Reviews - Madagascar Holidays

Madagascar holidays are unique - they truly offer something for everyone. The island is a biological gem: 80% of its plant species and many of the animals found there, are endemic.

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Recently Added Review!!: Jeff spent a week in Madagascar which he thought was a beautiful country (Tana not being the highlight). He swam at a waterfall, enjoyed natural hot springs and tasted local berries. The GAP tour guide was great and full of information. Meals were generally good and cheap.

The group of 10 visited an aluminium factory, gemstone works, silk weavers, paper factory, wood carving shop, a wine cellar and various markets where he had the opportunity to buy dried crickets.

The group travelled by bus and stayed in a mixture of accommodation, from a wooden shack lodge in the middle of a rainforest to camping next to a stream.

At Ramanofara they had a superb guide and during their 5 hours and 15km morning walk saw 6 species of lemur along with chameleons and geckos, all the while accompanied by bird song. They also had a night walk during which they saw the mouse lemur (I think Jeff fell in love) and a striped civet.

Out of his Madagascar holidays accommodation, he loved Isalo the most. He also hiked to the awesome canyon, kings pool (like the garden of Eden), the blue and black pools. Wildlife seen there: snakes, birds, white/dancing lemur, scorpions, lizards, kestrel, beautiful grasshoppers, dragonflies and interesting plants.

Jeff is very observant and experienced a variety of aspects of Madagascar, and through his writing one picks up a lot about the people and their strange culture.

He could have spent more time at Ramanofara where the wildlife experience exceeded his expectations: "Absolutely loved it!"

Recently Added Review!!: Angela and John's Madagascar holidays didn't start off too well: they were met by non-English speaking representatives of their travel company and were transferred to their first hotel (which wasn't the one on their itinerary) in a fume-filled car which was thankfully later improved on. En-route to their next destination, no lunch was provided or stopped for and they reached the hotel after the restaurant had closed.

In the parks itself (Andasibe, Ranomafana) they had excellent guides on their walks and saw many lemur species. At Vakona private reserve the animals are very used to humans which afforded them close contact with lemurs and the opportunity to see the fosa (cat-like animal) and lots of crocodiles.

She was amazed by Madagascar's extreme beauty and interesting culture. She visited some markets, got to see how the locals, who are very poor, live and found the food tasty. Angela vows to be back, because 5 nights was a very short time for such a diverse and unique country.

Katie and her husband went for their honeymoon. As wildlife lovers they found this amazing country the perfect destination, with the beaches and sea life an added bonus.

They were nervous to book everything with a Malagasy based company, but the company and the guides were wonderful and performed incredibly well. The best part is the cost - a third of UK agent prices.

The language wasn't really a problem as their guides could all speak English. However at two of their accommodations only French was spoken.

Their highlight was the snorkelling off Ile aux Nattes (south of Ile Ste Marie) as they could literally swim in from the beach and see a wide variety of beautiful tropical fish.

Katie also recommends the museum in Berenty (about the local people).

Her advice is to go on Madagascar holidays now; the national parks need tourist support to help protect the unique wildlife against the ongoing deforestation...

Madagascar holidays offer so much variety in their rickshaws and ox drawn carts, baobab dotted landscapes, rice paddies, fishing villages, woolen blankets to protect against the highland cold, narrow two storey houses, forests filled with lemurs and large canoes along the coast.

Roads are rough and distances long, making travelling around a challenge.

In (An)Tana(narivo) poverty is clearly demonstrated with lots of begging children and hordes of hawkers trying to sell their wares.

The money is confusing as two currencies are used. Additionally, the banks didn't accept US$ but only €uro.

The visit was in cyclone season which meant good sunny days and afternoon thunderstorms. A cyclone did hit (best to stay on the western side of Madagascar) and forced a change of itinerary because of flooded roads to Ifaty. Muddy areas also meant the planned hike couldn't take place.

Perinet's rainforest teems with wildlife: birds, indris, chameleons, orchids ... and was a highlight. Two early morning walks and one evening walk delivered plenty lemurs and indris, many not even far from the group's bungalows...

