Madagascar private tour with tracking and camping

Planet

The environment and sustainability is high on our list of concerns. We take pride in the achievement of a healthy balance between environment, local people and YOU, the tourist.

We do not encourage or promote any unethical business or wildlife activities. As an example, Madagascar is a place where people may want to visit places where people can touch lemurs – we never include this in any of the tours we offer as we learned that these lemurs are not always treated well and that they will never be released into the wild. Moreover, their babies will also remain captive for their whole lives. We tell our clients that they should not touch animals as it is not ethical practice.

Our wildlife safaris or tours are run by experienced locals who rely on the National Parks for their livelihoods, and operate in the respect of local and international wildlife standards. During this tour you will visit Ranomafana and Isalo National Parks. Visits to nature reserves and national parks are popular among vacationmakers to Madagascar. We give instructions to both our clients and guides on how to minimise impact on environment disturbance to the wildlife.

As you will be traveling long distances it is important to think about the waste. Our driver collect and disposes all waste that is prodused during your road trip.

During your trip we provide you with Large bottle of water that you do not need to buy each time small plastic bottles but refill yout bottles. Using as little plastic as possible will help the local environment and our planet.

We ask people to travel light and not to take plastic material with them if possible. We also encourage them to eat at least once a day outside their hotel in order to support local businesses.

We ensure that the hotels that we choosing for our vacations are doing something good for the environment, from recycling through growing their own fruits and vegetables to using solar power.

In Varangue Betsileo hotel most food that is served in this hotel is locally grown.

Tsara Camp is very respectful towards environment and local people.They have chosen to limit our groups to 12 people in order to not disturb the environment as much as possible. Community based tours are limited to 6 persons to guarantee quality of interpretation and unspoilt hospitality. They refuse to allow obtrusive wildlife observation, respecting pre-determined distances according to the different species. As a result the guests of the hotel are able to observe the wildlife in a more natural way. Hotel staff encourage guests to not leave any signs of presence and take rubbish home. Tsara Camp also use gas instead of wood in order not to contribute to deforestation.

Moreover, they refuse any kind of business which participates in the destruction of our environment by asking their guests not to buy any items made from protected species these include crocodile skin, turtle shells, sea shells, coral and butterflies. The hotel also actively participate in the development of eco-tourism in partnership with MadagascarNationalParks, Tourism Board, ONE (National Organisation for the Environment), WWF, Durell & Jersey Foundation, Conservation International, Go To Madagascar association . Tsara Camp use local products and materials where appropriate and ecologically sustainable on their campsites. They respect cultural assets on the basis of consultation and control by the local communities involved. Futhermore, the camp touristic activities benefit local communities through several school projects they directly support.

By respecting those basic principles, we think we contribute to the preservation of our magnificent natural environment, and it is our pleasure to share it with our guests.

To ensure environmental awareness of our clients we provide them with detailed environmental information about places they visit, and how they can help.

We always ensure that our transport vehicles are regularly checked for carbon emmissions.

People

Responsible tourism satisfies these social needs through contact with local people, and takes us further up the ladder to self-actualisation and realisation through creative activities, knowledge and exploration.

Our mission is to bring tourists closer to local people, their traditions, customs and beliefs. We provide many opportunities for our clients to experience what is the ‘real’ country.

We encourage and include many local projects in our itineraries. For example, in Madagascar we offer the chance to be part of a locally run project to stay in the village with locals and help them with their everyday activities.

As James Beard once said “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” Therefore, we encourage our clients to try to learn how to cook local dishes by interacting with local people. While touring, we suggest to them that they can visit local art museums, see local performances and respect local people and they beliefs.

During this trip you will have chance to visit remote places that are not accesiblr by care but you will use 4 x 4. Visiting these places you will have a chance to purchuse local goods.

We use local drivers and guides throughout this trip and most hotels are locally owned. This is a great contribution to many famillies and local economy. Our guids are also provided with training that helps them to understand environmental problems and pass that information to our customers. Our office in Madagascar trains our guides and drivers.

We always ensure that our transport vehicles are in perfect condition and are regularly checked for carbon emmissions.

Our customers are visiting many remote places in Madagascar and therefore they interact with many local communities. We created an opportunity to experience real Madagascar through these interactions. Local communities often offer lunches to our customers and our customers in return donate some money to them.

Here are also 2 more examples, where you will contribute during this tour:

Visit a vineyard, near Fianarantsoa - this region is the wine capital of Madagascar. It produces some excellent red and white wines in the terraced vineyards. You will visit a small, peaceful village in the vicinity of vineyards, where wine can be bought. Here you will have an opportunity to enjoy the tastes of Madagascar wines. You can also buy some to take home as souvenirs.

Visit to Zafimaniry wood carving community near Abbositra.
The village of Sakaivo which is situated in the heart of the Zafimaniry region located more than 1.580 meters in the high altitude. Zafimaniry wood carving community (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) is the last remaining tribes who are depend on their practical skills of wood carving for generations. Zafimaniry meaning masters of forest. These people are known for their wood carvings, you can admire their work on the homes of doors and shutters as well as any local crafts. At Sakaivo, you will discover a very traditional lifestyle, visit a home ZAFIMANIRY village chief to learn about their culture as well as threats posed by the deforestation. You can buy some nice pieces to take it back with you and this will support this community.