Safety in Madagascar

Nights: The first rule is never to be on the highway after dark. The roads are broken up and the robbery risk climbs sharply once the light goes.

Pickpockets: Tana's thieves are extremely skilled. Do not wear gold and do not pull out your phone in a market crowd.

Documents: Police check passports at road posts frequently. Carry the original, stay polite and stay calm and it takes a minute.

Village patrols: In remote areas order is kept by local militias known as dina. If you see men with spears at night, they are guarding cattle.

Crocodiles: Rivers in the west hold dangerous reptiles. Ask local people whether a spot is safe before you get anywhere near the water.

Malaria: Use DEET repellent and sleep under a net. If you develop a fever, get a rapid test at a clinic straight away rather than waiting.

Hygiene: Use hand sanitiser constantly. Local medicine is weak, so it is far easier to avoid a stomach infection than to treat one.

Begging: Children will often ask for sweets. Do not hand out coins as you walk, since it creates a scrum and encourages the habit.

Madagascar is among the world's poorest countries, and that shapes the risks: violent crime against tourists is limited, while theft and extortion occur regularly.

Antananarivo. The capital requires urban caution: pickpockets at the Analakely market and around the station, bag theft, and phone snatching. Nobody walks at night.

Taxis. No meters; agree the price before getting in. Taxi-be minibuses are cheap but overcrowded and unsafe for belongings.

Vanilla and gemstones. Madagascar produces genuine vanilla and sapphires, which is exactly why fakes flourish. Buy vanilla packaged in shops, and gemstones only with a certificate — or not at all.

"Guides" in national parks. A guide is compulsory in the parks by the rules, and that is fine: they are licensed and know the animals. But unlicensed ones also offer services at the gate — check the badge.

Intercity transport. Taxi-brousse are the long-distance minibuses. Cheap, but overloaded, and the roads are poor. A journey the map says takes five hours actually takes twelve.

Exporting natural specimens. Madagascar is a unique ecosystem and the rules are strict: exporting live animals, tortoises, chameleons, rosewood and palisander is prohibited and prosecuted under international conventions. Even shells and coral can be confiscated.

Vanilla. Export is limited by quantity and must be declared.

National parks. Entry is charged, a guide is compulsory, and leaving the trails is prohibited. Night excursions require park permission.

Drugs. The law is strict.

Drones. Permission is required and they are prohibited in the parks.

Photography. Military installations, police and the presidential palace are off limits. Ask permission for people; in many villages this is taken seriously.

Fady. Local taboos varying from village to village: prohibitions on pointing at graves, eating particular foods, or visiting places on particular days. Your guide will explain, and they should not be breached — for local people this genuinely matters.

Roads. Nobody drives between towns at night: no lighting, livestock on the road, and highway robberies occur.

Malaria. Risk nationwide, especially on the coasts and in the east. Prophylaxis is essential, year-round.

Plague. Madagascar is the only country with regular plague outbreaks, including the pneumonic form. Cases occur mainly in rural areas of the central highlands during the September-to-April season. The risk to a tourist is low but not zero: do not touch rodents or sick animals, and with a high fever and cough see a doctor immediately and mention the trip.

Vaccinations. Hepatitis A, typhoid and rabies are advised. A yellow fever certificate is required from arrivals out of endemic countries.

Water. Bottled only.

Cyclones. The season runs November to April; the east coast takes hits regularly and roads wash out.

Healthcare is extremely weak. Antananarivo has a few expatriate clinics; the rest of the country has essentially none. Anything serious means evacuation to Réunion or South Africa. Insurance with air evacuation is essential.

The sea. Sharks off Nosy Be are rare, but currents are strong and there are no lifeguards.

Madagascar ranks low on the Corruption Perceptions Index, and the police and gendarmerie are underfunded.

Checkpoints. These occur on highways with document checks. Requests for "help" are possible.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates for insurers issued, but the process is long and there will be no investigation.

Night. In Antananarivo and Toamasina nobody walks after dark. Resort areas on Nosy Be are calmer, but belongings are still not left unattended.

The political situation. Demonstrations and unrest occur periodically, and the airport and roads can be closed. Follow the news.

What actually matters. In Madagascar the main risks are not assault but illness, roads and remoteness. The country is enormous, infrastructure is thin, and help is always far away. Build that into the trip plan.

Emergency numbers: 117 police, 124 ambulance.