Road trip Madagascar: All about car rental and self-drive in Madagascar!

A road trip in Madagascar: a self-drive without a chauffeur is a big adventure! The few tourists that we encounter here in Madagascar travel by plane or with a driver. When people hear that we do a self-drive in Madagascar, we are looked at strangely: “but that is not possible here at all?”

Well, it is definitely possible and in this blog, I’ll tell you everything about making a road trip through Madagascar by 4×4 and renting a car. Because renting a car and driving independently is for sure the way to travel through Madagascar!

On a self-drive road trip by 4×4 through Madagascar, each day is a new adventure! The landscape you drive through changes every few hours. In the morning you might wake up in a rainforest, then a few hours later you’re standing on the savannah or the edge of a huge Tsingy (limestone pinnacles). You determine your own pace and route – the ultimate freedom!

Around noon, we often stop in a village and walk to the market, where you can buy baguettes and huge avocados. We then open up the back of our 4×4 and use this as a ‘kitchen’ to put the avocado on the fresh baguette. Enjoying nature in the distance and the buzz of the village, we eat our sandwiches. Then it’s time to continue the journey!

Travel tip: From other travellers, we heard they had a hard time finding lunch on the road. We had a very different experience! In almost every village there is a market where it is perfectly safe to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and bread. But, you might be a bit more precautious buying cut fruits or prepared food here.

Driving in Madagascar is fairly easy. There are just a few ‘highways’, called ‘Route Nationals’ (RN’s) which are actually more like two-lane roads with some holes in them. Going off the Route National is when it gets a bit more challenging. We often found ourselves driving through a maze of small sandy streets which were not visible on any map. Or the contrary, on the maps there were streets which in reality did not exist. Like in Diego Suarez, where according to Google Maps we had to drive off a cliff to reach the next street. And the time in Mahajanga where Maps Me led us via the garbage belt to the nearest beach (not a route we can recommend because it was way to smelly).

Read here everything about the self-drive itinerary from Morondava to Toliara by 4wd!

However, with some common sense, the help of BOTH Google Maps, Maps Me and some friendly locals, we always managed to find our way. It just took us a bit more time than anticipated.

Travel tip: Before you hit the road, download the offline maps from Google Maps and Maps Me, and always use them together. This way you have an alternative when one of the two apps gives you a strange route.

We usually start driving early. Sunrise in Madagascar is at 6:00 am and sunset is around 5:30 pm. Because we want to make the most of our days, we are often in the car around sunrise. While Ries is driving, I prepare some yoghurt with granola, our breakfast. Carefully not to poke him in the eye, I try to feed Ries yoghurt while we slowly see the sunrise. It is not advisable to drive in the evening. This can be dangerous because of poor road conditions in some parts of Madagascar and the lack of lighting, but also because crime is more likely at night. With an early start, we usually arrive at our destination between 13.00 and 15.00. Just in time for a cold glass of coke (or wine!) from the fridge in the back of the car.

Travel tip: Only the big cities in Madagascar have supermarkets. If you are planning to cook for yourself, or you want to buy international products such as wine and yoghurt, then go shopping before departure in Ivato or Tana.

One thing you will encounter at least once during a self-drive road trip through Madagascar: car trouble. No matter how well maintained the Roadtrip Africa 4×4 vehicles are, it‘s no surprise that due to the bad roads in Madagascar you will encounter some mechanical issues. Ries and I have two left hands and limited knowledge of cars. So when Laura from Roadtrip Africa told me to take this into account, I had to laugh a bit, thinking “well, this will definitely be an adventure…”

Self-drive in Madagascar!

Travel tip: every Roadtrip Africa rental car in Madagascar comes with a cellphone and a local SIM card. You can use this to call Peter, the man on the ground, or to contact a hotel in advance. Don’t forget to charge the phone regularly.

Fortunately, Laura had assured me that we would never be alone in the event of a car breakdown. And indeed, when we did get an issue, It was a bit scary in the beginning since we had no idea what to do or what the problem was. But Peter helped us through the whole process step by step. He gave strong support and made sure that a new car was brought to us. All just a day and a half later. A new experience and an adventure richer, we were able to continue our road trip!

Travel tip: plan for an extra day in your itinerary in case of any car trouble.

For our self-drive holiday through the north of Madagascar, we are renting a four-wheel drive, the Nissan Double Cab with rooftop tent from Roadtrip Africa. For those who don’t know much about cars, this is a sturdy 4×4.

Roadtrip Africa is a Dutch-owned car rental company specializing in self-drive holidays. It started in Uganda, where owners Okke and Laura lived for several years. Many of their friends were coming over to visit, and they wanted to rent a car to explore the country themselves. However, this was impossible at the time as no other company offered reliable car rental for self-drive with camping gear and itinerary advice. An idea was born.

Car rental company in Madagascar

Now, eight years later, you can rent a car with Roadtrip Africa and set out on your own self-drive adventure in Uganda (and Rwanda) Tanzania, Kenya or Madagascar. In Madagascar, when renting a car in Antananarivo, Peter is your contact person. He and his family have been living in this beautiful country for almost 20 years. Therefore, he can tell you everything you need to know about travelling, nature and culture in Madagascar, as well as practical information!

Travel tip: Would you rather rent a car with a driver-guide? Roadtrip Africa also offers the option of booking a guide for your road trip from 30 euros per day.

I am sure you have this picture-perfect idea of an African safari with a rooftop tent on your car where you sleep in the wilderness. It’s important to note that Madagascar is not like other African countries. And camping in Madagascar with a rooftop tent is not always practical. Most national parks are not suitable to enter with a car. To be able to camp inside the parks, you often need a normal tent rather than a rooftop tent. Keep this in mind when booking a car with camping gear. That said, we just loved to stay in the rooftop tent. A whole new experience and every evening walking up the little ladder was for me the perfect way to end a day!

>> You can rent a rooftop tent in Madagascar from €20,00 per day (including camping gear). <<
>> You can rent a separate tent in Madagascar from €5,00 per person per day (including camping gear). <<

Note: Camping by the side of the road is not safe at night. You can camp at campsites or in the garden of a hotel. Madagascar is not yet completely used to campers, so if you do not come across any campsites, don’t hesitate to ask your hotel whether it is possible to camp there.