Madagascar has one of the least developed road networks in the world. Most of national and local roads are in poor conditions. If you are travelling on a low budget, you will be use “taxi-brousse” (in Malagasy). These are privately or cooperatively owned minibuses running regular services. They are slow and uncomfortable, but they are often the only affordable alternative to chartering your own 4X4. These inter-urban collectives can carry between 6 to 15 passengers depending on the model. You will find them in the dedicated stations in each town of the island. Antananarivo and its periphery have a very dense network of public transport, but are not always very accessible to tourists.
Madagascar has a dense domestic flights network.
The Madagascar railway lines are more reserved to the transports of goods than people. Only two lines are opened to travellers: the Fianarantsoa-Manakara on the Fianarantsoa East Coast network, and the Moramanga-Tamatave in the East. Madarail has two attractive offers: the TransLemurie Express and the Micheline. Each line has in theory two services a week in each direction. Reservations are all but impossible, show up at the station the day before and allow a good-sized window in your schedule before making any other plans.
By sea and river, there is very little passenger shipping except for small ferries and motorboats running over quite short distances. The relatively short rivers of Madagascar are typically of local importance only.
If you prefer traveling on your own, the country is full of car rental providers, but it is good to remember that most roads are in a poor condition, meaning overland travel can often be time consuming, bumpy, and unpredictable. Outside big cities and towns, tourism infrastructure is very limited, and few people speak English. For this reason, joining an organised tour is also sometimes the only way to go. The advantages of travelling in either a small group or a tailormade tour are positive but costly. You will be accompanied by Malagasy guides, able to interpret, advise and ensure that even while the roads might not be smooth, all the other elements of your trip should be. Organized tours are the most common way to visit the country. A 14-day tour will cost $2,400–4,400 USD approximately. Frequently, Madagascar is a difficult place to visit solo. There’s little tourist infrastructure or hostels and public buses do not go to many cities and national parks. You will need to know French, too, as English is barely spoken. In my opinion, this makes it rather laborious and time consuming to get around without any assistance.
Another option, who wish to get around in the cities without having to walk everywhere or rely on cars, you can use the tuk tuk or rickshaw only to get around the town you are in, and do not use them to commute to other towns. This form of transportation is open air, allowing you to see the best of the country and take in the fabulous weather. Cotisse Transport (mini-bus) is a scheduled taxi service offering transport between Antananarivo and Toamasina, Mahajanga, Morondava, Fianaratsoa and Diégo-Suarez. The company’s vehicles are a comfortable alternative to the usually crowded taxi-brousse. The cars leave on time and the drivers drive carefully without speeding. There are four different transport classes available. As an extra there is free Wifi on board of every bus. It is possible to reserve a seat, tickets however must be obtained before departure. They can either be paid on location or via mobile bank transfer. The office and bus station in Antananarivo is located at the northern taxi-brousse station Ambodivona.
