Madagascar adventure holiday, 21 days

Environment

The island of Madagascar is home to many fascinating species that can't be found anywhere else on earth and it’s blessed with beautiful coastlines, rainforests and grass lands. Madagascar has much to offer the traveller, however population growth and a slowing economy over the past decades means that Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world. Unfortunately the impoverished conditions have meant that in some regions of the country they have resorted to drastic means to secure a better life, resulting in environmental degradation of some environments. Logging and slash and burn farming techniques mean that in some regions you will see environmental degradation. Tourism is playing a pivotal role in supporting and rebuilding the local economy of Madagascar. In Madagascar we focus on employing and training local guides and staff, and designing our itineraries to support local communities and businesses and to protect the natural environment and wildlife. Our local staff receive regular training on protection and respect of the environment, through workshops organised locally in Madagascar.

Under the guidance of the World Animal Protection organisation, we have developed our “Animal Welfare in Tourism Code of Conduct”, advocating for cruelty free animal encounters and we encourage travellers to follow our 10 steps to being an Animal-Friendly Traveller. Those which are particularly relevant to Madagascar are:

1. The best animal encounter is a wild one. View animals in their natural habitat exhibiting natural behaviours and do not initiate contact with them.
2. Do not purchase souvenirs made from wild animals such as fur, ivory, shells, seahorses, teeth, rhino horns and turtle shells.
3. Don't take a wildlife selfie if ... the animal is being held, hugged, or restrained, if you are baiting the animal with food or if the animal could harm you.
4. Only visit and support animal sanctuaries and shelters involving wild animals in captivity if the objectives of the organization are in the animals’ best interests (e.g. re-homing, rehabilitation or release into the wild).
5. Speak up! If you see an animal in distress, please tell your World Expeditions guide. Make a note of the date, time and location as well as the type and number of animals involved. Take photos and/or videos as proof. Alternatively, if you see an animal that is well looked after offer praise to the owner and tell him/her why you have chosen to give them your business.

To minimise plastic bottle waste on the trip, participants are encouraged to bring their own refillable water bottles which is refilled by our team on the tour, significantly reducing the amount of plastic rubbish. In addition, any single use plastic bottles are collected by our team and re-purposed by the local people to sell honey or rum etc at the local markets, or collect fresh water from faraway wells.

Community

We undertake 4 days of canoeing on the beautiful Manambolo River on this trip. And the staff employed for this section of the trip, including the cooks, assistant paddlers are all from the local village. Nearly a hundred paddlers are employed during the tourist season (April to November). This period corresponds to the dry season when there is very little agricultural activity, thus it brings valuable income into the local area. At the beginning of each season, the boatmen are trained by our local staff including camp management, and respecting the environment. This growing activity has contributed to the development of various community benefits: providing in sports equipment of 13 football teams whose objective is the revitalization of sports associations and the stimulation of exchanges between the various existing localities of the Menabe region.

During the tour your guide will explain the local traditions and behaviour codes in Madagascar. So we can travel observing the local traditions, while respecting the local customs of the Malagasy people. The local taboos (fady) are specific to each region, place and ethnicity in the country. Respecting local traditions helps to contribute to the establishment of a genuine exchange between cultures. As visitors by respecting these local customs, it encourages pride in local traditions, and in a small but important way, helps preserve it.