Africa Safari Blog

From November 24 to December 6, 2007, three Jenman Safari staff members took some time away from the office to learn about Madagascar first-hand. Hilka, Elana and Rebecca spent most of their time in Madagascar in Nosy Be, Tana, Andasibe, Canal des Panqalanes and Sainte Marie, with Hilka and Rebecca spending more time in Tana and Andasibe while Elana headed to Sainte Marie. The girls also spent an amazing two days on the Jenman dhow.

The three agree that the weather was a bit too hot, although they did visit the island of Madagascar during the hot season, but Sainte Marie had the most pleasant weather with a cool breeze alleviating the heat. While they were visiting Nosy Be it rained during the evenings, but that came as a welcome relief and the days were still nice and warm. Of their destinations, Nosy Be was by far the hottest, they say.

The scenery of Madagascar is so varied that there is something for everyone; from the thick, tropical rain forests to the stunning beaches, orchids, vanilla plants and cobbled streets of some villages. That’s not to mention plenty for animal lovers: the fossa, various lemur and bird species, turtles and chameleons, amongst others.

The girls even had their own “fossa” (the only carnivorous wild animal on the island) for part of the trip, in the form of a local stray dog that decided to follow them around after Hilka mistakenly pointed it out to the others as a fossa!

All three enjoyed the trip immensely, and although Hilka was ill for much of the trip, she still says: “I had fun anyway!”

There were so many enjoyable activities to keep them busy that they were unable to experience everything, such as kayaking. The consensus is: “We’ll just have to go back again to do the things we didn’t have the time for this time.”

When asked what they did during their trip, the first words from them were: “Ate great food!”

Other than enjoying the fantastic food available all over Madagascar, the three Jenman employees spent two days on the dhow; one camping and one on the dhow itself. During the trip, Hilka, Rebecca and Elana also enjoyed snorkelling in Nosy Tanikely (off the coast of Nosy Be), scooter and moped drives, guided walks in Andasibe National Park, swimming and even a few games of ping pong in Andasibe. They also went for a guided night walk in Andasibe National Park, where they heard the howl of the indri (the largest lemur). Elana says: “It sounds almost like a whale.”

None of the three were able to specify just one highlight of the trip, as they enjoyed everything equally. When pushed for specifics, however, Hilka says: “Definitely the snorkelling. The turtles and reefs in Tanikely are amazing, the Tana downtown life was fantastic, and Nosy Iranje was unbelievable.”

Elana says: “Sainte Marie – it really felt like a tropical island – true island style with a very relaxed atmosphere. Tana was a nice contrast to Sainte Marie, with its congestion. The dhow camping trip was also great. The lemurs were a special attraction for me, too.”

Rebecca agrees that Sainte Marie was certainly a highlight of their trip, and was especially impressed with the hotel of Ilo Aux Nattes, just off Sainte Marie. The hotel, Le Pette Traversee, had fantastic food, great atmosphere, and the South African owner was exceptionally friendly and helpful. Rebecca also says: “The canal was lovely and seeing the village life was really nice.”

All three were impressed with all accommodation, but especially that of Sakatia Island, which has both a guest house and a lodge with a dive school. Both accommodations were “awesome and different” and the girls say that the hospitality was incredible. The accommodation on Nosy Iranje, a two hour boat ride from Nosy Be, was also fantastic, they say.

Rebecca says that overall, “The guides were always as accommodating as possible.”

The girls say that anyone planning a trip to any part of Madagascar should be sure to take along an adventurous spirit. The punch cocoa sold almost everywhere in Madagascar is a “must buy”, according to the three. Other advice to make your trip just that little bit more enjoyable is to bring along a small French handbook to enable you to bargain better at the craft markets, and to bring bottled water as the water in Madagascar is not that great for drinking.

If you’re interested in visiting Madagascar, then please feel free to contact one of our Madagascar specialists at Jenman Island Safaris on 021- 6837826 or info@jenmansafaris.com