Dylan and his girlfriend booked nothing in advance. Their trip had a distinct local flavour and they interacted with natives, hardly seeing other tourists along their route.

Rija is a great guide who cares for his fellow citizens, entertained Dylan and his girlfriend with stories and information about Madagascar.

The money is confusing. However, hotels, delicious food and services are generally cheap.

Highlights are too numerous to mention but some were paddling down the Tsiribihina river in dug out canoes past villages and beautiful bird life, camping on the riverside under very bright stars; the paradise beach accommodation at Hotel Lakana; Anja Reserve where you can get close to ring-tailed lemurs; the precious stone factory at Antsirabe; the big market Mazy Be in Tana, the perfect place to buy souvenirs at cheap prices.

A guided tour through the beautiful Ranomafana rainforest presented amazing plants, waterfalls, the Greater Bamboo Lemur, the rare Golden Bamboo lemur in large numbers and at close range, Brown Lemurs, Sifakas and Wooly lemurs.

Parque Nationale de Perinet was beautiful and here Dylan and his girlfriend saw the tiny Mouse lemur, a baby Tenrec searching for insects, heard then saw the Indri Indri with its unique whale-like call, the large Parson's chameleon and a tiny (<1cm) frog.

One word of warning on the boat Rosina II to Ile Ste-Marie. It does not do well in uncalm waters and the beer drinking captain seemed to enjoy the terror of his passengers caused by the rocking about and splashing of water into the passenger area.

They vow to be back for more Madagascar holidays. As Dylan puts it, "there's only one suitable description; paradise."...

Rod's Madagascar holidays was aimed at exploring the amazing flora and fauna, but he didn't know exactly what to expect... so it was all a wonderful discovery.

He found his accommodations clean and usually spacious, with food ranging from good to great.

At Berenty, Rod thoroughly enjoyed the visits from White Sifakas, running on their hind legs across the open grounds in the late afternoons.

The foresty Vakôna Forest Lodge near the Perinet Reserve, where he saw Black and White Ruffed and Brown Lemurs, is recommendable as a good base from which to explore the surrounding area.

A highlight for many people going on Madagascar holidays, including Rod, is hearing the unmistakable and overwhelming call of the largest living lemur, the Indri, within the Perinet Reserve. Thanks to the group's capable guide, they also got to see some of these rare primates in the treetops, swinging and leaping about and feeding on leaves and shoots...

Recently Added Review!!: Marta warns that you need to prepare (and gather patience) for an uncomfortable - but very scenic - journey to get to Tsingy, but once there be ready to be amazed.

She and her friend travelled independently to this world heritage site park, arranging accommodation and guides as they went along. Language was a bit of a barrier but they got along fine.

They hiked into the unusual and beautiful Tsingy mountains for an overnight adventure, explored some caves by canoe and even saw five lemurs, which she just loved. Madagascar is now one of her favourite places in the world.

After this trip, Madagascar holidays now rate as Weixiao's top destination in the whole world. It is a world in one with never a dull moment, and the people are wonderful, friendly and warm.

They started with her friend in 'Tana', who along with her boyfriend guided them around. It was a big advantage going round Madagascar with local residents and a driver who was well connected.

Some of the scenic highlights of the trip was the emerald blue Lake Trivatia, watching the landscape change from forested mountains to flat savannah decorated with baobab trees and mining towns. The canyon in Parc National de L'lsalo was astonishing.

At Parc National de Ranomofana, the group of friends explored the forest with a guide who explained all the different medicinal uses of amazing plants to them, and finally they saw Brown and Indri lemurs. All the tourists were a bit off putting but couldn't spoil the amazing experience of wandering through this beautiful forest.

Near Ambalavao they got to see a group of ring-tailed lemurs up close - a definite highlight of the trip!

The activity highlight was going on a 5-hour pirogue (dug out canoe) trip among the mountains near Fianarantsoa. The town also has a surprisingly impressive nightlife...

Some Madagascar holidays focus on less touristy areas. Stuart went from the humid and wet east coast to the wet and bitterly cold central highlands.

He had a lot of rain during his trip, but luckily it wasn't cyclone season.

To save time, he opted for air travel to cover long distances and made use of the bush taxis only for relatively short trips.

