Madagascar

The island of Madagascar, situated off the east coast of Africa, is often considered to be a wonderful vacationing spot.

The only drawback for tourists is a lack of infrastructure; however this also ensures that crowds of foreigners are not overrunning the country.

Madagascar is made up of six provinces – Antsiranana , Mahajanga , Toamasina , Antananarivo , Fianarantsoa and Toliara – the capital city of each lending its name to the province.

Antananarivo , or Tana, as it is more commonly known, is the capital city of Madagascar and is situated in the central highland region of the island.

With an international airport and easy access to Toamasina on the east coast, and many locations in the south, Tana is where most tourists begin their visit to Madagascar.

An enjoyable journey is to follow national route number 7 from Tana to Tulear , which takes in the towns of Antsirabe , Ambositra , Fianarantsoa , Ambalavao , Ihosy and Toliara as well as providing access to scenic attractions such as Ranomafana National Park (lemur spotting and hot springs), Isalo National Park, the Fianarantsoa-Manakara Rail Journey , home made paper factories , spiny forests and world class diving at Ifaty .