Madagaskar Rundreisen

It was a very adventurous trip with a lot of physical activity and fantastic landscapes. Our guide was very knowlegable and the trip was very well organized.

I can’t recommend Intrepid enough. It provides a fascinating itinerary, contact with the local population, environmentally responsible activities, and sensitivity to the people with whom we interacted. It is extraordinarily reasonable — the option of providing few meals over breakfast works out well and allows everyone to eat what they want and spend what they want. Terrific organization. Absolutely no hesitation in recommending Intrepid. I hope to take several more tours with them.

Intrepid travel have the best itineraries, no single supplements, great value for money and always leave when booked.

A fascinating trip offering many opportunities to see and learn about the Malagasy way of life. It’s a beautiful country, inhabited by warm and welcoming people with a rich history and unique culture; thoroughly enjoyable in most every way.

An amazing visit to a unique country. Good pace, great leader, comfortable accommodations and transport.

I am totally pleased with Intrepid. The trip was well thought out and coordinated. I will travel with Intrepid again and recommend it to my friends

This trip is exactly what it says on the tin – Active Madagascar. It was very densely packed trip, but a great way to maximise time in such a diverse and beautiful country. There are ample opportunities to ‘get off the beaten track’ and mix with local communities, as well as sampling the unique flora and fauna. Expect adventure!

NOT FOR WEBSITE: The trip was repetitive. Too much time in the bus. No need to travel back up the same road. Missed out on Avenue of Baobabs – should have done this then flown to beach or beach in south. DO NOT RECOMMEND Pereyras Reserve. This is not a reserve. It’s a horrendous place – animals not even treated as well as a zoo. Why do we support this? Not responsible at all. Would have welcomed assistance with best places to buy items with regards prices eg told to wait til Tamatave to buy vanilla but it was WAY more expensive here. Maki t-shirt place much more expensive than eg market. Not sustainable tourism and not helpful. Also really wanted to go to post office – very important for me to send postcard to Grandma – but we never went in the whole 2.5 weeks. Very strange. Finally, sometimes need a bit more flexibility around timings. There is a lot of time on the bus so if we want to look around a market longer than 30 mins please let us! Thank you!

Amazing trip. Lots of exposure to local culture and local people. The hiking and biking terrain was tough but completing it was rewarding!

This trip is everything you expect it to be and more! I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs an escape from everything and loves wildlife. We were incredibly lucky on our trip and managed to see everything on the tick list! I would recommend to bring some comfy clothes for the driving days and evenings, and lots of insect repellent! And don’t expect the Wi-Fi to be any good! It was an amazing trip, and would highly recommend to anyone

Experience Madagascar was a wonderful trip. Long and bumpy travel days made worthwhile by the delights of seeing lemurs and chameleons in the beautiful National Parks. The long drives give you plenty of opportunities to observe and photograph local life and stop and meet the locals. It’s an interesting destination- go with an open mind and don’t expect Western standards. Accommodation was much better than I’d expected. Patrick was a terrific leader who shared his knowledge and experiences with us openly. Madagascar is not touristy yet and is a welcome break from city life!

Experience Madagascar is a great trip. Lots of long travel days on poor roads but the rainforests, chameleons and lemurs are worth it! Madagascar is still very real- untouched by tourism on the whole so a great place to visit….just don’t expect ‘Western standards’. Patrick was a fantastic trip leader too who made the trip so much more interesting and enjoyable.

It was a really interessting trip, to see the nature, all those animals, the culture..ect. it was really good organised.. and a big knowledge of the guide.. i really like to travel with intrepid again

I loved seeing the diversity in the landscape of Madagascar throughout this trip, from the rainforests to the desert, and all the while meeting awesome local people and seeing fantastic wildlife everyday.

No idea can you tell me how many I have made with your company?

I would highly recommend visiting Madagascar, and sooner rather than later! The wildlife and culture is amazing in the small pockets of forest that remain on the island.

Madagascar is an amazing place to visit for nature lovers and trekkers. The variety of birds, other wildlife, and landscapes are amazing. Apart from a couple of national parks that were crowded, it feels relatively untraveled and you can go days without seeing another tourist. The local people are extremely friendly and welcoming. It’s helpful if you can speak French if you are planning on spending time in the country outside of the Intrepid trip.

Prepare for long days of driving and cold nights in the hotels (no heat). The national parks are fantastic, and there are no shortage of lemurs, chameleons, and geckos. Pay for the extra night tour at Ranomafana; it’s worth it! Get most of your cash in Antananarivo. ATM’s only accept MC and Visa.

If you are travelling to Sante Marie its best advised to book your Air Madagascar flight once you book the tour. Travelling in August nearly provided me with problems. On the Intrepid website it says you can book on arrival. I advise against that as it will take 12 hours or so by car from Sante Marie to Antananarivo

Amazing country, incredible wildlife, and the friendliest people! Brilliant tour guides and local experts.

