Culture & Etiquette

The Malagasy are extremely hospitable and welcoming. They also have a relaxed attitude to time which can be a touch frustrating. Public forms of transport, for instance, will not generally move until they are full.

Bargaining: don't expect to pay as little as the locals, but equally don't be afraid to haggle as the advertised price is often inflated.

Respect should be paid to the many local taboos (fady).

In some places, it remains the practice to invite an ancestor to a village celebration; this involves disinterring the body so that the ancestor may attend physically, then later re-interring the body with new shrouds. This observance, known as famadihana, shows the hold of traditional beliefs.