Madagascar - June 2025 (page 2 of 2)

Have you ever been to the restaurant Chez Papillon in Fianarantsoa? It was worth the trip! I ate there in 1996 or 97... Unfortunately, it no longer exists. For starters, there was a menu dedicated entirely to crayfish! I chose "à la sauce Betsileo" (a local white wine)—absolute heaven! And then the game dishes: venison, deer, wild boar... The best restaurant in Madagascar, in my opinion...

Good evening, Yes, I remember, but the butterfly had very crumpled wings and was already a bit faded.

To be honest, it wasn’t a very popular spot in Fianar around that time (early 2000s), and people were mostly going to Tsara Guest House, Chez Dom, or Panda before L’Ancre d’Or opened, etc. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then, even if some places are still around and managing to keep going, for better or worse.

I must’ve gone there once or twice, but it was really on its last legs and definitely nothing special.

In 2023, it was still closed with nothing to replace it. Either way, I found Fianar pretty sleepy, and its nightlife much quieter on that trip (no more Sofia, no more Moulin Rouge, far fewer restaurants, and hardly anyone out and about).

hi there I knew Chez Papillon well from 1991 to 1998—it was amazing! The cook, Ginette, was really friendly, and we knew her sister in France. Only good memories: crayfish, potamochere, pink-billed duck, knob-billed duck. Back then, Betsileo wine was still pretty good, especially Château Berger. In 1996, I brought a really nice Bordeaux for Papillon, and we enjoyed it together while talking about the time my parents used to go to Fianar for a weekend at Chez Papillon (1965–1968). Since Papillon passed away in 1999, it’s all over!! He also had his rainbow trout and tilapia farm behind the Sahambavy tea plantations. At one point, there was talk of Alain (from Hôtel Chez Alain in Tuléar) taking over, but it never happened. Then Alain passed away too. That’s the story of the end of Madagascar’s historic restaurant.

I also had an experience at Alain’s place in Tulear, but I ended up with a nasty food poisoning after eating a seafood gratin! I think it was due to a broken cold chain because of the frequent power outages in Tulear. I was really shaken up! I had a domestic flight the next day—horror! !

Another confirmation of the first amendment to the traveler’s constitution: no seafood the day before a trip.

Shrimp from Karon, oysters in Mombasa... twice too many, and before my bush taxi boat ride on the *pangalanes*, I stuck to crackers and bread.

A cat with diarrhea fears water altogether

Hi Nancy,

So happy to see you back on the forum! Your travel journal is, as always, amazing. Thank you so much. If we hadn’t already been to Madagascar a long time ago (I think it was in ’95), I’d be heading there right away following your route.

Thanks Bluequark, It really is a joy for me to be back on this forum, which I only recently learned had reopened. I’d missed it so much!

hi, I read your travel journal with great interest. Could you share the contact details for your driver Faly? Thanks so much! When our plans are more solid, I might have a few more questions for you.

Julie777!

Hi Julie, Happy to reply to you in a private message.

Hi Nancy, Reading about your trip is such a treat, and all your info is really helpful for planning my own trip to Madagascar. For a first visit, I’m more tempted by the north, but your itinerary makes me want to follow in your footsteps. Would you be able to share the contact details for your guide/driver, Faly? Thanks so much. Best wishes for 2026 and happy travels. Best regards, Patricia

Happy to reply via private message.

Kudos for this incredibly detailed and high-quality trip report—thanks so much for taking the time to write it up! Madagascar has been a destination I’ve been tempted by for ages (partly thanks to my dad’s stories and a few photos from his military service there in 1947!!!), but it wasn’t a priority… until I read this report!

Thanks, that’s really nice of you! 😊

IN CONCLUSION: A journey of contemplation. A pause for admiration, as our local guide in Isalo National Park put it. There’s nothing else to do but walk, look, and soak it all in. Here, no old stones, no museums—it’s a trip where nature reigns supreme. And what nature!

This conclusion is absolutely spot-on, with just a little addendum: there *are* old stones and even a few museums in Madagascar.

In Tana, of course, there’s the Queen’s Palace and its museum (really well done and super nice to visit), the royal palace in Ambohimanga (also a must-visit to better understand Malagasy history—one of the few countries that had queens long before #MeToo), the Photography Museum, and plenty of old houses in various neighborhoods, some of which have been restored and are stunning.

You can also check out exhibitions at the Fondation H, for example.

And finally, elsewhere in the country, you’ll come across traces of history here and there—some well-preserved, some less so, and varying in interest. It could be the old quarters of Hell-Ville or Diego, the pirate cemetery and remnants of their occupation on Sainte Marie, the ruins of a fort here and there, standing stones over a century old, traces of a battle or a mass suicide in the Betsileo region, defensive ditches, and monumental gates of ancient villages... Usually, these aren’t well highlighted, and they’re hard to find (and thus visit), but some guides must certainly know about them and can suggest them if you ask.

The upper town of Fianarantsoa is also really worth visiting, and it’d be a shame to miss if you’re in the area. In that case, it’s simple.

Bottom line: there aren’t *tons* of them, but they do exist. While they might not be the focus of a whole trip, you can still sprinkle in some historical visits and museums (especially in Tana) to enrich several stops.

Thanks for the follow-up! 🙂

Hi there

I think Nancy mainly highlighted the things that exist only in Madagascar and can't be found in other countries—the endemic fauna and flora. That’s probably why she mentioned old stones and museums. Otherwise, stops at Kirindy Forest near Morondava in the west and meeting the indigenous Mikea people in the southwest would’ve been interesting too.

Best regards