How to Get to Madagascar

Madagascar, located southeast of Africa, is an island country on the Indian Ocean. To go to Madagascar for a trip, the best way is to take an international flight. In addition, the country is a stop for international cruise ships and you can take a short trip here for one day or two days long.

International Flights

There are mainly two international airports in Madagascar for tourists worldwide to get to the country, the Antananarivo Ivato International Airport and the Nosy Be Fascene International Airport.

Ivato International Airport

Passengers at the Baggage Reclaim

A total of 10 airports in 8 countries and regions have direct flights to Madagascar. Here are the departures, duration, and flight schedules of the flights.

To Antananarivo:

From/Duration	Schedule
Paris (France) /10h 55min	3-5 flights every week from January to May 1 flight every day except Monday in June and September 1 flight every day from July to August 1 flight every day except Monday and Friday in October 1 flight every day except Wednesday and Saturday from November to December
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) /4h 50min	1 flight every day
Nairobi (Kenya) /3h 20min	1 flight every day
Johannesburg (South Africa) /3h	1 flight on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
Mahe Island (Seychelles) /2h 45min	1 flight on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Mauritius /1h 55min	1 flight on Monday 2 flights on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
Saint-Denis (Reunion Island, France) /1h 40min	1 flight on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from January to February 1 flight every day except Monday and Thursday from March to mid-May 1 flight on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday from mid-May to September 1 flight every day except Monday from November to December

To Nosy Be:

From/Duration	Schedule
Milan (Italy) /9h 20min	1 flight on Tuesday from mid-March to October
Rome (Italy) /8h 55min	1 flight on Tuesday in April 1 flight on Monday from May to October
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) /4h 10min	1 flight on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from January to March 1 flight on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from April to December
Johannesburg (South Africa) /3h 30min	1 flight on Sunday from mid-March to December
Saint-Denis (Reunion Island, France) /1h 55min	1 flight on Tuesday in January 1 flight on Saturday in February 1 fright on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday in March 1 flight on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from April to December
Mamoudzou (Mayotte, France) /1h	1 flight on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from January to March 2-4 flights every week from April to October

For tourists from countries that have no direct flight to Madagascar, you can choose to take a connecting flight from Paris, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, or other departures in the above tables to transfer to Madagascar.

International Cruise Ships

A few international cruise ships take Madagascar as a stop and allow you to enjoy a simple excursion to the country. The Norwegian Sky cruise ship calls at Antsiranana, a port north of Madagascar, and you can view buildings in the French style and enjoy forest and beach scenery here. The Aida cruise ships call at Nosy Be and Antsiranana each for one day so that you can view lemurs, snorkel, and enjoy island scenery. Please check the schedule in advance to ensure a smooth trip if you choose this way.

How to Travel to Madagascar from the US

No direct flight can be taken from the United States to Madagascar, which means transferring from a third country is needed. For example, you can first take a flight from the Kennedy International Airport to the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, and then fly to the Ivato International Airport. The whole process lasts about 19 hours and 30 minutes. Since direct flights between Paris and Antananarivo do not take off every day, checking the timetable in advance is strongly suggested.

Passengers Arriving in Antananarivo

How to Travel to Madagascar from the UK or some other European Countries

The UK has no direct flight to Madagascar either. From London and cities in other European countries such as Madrid and Frankfurt, transferring via Paris is suggested. Here are detailed flight schemes to Antananarivo.

From	Transfer via	Duration
London	Paris	13h 45min
Madrid	Paris	15h 5min
Frankfurt	Paris	14h

How to Travel to Madagascar from Australia

Since no one-stop flight scheme can be found between Australia and Madagascar, tourists from Australia need to transfer twice to reach Antananarivo, Madagascar. Here are specific schemes.

From	Transfer via	Duration
Sydney	Dubai and Mahe Island	27h 20min
Melbourne	Singapore and Addis Ababa	26h 20min

How to Travel to Madagascar from Asian Countries such as Japan, Singapore, and China

Here are specific schemes for traveling from cities in some Asian countries to Antananarivo.

From	Transfer via	Duration
Tokyo	Seoul and Addis Ababa	23h 15min
Singapore City	Addis Ababa	16h 45min
Beijing	Addis Ababa	18h 35min
Shanghai	Addis Ababa	19h 15min
Hong Kong	Addis Ababa	18h 50min

Tips:
1. Please pay attention to whether a transit visa is needed when you travel to Madagascar through a connecting flight.

2. Booking tickets in advance helps you find a relatively low airfare and plan your trip better.