Madagascar: Off the Beaten Path Pre-Departure Information
TRAVEL INFORMATION Passport Visas Money Tipping Special Diets Communications Electricity MEDICAL INFORMATION Inoculations International Health Card Malaria Prevention Staying Healthy HELPFUL INFORMATION School Donations Shopping Photography Being a Considerate Traveler Tips For Safe Shopping And Walking Around Town Reading List PACKING LIST The Essentials WT Gear Store Luggage Laundry Clothing Safari Equipment Personal First Aid Supplies Optional Items Welcome! We re delighted to welcome you on this adventure! This booklet is designed to guide you in the practical details for preparing for your trip. As you read, if any questions come to mind, feel free to give us a call or send us an email we re here to help. PLEASE SEND US Trip Application: Complete, sign, and return your Trip Application form as soon as possible if you have not already done so. Medical Form: Complete, sign, and return your Medical Form as soon as possible if you have not already done so. Air Schedule: Send us a copy of your Air Schedule once you've made your flight arrangements. Refer to the Arrival & Departure section of the Detailed Trip Itinerary for instructions. Please feel free to review your proposed schedule with Wilderness Travel before purchasing your tickets if you have any questions about the timing of your arrival and departure flights or would like to confirm we have the required minimum number of participants to operate the trip. PLEASE CAREFULLY REVIEW Travel Documents & Medical Information: Carefully review the Travel Documents and Medical Information sections of this booklet to familiarize yourself with Passport and Visa entry requirements for your destination, as well as any recommended inoculations. Optional Travel Insurance: Review the Trip Cancellation & Transfer Fee Schedule included in the Detailed Itinerary. We recommend that all trip members purchase Travel Insurance. Extra Services: Request any Extra Services (hotel nights, transfers, extensions) with your WT office contact using the Extra Services Request Form sent with your confirmation packet. Final Documents: Approximately three weeks before your trip, we will send you final departure documents, including hotel and local contact information and rendezvous instructions. QUESTIONS? Call: 1-800-368-2794, go to our website: www.wildernesstravel.com, or e-mail us at: info@wildernesstravel.com
Travel Information PASSPORT A valid passport is required for your trip. Be sure to check the expiration date. Your passport must be valid for six months after your date of exit from Madagascar. We recommend your passport have at least two completely blank visa pages for every country you will be visiting. In addition, to enter South Africa (even if you are only in transit through a South African airport), your passport should have at least three completely blank visa pages. This is an important official requirement, and you can be denied entry to South Africa or other southern African countries if you do not have the correct number and type of passport pages. It is very important that the blank pages say Visas at the top. The last few pages of your passport, which say Amendments and Endorsements, and the final page of your passport, which may not have a page number, are not considered to be legitimate visa pages. You can request a new passport through US Passport Services Office (the service of adding pages for visas was discontinued as of January 1, 2016) or use a visa service agency, which can take care of your passport renewal and expedite the process, if needed. We recommend Passport Visas Express. Be sure to allow sufficient time to acquire this before your trip. It is a good idea to carry photocopies of your passport s photo page and any acquired visa pages for your trip (if applicable) in case your passport is lost or as an additional piece of identification, as well as two extra passport photos. VISAS Travelers staying in Madagascar fewer than 30 days can easily obtain a visa on arrival at the Antananarivo airport in Madagascar. The visa fee is 80,000 Malagasy Ariary (MGA). This is approx $27.00. You can pay cash in U.S. dollars but it is better to have the correct amount ($20, $5 and some $1s) since you are unlikely to get change if you give them $30.00. A Madagascar visa obtained in advance is valid for six months from the date of issue, but is limited to a stay of no more than 30 days within that six-month period. You can contact a local Madagascar consulate to purchase your visa for $35 (subject to change). For a list of the consulates, please check this website. For expedited service, you may contact our recommended service, Passport Visas Express (PVE). PVE can also be reached by phone at 888-596-6028. Let them know you are booked on a Wilderness Travel trip. If you are a citizen of any country other than the US, check with a local consulate for entry requirements.
