Getting There & Getting About

International Airports

• Antananarivo (TNR): 17 km from the city.

• Full list of airports in Madagascar with associated airport codes >

Internal Transport

There is an extensive domestic air network, with Air Madagascar flying to 51 towns and localities in the island.

The only regular passenger rail service runs from Antananarivo to Moramanga and Lake Alaotra, arriving on one day and returning on the following day. Other rail links include Antananarivo to Toamasina and Fianarantsoa to Manakara, which run through rainforests, mountains and quaint villages. There are also services from Antananarivo to Antsirabe and Moramanga to Lake Alaotra.

Although rapids render many of the rivers unnavigable, there are a number of coastal transport services.

Car hire is only available in main tourist towns. The road network in Madagascar is in need of repair, and although there are isolated sections of tarred road (particularly those linking the main towns in the central highlands to the most populous parts of the east and northwest coasts), the majority are merely dirt tracks. As a result, many roads are impassable during the rains (November to March).

Within towns and cities, rickshaws (pousse-pousse) can take passengers except where gradient or traffic renders it impractical. Flat fares apply to taxis, except in Fianarantsoa and Antananarivo where fare is determined according to whether the ride is confined to the 'lower town' or goes to the 'upper town'. Fares for cross-country taxis (taxi-brousse or bush taxis) should be agreed in advance.