Is renting a car without a driver safe in Madagascar?
Madagascar is safe to travel independently and it is a lot of fun to do so. Otherwise, we would not allow self-drive car rentals. Do take note there are a number of areas which require traveling with a driver-guide.
Areas allowed with all our cars:
The black lines on the map below are allowed with all our vehciules, also our X-Trail | Prado | RAV4.
Areas for which a Nissan Double Car is required:
The red dotted lines are only allowed with a Nissan Double Cab rental car, as this is an off-road area. It is NOT possible to take short cuts. There simply will be no road or dirt track.
Areas which are not allowed for self-drive hirers:
- Visiting Belo sur Mer is only allowed when travelling with our driver-guide or pisteur. To reach below sur Mer you have to cross a salt plain. The surface is dried out, but beneath it's like quicksand, so you easily get stuck if you don't know which track to follow. When you are travelling the West Coast without a pisteur or driver-guide, you'll have to skip a visit to Belo sur Mer.
- Northeast: the RN5 beyond Soanierana - Ivongo
- Southeast: the RN 12 beyond Manakara to Fort Dauphin
- South: the RN13 from Ihosy to Fort Dauphin and the RN10 from Tulear to Fort Dauphin.
Note that these excluded areas are listed in our rental terms & conditions. Our vehicles have car trackers to monitor if a hirer breaches the contract and therefore would be fully liable for any costs and loss of security bond.
Explore the Makay and Southern Madagascar on a bush camping adventure!
The good news is, if you go with a driver-guide, its possible to explore remote areas of Madagascar which are not included in our suggested routes. Areas like the Makay, Fort Dauphin ( in the Southeast), or Maroansetra and Masoala ( in the North) are true of the beaten track gems but require traveling with a driver-guide
Roadtripper Alexander Purcell is taking a morning shower in a fresh, clean creek.