50km from Ambalavao - Authentic Cultural Immersion, Off the Beaten Path - Micha. Date of travel: Jun 2010
About 50 kilometers east of Ambalavao, Ambohimahamasina is a small, friendly village home to some unique ecotourism opportunities through the local FIZAM (Fizahantany Ambohimahamasina) association. Ambohimahamasina is completely uncorrupted by tourism's dark side; you can have a truly authentic experience without worrying about scams or beggars. It's also astonishingly friendly - everyone you pass will greet you with "Akory kory" and "Salama." The big market day is Monday, and it's also a lot of fun. The street food is safe to eat, so we indulged in fried "mofo bol" and "mofo gache" - delicious! FIZAM brings together French- and English-speaking guides who lead treks through the rainforest corridor linking Ranomafana and Andringitra National Parks. These treks can include stops at tiny rural villages, where visitors are welcomed to learn about traditional basket-weaving and agricultural practices, share a meal, or even spend the night. I recently took one of these treks with a friend. Our guide's name was Solo (pronounced "Shool"), and he took us on a three-hour trek up to the cliffs of Angavoa, from which we got some stunning views of the landscape, extending for miles. We then descended to the small village of Andoharano, where we toured a basket-weaving atelier (we even learned how to weave ourselves!) and saw where the raw materials for the weaving are grown. We then shared a meal cooked by the chef d'atelier - she even accommodated my vegetarianism! It was a traditional meal, served on the floor on woven mats, of red rice, chicken in broth, des breds (leafy green vegetable), vegetable soup, bananas, and coffee. 5,000 ariary per person for the meal (plus we paid for half of our guide's lunch) - you can't beat that! The guide’s fees and park entrance fees were very reasonable, too. These activities are all solidarity ecotourism initiatives part of the NGO Ny Tanintsika, which seeks to improve healthcare, education, and quality of life in the region, while at the same time protecting the environment. All the costs of your trip will go towards these development projects, so what's not to love?

Madagascar, the land of endemism - J. avory. Date of travel: Jan 2009
Madagascar is a country that I would like to visit again after a great experience with a local agent called Cactus Tours. Friendly and very professional team. We had a wonderful time during our honeymoon down south to Tulear and Isolo and then up north to Masoala. We also overfly the Tsingy. Madagascar is actually a mixture of Africa and Asia but people are very friendly. Cheers. Avory

Madagascar - it aint mad! - Davy Lennox. Date of travel: Oct 2008
Highlights Tana (capital) - yo gotta got to the cabaret at Hotel Glacier. Ladies - you're amazing dudettes! East - We went to Tamatave and a little south - cant remember name but the beaches were outta a portion of paradise. Guys, yo gotta go flex yer muscles here for the ladies! North - Nosy Be is not what everyone says about it - real expensive (too much!) for what you get. But there is Isalo park - great life from another universe Centre - you gotta go the stunning lake Itasy. I felt more at home with Derek and Fleur's kiddies than anywhere else in any other country I've been to. Cheers Micky + Gem (Michael and Jemima) - you're GREAT BRILL! Overall, Madagascar - lemurs and stuff are great for a few days. The people are great for a laugh ANYWHERE (hah!) The mountains and rainforests are the bit that grabbed us - they are stunning and I could personally set up a new life here. The coasts are amazing anywhere you go - really a stunner.

Madagascar - an amazing country! - Terry B.. Date of travel: Sep 2007
Went to Madagascar with my wife and kids for 2 weeks. Great destinations have got to include going east to Tamatave (coast). On the way you will get to Perinet where there is the most amazing reserve of lemurs. The beds are always wet there ... jungle humidity! Amazed to see that lemurs can actually be as big as a human ... think they were called the Indri Indri. Tamatave has a few nice restaurants and a lot of prostitutes ... quickly made escape to Foulepointe which is a little north of Tamatave, up the coast. It was a dream, chalet on the coast, white sands, fresh coconut and a pirogue to get out into the incredible sea. You have got to get "Hubert" to give you a lift in his pirogue ... he really took good care of our kids, important to me! You can ask the boatman for a snorkel so that you can go swimming with the fish ... also amazing! We didn't go with a tour company, just breathed deeply and took the plunge. There is definitely something to be said for a tour company, we may have wasted 3 days of our 14 trying to get information out there. There were 3 places that we visited that others might find useful: 1. The tourist board at the "Escalier" at Analakely in the heart of Tana was fantastic and has info about a lot of Madagascar 2. A restaurant at Analakely called "Glacier" has alot of info about destinations all over Madagascar. 3. The best info came from an unlikely place. There is an English family living in Madagascar. They are Derek and Fleur ... lovely couple with kids. Came across them accidently at a place called Lac (Lake) Itasy, near a town called Ampefy in the very centre of Madagascar. They run a local guest house and tours around the lake. They love having Brits there and seem to have an incredible knowledge of the island and culture. We got a Taxi Brousse to their place ("Le Lac Itasy Centre") from the capital of Antananarivo. Spent 3 days with them. Tours were cheaper than elsewhere. Service spot on. Bedrooms nice but simple. no mosquitoes, yet about 200m from lakeside! You can visit their website at lacitasy.topcities.com Madagascar ... great scenery, great wildlife, watch out for petty thieves, huge country, incredible variety. Our Madagascar holiday has the thumbs up from us. Could write a huge article about it ... but check out Derek and Fleur. They can give more information about Madagascar than I can.

Madagascar - Jill Daley. Date of travel: Mar 2005
Madagascar was a real eye-opener and one of the most undeveloped countries I have ever been to. Very beautiful though, but very little infrastructure, and not many people to speak English to - definitely helps being able to speak some French. I ended up getting really ill (bad fish) and spent most of my holiday in a hot and stuffy room with severe dysentry before braving the local hospital - not something I would readily repeat! Also find out when cyclone season is and avoid that time because otherwise you will have to miss out on the stunning beaches in the north of the country. Absolutely loved the south though, and the time spent in Isiolo National Park with a wonderful guide was wonderful.