Hi Derek,
We had a fantastic time in Madagascar! Rija was a great guide.
I found Madagascar a beautiful country with fantastic wildlife, interesting geographical zones (spiny forest was a favorite) and people. I found the infrastructure astoundingly poor, save Air Madagascar which was actually pretty good. A country so rich in natural resources and what could be a rich tourism industry but shackled with horrible roads, government corruption and a few rich business owners, seemingly foreign at that. It makes me want to write a white paper about my perceptions but who would read it, and how can effective change be made? We are so fortunate to live in the USA and so many people here don’t realize it, too caught up in their petty first world problems which travel does so much to dissipate. Maybe if the Bill Gates of the world who promote mega philanthropy took the drive to Berenty Reserve on a bumpy, deteriorating road (a very apt description, by the way) instead of taking a helicopter, more would be done. Something as simple as a decent road from point A to B could go far to helping so many, even just going to market or school or anywhere.
I believe Lemurs are my new favorite primates. Another observation is how few birds there are, or insects even when walking through the forests in winter. The spiny forest and the Tsingy were fascinating. And the call of the Indri will soon be my new ringtone on my phone.
Thank you Derek for setting up this tour. It did not disappoint and did fulfill my expectations.
Sincerely,
Peggy
'We enjoyed this holiday greatly. The itinerary was good but it was the local guide Mike who did a fantastic job on the ground to make the tour work seamlessly. Some of our fellow travellers were very experienced world travellers but we found their expectations to be very high to the point of being ridiculous eg complaining that beer was 'not cold enough'. Overall a fantastic holiday - Thanks!'
'Hi Derek
We're all now safely back from Madagascar and just wanted to send our thanks for all you did to organise such an amazing adventure. The lodges, guides and Marc were all outstanding. As you warned us, we were affected quite a bit by Air Madagascar's unreliability but Marc and the office staff worked hard to make the changes as smooth and as comfortable as possible.
I do so hope that Air Madagascar sorts out its unreliable schedules before they manage to kill of the majority of tourism.
We will definitely recommend Madagascar to all our travelling friends and will do all we can to help the great conservation work and tourism industry there. It's an extraordinary country with the most wonderful wildlife and people. We were made to feel very welcome and given the very best service people could offer.
Best wishes,
JP'
'Herilala was a SUPERB guide - he even went to Berenty with us!. Excellent holiday. Met all our expectations and exceeded on wildlife spotting. Very satisfied with Relais des Plateaux. Food was surprisingly good at Andasibe Hotel. Berenty is stunning for wildlife. La Croix du Sud had the best decorated bedroom and bathroom outside of Anjajavy: the photo in the itinerary does not do it justice.
Mantadia was excellent and order was reversed, which was the right thing to do because of the poor state of the road to the park and the long drive back to Tana.
The road to Berenty was very picturesque but 'deteriorating road' does not describe it......the driver was excellent and managed the jouney in 3 hours thanks to some superb rally driving!'
'Gersica was very helpful (on the 15 October 2015 Madagascar Discovery Tour) and gave everybody lots of attention. All tours were well organised and guided by her. Overall holiday satisfaction: Excellent. Great experience to see all these animals. Excellent accommodation, delicuous food and perfectly guided.
Eulophiella Lodge is beautifully lotedwit all he plants and flowers.
Berenty Lodge: excellent in all respects. Nice to see all these animals up close.
Les Dunes d'Ifaty: well located at the coast. Beautiful room and excellent service. Nice pool.
Isalo Rock Lodge: beautiful bungalows well located in the area.
The tour was great. We enjoyed every day. Every day and every walk was really special. Thanks (to) Gersica we got a perfect impression and a good experience of Madagascar'.
'Our guide Gersica was excellent throughout. (15 October 2015 Rainbow Tours Small Group Madagascar Wildlife & Discovery Tour) She was efficient, very knowledgeable, and was particularly helpful in overcoming individual difficulties whether needing to re-arrange accommodation, transport etc or medical needs. Without her energy and constant attention to detail, the holiday would not have gone as well as it did. Gersica was an excellent guide who went the extra mile to make the trip enjoyable for everyone'
'Wonderful holiday in fantastic country. Most hotels/lodges far better than expected and food very good. Accommodation everywhere was clean and comfortable and could not fault service provided throughout the trip.
Gersica, our main guide throughout the trp was excellent. Extremely knowledgeable, very good English and managed the group efficiently. There were a few problems with people feeling unwell but Gersica was extremely helpful and supportive. She accommodated any requests made by individuals and was attentive to our needs as a group at all times. I was particularly impressed by how well organised Gersica wasdujrin transfers at airports and her efficency in checking in bags and processing documentation. Could not have asked for a more experienced and professional tour leader. She is an excellent representative for Rainbow Tours' (15 October 2015 Madagascar Small Group Wildlife Discovery Small Group Tour).
'Overall holiday satisfaction: Excellent. (26 September 2015 Madagascar Wildlife Small Group set departure). Vegetarian food was excellent everywhere. This is partly due to Gersica's diligence in ringing ahead to each hotel. Thanks again for a most memorable trip'
'I have just returned from your (26 September 2015 Small Group Wildlife/Discovery) tour to Madagascar and I am writing to express my satisfaction with how the tour was organised and run.... I cannot speak too highly of Gersica for the care and enthusiasm she manifested. She also has a fantastic knowledge of the area and animals together with telescopic vision!!'
'Thanks for a really great holiday. (20 August 2015 Small Group Wildlife Discovery Tour). We covered a lot of ground but saw just a glimpse of the diversity that is Madagascar. The coach driver (for most of our time) was really outstanding with his concentration and sympathetic driving. But the Silver Challenge Cup must go to Gersica, whose knowledge, patience, sensitivity, sense of humour and capacity for hard work knows no bounds. She is tops!'
Wonderful, strange, welcoming, beautiful. Meals fantastic
