This guide to Madagascar also appears under the Digital Nomads Guides brand Why Madagascar? Introduction to the Red Island Madagascar is basically its own continent. Though Madagascar is by no means an easy country to work online from, a visit will absolutely be rewarding in many ways. Madagascar offers digital nomads a wildly different experience from the established destinations. Madagascar is a developing country. By some measures, it’s the fourth-poorest country in the world, having suffered a lot under French colonialism till independence in 1960. But as nearly everywhere on Earth, the essentials of the 21st century to make internationalContinue reading
Africa
Welcome to the category of blog posts about traveling in the continent of Africa.
A brief history of my travels there:
- Morocco: visited in 2012 (I think) for a few days with a girlfriend. I didn’t know about hitchhiking back then so I still have to return one day!
- Tunisia: visited in 2018 for one week when I had one week of vacation from university. I loved Tunisia and I’m eager to travel back. I hitchhiked once with some great people from Hammamet back to Tunis, with Jonas. Not a lot of time spent, I know, but I had to be back in class the following Monday
- Cabo Verde: visited in 2019 for 88 days with Jonas after graduating from university. Great times! I hitchhiked a bunch of times on different islands. All distances are very short because the islands are so small. I visited Sal, São Nicolau, São Vicente, Santo Antão, Fogo, Brava, and Santiago. I’d love to go back and visit Maio and Boa Vista
Thank you for coming to the category about Africa. I hope you find something that you’ll enjoy!
Getting a SIM Card in Madagascar: Orange, Telma, and Airtel
We bought our Malagasy Orange and Telma SIM cards on the first full day in the country, the 16th of November 2022. The last SIM card in Madagascar, Airtel, was trickier to get in the capital. I’ll explain below why we’re getting multiple SIM cards from different providers. TL;DR Which SIM Card in Madagascar Should I Choose? So far, we think the best SIM card in Madagascar is Orange. It connected well in Antananarivo and worked immediately. Tethering worked perfectly and it works both on iPhone and Android devices. Orange also worked in Ampefy, the first smaller town we visitedContinue reading
Money in Madagascar: the Ariary, Cash, ATMs, Orange Money + MVola
Paying for things in Madagascar isn’t as straightforward as in many other countries. Here’s how to get your hands on fat stacks of Malagasy Ariary, how to use the mobile money apps in the country, and how to identify when people are quoting prices in Malagasy Franc (†2005). Using money in Madagascar is very intertwined with having a Malagasy SIM card, so check out that article as well. Intro to The Ariary—Paper Money Only The Malagasy Ariary has been the official currency of Madagascar since 2005. Unlike Dollars or Francs, no other currency in the world goes by the nameContinue reading
Ranohira: Our First Time Hitchhiking in Madagascar
This happened on the 29th of December, 2022. Jonas and I did our first cursory hitchhiking in Madagascar session. Since it was so spontaneous and unplanned, the featured photo of this article was taken on the 2nd of January, 2023 while waiting for our cotisse from Ranohira to Ambalavao and does not represent the text below. Tired As Fuck After eating lunch and asking the Isalo National Park office about tours, I was quite exhausted. We’d traveled from Toliara at sea level to Ranohira at 1000 meters by cotisse. Though we had expected lower temperatures at this altitude if anythingContinue reading
Madagascar Tourist Visa Extension in Toliara: 30 Days Extra
We tried to extend our tourist visa in Madagascar in the coastal city of Toliara, aka Tuléar or Toliary. Our first visit attempt was on Friday the 23rd of December, and the next time Monday the 26th of December. Trying the Madagascar tourist visa extension around Christmas was obviously not ideal. Why Extend the Madagascar Tourist Visa? When we arrived in Madagascar in mid-November 2022, we only got a tourist visa for 60 days on arrival. That cost us €40 per person, which we paid in Euros. Sadly enough, the information about obtaining a 90-day visa upon arrival was alreadyContinue reading
Morondava: Avenue of the Baobabs + Baobab Fruit Experience
We visited the Alley of the Baobabs aka Avenue of the Baobabs on the 12th of December, 2022. Before that, we ate some baobab fruit we bought at the central market of Morondava, west Madagascar. Our First Encounter with Baobab Fruit (Back in Mauritius) In September 2022, we finally made a day trip to the Pamplemousses Botanic Gardens (aka the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden) from our home in Trou-aux-Biches, Mauritius. We saw a great many plants and one cute kitten there, but when I spotted the baobab section on the map, I knew that’s what I really wanted toContinue reading
Arriving in Antananarivo (Madagascar) After One Year in Mauritius
We left Mauritius for Madagascar on the 15th of November, 2022. We flew to the Malagasy capital Antananarivo with Air Mauritius. Deciding on Madagascar Our one-year Mauritian premium visa was coming to an end in November. We had considered renewing this fantastic digital nomad visa for another year; the MV Trochetia was sailing again to Rodrigues instead of the MV Black Rhino. As you might know, we really love Rodrigues. But the only way we’d like to travel back there would be by boat. We had already imagined staying in Quatre Bornes, then taking the Metro Express to Port Louis,Continue reading
94 Things to Do in Rodrigues
We spent several months in Rodrigues checking out a lot of different corners of this compact island. Many Mauritians and Rodriguans asked us if we didn’t get bored here. The answer to that question is a resounding no—and there are even things we didn’t do yet but are saving for a return trip. Many Rodriguans we spoke to weren’t familiar with some of the places we’ve been to. So here’s a monster list of more than 90 things to do in Rodrigues. And a map! Learn kitesurfing in Mourouk. Ask for Drany – a local and national champion – ifContinue reading
The Best Maps of Rodrigues Island, Mauritius
Use the table of contents or scroll down to see which map app I recommend and other maps of Rodrigues island that you can find while in Rodrigues. Google Maps thinks nobody lives here If you’re looking to come to Rodrigues island in Mauritius, you might start your search on Google Maps. And you’ll be faced with this heinous crime of a map: What the fuck is this? Why is there no detail? I zoom in on the island capital Port Mathurin to see if things get better. No, the horror continues. Why do you do this to us, GoogleContinue reading