Honeymoons in Madagascar

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 holidaymakers 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 travelling 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 holidays are doing something good for the environment, from recycling through growing their own fruits and vegetables to using solar power.

In this programme we use Nature Lodge that has so many benefits for environmental and local communities. Here are some of their practices:
We collect water in a deep small valley located next to the lodge. This water is precious and scarce especially at the end of the dry season.e end of the dry season. In 2016 the Nature Lodge invested in solar energy: 30 PV panels, 24 professional batteries and 5 water heaters.To preserve the wellness of the field on which is built the lodge, each sump of waste water and each septic tank are equipped with filtering materials and plants, such as vetiver. We are looking for reducing our use of chemical products. For instance we use “beehive” styled bath towels that let us save water and washing powder during the cleaning work. The field on which has been built the lodge is a former pastureland. We have imagined houses on stilts to not modify the natural topography and avoid erosion issues.

All our buildings are made with local materials and are complying with a “discreet” architecture that gets along with the Montagne d’Ambre’s landscapes. We have reforested and arranged the park with as most as possible of local species.

To reduce our carbon emissions due to transportation and to offer fresh products to our clients and in the team’s meals, we grow our own kitchen garden just beside our kitchen.Aromatic herbs, zucchini, salads, tomatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes… all these vegetables are cooked by our Chef in his daily meals and menus. We have launched a composting process of our biodegradable wastes. It is a hard way but we keep going and hope to succeed in gardening in an ecological manner. We would like to be an example for the Joffreville’s inhabitants to whom the illegal but profitable khat production – the local drug – has replaced the food-producing agriculture. This sad process came along with social troubles.

All our staff is Malagasy and most of them come from the Joffreville village. This team is loyal for years. We focus on their well-being through a higher salary, promotion opportunities or other benefits such as bonus. We have created a mutual fund to be able to help a co-worker in need but also to celebrate happier events as weddings or births.

Regular trainings are organized to enable career advancement: first aid, languages, agriculture, cooking our eco-gests. Above that we are equally concerned by the drivers and tourist guides housing conditions. We always make sure that they are welcome in the Nature Lodge as home.

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.

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. Visits to nature reserves and national parks are popular among holidaymakers to Madagascar. We give instructions to both our clients and guides on how to minimise impact on environment disturbance to the wildlife. You will visit: Lokobe Reserve, Nosy Tanikely Marine National Park, Ankarana National Park, Red Tsingy,

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. All our staff is Malagasy. This team is loyal for years. We focus on their well-being through a higher salary, promotion opportunities or other benefits such as bonus.

We ensure that our drivers and tourist guides have good housing conditions and food provided during long days on the road.

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:
1. Visit to village of Andrafiamena for an eco tourism village experience. In Domaine Florette you will experience true taste and smells of this tropical island. There are many paths where you can discover the secrets of Madagascar’s plants with an impressive variety of trees, fruit and flowers. During your walk, your guide will introduce you to various medicinal leaves, roots and barks. You will walk or trek to discover the floral plantations, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and bamboos. In the afternoon you experience traditional Malagasy food. After lunch you will have an opportunity to participate to collect of flowers and fruits. And then visit of the site where is the alembic distilling ylang- ylang flowers which introduce you to the manufacturing of essential oils.
This become a vital example of how community management of natural resources can both effectively protect the area and benefit the community.

2. Mitsinjo Reserve (Madagascar) belongs to the Andasibe - Analamazaotra National Park. It is a community-run conservation organization work with the local communities to protect the nature and wildlife in sustainable way.
Association Mitsinjo was formed in 1999 by residents of the village Andasibe in east-central Madagascar. Interested to work as guides for the growing number of tourists visiting the region, their project eventually grew into much more. In 2003 it gained management of Analamazaotra Forest Station and in 2005 the Torotorofotsy Ramsar Site, which are now their main focal areas for conservation, research and sustainable development initiatives.
Today the organization is composed of more than 50 members from the local community.