Generally the food in the country is very good. Dinner in the capital cost about US$5 at an upmarket restaurant.

Most of the people travellers come across on Madagascar holidays are poor and a lot are unemployed. Stuart was invited to visit a local family of 9 living in a small house. Although this family could speak some English, it's a good idea to brush up on your basic French to get the most of interacting with the locals.

Onto the Madagascar wildlife - at La Crique Stuart saw quite a few whales. His money-saving tip here is not to pay US$30 for a whale watching tour, as you could see them just as well from the US$5 ferry between Ste-Marie and the mainland.

At de Ranomafana, Stuart was blessed with a sunny day and took a guided tour into the rainforest where he saw groups of Grey Gentle and Golden Bamboo lemurs.

Despite tummy trouble slowing him down, Stuart enjoyed Madagascar as a unique country with stunning scenery, beautiful coastline and coral ... and rain forests filled with lemurs and waterfalls...

Wee Chen's preparation for his visit included learning about the culture, history and economy. He left with a pessimistic feeling about the protection of Madagascar wildlife.

He found Tana to be chaotic and messy with 3-storey buildings sharing city space with rice paddies - a sign of the extreme poverty he noticed all around the country; and Fianarantsoa to be a big disappointment, apart from the fantastic Panda Restaurant offering excellent Chinese food.

Madagascar holidays are good for the palate. Tan Wee thought the local red wine to be fairly good and loved the abundance of large lobsters at cheap prices.

The Mahafaly tribe of the southern coast creates impressive tombs, unexpected in such a poor people. The Highland tribes again, practises turning of the bones, meaning they exhume their dead periodically, celebrate the life of the person, rewrap them and then rebury them along with gifts.

Wee Chen visited Isalo National Park where he saw 3 species of lemur; Ranomafama National Park where he was delighted to see Aye Ayes at night as well as chameleons, geckos, civet cats and other lemurs; and Perinet where they saw two families of the incredibly beautiful Indri.

His tip to photographers planning their own Madagascar holidays, is to make sure they visit the baobab trees, and that the locals seem to love being photographed...

Laszlo is a nature lover who couldn't get enough of what this special and unique country has to offer on Madagascar holidays.

He visited many parks: Montagne d'Ambre National Park with its wonderful variety of wildlife; Ankarana National Park with the razor-sharp limestone pinnacles called "Tsingy" - a sight unlike anything he's ever seen and a definite highlight; and Park Marojezy where he accidentally ended up as the only overnight guest at a deserted camp and found this solidarity in the middle of a rain forest a treasured memory.

Nosy Mangabe Reserve's highlight was seeing the Aye-aye during a night trip. Other species seen here were the sweet Mouse lemur, the flat tailed gecko, Brown lemurs, the screaming black and white ruffed lemurs, the tiny Brookesia chameleons, camouflaged frogs, a lazy boa and many shiny green geckos. Rounding all of this to a perfect experience was the picturesque beach.

He spent 3 days walking 90km from Nandrasane to Mananara and found it an unforgettable experience leading him through neat villages and providing the opportunity to meet and stay with the friendly and sincere locals.

At Perinet Reserve Laszlo got up early to try and catch the shouts of the Indri. He was rewarded and mesmirised by it. Unfortunately the guides seem to disrespect the Indri's space slightly in favour of satisfying the many tourists.

The last park visited was Mantadia National Park, home to the rare and elusive and critically endangered Diademed Sifaka. Laszlo was lucky and saw a group of them for half an hour.

Transport tip: the Presidential "airline" is not advertised for Madagascar holidays, but the locals know about and it works. Laszlo saved some time this way as Air Mad(agascar) didn't have flights fitting his schedule from Mananara to Toamasina...

Internal flights using Air Madagascar were a very interesting experience with no airport security, no flight safety instructions, flickering lights, few seat belts and the occasional live chicken that some people sneak on as hand luggage. But apart from that they got to their destinations with no problems.

Nosy Mangabe reserve was a highlight of their trip where they saw many lemur, chameleon, gecko, frogs and reptiles but unfortunately they didn't spot the highly endangered and elusive Aye-Aye lemur...