Madagaskar

Att göra i Prag: besök Centraleuropas största begravningsplats Olšanský hřbitovy.

Southern Madagascar is a wide-open adventure among some of nature’s most dramatic forms. The stark desert canyons of Parc National Isalo rival those of Arizona. The west coast offers gorgeous coastal settlements that serve as gateways to the fifth-largest coral reef in the world. And vast kilometres of spiny forest contain the strangest and most formidable plants on earth. The cape is also the last stop before Antarctica. There are two scruffy cities, Tuléar (Toliara) and Fort Dauphin (Taolagnaro), but that's not why you come. The question is how to tackle a region of this size. For many, a lodge in Isalo and a slice of beach are enough. But for others, the south is the perfect recipe for off-road exploration, when the security situation permits. After all, away from the RN7 it's strictly 4WD country, ripe for the adventure of a lifetime.

Ifaty and Mangily, around 25km north of Tuléar, are two separate villages 3km apart that share the same beach, confusingly known as Ifaty Beach (the Dunes d’Ifaty, for example, is in Mangily). Ifaty is by far the smaller tourist destination, even while its name continues to usurp the latter. The popularity of this area is largely due to its location close to Tuléar and the excellent paved road that connects them. The beaches are really quite poor relative to other options: rocky at times, very shallow for much of the day and with seagrass beds rather than sandy bottoms. The unkempt villages, saturated by tourism, are not very attractive, either. Nevertheless, the snorkelling is good, the whales come past here and there are a lot of resorts to choose from, including some really good ones.

The best thing about Île Sainte Marie is that it contains all the ingredients for a great holiday and great travel. This is a very long (57km), thin, lush and relatively flat tropical island surrounded by beaches and reef and spotted with thatched villages. The port of Ambodifotatra, a quarter of the way up the western coast, is the only sizeable town. South of here, the shore is lined with a great variety of hotels and resorts, which don't overpower the setting, culminating in the small island of Île aux Nattes, a postcard tropical paradise where you can easily imagine pirates coming ashore with treasure chests in tow. In contrast, the upper half of the island is quite wild, and its great length means that there is plenty of room for exploration.

The small town of Andapa lies in a beautiful valley surrounded by lush rice paddies, fields of coffee beans and the high peaks of the Marojejy massif. It is the nearest base for exploring both the Parc National Marojejy and the Réserve Spéciale Anjanaharibe-Sud. Between these two major parks lies the smaller Réserve National d'Antanetiambo. But you don't have to be planning a serious expedition into the parks: around the town are cool, shady forest walks and there are bicycles to hire to explore the villages.

Vet du hur man beställer öl i Tjeckien och hur du betalar för din dryck? Carl Rüster guidar dig rätt!

En av Prags äldsta rockklubbar, Klub Batalion, har också blivit hemvist för en av de märkligaste konstnärerna i landets moderna historia.

Den populära restaurangen i Prag SaSaZu serverar den bästa asiatiska maten i Prag.

It's as if Madagascar had conspired to provide a microcosm of its myriad travel experiences all in one place: here you'll find the isolated Sava region with its wild coastline and vanilla-scented air, the relatively sophisticated city of Diego Suarez and the country's premier beach destination, Nosy Be. Travellers will revel in the region’s diverse national parks while activity junkies will be spoilt for choice with everything from diving to kitesurfing.

Det finns gott om saker att göra i Prag, men ett måste är att utforska Gamla stan – Prags hjärta!