Your Malagasy tours interlocutor
Your interlocutor is probably a woman; Dina, Hoby, Danielle, Vero, Noro or Marina …
She organize your trip with your close participation.
She has enough professional skill level to implement your trip with external service providers. Indeed, she works close with your guide but also with hoteliers, restaurant owners and other participants.
She is tuned in, her experience allows her to explore all ways seeking for originality and the unexpected. Her advice and assessment are precious.
She considers the least of everyday details, either for accommodation or transport, she supervises with Fano and Sahondra, who are in charge of equipments, logistical for excursion meals with care.
Ask her, it is unlikely that you take her in default.
Tour guide
Guide number depends on clients and vehicles number. Guides accompanying you during your stay in Madagascar are above all great professionals. Most of them are in the depths of Malagasy Tours company since long time. He contributes to his everyday evolution, looking for new spots in remote area of the country. He travelled up and down his country, and has been in all spots, he has friends everywhere. Being entirely involved to his mission, he shall know and see everything and he gives all his energy and know-how to accomplish his job. He is a tireless discoverer and a great travelling companion. He could be discreet if you are couple but on the other hand he gives rhythm to your day and livens up evenings in group. He tells you about Madagascar with local porters during hike. Note that the tour guide does not stay systematically with clients at the end of your trip on the beach. Those are generally your free time.
Accommodation
Madagascar does not have wide choices of accommodation facilities.
Hotel classification (stars) is not perfect and standardization one hotel to another is not checked.
What shall we do?
We content ourselves by talking about ‘standard’ or ‘luxury’ hotels.
"Standard" means the equivalent of what you expect for 2 stars accommodation, "luxury" is 3 or +/- 4 stars.
Anyway, we prefer little hotels situated in nice setting where you get simple and warm welcome, where hygiene and cleanliness are as they should be, and the mood is nice and pleasant.
Internet helps us so we inform you (if available) the website of hotels we put on program. By this way you have an idea more or less as much as we know so you can chose with full knowledge of facts.
Food
In hotel, restaurant, picnic or camping we always choose the variety, diversity, quality and freshness of traditional and regional dishes.
Many trips are planned with Bed and Breakfast service to leave everyone free to choose meals. Your guide is there to help you to choose the right restaurant or the hotel where food is good.
During camping trekking and different activities tours, food is generally included. Your guide is also the cook.
In the program we send you, we clearly mention if meals are included or not.
If you have special or favorite diet, just inform us. We will try to look for a special menu.
Malagasy Tours has a restaurant in Tana « Le Grill du Rova », 100 m by the Queen’s Palace, we very likely invite you there when you pass by Tana or at the end of your trip.
Equipments
Shorts, tee-shirts, cotton shirt and trousers, sweater, raincoat, trainers, flip-flop, swimsuite , hat, sun glasses, sun cream, torch + spare batteries, binoculars.
In camping
European campsite infrastructure with sanitary unit and several services do not exist in Madagascar. Camping are in the wild, under stars of austral sky in the nature.
We choose campsites with much care. The beauty of the setting and a proximity of running water. We provide 3 persons spacious igloo tents for two persons and 5 cm comfortable foam. We also have a mess tent for groups and cooking equipment is at you disposal. Note that it might be very cold in mountains and highlands in winter.
Your equipment: a warm sleeping bag depending the region and the season. Always bring a pull-over and a raincoat.
During hikes
Hikes we put on program are not particularly difficult if we don’t mention it, however, good physical condition is preferable.
Walk pace depends on participants capacity. Apart from Malagasy Tours guide who is with you during the trip, one or several park guides will be present during hikes, so the group can be splitted for few hours with different paces.
Porterage is done by porters team, clients only carry things they need during the day. Nevertheless porters’ bags are limited to 12 kg per person if possible.
Your equipment : take good walking boots and a raincoat.
Most trips with hikes imply camping so bring your sleeping bag.
Tracks to access trekking area can be rough so 4WD are often used.
In National Parks
All National Parks and Natural Reserves visits are done on foot. The main attracts of these sites is animals first: lemurs, birds, insects, also flowers and plants. Local guides are compulsory during visits.
IMPORTANT: 50% of Park entrance fees is donated to surrounding villages for development projects, so you participate in this action by visiting these sites.
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