Madagascar: An island of stark contrasts, with many unique animals and birds that make it special.
Madagascar is a land of enormous contrasts. It has some of the most beautiful locations, such as Nosy Be and the surrounding islands, but it also has stark poverty and ravaged land, as we experienced when driving through the interior of the island. Our main focus was to bird watching, as there are hundreds of species, of which about 120 are endemic (only found in Madagascar). In many ways the animals are similar, with many endemic species, especially lemurs.
We hired a guide for our two week trip, which was necessary, as directions are not easy to follow, driving can be hazardous, language is a barrier and accommodation difficult to find, especially in rural areas . Our guide solved all these potential problems for us. He was also a source of amazing information about the country and people, helping to answer all the questions we had as we drove through a diversity of landscapes and habitations.
Madagascar has a lot of poverty, quite an eye-opener for someone coming from the first world. Finding good quality accommodation was a challenge when going anywhere off the beaten track, as is the case when visiting remote National Parks, as we did, to see some of the wonderful birdlife. We had to rely on the services of regional experts, who did us proud.
Even in Antananarivo, which is a huge, sprawling city with limited infrastructure, good hotels were few and far between. Once arrived at a hotel, there was little desire to go out and walk around, we used the city as a link to go from one side of the country to the other. Having said that, the hotels we stayed at in Tanna were excellent.
We spent a couple of weeks seeking out a number of widespread National Parks which had wide-ranging habitats for animals. These included Maevatanana, Akarafantsika, Anasibe and Mantadia National Parks, which were wonderful. One jewel, in Antananarivo itself, the Tsarasaotra Private Park, was quite amazing, with thousands of different birds.
After having driven around the country for two weeks, we then flew from Tanna to a different world at Nosy Be, right on the north coast of the country, where we found the most picturesque and modern holiday world. The coastline, the islands, the sea and the animals were stunning. We stayed a few nights on the island of Nosy Komba, just 30 minutes boatride from Nosy Be. We felt totally spoilt at our accommodation at 293 Nosy Komba, a small villa. I'd go back there in a heartbeat, it was so beautiful. One can snorkel from the beach, or take a boat to various other spots nearby.
I believe that some airlines have flights directly to Nosy Be from Europe, it is such a magical spot, far away from everything.
For something completely different, go to Madagascar. Our trip was arranged by regional specialists, something I would recommend.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
THey are thieves and liars!!
We’ve wanted to go to Botswana/ Namibia / Zimbabwe and because of their lies, we couldn’t even leave the airport!!! It’s been a month and they’ve never refunded our money back!!!
We’ve trusted that they will handle our visa:
:For Turkish citizens I’ve asked they’ve said no need, I’ve doublechecked by sending a link and they’ve assured me that I would get the visa on arrival still, which was misleading.
:For my friend they’ve started the visa applications.
:We’ve purchased the flight tickets after their confirmation on her visa on Nov 27th Tue, which they’ve said they would send the file either on the same day eve or the next day morning.
: They’ve never sent the visa!!!! We’ve received an image of a so called ‘visa’ only 12 hrs before our flight. And at the airport we were told that it was not a visa but a ‘Acknowledgment of Receipt’. It turned out we were fooled/lied by Enrico’s Safaris. And still no refund!!!
They’ve ruined our holiday plans and we’ve missed an opportunity. On top I’ve received an email from them saying: ‘If you guys could have emphasised strictly that you are not allowed without a Visa I would have done my atmost best to make sure, thats why for you I did not even bother to apply for a Visa’ Imagine a travel agency that saying this!!!!
Of course we’ve asked for refund of our downpayment & flight ticket costs. They’ve said they can only return the downpayment and instead of the flight ticket they’ve offered free of charge tour in March 2019, which we’ve declined and asked for a refund. Since then no refund, no answer to our emails and phones.
I’ve been to more than 55 countries and this is the first time in my life such a thing has happened. So if you are even considering them do not! They are incompetent & unreliable.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience with amazing and honnest crew
Hekima provides more than you need before,during and after the Safari.
They make you feel home.
