Madagascar is separated from the rest of Africa by hundreds of kilometers of ocean and millions of years of evolution.

It is an enticing destination for anyone who finds its partial lack of modern conveniences, tourist infrastructure and public transport system an interesting proposition rather than a problem.

The fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar is one of the most bio-diverse countries on earth, home to thousands of species of plant and animal life of which about 80 percent cannot be found anywhere else on the planet.

Madagascar is very different from its African neighbours, and its uniqueness in the world has led some to class it as the Eighth Continent.