Fiona is heading back to Costa Rica this September & is looking forward to visiting the El Silencio & Punta Islita Hotels – She is hoping to finish the trip at one of her favourite hotels – the El Parador.
The rest is still being planned, but we are sure she will have lots of news to blog about on her return.

I was so lucky to be invited on a trip to visit the West coast area of Madagascar – the only main area I had not been to. The trip was organised by the Madagascar Tourism Board & Air Madagascar – to Morondava, Kirindy & Bekopaka. There were 7 of us in total as well as our excellent guide Daniel & it was lovely to travel with other people – normally my trips are on my own so it can be lonely sometimes. We were looked after so well by the Tourism Board & Air Madagascar – we all had a wonderful trip.

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I have always loved my trips to Cuba so when I was thinking what to do for my big birthday – the number never to be mentioned- it seemed obvious I should go back to Cuba, where I also celebrated my slightly less big birthday 10 years before.

This time I had friends that had had enough of hearing me rave about how wonderful Cuba is, & wanted to come along. So 5 of us headed off on the Virgin flight, meeting 3 other friends later on in the trip for my actual birthday.

We started off in Havana for 2 nights & had such a laugh. Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing- as we really should have stayed 3 nights in Havana.. I had said that VIP on arrival would be a good idea- if it worked & they were there to meet us off the plane. So whilst chaos ensued in the baggage hall we sat in the lounge having our 1st Cuban cocktails. This was an excellent start to our trip.

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In partnership with the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Foundation, Google has now made available Google Maps and Street View coverage of the fantastic bio-diversity region, the Galapagos Islands. For the first time you can now explore the islands via Street View’s high definition imagery in full 360 degrees!  Not only can you see the fantastic array of animals on land but Google have also captured imagery underwater so you can see the Galapagos Sea Lions as well!

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From Islao it was a 4 hour drive to Tulear & then a 1.5 hour, only 25 km, ride along the bumpy sand road to Ifaty. I was very good & did all the hotel inspections on the way to the hotel where I was staying for the night, so by the time I arrived @ la Mira Hotel I just wanted to get in the pool & cool down. Ifaty is a beach area with hotels dotted along the coast line. It was the perfect place to rest after a vey hectic & active trip south. Most of the hotels I visited were very nice. I personally preferred la Mira & Dunes Hotels.

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So after a very long day we arrive at Ranomafana & Setam Lodge. All the accommodation in this area is fairly basic, but is comfortable, clean & has private facilities. The real draw to this area is the National Park & the wildlife. On my trek- in reality a walk for me, I saw heaps of lemurs – there are 12 species here & I was lucky enough to see the Golden bamboo Lemur.

When we arrived at the view point where we were expecting to have a stunning view anyway was made all the more fantastic to have about 20 lemurs in the trees really close to us. Some seemed really interested in us & seemed to be studying me! – maybe it was my pink cagoule. The paths here were good & even though its not very flat terrain the steps were in excellent condition. I managed so that means its ok ;). Apart from my private guide there was also a Pisteur- who goes off ahead of us to locate the lemurs & then through whistle communication tells the guide where we need to head. What a brilliant idea & it works extremely well.

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I had a wonderful trip to Madagascar last year when I visited many of this island’s fascinating areas, having the opportunity to see national parks & inspecting lots of the hotels & lodges. The trip really helped me to plan & book the perfect trip for many of our clients during last year. However, Madagascar is a huge island, so no matter how intense my first trip was, I did not cover even half of the island. Therefore, I headed back again this year- this time for 18 days and learnt even more.

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Recently the Daily Mail featured an excellent article about Madagascar featuring stunning photos from expert photographer Paolo Torchio who spent one month travelling the Western region of Madagascar. The article features some of the most amazing sights of Madagascar including the “upside down” looking Baobab Trees and numerous pictures of Madagascar’s iconic Lemurs and Tsingy’s.

Be sure to take a look at these photos on the Daily Mail website using the link below:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2243493/The-magic-Madagascar-Staggering-landscapes-breathtaking-natural-beauty-worlds-unique-ecosystem.html

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The next morning we had an early flight back to Antananarivo – called Tana for short- for obvious reasons! On arrival we were met by our lovely driver / guide Honoré & headed off on the drive to Andasibe – which is a fabulous area for National parks, wildlife, birds & walking. 

After a few hotel / lodge inspections we only just got to Vakona’s private lemur sanctuary island before it closed for the day. This was the first place we visited where the lemurs actually come onto our shoulders to get the banana the guide had given us. It was amazing to be so close to them & they were so gentle. I had a brown lemur on my shoulder & he put his hand (or is it a paw, I don’t know!!) under mine & gently pulled it to his mouth to get the banana. It is probably wrong to be feeding them but it is a great way to get close to them. It was an amazing experience & wonderful to get so close. There was absolutely nothing to worry about.          

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We flew with Air Madagascar from Marseille & back to Paris. The flights were very good & the aircraft was very comfortable- they now have an ex Air France aircraft with individual TV screens, good legroom etc. There are no direct flights to Madagascar & with the French history with the Island, the better connections go via Paris. Air France has the best timetable & offer connections for UK regional airports as well. Air Madagascar only fly 2 -3 times a week but the big advantage in flying with Air Mad is that the domestic flights are half price- so if your trip involves a number of flight transfers it really helps keep the cost down. 

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