Once we got to the end of the road, we mostly backpacked, sometimes with local guides, sometimes alone. Road in Andohahela Reserve. The roads were sometimes questionable and sparse. This one is in an area with so few roads that even this weed-centered track is shown on my world atlas map. Traveling does have its annoyances and health hazards.
Malaria is widespread.
Leeches do not carry disease, but care should be taken to avoid infection of the minor wounds they leave. HIV is still thought to be rare in Madagascar, but it is likely to spread rapidly when a significant number of people have been infected. Personal safety is generally not a problem in Madagascar, and a majority of the solo travelers we met were women. View of Tana. Antananarivo is, in some ways, a typical overgrown third world capital with over one million people, and seems to be on the way from any part of the country to any other part of the country.