Intrepid delivers an authentic experience that safely takes you out of your comfort zone, changes your perspective on your place in the world and provides unforgettable memories. There are cheaper and more luxurious travel options, but for a single female ‘intrepid’ traveller, this is the best fit.

Madagascar is a country lost in time but with surprising 21st Century additions – such as cell phone service throughout the trip. You are able to see a culture and way of life developing from the most rudimentary way of living along with some amazing flora and fauna. You develop a respect for the struggles of people and the innovativeness of the population . This place is not for the faint hearted but It is truly a magical place to visit.

A fantastic and unforgetable insight to how the Malagasy people live. We loved getting amongst the Lemurs, Chameleons and other insects. Patrick the Intrepid guide made us comfortable and was very knowledgable and flexible. An unforgettable trip of a life time!

Diverse scenery and wildlife. Remarkable country. Great itinerary. Amazing Guide.

An amazing country and a must do on any avid travellers bucket list. Plenty to do an see, with friendly people and amazing wildlife. A holiday to remember for years to come

I went to Madagascar primarily to see the lemurs, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a country that’s not yet very touristy, most days we didn’t see any tourists at all, which was a nice change from most other places I’ve been. The people are kind, friendly and genuinely seem happy despite the desperate poverty – only a very small percentage of the people have electricity and running water. The roads are really bad, so it can take 7-8 hours to travel 300 km – and this is throughout the entire country. But as you drive along, you’ll see breathtaking and diverse landscapes. A trip to Ile Ste Marie and Ile Aux Natte is a must – absolutely beautiful!

Trip notes must say credit cards are not accepted You must have around 40 euros when entering Madagascar to buy a visa. This process is long at the airport so if you have time get your visa at home. American dollars are also accepted for exchange and there are ATMs about every 3 days Around 650 US dollars is a good estimate for spending and tips Be prepared for very long days travelling over various road conditions Be fit but also able to handle steep uphill walks on unmade tracks and slippery conditions in pursuit of lemurs…there are a couple of these on the trip. Isle St Marie is hard to get to and unpredictable but worth it in the end. Use the Belvadere hotel prejoining and at the end Antanarivo is a dangerous place and personal experience showed me not to stay in cheap hotels in the centre. Transfers from the airp-ort cost 60,000 Ariari

Intrepid is the best small group tour company that I have ever experienced. The calibre of the leaders is excellent and the fact that local guides are always used and the activities and inclusions offered give genuine insight into the country, make you feel that you really have experienced the true character of the country and not just visited the “tourist” route.

If you are prepared for long days of driving, you will be rewarded with wonderful wildlife (all types of lemurs and chameleons especially) and great scenery. Madagascar is a poor country but rich in culture and genuine experiences. We were in Isle St Marie at the time of the Festival of the Whale – an added bonus. It is not a hard trip in terms of physicality but it is mostly an undeveloped country.

The Experience Madagascar trip with Intrepid was excellent. I travel around the world every year but haven’t been on an organised tour for 10 years. Intrepid’s small group tours make travelling easy when it sometimes seems too hard. Going alone in Madagascar would have been costly and lonely and I’m glad I asked Intrepid for help as the tour was awesome.

Intrepid provides the opportunity to explore countries on a variety of levels as indicated in the trip title and notes eg. Experience Madagascar highlighted the spectacular landscape, the lifestyle of the people, the wildlife, and the economic reality of an underdeveloped country where many people live a subsistence life style but retain significant family ties and emanate good humour and who will positively benefit from sensitive tourism. I felt that I had truly experienced something of the essence of this country and hope that rapacious Western economies do not find resources to exploit at the expense of the population and indigenous culture. It was an experience to treasure.

Barnabas was a truly excellent guide and Fabrizio was a very safe and diligent driver. These were possibly the best Intrepid staff I have come across. The itinerary was varied and active even by my high standards. Some of the hotels were really lovely whilst others definitely could do with improving. Our group would have liked to see more wildlife at the start but this comes towards the back end of the trip. Perhaps Intrepid would consider adding the varied landscape of Morondava and the west onto the itinerary. Camping was comfortable and food was good. Toilets were understandably questionable. Nevertheless, highly recommended!

Read the trip notes front to back and use intrepids packing list/guide

This is a strenuous trip due to very long travel days on windy and pot holed “roads”. The views out the window are always spectacular and diverse, but the somewhat cramped quarters begin to wear on one after a while. The accommodations were wonderdul, and the hiking into the rainforests to view the Lemurs was unforgettable. I especially enjoyed the village and rice terrace walk and typical Masagasy lunch in a family home. The last part of the drive, from Foulepoint to the transfer harbor for Ste Marie was the worst road I’ve ever experienced. And the boat ride to St Marie? Don’t forget your motion sickness tablets. I added on the Ile Aux Nattes extension at the end and was so glad I did. Beautiful respite, snorkeling, massage and walk around the island. Just do it! You won’t regret it!