MONEY The currency in Madagascar is the Ariary. We suggest you bring your funds in US cash in smaller denominations ($5,$10,$20 but not $1s, as the local people cannot use them) and in newer bills dated from 2006 and newer. You can exchange money at the airport or at the Hotel Colbert. Wilderness Travel will also give you the option to buy local currency ahead of time (usually $50, $100 or $200) and charge your credit card before you depart. Your trip leader will give you the local currency on arrival. Please let us know if you would like this option and we will add it to your final invoice. ATMs are available in the capital, Tana, but not elsewhere, and they only accept Visa-branded ATM cards (not HSBC or other brands). Travelers checks are not accepted. Credit cards are accepted at the larger hotels but not accepted in Ranomafana. To use an ATM internationally, you must have a four-digit PIN. If you plan to use your credit cards, inform your credit card company before your departure that you will be using the card abroad. You will need to budget spending money for gratuities, any meals or beverages not included in the trip itinerary, and for personal items such as snacks, phone calls, etc. TIPPING Tipping is completely discretionary, but over the years, clients have asked us for tipping guidelines to reward guides for outstanding service. A range of reference would be $200-$250 USD per trip member for the Trip Leader. Tips can be given in US Dollars or local currency, though US Dollars in small denominations ($20 bills and smaller) are preferred. The Trip Leader takes care of gratuities for luggage handling, waiters at restaurants, local naturalist guides, and drivers. SPECIAL DIETS We will do our best to accommodate special dietary needs, however, please keep in mind that certain cultural differences or limitations due to logistics can make it extremely difficult and at times impossible to accommodate dietary restrictions. Please inform us at least eight weeks before your trip if you have a restricted diet. It is important to bring a flexible attitude and supplemental snacks. COMMUNICATIONS Time Zone Madagascar s time zone is GMT plus 3 hours, or 8 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Daylight Savings Time in the US may affect these times. Telephone The international dialing code for Madagascar is 261, and the area code for Antananarivo is 22. Please contact your cell phone company for specific instructions for international use. Email & Internet Access Internet access is available in the capital, Antananarivo. Outside the capital the lodges typically have internet available only in the hotel lobby. ELECTRICITY Madagascar has 220-volt current and uses both the type C and type E plugs (both have two round pins).
Medical Information The following recommendations should be used as a guideline only; consult your physician for medical advice. It is vital that you let Wilderness Travel know of any medical problems, allergies, or physical limitations you may have. Please fill out and return the personal medical questionnaire, and feel free to consult us if you have any questions about your ability to undertake this particular trip. Wilderness Travel is not a medical facility and has no expertise or responsibility regarding what medications or inoculations you and your physician decide are necessary for your safe participation in the trip. Traveler's health information is available from the Centers for Disease Control. Medical travel products are available from Travel Health Medicine and from Magellan's Travel Supplies. INOCULATIONS Entry requirements are subject to change; check with the Centers for Disease Control for updates. All shots should be entered on your International Health Card (yellow card), which is provided by the facility giving the shots. Keep it with your passport while traveling. This provides an important personal record for you to refer to when making future travel plans. We recommend you discuss the following with your physician: Yellow Fever Although yellow fever is not a disease risk in Madagascar, the government requires travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever is present to present proof of yellow fever vaccination. If you will be traveling to one of these countries where yellow fever is present before arriving in Madagascar, this requirement must be taken into consideration. This includes any overnight in transit in such countries, but does not include a layover where you don t exit the airport. Health officials at borders often (but not always) request proof of the shot. It s a good idea to get the shot and have it recorded in your International Health Card. The vaccination is good for 10 years (there is an update they may change it so that one shot is good for a lifetime). For more information, refer to the CDC website. Polio People who have received the primary series of at least three doses of polio vaccine are considered fully immunized. People who are unsure of their status should receive the vaccine (three doses spaced at intervals). Hepatitis The vaccines HAVRIX and VAQTA (two injections, six to 18 months apart) give long-term protection against Hepatitis A and are worthwhile if you travel regularly to developing countries. Tetanus Booster A booster is strongly recommended (effective for 10 years). Typhoid The CDC recommends the shot or the oral vaccine, Vivotif Berna. You may not be able to take the oral vaccine simultaneously with mefloquine (for malaria prevention). INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARD A Yellow Fever vaccination is required if you are extending to or coming from Zanzibar, Uganda, or Rwanda or other countries in the yellow fever zone. Have the shot recorded in your International Health Card and carry the card with your passport as proof of vaccination.
