Travellers' reviews about Madagascar

Thank you for recommending Linah to plan our trip through Madagascar for six weeks this autumn. They did an outstanding job and we were delighted with their arrangements. The driver-guides we were assigned were absolutely indispensable – we could not have done any of our excursions or activities without their knowledge and guidance. We appreciate all the hard work done by the extraordinary Dida during our first few weeks traveling about the east, central and west; by thoughtful caring Lala in the west, and by Francke in the north region. The driving conditions in Madagascar are very bad, full of distractions, diversions, sandy roads, dirt tracks, gravel scree, carts of all descriptions, trucks, pedestrians, taxis, bicycles, rickshaws, herds of livestock, rivers, ferries and more: yet our drivers proceeded through all those conditions with patience and skill. They answered our hundreds of questions about all we were seeing and doing, about life in Madagascar, the country’s history, politics, culture, language, traditions, foods, plants, animals, and more. All in OUR language, English! Their skills, advice, and language abilities facilitated numerous interactions we had and literally saved us on a daily basis from harm, mistakes and embarrassment. Small gestures they did made a big impact on us: for example, when I fell on a hike and injured my leg, Dida went to extra effort to arrange (in a very remote place) for me to have an ice bag to help reduce the swelling. After miles of dusty silty sandy roads, Lala would wipe down with a damp towel our luggage before handing it to us and also wipe clean the interior of the car and have water waiting for our dusty journey the next morning. Mid-way through our six week journey, Madagascar had an outbreak of the plague. Linah met with us to let us know of the situation, its location (distant from our excursion’s planned routes), the methods the authorities were using to curtail the outbreak, and tips for avoiding exposure. We were grateful for the information but felt it had no bearing on our planned routes, high-end (not primitive) accommodations, and activities. We appreciated her diligence in informing us and giving us the option to change the remaining stops on our itinerary.

As said Madagascar is great country. Some highligts: Ifaty beach, whale watching, Isalo, Tanala tribe visit, Baobab aley, Tsingy, lemures,.....

Madagascar is a fascinating place to visit. The wildlife and scenery are unique, the people friendly and good food too. Travelling as a family with two older teenagers it offered something for everyone. It is a long journey to get there from the UK but worth the effort.

Having the driver Olivier with us throughout the trip was a great help and helped to make everything work perfectly. We added in an extra stop at the Zombitse park - well worth visiting - within 45 minutes we had seen half a dozen birds, lemurs and especially two species of nocturnal lemurs sleeping in the trees.

We were able to see the lovely lemurs and gorgeous baobab trees. The zero distance to the very nature is truly amazing and healing for people who live in cosmopolitan city like us. The people there are friendly in general, yet most places are underdeveloped. The long commuting between cities are a bit tiring but you got to see the variable landscapes along the roads. The hotels we stay are more or less the best picks of the place, and they are usually fine. Only the forest lodge was a bit too primitive and we stayed there only to see the nocturnal mouse lemurs (which is worthwhile I think).. In general , it's a really good trip!

Even though I travelled alone, I had an amazing time. Madagascar is completely different to the country I live in and it was so refreshing to be surrounded by nature and absolutely no stress. The people were welcoming and genuinely inquisitive about where I was from (as I apparently look Malagasy) and the national parks were so beautiful. I loved the fact that I didn't really have to organise anything myself. Usually I am very meticulous and fastidious about planning every aspect of my trips, but I didn't have enough time or the resources or enough grasp of the French language to find out specific information this time round so I was thankful that someone else could do it for me and do it so well I had a very knowledgeable, responsible, reliable, punctual, friendly guide who was also superb driver and the specific guides for each of the tours were also very knowledgeable. I was also surprised that the tour operator came to see me at the end of the trip for feedback. I appreciated the customer service follow-up.