Madagascar: The Lost Continent

This was a fantastic trip through Madagascar, great people and a wonderful itinerary. Our guide Charles was an excellent tour leader, full of information about his country and the wildlife. You need to prepare for long journeys! Some days are many hours on a bus across bumpy roads but these are all worth it to see a variety of landscapes and wildlife..We had a fab driver who kept us safe on these roads! This is a fascinating country to visit but be prepared for the widespread poverty you will see, more so than other developing countries. It can be upsetting at times. All that said you will not regret this trip. We saw lots of wildlife, lemurs, birds, chameleons and so many beautiful places and hikes. I few tips- take some warm clothes and waterproof layers if going in winter as the first few days are cold and can be wet. Take cash with you to exchange! Don’t rely on ATMs as a lot of them run out of money or swallow your card! You can exchange money at the first hotel as it’s usually a better rate than at the airport. (Not sure if they exchanged pounds but definitely USD and euros can be exchanged) Only 2 hotels will except payment by card! The rest of the trip you have to use cash. It’s not that expensive for meals - most of the time meals cost between £2-4 and you do have a lot of meals included in this trip. Any left over money change back at the airport before you go through security etc as you can’t use the local currency once you’re through. ( only usd or euros!) crazy!

Great trip and the Guide and drivers were excellent.

Fantastic trip! As with most trips, a good guide makes all the difference and Charles was one of the best we've had. He's on top of everything, is very knowledgeable about the culture, history and wildlife of Madagascar. We traveled at the end of August and it is quite chilly and sometimes rainy in the highlands, so bring warm clothes! The second half of the trip was in the lowlands and was much warmer, we were wearing t-shirts and shorts and spending time in the pool.

Fantastic trip! Charles was among the best guides we have ever had - knowledgable about the culture and wildlife, organized, a great communicator, and incredibly patient. We saw 18 different lemur species! Our group of 10 was fun and easy-going. Madagascar is a beautiful country with fascinating history and culture. In the winter months (June, July, August), bring warm layers! We were happy to have rain pants and rain jackets. A headlamp or flashlight and hiking boots are musts.

Good itinerary. Tour leader very helpful.

Madagascar's treasures are unique and close to extinction, and so definitely deserve serious consideration when planning a holiday. But the infrastructure for travel - roads and airlines, can quite challenging. Explore organizes and delivers a wonderful itinerary, but be prepared for long journeys across very bumpy roads for even short distances

Fantastic trip. Varied and interesting itinerary with plenty of amazing fauna and flora in abundance. I would definitely recommend this trip for anyone with a passion for the great outdoors.

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.

A well, organised varied tour, expertly led and great fun!

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.

Some hotels were fantastic Coleur Cafe comes to mind) with a cozy fireplace in the room perfect for drying wet clothes after days and days of rain during so called dry season. Others such as Paradieser have a fantastic location but bungalows are quite separated from each other (good) with very few lights between them and uneven cobblestone paths joining them.

An amazing trip - the long bumpy road trips are worth it to see the variety of landscapes in a very special country. We saw lovely lemurs of many species and birds and chameleons and lakes/rock formations carved out of colourful layers - all are worth the walking safaris that are sometimes challenging particularly in the rainforest, where it can be muddy/slippery underfoot and when it rains, it's a full downpour. A lovely group of 10 expertly guided by Heri who was knowledgeable on all the local customs and wildlife. Do take the items on the equipment list - full waterproofs and a poncho, fleece and long sleeve T shirts for the first week, torch (for night safaris and to find your cabin in the dark), walking poles are useful, waterproof walking boots, a sports bra for bumpy travel days - and for those who like a hairdryer, bring one - there's one hotel where it's provided. This is a lovely trip - just be prepared for fewer mod cons than at home.

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.

Lots of early starts and several long travel days. Be aware of the weather in July as there where several days before we had the opportunity to dry out and do laundry. Fleeces and wet weather gear required. Diverse scenery, excellent and knowledgeable local tour guides who could spot the well camouflaged wild life. We saw many species of lemur, birds, camelons and whales. A great trip.

A truly spectacular and unforgettable trip. The tour delivers an eclectic mix of Madagascar's culture, history and people, plus an abundance of wildlife, Those Lemurs, WOW! All of this was expertly and enthusiastically presented by our wonderful tour leader Armand. The long days on the deteriorating roads are necessary to move from one area containing Madagascar's highlights to the next, however, whilst on route there is much to see and be amazed at from the bus. This makes the slight discomfort worth it, to experience such a large part of the fantastic country that is Madagascar.

The trip was memorable, but the long journeys were extremely tiring . The condition of the roads were not something that was the fault of Explore, but perhaps the journeys could be staggered, as we had a few days where we travelled almost 12 hours! The lack of available toilets in these journeys were not ideal. Most accommodation was comfortable. The meal at the last hotel, which unfortunately was also the farewell meal left much to be desired. It actually gave me food poisoning!

This trip was exactly as described. We saw all the lemurs we could hope for, plus other creatures, and the scenery was wonderful. Although we travelled on bumpy roads for some long days, our driver (Jean) was excellent, and there were frequent stops. The three nights in a good hotel on the beach were very welcome at the end. Most of the accommodation was great, and several hotels had a pool. Our Explore Leader (Naina / Charles) took great care of us and was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and many other aspects of his country. He really made the trip for us. Thank you!

This is a great trip to a very poor country! Be prepared for stunning wildlife, beautiful views, friendly people but also an insight into the tough daily lives for many. There are some challenges, sometimes to get to where the Lemurs are, means getting through tangled undergrowth on slippery slopes. The roads too are diabolical meaning some long slow bumpy journeys, but that’s Madagascar… and thoroughly worth it!

I loved everything about Madagascar. I have had 4 trips with Explore and feel safe knowing they will look after me. The accommodation was excellent, we stayed in some really luxurious hotels. Our guide was excellent, very knowledgeable. Whatever I asked him to ID (insect, animal, plant) he knew what it was, even giving the Latin name. I recommend this trip and hope to return to visit the north of the Island one day.

A full-on trip around a beautiful but very poor country. A small group with a fantastic tour leader, Armaud. Great wildlife, forest walks, highland trek, lovely coast, friendly people. Terrible roads!

An excellent trip for an introduction to Madagascar