Madagascar isn’t a “cool” destination known to everyone. It’s a hidden gem, a special Africa, an island that the Malagasy call “the great land”, surrounded by many smaller islands, like Nosy-Be, each with its own peculiarities.
The Malagasy philosophy can be summed up in two words: “mora mora,” literally “slowly”. This expression refers to a slow lifestyle that sways in harmony with the rhythm of nature. Here, frenzy doesn’t exist; time passes, slips, expands until it almost disappears.
Its history
Located in the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of Africa, opposite Mozambique, Madagascar is the world’s fourth-largest island. It separated from Africa about 165 million years ago, developing almost total isolation and thus a unique flora and fauna.
Once I arrived here, I imagined what it must have felt like for the first European to glimpse it on the horizon, Portuguese captain Diogo Dias, on August 10, 1500, after drifting off course on a voyage to India. What fascinates me most is the fact that successive Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English attempted to settle in Madagascar, but none succeeded due to the hostility of the Malagasy warriors.
Useful information if you want to visit Madagascar
To enter Madagascar, a tourist visa is required. It can be requested upon arrival at the airport or online via e-visa. A passport with at least six months of residual validity is also required.
The best time for a vacation in Madagascar is from May to October, during the dry season. During these months, the climate is cooler, rainfall is rare, and the sea is ideal for snorkeling and diving. From November to April, the season is warmer and more humid, with possible cyclones, especially in January.
A natural sanctuary
Madagascar is a natural sanctuary; wherever you turn, nature fills your eyes and soul. Ancient plants surround you. In fact, it is one of the countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. Over 90% of the animal and plant species on the island are endemic.
The importance of nature also permeates daily life. We were able to observe firsthand how plants are used for a variety of purposes by the local population. For example, raffia is used to make handicrafts. The baobab, a symbol of longevity, is an object of popular veneration. Then there’s the traveler’s palm, which owes its name to the fact that its fan-shaped leaves, whose cup-shaped base collects rainwater. They are used by travelers to quench their thirst. The resin tree provides this precious element, which is used to waterproof boats, and it is also used during funeral rituals. Rosewood, on the other hand, offers an excellent wood suitable for carving.
Medicinal plants in Madagascar
Malagasy culture still uses medicinal plants to treat various ailments and also for beauty purposes, such as ylang-ylang, the “flower of flowers”. It comes from the Philippines and produces a highly fragrant essential oil used as a base in many perfumes. Vanilla, although not endemic, is Madagascar’s flagship plant. Today, almost 80% of the world’s vanilla comes from this island.
Another tradition linked to the use of natural elements that I learned from Malagasy women is to dilute clay with water. You can spread this mixture on the face for various purposes, such as as a beauty mask, to lighten the skin, and to protect from the sun!
The real star of Madagascar!
As for fauna, it goes without saying that among all the animal species, the undisputed star remains the lemur, the main character of the cartoon “Madagascar”, the legendary King Julien! If he’s the real star, with his unmistakable black-and-white striped tail, the one who stole my heart, know that there are about 100 species: from the nocturnal lemur to the large indri with its resonant song, to the black lemur, like the docile Kiwi, who had lunch with us during an excursion to a private island!
Nosy-Be: our place in the world
In the southeast of the island of Nosy-Be, northwest of the “big land”, a must-see for nature lovers is the Lokobe Reserve, one of the last patches of primary forest in Madagascar, a protected natural park. It’s hard to find the words to describe the emotions we felt walking among centuries-old trees, lemurs, boas, and spotting the world’s smallest chameleon, measuring just 2 cm.
Nosy-Be is also known for its coral reef, considered the third largest in the world for the number of different corals. It was our base camp, our refuge, and it became my place in the world. From here, we set off to discover other small islands, each with its own characteristics and peculiarities.
- Nosy Tanikely, just a few minutes by boat from Nosy Be, is home to a protected marine park, the ultimate snorkeling spot
- I’ve nicknamed Nosy Iranja “Neverland” because the two strips of pure white sand that divide it into two parts—Nosy Iranja Be and Nosy Iranja Kely—are connected by an isthmus that emerges from the sea at low tide, allowing you to walk on the water from one island to the other. Nosy Iranja is also one of Madagascar’s most important sea turtle nesting sites
- Nosy Komba, known as the Lemur Island, is an island of volcanic origin. But it’s by strolling through the fishing villages that you discover Malagasy daily life: colorful pirogues, nets hung out to dry, children running, playing, and coming to meet us
The fady, ancient values of Madagascar
The island still preserves ancestral traditions and beliefs, the so-called fady, rules of behavior dictated by elders and spirits, which vary from village to village. They may concern daily actions, forbidden foods, or inaccessible places, scrupulously respected to avoid the ancestors’ wrath and the resulting misfortunes that can befall the offender or the entire family.
This cultural-religious aspect fascinated me greatly. According to Malagasy traditions, the dead, purified of their earthly sins, become ancestors and belong to a divine world. Speaking with the locals, I understood how important ancestors are in the animist religion practiced by much of the population and how the deceased continue to influence the lives of the living. This occurs through community rituals during which the deceased appear to listen and answer the requests of the living, through the shaman or elders, accompanied by music played on traditional instruments.
This is just a small part, a fragment, a story, a snapshot of an unforgettable adventure that I recommend you experience firsthand. As always, returning is difficult because every trip is like a long-distance love story: once you return home, all you can think about is your loved one, what’s happening in that place at that moment, what time it is, what shades of sky it is, what you were doing at that precise moment when you were there, in that parallel world, in that daydream you experienced.