given the medical care in Madagascar, the traveler is obliged to have travel and accident insurance and carry these documents at all time when traveling through Madagascar, as well as the documents of health insurance. It is always useful upon booking to provide a copy of these documents to us so, in case of emergency, we can respond acutely and help as an intermediate between the insurance and the patient. Lots of insurances are not familiar with Madagascar and do not know all the options, for example to come back to the capital, whereas we do.

Luggage is allowed in domestic flights in Madagascar: 5kg of hand-luggage and 20kg of checked-in baggage. In case you have mora and want to leave luggage in the capital, we always have a solution in our office for that. Contact us if that is the case!

It is advisable to bring "cash" money in the form of Euros or Dollars. Credit cards are increasingly working in Madagascar, but not everywhere. A Visa card offers more possibilities than a Master Card or American Express card. On payment by credit card, a commission of 6 to 10 is % is counted. We advise you not to rely solely on paying with a credit card. The local currency is the Malagasy Ariary (MGA). Import and export of MGA is prohibited. There are ATM's, for use with creditcards, in each big city in Madagascar. You can use your Mastercard in the following cities: Antananarivo, Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa, Taolagnaro, Toliara, Nosy Be, Sainte-Marie (in town) Sambava, Antsiranana, Tamatave and Morondava.

The most pleasant is to wear practical and lightweight clothing. Cotton is recommended. A light raincoat may come in handy. Sports shoes with a good profile, and that are allowed to get dirty (lots of red sand here), are the easiest! Further recommended: swimsuit, daypack, pocket knife, flashlight and a good travel pharmacy. During the winter months (especially June, July and August) we recommend bringing a sweater or fleece!

Generally you will find 220 volts everywhere. Two-way plugs are used. But, please bring travel adapter in case there are not conventional plugs in some areas. Also, if you plan to bring more than one electronic stuff (camera, cellphone, etc.), please bring added batteries and multi-plugs electrical outlet.

Mobile phones work in the larger cities. And there has been a strong and rapid expansion of the network over the past two years in the entire country. But definitely not guaranteed when leaving city's. For Wi-Fi it is the same situation. In some hotels there is Wi-Fi in common areas such as restaurants or in the reception area. If you want to have internet access through your phone all the time, we can provide you (2G) internet through your phone with an extra of 20€.

The locals eat mainly rice. As a traveler however, you will find everything. The Malagasy cuisine is mainly inspired by the French and Creole kitchen. You will find: fish, zebu meat, poultry, vegetables, rice, potatoes, pasta etc. The fruit varies with the season. Pineapple, banana and papaya are available all year. Tropical fruits such as lychees, mangoes and goyaven are found from November to April. We strongly advise not to drink tap water, although in the cities it is often drinkable, but has a strong taste of chlorine. Avoid drinking drinks with ice cubes. In small grocery stores, in hotels and in restaurants a 1.5l bottle of water costs about 1 to 2€ depending on the area. There, a 1liter-bottle of soft drinks (coke, etc.) costs €1.5 to €3 depending on the area. At a local and simple restaurant lunch costs +/- €3,- and dinner 6,80 At a mmid-range restaurant lunch costs +/- €6,- and dinner €12,- At a luxurious restaurant lunch costs +/- €9,50 and dinner €17,25

Madagascar is a paradise for those who love to photograph. The locals likes to be photographed and will appreciate it greatly if they receive a photo later. Always be polite and ask first if you can take a picture. There are a few taboos. Airports, airplanes and military bases may not be photographed and some grave tombs are also not done. Please note that it is not allowed to pay people to get photographed.

First class or deluxe hotels of international standing are practically non-existent on Madagascar and certainly are not widely available during a trip. The travelers who have chosen the best category hotels can count on stylish, good hotels with clean and functional rooms with private facilities. Although, some travelers may choose some simple hotels, we can ensure that the latter’s rooms are clean and functional enough with private facilities as well.

If you want to bring something during your trip as a gift (for children for example), we advise you to bring small practical things that are expensive to the families here, such as: pens, soaps, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. If you would like to play with children, a simple balloon is always fun.

Madagascar has 18 ethnic groups who all speak their dialect, but also all understand Malagasy, the official language of the island. The second language on the island is French, which some people speak, and since 2008, the third official language is English, but very few people can speak it. It will ease your trip if you understand and speak a little French. This gives you the ability to communicate with the locals. However, we can offer you guides that speak perfect English, German or Italian.

Mora Travel is a Travelife certified agency. Hence, we encourage sustainable tours, excursions and behaviors (no environment threat behavior, no sexual tourism, no animal exploitation, respect of the local customs, etc.).