Madagascar Warnings Or Dangers Tips by grets Top 5 Page for this destination

Child prostitution

Child prostitution is a major problem in Madagascar and we found some disturbing evidence of this.

Post cards for sale in certain hotels showing girls aged 9-10 with the words 'My name is...., I am 9 1/2 years old and I live in Tana' Picture cards of young boys in swimming trunks, again with similar wording.

Bars with large pictures of children on the walls, mainly pre-teen girls with very little clothing.

Hotel restaurants full of fat French ex-pat males slobbering over locals girls who looked no older than 12!

Walking along the beach at Ifaty we are approached by girls as young as 6, leaning back seductively whilst spreading their legs, asking 'you want picture?'

Ifaty - Muddy sea bottom

Having been out in a pirogue, coming back to land is an unpleasant experience. With the tide being out, we have to abandon the boat and wade back to shore and as the bottom is covered with sharp shells, we are recommended to keep our sandals on. We sink to the ankles in horrible sludge and my feet become stuck. One of my sandals gets left behind when withdrawing my foot and I spend ages digging with my bare hands in the awful muck to retrieve it - Amjad breaks his flip flops and has to discard them and risk walking barefoot. He cuts his soles badly.

The track to Ifaty

The sandy track is a hazard to any vehicles other than ox carts, and we get stuck in the dunes, having to get out and push. On one side of the path is the sea, the other the famous ‘spiny forest’. Small ponds give off an unpleasant aroma of stagnant water. Goats present another risk, they have no road-sense whatsoever and wander aimlessly as they please, often straight out in front of the bus.

Allow plenty of time for this journey.

Road conditions

Road conditions vary considerably, from smooth, tarmac’ed highways, to rutted tracks more akin to dried-up river beds. These turn into a muddy quagmire when wet, and can become impassable in places. We are very lucky when leaving Ranomafana – usually they have to allocate several hours extra travelling time to allow for being towed out of sludge holes by a lorry. When we are there, it has been dry for several days and the conditions are favourable.

Beggers / robbers

Walking down the street in Tana we were approached by an old and scruffy beggar holding out his hat for David to drop a few coins in. Having come across this scam before, we were ready for him when he covered David's bum bag with the hat and tried to undo the zipper with the other hand. Needless to say, he didn't get anything - other than a hard shove and some harsh words in French.