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Madagascar
A long island splits Madagascar's kite scene into two distinct ends.
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The north, around Diego Suarez, carries the most reliable trade wind on the map - Sakalava Bay logged just seven days under 15 knots across its 2017 season - and runs on resort stays, from Sakalava's cluster of small kite hotels to Emerald Sea's boat-in eco-lodge on a remote lagoon.
The south is different: Anakao and Ifaty work reef-protected lagoons from June into autumn, while Lavanono, near Cape Sainte-Marie, is a genuinely remote wave point for intermediate and expert riders.
How we count
- Places
- 2 towns and 5 single spots
- Beginners
- where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer
When to go
month by month, from the towns' own wind series
The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days
Nothing has been measured or modelled for this place: twelve months and no figure in any of them.
No place here is in season in January, February and December, so those months carry no figure rather than a zero.
Which place is yours
Grouped by region, the most spots first
How this list is ordered
The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.
Standalone spots
Single spots with no town of their own
By region
The country's regions, the most spots first
Best for
Pages that pick the places in Madagascar for one kind of riding
Destinations
All 7 places, by name
Destinations
All 7 places, by name
Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.
Emerald Sea, Diego SuarezSakalava Bay, Diego SuarezNosy BeLavanonoBaie des SignesAnakaoIfaty
Visa & entry
Money
- Pickpocketing in markets and on public transport (taxi-be)
- Displaying cameras/jewellery/wealth attracts opportunistic theft, especially in Antananarivo after dark
SIM & internet
- Telma
- Orange
- Airtel
Insurance
Health
Driving
Regulation
Calendar & costs
Kite bag rules for your airline
Flying into MadagascarType the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.
Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →
Where records disagree
- Visa-on-arrival fee/duration for Madagascar is reported inconsistently: (1) UK FCDO (gov.uk, 2026): visa-free up to 15 days with a EUR 10 admin fee, extendable to 30/60 days at the airport, max 90 days total. (2) Wikivoyage (2026 page): 14 nights = EUR 10; 30 days = US$37 or EUR 35; 60 days = US$45 or EUR 40; extensions cost 80,000 Ar. (3) Wikipedia (Visa policy of Madagascar, 2026 note): visa on arrival up to 90 days, with the price recently raised from EUR/USD 10 (previously, for 15 days) to EUR 30. These three do not agree on either the fee amounts or whether the 90-day visa is a single on-arrival product or built from stacked 15/30/60-day extensions -- verify directly with an airline or the Malagasy consulate before travel.
Still being checked
We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.
Show the 5 open questions
- Exact 2026 visa-on-arrival fee schedule needs confirmation directly from Malagasy immigration or a consulate given the three-way contradiction above.
- What are the tipping norms in Madagascar?
- Can a tourist use Mvola, Orange Money or Airtel Money without a local ID and SIM?
- No kite-specific national regulation, drone rule, or protected-area rule found for the Diego Suarez / Emerald Sea / Sakalava Bay kite areas -- open.
- What do Air France, Ethiopian, Kenya Airways or Madagascar Airlines charge for a kite bag?
Last updated September 2026