Preparing for Madagascar & South Africa, 2024
To say I have been excited for this trip would be a gross understatement. I am pumped! I first began making arrangements even before I confirmed my participation on this birding trip earlier this year. Perhaps I should’ve taken the finances and time away into consideration, but, come on, it’s Madagascar!
As this will be my first trip to Africa, I began researching not only the avifauna of Madagascar and South Africa, through which I will be transiting, but also the ecology and history of each place. That is, I have been trying as as best I can, given time constraints and other extraneous obligations. To be honest, I do feel overwhelmed about identifying and learning about the birds, other animals, and plants of both countries. Luckily, I will be going as part of a birding tour group.
The Madagascar trip, organized by Partnership in International Birding (PIB), is to run between September 30th and October 17th. Our trip is predominantly birders from Wisconsin, and one of the tour guides / organizers is from the Milwaukee County Zoo. Specifically, she is an avian zookeeper, which is definitely a bonus for us participants! PIB also enlists the help of a local Malagasy bird guide.
You might be wondering at this point: How did you prepare for this trip? Glad you asked. The easy answer is to follow the recommendations of PIB, for they sent a slim but informative binder containing all the essential information, such as what equipment to pack (binoculars, etc.), how much clothing to bring, and so on. Beyond that, I focused on reference books and other tomes to better educate myself.
Books
A variety of books accumulated in preparation of my trip to Africa.
As you can see, I like books. The problem is that I tend to amass more volumes than I can possible read in time.
Obviously, I cannot take all of these with me. I will likely take one of the bird or wildlife field guides with me. I will note that the “Birds of South Africa”, by Sinclair et al. and published by Princeton Press, has an app available here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sasol-ebirds-southern-africa/id1505731669
I recently finished “Lords & Lemurs”, by Alison Jolly, this week. She chronicles the modern history of Madagascar vis-a-vis Berenty, a town in the southeast of the country near Fort Dauphin. Berenty is home to the famous eponymous preserve, home to a myriad species, including the famous Ring-Tailed Lemurs. Jolly features the de Heulme family, the local Tandroy tribe, and a long cast of figures who have been instrumental in shaping the community. I enjoyed reading it.
If I’ve finished more books, I will let you know.
Travel
Madagascar does require a visa for US citizens who plan to stay beyond 15 days. (Put another way, if you plan to stay 15 days or fewer, you may visit without a visa.) Fortunately, this visa can be obtained on arrival for approximately US $40.
Getting there, though, is an adventure in itself. I decided to book with Delta, which offers a one-stop from Milwaukee to Johannesburg (or, Jo’Burg for short) via Atlanta. If you’re wondering if that is a long flight, yes it is! Sixteen hours from Atlanta to Jo’Burg! From Jo’Burg, it is a roughly 3-hour direct flight to Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. For this portion of the journey, I will be taking the South African airline Airlink.
I won’t be going directly from Jo’Burg to Antananarivo, but will spend a few days in Jo’Burg to rendezvous with the rest of the tour group, which will be arriving the day after me. We have made arrangements to stay at the Sunrock Guesthouse, which is within a 5-10 minute drive from the airport. I am planning to do some birding and wildlife tours in the Gauteng region of South Africa.
Health
This is the inevitable question when it comes to flying abroad: What do I have to look out for? Good questions, indeed! A visit to the local travel clinic answered this and other questions.
To summarize, an update of certain vaccines was required for Madagascar. I received one for typhoid (I previously received this vaccine about 12 years ago for Costa Rica), and another one which I cannot remember right now. Yellow fever was not required.
Malaria is present throughout the country, so malaria prophylaxis was prescribed.
Other prescription medications, such as Cipro for diarrhea and GI infections, were recommended.
OTC meds—Imodium, pain relief, etc.—are suggested.
I won’t go into too much detail about further recommendations for health and hygiene, as much of this information can be found on several health organizations websites, such as the WHO and CDC.
Currency
The national currency for Madagascar and South Africa are, respectively, the ariary (MGA) and the rand (ZAR).
At the time of this writing (9/16/2024), the exchange rate for US dollar (USD) to MGA is1:4,525.75, and for USD to ZAR is 1:17.65.
Other Thoughts
This will be my first time to both the African continent and Madagascar. I am a bit nervous about traveling to new places, but I have to say I am super excited about going! I have spend most of the year planning and preparing for this trip, and I wish for you to join me vicariously on my travels. Stay tuned :)
Happy birding!
