5 Days Animal Tours Madagascar

Customer Reviews

• O

  Olivia

  · February 20th, 2020
  I reached out to Christian after reading reviews of his guiding services on Trip Advisor, and I am so glad that I did! I found that planning a photography trip to Madagascar was much more challenging than planning a trip elsewhere given the logistical challenges and the large number of hotels that have no online presence. Reading about what to expect when traveling in Madagascar on Trip Advisor was very helpful, but it was not until I reached out to Christian that I was confident that we would have a great trip. Christian was very responsive to my many questions, and provided us with all of the information that we needed to develop an itinerary that was right for us. Rather than spend lots of time driving, we wanted to select a few home bases that we could fly to and from which we could do day trips. This enabled us to maximize our time in the parks. We received excellent recommendations from Christian regarding which hotels to book, and helpful tips regarding what to bring. After exchanging so many messages with Christian, we were really looking forward to meeting him. He is very kind, very knowledgeable, and had an excellent knack for anticipating our needs, sometimes even before we realized we had the need ourselves. Throughout the time that we spent in Christian's care, we were exceptionally well looked after, and we felt so lucky to have him as a guide. Christian also selected an excellent driver with a comfortable car. We were relieved that, even though the roads are rough, we felt very safe at all times. While in the parks and reserves, we always had a local guide (and spotter(s)) waiting for us, organized in advance by Christian. They, like Christian, were incredible spotters who found so many more creatures than we ever would have imagined. We could tell that he selected excellent local partners to work with. As wildlife photography hobbyists, we especially appreciated that Christian understood the principles of composition, subject isolation, and light. Christian helped us find the right vantage point and angle so we could take the best possible photo of every subject. (Note, wildlife photography in low light forest conditions is challenging!!!) He was so patient with us as we took hundreds of photos each day. He also understood that some things are best appreciated with one's eyes, but don't make for compelling photos. Christian's recommended itinerary was perfect for us. The parks and reserves that he recommended were full of life, and we were able to see many species up close. We also chose to visit some less busy areas, which worked out very nicely, as it felt much more like an immersive nature experience. The three base locations that we selected were Morondava (Camp Amoureux, Kirindy, and Lodge de la Saline), Masoala (including Nosy Mangabe), and Andasibe. We enjoyed each location, and found something new and exciting on every hike. We visited the Morondava and Andasibe areas with Christian, but did the Masoala portion of the trip with a local guide provided by our Masoala hotel. This other guide was a good spotter and spoke excellent English, but he was not as good a communicator as Christian and he did not look after us as well. We were really glad to see Christian and our driver again for the Andasibe portion of our trip! For anyone wondering about whether it is worth it to hire a national guide and driver, I can say without hesitation that it was well worth it for us. We enjoyed the company of both, and saw that they filled very different roles. Our driver was responsible for transportation and looking after our belongings, whereas our guide was responsible for looking after us! Each park has a local guide and spotters who are experts in that area and know exactly what to look for and where. This is great, but it is also nice and helpful to have someone with you who speaks excellent English, knows what species you have and have not seen so far in other parks, knows your favorite species, and also knows when it's time to take a break! Christian was fabulous in these respects. We also really enjoyed his company, both on the walks and during our car rides.
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  Trip date: October 2019