ADVENTURE ISLAND
Magical but maddening Madagascar, explored by Marc Andrews. (Yes, there’s a gay scene.)
Cartoonish lemurs, French cuisine without the distasteful price tag, and spectacular sunsets – Madagascar has much to offer if you’re prepared to forego some creature comforts. There’s even a hidden gay scene. Feature and photography by Marc Andrews.
When you’re told the island of Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa, is something special, believe it. Cut off from mainland Africa, evolution has powered along at its own pace and, like The Galapagos and Australia, isolation has created unique species of animals and plants that you won’t see anywhere else. Five per cent of the world’s animals and plants are endemic to the island including the oh-so-adorable lemurs and the oh-so-impressive ancient baobabs trees.
Sometimes referred to as “the red island” due to the rich colour of the soil, the world’s fourth biggest island boasts 5,000km of coastline and the fifth largest coral reef.
Most travellers enter through the country’s rather ramshackle capital of Antananarivo (known locally as “Tana”). Passing through immigration has got to be one of the most complicated airport arrivals on Earth – four passport and visa checks – but it prepares you for what’s to come outside. Madagascar, you’ll discover, is both magical and maddening.
One harsh reality of this tropical paradise, a former French colony and a struggling developing nation, is French-speaking child beggars, who greet you as you exit the airport.
Traversing this terrain takes patience and time – Malagasy time – and that means, generally, allowing double the amount of time you allocated for any activity or excursion. The infrastructure is just a few bitumen roads and there are no trains apart from freight. Very little English is spoken so be sure to brush up on basic French before you go. It’s also worth investing in a good local guide for any tricky situations that may, and probably will, arise.
The people of Madagascar are much as you’d imagine this meeting point of Asia and Africa would be like. They are generally friendly, hospitable and very curious.
The upside of this former French colony, which gained independence in 1960, is that you can also find some of the finest French cuisine in the world for just a fraction of what you would pay in Paris.
Broadly speaking, the island can be divided in half. There’s the northern beaches like Nosy Be, long associated with chic resorts and sex tourism, and the diver-friendly southern reefs. The middle of the country, however, owns the most traveller-friendly spots thanks to lemurs and baobabs. There are over 100 species of lemurs on Madagascar. Sixteen of the largest ones have become extinct since humans arrived 2,000 years ago on this 80-million-year-old island and the rest are increasingly threatened.
The 2005 animated Madagascar movie led to a spike in travellers but the locals consider it offensive because it got so much wrong. It surprises most visitors to discover that there are no large animals left on the island – humans wiped them all out long ago. A 2011 three-part BBC series of the same name, narrated by David Attenborough, was somewhat more factual.
Historically, Madagascar was a sheltering spot for pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries, and was given its name by the explorer Marco Polo. Currently half the population is not yet able to vote, meaning it is set for a political sea-change in years to come. Decades of greedy governments have siphoned off funds, selling off the country and desecrating the environment. Hopefully the new generation can right these wrongs. Madagascar is
Sometimes boys live with boys and it is okay.
one of the most beautiful places on the planet but also one of the poorest. Hopefully that beauty will not be compromised for a brighter economic future.
Although homosexuality over the age of 21 is legal, it is still extremely secretive and the gay community remains hidden. We had some suspicions about one of our guides on an excursion and eventually realised that the “extra security” he brought along was, in fact, his handsome lover, a stowed away on our trip. My husband and I were quite miffed to discover it was not us having hot gay sex on this holiday but the two locals. I was sworn to secrecy on the matter when I finally managed to elicit the truth.
Our gay-but-not-out guide, who we’ll call Phillipe, informed us that there is a thriving gay scene in Tana and the bigger towns but it is still very much underground and only discoverable through wordof-mouth
Hopefully, Madagascar’s beauty will not be compromised by a brighter economic future.”
or via apps/the net. The Malagasy people have no problem with the idea of homosexuality, though imported Christianity has warped that view somewhat.
In the villages, Phillipe divulged, “sometimes boys live with boys and it is okay but usually it is the married men who knock on my door at 2am and say they need to see me urgently”. He then proceeded to discreetly flick through a selection of his favourite dick pics on his phone, so clearly gay men are the same the world over.
When I whispered that my husband and I had been together for five years and were married two years ago with our families in attendance, Phillipe started to cry. The idea of something like this being so accepted and normal was, to him, still so foreign and so unattainable.
To get around anywhere on Madagascar you will require an agile four-wheel drive and a patient guide. Our three-day riverboat cruise further exposed us to the huge soil erosion problems and the sad fact that the land everywhere has been razed and cleared. Our guide told us this had all happened in the last seven years.
Along the way we stopped at a picturesque waterfall where we were met by another group of guides to show us where to swim. It transpired, however, that they were security guards. The previous year, a group of tourists had been robbed and their guide threatened with death if they did not hand over anything of value. The good news is foreigners (or vazaha) are in little danger of being hurt, but your guide and driver might not be treated so kindly.
If you plan to go lemur watching, bear in mind that many of the species are nocturnal. Our best viewing of three species was on a night walk at a nature reserve called Kirindy. Even better, the next morning we interacted with two playful and curious daytime species; one seemed particularly fascinated by my husband’s Dolly Parton T-shirt. Everyone loves Dolly! Just a few hours’ drive away is the famous and awe-inspiring Avenue Of Baobabs, the huge, aged trees with minimal leaves.
From there we ventured to the sleepy seaside town of Morondava, on the west coast, offering more upmarket hotels and facilities. From here you can travel by car or boat to the stunning, remote beach resort of Belo Sur Mer. We stayed at the eco-chic Hotel Entremer, boasting some of the finest French/Malagasy cuisine on the island.
The region also offers daytrips out to gorgeous deserted islets where you can snorkel with fish among the coral in the balmy turquoise waters. Just be mindful of the tiny stinging jellyfish lurking on the leeward sides of these shifting sandy islands.
Madagascar is a paradise of sorts, but the magic is dimming quickly as the madness ramps up, unless the coming elections miraculously put a halt to that. If Madagascar is on your immediate travel itinerary do not expect luxury but, instead, plenty of adventure. If you are lucky enough to have a bed for the night with a mosquito net, a flushing toilet and working wifi then you will truly have been blessed by this unique part of the world.