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.

read more

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.

read more

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.

read more

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.

read more

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

read more

Our Madagascar Group Tour is back again! The revised group tour for 2012/13 allows clients to experience the amazing wildlife and local tribes & cultures. The 11 night tour features many of Madagascar’s highlights and national parks including Anja Park, Isalo National Park and Ranomafana National Park. We have selected small, comfortable, friendly hotels located in beautiful surrounding.

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.          

read more

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. 

read more

We have been specialising in travel to Madagascar for 6 years but I had not been myself- & therefore did not sell it to clients. Our motto is that we only sell destinations that we have been to & know.

I have heard colleagues talk about this country & it sounded fascinating so I am really glad that I finally visited this amazing island. As usual, the itinerary was jammed packed – & was probably the most hectic schedule I have had for any inspection trip. In 14 nights we stayed in 12 hotels, inspected about 25, took 5 domestic flights & several boat transfers. Yes, it was hectic & would take a client 5 weeks to do the same @ a leisurely pace, but it was a fantastic trip & we saw a lot of this islands diversity.

read more

The Princess Bora Lodge and Spa in Madagascar has recently been reviewed by the Telegraphs’s Nigel Richardson. Calling the unique hotel:

“An Indian Ocean hideaway off the east coast of Madagascar, that combines the simplicity of the South Pacific with the barefoot chic of a boutique Caribbean hotel.”

One of the best features about the Princess Bora Lodge is watching the humpback whales in the Indian Ocean whilst relaxing on an authentic tropical island. “Informal, sun-soaked, discreet: the smallish infinity pool lies above the white-sand beach, parallel to the ocean. Wooden boardwalks thread between tropical gardens and neat bamboo hedging to link the guest villas to the spa and beachfront bar and restaurant.”

read more