Antananarivo Tours in Summer

Armand was an excellent Explore Leader always conscientious, caring and full of information about his country and the amazing wildlife. He is highly experienced and this showed. The trip is very busy, there is very little downtime and the long days on the terrible roads are tiring. I would make the following suggestions: In July/August you need warm clothes, waterproofs and walking boots, trainers won't do it. Don't stay at the Feony Ala Bungalows in Andasibe in July/Aug. There is no heat anywhere, it was 7C in the morning and everything was damp/wet. This trip needs an additional day in Hotel Relais de la Reine Isola. There is so much to see and do there and it's beautiful. The last day in Tana wasn't good. We spent 2 hours driving to the countryside to see an average "palace" we had a BBQ meal that no one really wanted then spent 2 hours driving back to Tana to go to a gift shop. It would be better to drop the palace in the countryside. Spend half a day exploring Haute Ville in Tana then give people time back at the hotel to rest to restbefore the last dinner.

My husband and I recently returned from the Lost Continent trip to Madagascar. It was an amazing experience that will live in our memories for a long time. Our guide Armand was fantastic, a genuinely caring, knowledgeable, conscientious person, with a deep love for his country, it's people and its wildlife. He looked after us brilliantly and we learnt so much from him. The itinerary was full but we saw a lot. Some of the days involved many hours in the bus but given the size of the country and the state of its roads this was inevitable. The poverty was confronting, more so than in any of the other developing countries we have visited. The accommodation was mostly excellent, the one exception being the lodge at Andasibe Reserve (Feon'ny Ala Bungalows) where the rooms were dark, cold and rather damp. I think Explore could consider alternative places if available in the area. We all would have liked an extra day at the extraordinary Isalo National Park, and could have traded this off with one less day at the beach at the end (though we all enjoyed the snorkeling trip, whale watching, and the opportunity to relax). The local guides were excellent, though there were a couple of occasions when their desire to help us get good photos resulted in disturbance to the wildlife (though Armand did his best to limit this). Another suggestion would be to have a water reservoir on the bus with a filter (so as to be able to use tap water), so that we could fill water bottles without the need to buy so much plastic. I note that Explore did recommend taking a filter bottle (which some of us had but not everyone). Finally, one of the most distressing manifestations of poverty was children running beside the bus in some of the villages in the south begging for water. We would like to donate to reputable charities that are addressing this need and guidance from Explore as to which charities are likely to be the most effective would be appreciated, though I understand you may not be able to do this. This was out first Explore trip and I'm sure won't be our last.

We were lucky to have been taken through the incredible sights of Madagascar with the most wonderful tour leader, Armand. His knowledge, his energy and his enthusiasm knew no bounds. Despite being very full-on, he kept us feeling positive and we knew, without such a tightly packed and varied itinerary, we wouldn't have seen so much. Highly recommended.

Excellent tour very well managed by our tour leader. Most of the accommodation was good or excellent. Included meals were either good or excellent. The guide was excellent. Transport was by way of a clean & comfortable small coach with an experienced driver. The itenerary was quite full on with early starts and some long days but we saw some amazing sights including multiple types of birds, lemurs, lizard and many others. We also made use of local guides with specialist local knowledge in many of the national parks and they brought everything into sharper focus. This was our first trip with Explore. We will definitely do future trips with them and would not hesitate to recommend this tour.

I really enjoyed this trip, our guide was fantastic, and Madagascar is a unique country. I loved the lemurs and the humpback whales and the people are happy and friendly in spite of the living conditions some of them find themselves in.

Madagascar was a fascinating country to visit. Despite widespread poverty the people are so welcoming to tourists and witnessing weddings, funerals and other religious ceremonies were unexpected highlights alongside the breathtaking scenery, miles of rice paddies and endemic wildlife. We had an amazing guide Heri who shared his love and knowledge of the country and made sure everything from check-ins to bags and meals went seemlessly. The group was a really fun one too. Thanks guys! Accommodation was mostly great and lots of included meals were of a high quality. A few tips: It was very wet in the first few days (and this was the 'dry' season so do bring plenty of waterproofs (including trousers for the jungle walks) and warm clothing. You need to bring smaller US notes to exchange at the start of the trip (larger notes have a less favourable exchange rate) as little opportunity to use ATMs cards or indeed exchange money once you leave the capital. No tea/coffee or kettles provided in rooms. Also believe the itinerary regarding long drives on poor roads and there are lots of early starts. Bring binoculars for the birds. Definitely one on my best experiences with Explore (this was trip 34). Highly recommended for those seeking a new full on experience.