Antananarivo
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Antananarivo (AN-tan-AN-ah-REEV-oo) (City of a Thousand), also known as Tana, is the capital of Madagascar.
Get in[edit]
Antananarivo is the main entry point for Madagascar and travel to the capital is covered in the main Madagascar page.
By plane[edit]
Ivato Airport (TNR) is the Antananarivo's major airport and it is serviced by Air France, Turkish Airlines, Air Austral, Airlink, Air Mauritius, Comores Aviation, Kenya Airways, Interair South Africa and Air Madagascar.
All foreign visitors require an entry visa. Initial visas are for up to 30 days, and your passport must be valid for at least six months after the last day of your stay. Any visa longer than three months must be referred to the Ministry of the Interior or Embassy in Antananarivo. It is a 24 hour process of pre-approval for an initial visa from South Africa and some other countries. Another option is to buy a visa upon arrival, and deal with immigration at the airport which can be stressful especially after a long trip, and then waiting to insure you will be admitted to the country.
Once you get past baggage claim, you will be greeted by a mass of entrepreneurs offering assistance with your luggage to the waiting taxis, in return for a gratuity, and offering directions to other services. This may be helpful to some, but others may find the presence of the "Skycaps a la Tana" a little distracting or worrisome. Remember to change money at the airport bank (which you have to do, since the Madagascar Ariary is not a convertible currency).
Airport Taxi to the City center is 50,000 MGA to 70,000 MGA. Another option is using airport bus Narvette, which will take you to the front door of your hotel for 10,000 MGA.
Get around[edit]
There are three main methods of navigating the capital: taxi, bus and on foot. Most tourists tend to use taxis as they are very practical. Make sure you agree on a rate with the driver before entering the taxi. Also, be aware that traffic tends to be heavy in Analakely (Antananrivo's center and busiest area) during typical rush hour times. If you are comfortable being squeezed into a van with other people, the buses, or 'taxi-be', are the most affordable form of transportation, with prices usually ranging from 300 MGA to 400 MGA (Compared to 10,000 MGA or more for a typical taxi ride). However, tourists are not usually familiar with taxi-be routes. While the city is quite large, Analakely is fairly navigable on foot.
Leaving Tana[edit]
To travel on from Tana there is only services leaving in the afternoon. Don't worry if you get dropped off in the village in the middle of the night, at least one hotel, (Palmeria) has a night guard who can acquire a room for you. This is also the bus station wanted for Anja Reserve (~11 hours, 35,000 ariary in Jan 2012) and Isalo National Park.
Ankarana National Park - at the northern bus station catch one to Antsiranana (Diego-Suarez) and you can get dropped off outside the main entrance of the park. A very painful 20 hour journey (~65,000 ariary in Jan 2012). You will likely stop over in Ambanja (~14 hours into the journey). Ambanja is also where you need to change for Nossi-Be. This is also the station for Ankarafantsika National Park (~9 hours, 30,000 ariary in Jan 2012)
Understand[edit]
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