MALARIA PREVENTION Malaria is a serious but preventable disease spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. All travelers are urged to take antimalarial medications, available only by prescription. Please discuss antimalarial medication with your doctor, who will explain various antimalarials and their side effects and recommend a regimen for you. In addition to medication, a further precaution against malaria is to wear long sleeves and long pants at dusk. Thin clothing should be sprayed with insect repellent, especially around the elbows and ankles. Use repellent containing DEET. If, after returning from your trip, you have a persistent fever with chills, muscle aches, and headache, report to your doctor the possibility of exposure to malaria. For further malaria information, consult your doctor or the CDC Malaria Hotline: 888-232-3228. STAYING HEALTHY In hotels, don t brush your teeth with tap water; use bottled water. Don t use ice in your drinks unless you are sure it was made with treated water. When in doubt, ask your Trip Leader for guidelines. Wilderness Travel will provide bottled water every day.
Helpful Information SCHOOL DONATIONS We plan to include a school visiting during your trip. Schools in Madagascar have limited resources and are always in need of school supplies if any trip members want to bring them over (pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, sports equipment like deflated soccer balls with small pump, etc). You can give the items to be donated to your trip leader upon arrival in Madagascar. If the school visit is not possible than your trip leader will donate your supplies to the school on your behalf. SHOPPING There will be time to shop at boutique shops and markets for souvenirs during your adventure in Madagascar. Some of the goods you're likely to find include wood carvings, silk, jewelry, lambas garments, vanilla beans and spices, and embroidered tablecloths. PHOTOGRAPHY For most people, a compact digital camera or even a cell phone with a fixed zoom lens works well, and newer point-and-shoots and phones can produce excellent quality pictures. For higher quality images, especially for printing, and the ability to use longer telephoto lenses for closer wildlife pictures, a digital SLR is well worthwhile, though heavier. Lenses of 200mm or 300mm, with image stabilization, allow you to hand-hold the camera with minimal camera shake. A polarizing filter is useful, especially to reduce reflection on water surfaces and to deepen the blue of the sky. Pack your equipment well and use plastic bags to protect it from dust or moisture. Bring wipes and a dust blower to keep your lenses clean. Most digital cameras and phones now have video options, and you may even want to consider bringing a GoPro. Always practice ahead of time with new equipment and bring your manual with you. You may want to consider insuring your equipment. Camera equipment is available for rent from Borrow Lenses with a 10% discount offered to Wilderness Travel clients. We recommend bringing at least two large capacity memory cards. If you take a lot of pictures and save them at a high resolution, it can be helpful to bring a digital storage unit or laptop so you can download your pictures and free up your memory cards for reuse on a regular basis. Bring a backup battery or set of batteries so one is always charged and ready to use, and bring your battery charger (and appropriate plug adapter). If your camera uses replaceable batteries, bring spares with you. Note: for trips where you may be away from power sources for multiple days, consider looking into a solar-powered battery charger. When taking pictures of local people, be aware of cultural considerations. Heed your Trip Leader s guidelines for what is appropriate, and always use gestures or simple phrases to ask permission. If people do not wish to be photographed, please honor their requests. We urge travelers to avoid giving money in exchange for photo opportunities, which only makes it harder for other travelers to take pictures and to have a meaningful personal interaction with local people. We find that our clients create wonderful images that really define the unique aspects of our adventures. We would love to make use of your images in our marketing materials and our photoblog, and request that you send us a small sample of your best images and a simple email giving us permission to use the photos. Please email your photos to wtphotoblog@gmail.com. We look forward to receiving them!
BEING A CONSIDERATE TRAVELER Please show respect for the cultures we are visiting by observing local customs concerning appropriate dress, particularly in sacred places. Your Trip Leader is always available to answer any questions that you may have regarding this. If it is necessary to use a cell phone during the trip, please do so privately. Smoking is rarely an issue these days, but if you do smoke, please do so only away from the group. TIPS FOR SAFE SHOPPING AND WALKING AROUND TOWN A little precaution goes a long way when walking in a city. Do not carry purses, wallets, daypacks, or bags that you don t need while walking on the streets. Most hotels have safes or safe deposit boxes available for storage of valuables. Do not carry your passport in the street. When you go out, carry a photocopy of your passport s first pages in a money belt or neck pouch. If you carry your camera, wear it across your chest if it s small, carry it in an inside pocket. Do not wear much jewelry, especially expensive jewelry. If you have a fanny pack, wear it in the front, preferably with something over it. Be aware in the streets; there s no reason to be afraid, but you should always be alert. READING LIST A recommended reading list can be found at Longitude Books.