They do their best To satisfy all your request and They realise it.
We had a great Safari experience thanks To our guide Amani and his eagle eyes.He really loves his job Which makes the experience more amazing and Roch.
We had really good and fresh food thanks To the cook Markus.
We had great management from Elieza (Mopo) and Jackson who cared about all the details To make us confortable and live this great experience safely with lot of fun.
They cared about all details before du ring and after the Safari.
I really appreciated their honnesty and transparency for communication.
Besides we were Lucky To attend a family event thanks To Mopo who niveau invited us To share a wonderful tanzanian party.
Thank you guys
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro at best service you can get
I have just returned from a successful 8 day climb of Kilimanjaro on the Lemosho route with Tanzania Horizon Safaris and couldn't recommend this company highly enough, excellent service, guides, cooks and porters.5 star service and was so much more than we expected. Jonas, Gabriel and the team were safety conscious, helpful, professional, funny and generally positive throughout our 8 day lemosho route. The food and service was top notch with a surprisingly good variety. It was a pleasure to summit with these guys. If you want to climb Kilimanjaro, you can't go wrong with Tanzania Horizon Safaris. After our climb we did 5 days safari including Tarangire,Serengeti and Ngorongoro, The lodges and camps are amazing. Everything is so well organised, and what of our perfect guide Noel!!! He's got such a perfect eye, he is a skilled driver and guide, speaking a perfect English, very attentive to all our expectations and concerned about our comfort and security. Don’t hesitate, try the Tanzania Horizon Safaris!!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
My husband and I had the greatest experience with the tour operator. We want to go again!
The Safari Tour left us truly satisfied. The service and tour was all excellent.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent wildlife viewing and reliable servicee.
My son and I took an 8-day, 7-night safari. Our driver/guide Kindu was very knowledgeable about the wildlife, including the birds. He also dealt with a couple of minor vehicular problems efficiently, so that our trip was not delayed or impacted. Excellent accomodations and meals, and reasonably priced. Phabian in the Arusha office provided friendly service, and was very accommodating in customizing the safari we wanted. Highly recommended.
PT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great and fast service
Fast in reply. Good acknowledge. Very helpfull. Will book again!
DE
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had the best time, 10/10 would recommend and book with again!
We went on a 2-night-safari through Masai Mara and we loved every second of it! We got to see a lot of animals, the driver always tried to make sure we saw as many as possible and knew a lot of interesting facts about each animal. Even though we got very close to the animals, we never felt unsafe because the driver was very experienced and able. He always asked us if we wanted to stop to take a picture, if we needed a washroom or if we were okay, and when he heard that there was a rare animal to see he tried his best to get there as quickly as possible while still driving safely and making sure we didn’t get stuck in mud.
The accommodation was great as well, a camp just outside the park, equipped with WiFi, electricity most times of the day and hot water. The food there was delicious, the staff was friendly and attentive, the tents were extremely comfortable with toilets and showers in each one. It was a very peaceful and beautiful scenery.
I would definitely recommend FlashMcTours, we had a great time in the park and I think we really got our money’s worth. The organiser was also checking in on us regularly to make sure we were happy. Especially having seen some of the other cars and drivers from other Safari companies in the park I really think it was worth every penny and that we got very lucky with the company we picked. Thank you for making our experience as unique and wonderful as it was!
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and helped us even though we booked late
African Travels was very professional, and we felt we were taken personally care of before and during our journey.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Feel lucky to have gotten a refund..
At the end of April, 2018 I booked, what I hoped would be, my trip of a lifetime. In May I had a serious medical event and on the advice of my doctor, in June, I cancelled the trip. Mr. OT advised the refund would take 3-4 months to process. After many frustrating emails, excuses and problems, I finally did receive my refund this month, December, 2018. Six months, almost to the day of booking.
I did read about Mr. OT’s accident in September and am happy to hear he is doing well. That unfortunately made the refund process even more doubtful and I feel grateful that after a stressful 6 months I did receive a refund.
Perhaps in a year or so I may be able to book another safari. It will certainly be with a different tour operator.