Your Holiday Team

Melinda Stevens

Position: Destination Specialist
Born in: Johannesburg
Qualifications: Diploma in Retail travel
Current studies: -
Career: Worked as a travel agent for a year and a half and I worked at a pharmacy, don't ask why!!!
African Travels: Mozambique, Victoria Falls, Malawi and Swaziland
International Travels: USA, Australia, UK, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Greece
Favourite Africa Destination: Most definitely Mozambique.
Comments on either our product, service or company: Where do you begin to explained the African Encounters experience...... every one is so passionate about what we do and sell, it just makes it so much easier to get up in the morning. African Encounters is like a family, every one gets on so well and is always willing to help out in any situation, every one is so knowledgeable on all the products we sell which is really great, makes working so much more enjoyable.

Travel Blogs

Madagascar 2008

The Madagascar experience started with a three and a half hour flight with a stopover point in Fort Dauphin where we went through an amazing new experience on how to obtain a visa in Africa. A small airport where you queue up to receive six different stamps from six different people. After this you fetch your luggage off the small conveyer belt, and proceed to have your luggage checked by a police official.

The Malagasy people show an African origin yet a definite Oriental-Indian look is evident. These island people struck me as relaxed, friendly, helpful and welcoming. The currency used in Madagascar is the Ariary, buts US Dollars and Euros are widely accepted, the Malagasy currency is not convertible and you have to change it from Euros or Dollars on arrival in Madagascar.

Flying over Madagascar I was impressed by varied scenery of dense bush together with the volcanic like mountain peaks. The capital city, Antananarivo, which means the valley of a thousand spears, is situated in the centre of the island and surrounded by rice paddies with huts, scattered amongst them, yet the buildings are very definite French Colonial architecture, yet some of the roofs remind us of the oriental influence. On driving along the narrow streets there are many side walk markets, selling fresh produce to cell phone accessories. 15 minutes from centre town you will find the local handicraft market, with local wood work, bead work, paintings, objects made of reeds and allot of vanilla pods and spices with many a bargain to be found, the local tradition is bargaining so fix your price with a smile . On top of the hill we visited the prime ministers house that has now been turned into a museum, with artifacts from the burnt down Queens Palace. Transport in this bustling city reflected mainly old French cars, motorbikes and bicycles. The interior decorations in the hotels reflect allot of antique memorabilia, and reminded me of walking through old antique shops.
If you are planning on spending one or two nights in Antananarivo I would recommend a visit to the Hotel Sakamanga where a well know chef will prepare for you a most delicious meal, and comes highly recommended.

A connecting flight takes you to the island of Nosy Be which means the big island, as it is the biggest island of Madagascar. On arrival you are met by the strong sweet fragrance of the ylang ylang tree's flowers which remind you of our frangipane flower therefore Nosy Be is also known as the island of perfumes due to the permanent fragrance in the air. The roads on this island are extremely well maintained but driving on them is not for the feint hearted as they are narrow with many a blind corner. The vegetation here is not as tropical as one would expect, as I saw mostly grass fields and rice paddies. What I found amazing was that the islands main source of power is through a generator which runs from 5pm to 10am. Communicating with the Malagasy people is quite difficult yet amusing as they speak mainly French and Malagasy. A bit of the previous centuries mode of transport- Zebu cattle still transport goods by pulling carts through the towns. Accommodation is generally clean but basic, only a select few has some kind of luxury. Exterior and interior of the buildings are mainly wood and roofs are mainly reeds. Cuisine appears to be mainly rice, Zebu beef, fish, duck, chicken, there did not appear to be many vegetables apart from potatoes on the menu. Owners of hotels are all mostly from France who invest by catering for tourists in Madagascar. The beaches are pebbly and the sea calm as it is protected from heavy swells from the main land, so it lends itself to beautiful snorkeling, diving and swimming. We drove through to the highest peak on the island known as Mount Possont, the mountains are over grown with forest and lush growth and the craters are now lakes, this makes for a very picturesque scene.

We flew back to Antananarivo from Nosy Be where our next stop was a three and half hour drive to Andasibe, 135 km along a very narrow and windy that leads into a very forestay and misty environment, with a vast variety of fauna. A two and half hour hike into the park takes you through luxurious vegetation of tropical forests, with eucalyptus type trees, ferns, palms, creepers and huge spider webs and fluorescent geckos .The most impressive of all was the load shrieking sounds of Lemurs, there are 11 species of which the biggest is the Indri Indri and is only found in Madagascar. These lemurs as agile as monkeys and jump from tree top to tree top. Lodges bordering the park vary from one luxury lodge to comfortable yet basic accommodation.

We then took a short one hour flight to the island of Saint Marie, which is 40km in length and 7km wide. This island is also known as the island of whales as they travel from Antarctica to gather in the waters surrounding Saint Marie from July to September. On driving through the roads of Saint Marie I noticed the devastation caused by the cyclone which hit the island earlier this year. Many palm trees have been uprooted and coral from the surrounding reefs covered the beaches. Houses on the island are mostly built on stilts and made of thatch from the local traveler’s tree. The main road follows the shore line which passes through the small local villages, with many friendly children waving as any tourist passing by. On this island we found the locals walking, cycling or using motorbikes to reach their destination.
Saint Marie is the closest to the main land of Madagascar and to me definitely the most beautiful, as it has allot of small natural protected bays. Driving along the East coast there is a huge lagoon, with a deep blue color, and green coconut palms along the shore line, and also surrounded by thick forests of Mangroves.

We then took a 2 hour drive north along the coast on poor sandy roads to get to the Natural rock pools surrounded by long stretches of beach and black rock which form natural swimming pools, slightly protected from waves. The south of the island appears to be the tourist area, as there are many hotels in the area, there is good snorkeling and diving to be found. Tourists can make use quad bikes to explore the island, where one of the attractions is the pirate's cemetery, the oldest church in Madagascar. Accommodation in this area is mainly budget reed huts, with all the basic necessities to have a comfortable stay, however there is one more luxurious hotel, for those who want greater creature comforts. The attraction of this island is the restful ocean sounds of the waves and the beautiful sunsets you can watch from the beach. The foods at the hotels are generally good, and can once again vary from Zebu beef to fresh fish.
I would recommend a trip to Madagascar as it is an island with rich history and tradition, variety of culture, beautiful fauna and flora, large volcanic mountains, lagoons, palm lined beaches with forests in the back ground, fishermen in the early morning and late evenings in boats made of hollow tree trunks, also known as Pirogues. The call of the Lemur bouncing in the tree tops will remain in my mind as an unforgettable experience.

Tonga soa- Bienvenue- Welcome to Madagascar!