Packing List THE ESSENTIALS Air tickets (or E-tickets) Passport One other picture ID, such as a driver s license International Health Card ( Yellow Card ) with proof of Yellow Fever inoculation within the last 10 years (if arriving from a country where Yellow Fever is present) Expense money WT GEAR STORE To help you prepare for your next WT adventure, we've put together a great collection of top brands including Patagonia, Outdoor Research, Eagle Creek, and more at our WT Gear Store. LUGGAGE With the possibility of delayed luggage on flights to Madagascar, we highly recommend you bring all irreplaceable items for your trip (cameras, medications, money, credit cards, travel documents, eyeglasses, etc.) in your carry-on bag. If your checked luggage is delayed, it may take several days for it to be delivered. Should your luggage be delayed, you must file a claim with the airline at the airport in Antananrivo prior to leaving the airport. You must also sign a power of attorney document to be used by our local representative (limited to this instance only) so that he or she can retrieve your bags and forward them to you as soon as possible in case you leave the capital before your luggage arrives. We ask that you restrict your luggage to one duffel bag rather than a suitcase. Baggage Restriction on internal flights: Each passenger is allowed one checked bag (weighing a maximum of 44 pounds) and carry-on luggage weighing a total of 11 pounds so please pack lightly. Soft-sided luggage (wheeled duffel is ok) Daypack, large enough for a light fleece jacket, rain gear, water bottle, camera, and other items you want with you during the day LAUNDRY Laundry service is available at your own expense at the following accommodations during your trip: Hotel Colbert, Setam Lodge, Jardin Du Roy Lodge, and Palissandre Cote Ouest Lodge.
CLOTHING The clothing list below is provided as a guideline only. For most of the trip, comfortable, lightweight clothing for travel in a humid tropical climate is appropriate. Gore-Tex jacket with hood or rain jacket Fleece sweater or sweatshirt Lightweight walking pants, jeans for city wear Hiking shorts Long-sleeved shirts. Quick-drying travel fabrics are recommended. T-shirts or short-sleeved shirts. Synthetics are best. Shade hat with wide brim Comfortable lightweight hiking boots with good ankle support Running shoes, Tevas, or other comfortable shoes for city wear Underwear and socks Bathing suit (for hotel pools) Sleepwear Laundry service: Note that same day laundry service is often available at the lodges (give the lodge the item in the morning and have it ready in the evening, average cost is $1.00/item) SAFARI EQUIPMENT Strong flashlight and extra batteries for nighttime wildlife walks Good quality sunglasses. Personal toiletries, biodegradable soap (please note several hotels do not provide shampoo or conditioner) Kleenex packets or Handi Wipes Converter and plug adaptor kit for appliance use at hotels. Binoculars
PERSONAL FIRST AID SUPPLIES Every trip member must bring a small kit for personal use. Sunscreen of SPF #30 or higher Lip balm with sunscreen Aspirin, ibuprofen, or Tylenol, Tylenol PM for sleep Topical antibiotic (such as Neosporin) for cuts, bites, or sores Insect repellent. Repellents with DEET are recommended. DEET content of about 30-35 percent is ideal (higher DEET content is not recommended). Wipe DEET off your hands before touching plastic surfaces (such as binoculars) because it can damage plastic. Aerosol repellents are useful for spraying on clothes. Blister kit. Look for the long-lasting gel-type bandages that you can apply directly on blisters, such as Band-Aid Advanced Healing Bandages or Curad Gel Multi-Day Bandages. Anti-bacterial gel for hand washing Antihistamine such as Benadryl and cold remedy such as Sudafed Imodium for diarrhea. If you wish to bring an antibiotic for diarrhea prophylaxis, please consult your physician. Prescription medications properly labeled Spare contact lenses or extra prescription glasses OPTIONAL ITEMS Camera, spare batteries Field guides Reading/writing material, sewing/repair kit Skirt or slacks for women (for wearing at dinner) Travel clock Collapsible hiking pole Lightweight gloves for warmth in the highlands and for protection from branches Money belt or neck pouch. Always carry your passport, credit cards, and cash with you in a money belt or neck pouch tucked down inside your shirt or blouse. Decaf coffee (only available in Antananarivo hotels) Herbal tea (bring your favorite brand or your leader can purchase locally) Revised: December 18, 2017