Yacht Charter Madagascar Madagascar

Sea & Coast
Off Africa’s southeastern coast in the Indian Ocean, just off Mozambique’s shores, there is an interesting archipelago that is home to the world’s fourth largest island, Madagascar. This piece of land broke off from the continent a long time ago, thus preserving many of its endemic species of plants and animals and turning into a tropical paradise that today is sought by many Yacht Charter tourists as a holiday destination.

The main island’s geography consists of a high central zone with maximum altitudes of 2876m (Maromokotro) slowly decreasing towards the coast on the east and west shore. But these two are also different, with narrower lowlands on the east and much wider with a softer descent on the west coast. What this means for the Yacht Charter visitor is that there are plenty of beaches to enjoy.

As you’d expect from a tropical island, much of the surface area is still rather wild but forests cover only about a tenth of the island, the rest being left to savannas and plains, especially on northern and western slopes. Madagascar is often called “A World Apart” thanks to its numerous endemic species which can’t be found anywhere else in the world. The most popular among Yacht Charter tourists are the oddly shaped traveller’s tree, some 900 species of orchids, eucalyptus trees, not to mention the ever-lovable and mischievous lemurs.

Due to its large size and varying elevation, Madagascar actually enjoys several types of climate, temperate in the center highlands and tropical in coastal regions. The northeast tip of the island gets the most rain throughout the year, while the southwest corner is the driest. The Yacht Charter crowds come here during the cool, dry season from May to October, but there also people coming in during the hot, rainy season which lasts from November to April.

Culture & History
Madagascar’s history begins in the 7th century when the Muslims set up the first trading ports here and also organized the political system. Wealth began accumulating due to the strategic position of the island which gave Africa access to the Silk Road. Based on those riches, a powerful sultanate emerged but the prospect of money also attracted the Europeans who came here in waves beginning with the Portuguese and the French who ended up annexing the island to their country in 1896.

Madagascar’s independence was won in 1960 but it left a void of power. This didn’t stop the constant development of port towns into tourist attractions, not only on the main island but also on the smaller, neighboring islands, like Nosy Be, famous but its mesmerizing scents from all the cocoa, ylang-ylang, coffee and sugar cane plantations, a bonus income on top of the Yacht Charter tourism.

Experience & Seamanship
The weather here (and thus the sailing too) is dominated by the southeastern trade winds which come from the Indian Ocean anticyclone. The best season to come is the dry season, lasting from October to May, because during the wet season lots of cyclones occur that hit the island with sometimes destructive power. Also frequent are thunderstorms, mostly on the eastern shore, as the southwest corner displays an almost arid climate and is thus more suited for Yacht Charter sailing.

Yacht Charter facilities are few and quite apart with decent equipment, though not the most modern. However, the smaller number makes for less traffic on the water and a lot more privacy along the coast. There are numerous bays and coves where you can drop anchor, especially along the smaller islands like Nosy Be.