Southern Madagascar tour

Planet

As part of our commitment to responsible travel we fund a school tree nursery near Italavina. This is a long term project which aims to plant over 2000 trees every year – this is not done as a carbon offsetting program – but it provides fruit for the children in the local school and is used to re-wild landscapes.

By supporting the conservation of the rainforest, we can encourage the authorities to recognise the potential of wildlife tourism and photographic safaris, ensuring the protection of this unique environment. You will be issued with instructions as to how you can help to preserve the environment and we hope that you will follow our advice to help make a difference.

In addition to the reforestation project of Madagascar this expedition focuses on the very wide wildlife of Madagascar: Lemurian Catta, chameleons, birds and other endemic species... All these wide varieties can be spotted inside and sometimes outside the National Parks. We are committed to respecting all the local rules given by locals and guides such as never disturbing animals in their environment. Our skilled guides will hand down all information about safety, respect and behaviour to our clients.

People

Our local staff accompanying this expedition will give you a real sense of Madagascan culture. We only use Malagasy guides, pay all staff fair wages and treat everybody on the trip, including staff, with equal respect and we expect you to do the same. We offer a continual training program for our local guides including English language lessons as well as continual development in activities such as rafting.

Our local agent has an active approach to employing and mentoring guides in Madagascar. One of whom joined us when he was 16 and a ‘street kid’ . Our agent took him under his wing, trained him up in all rafting skills, language skills, guiding skills and at the age of 29 he is one of our popular guides.

Accommodation
We use locally owned.
Sample:
Camp Catta:
Who helpt a development project, in order to help the villages. Which includes the following: Inauguration of the clinic. Consistent of the school Aid and formation to the agricultural techniques

Another camp:
Created in 2002 by a French-Madagascan family - Ialatsara Lemur Forest Camp aims at restoring and protecting fauna and flora. Located by the roadside RN7 52 miles away from Ambositra this ecotourism site was initially connected with Ranomafana National Park. Its specific biodiversity gathers together six species of lemurs, seven species of chameleons, as well as wide varieties of birds, reptiles, orchids… By favouring genetic mixing and improving the availability of food resources inside the site this project intends to maintain and even increase the wide population of existing Sifaka.

It is principally wildlife tourism that brings people to Madagascar and by using local businesses and services we can inject much needed capital into the local economy. On this expedition we are following a responsible camping procedure which leaves no negative evidence of our presence. We stay in small towns and villages interacting with the locals.

We have set up a tree nursery and orchard for a local school in Italavina. We are now in the process of planting (and nurturing) a well designed/equipped 100 tree orchard as well as 100 luguminous and 100 moringa Oleifera (nutrional plants) on a piece of land we have bought for the school. We plan for the first harvest of Ananambo nutritional leaves will be ready by 2014/2015 to supplement the daily diet of students. Once the trees start growing and with the first seeds (papayas, passiflores, moringa, etc.) a small poultry operation will be launched, providing eggs and occasional meat for special school events.

We employ one permanent gardener to maintain and direct student's works and are able to implement this with the support of our clients traveling to Madagascar with us (approximately 2% of the trip cost is donated to this project) and our local partner who is extremely active in reforestation of this area.