We are at the "thinking about it" stage of visiting Madagascar and noticed almost everyone uses a guide/tour but they seem expensive. We have been traveling independently for 40 years and the most exotic place we have been is Belize. There we would get a guide for a day but that is a small country.
What are the difficulties of traveling without a tour?
Thank you.
How easy or difficult is Madagascar without a guide/tour?
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Madagascar was more challenging than most countries for me, language being the first barrier that comes to mind. Tourism infrastructure is poor. Belize was a piece of cake in comparison. I like to have a guide in the easiest of places, so I would never consider going without one in Madagascar.
Thank you.
I wouldn't recommend it at all. We went for three weeks 2yrs ago and had the most amazing time but it was dangerous. Our guide had had to shoot people only 2 wks before we visited and his neighbours had been killed only 2 months previously! Having said that we had the most amazing unforgettable adventure the highlight of which was a 5 day canoe trip down unexplored waters; white faces had never been seen before. Amazing.
Do it but do it with a guide - contact Laurenne Mannsbridge at Pioneer Expeditions (weirdly she emailed me this morning about a thing theyre doing in london) I can't recommend the company enough and their was no b.s. or ott money involved.
Hope this helps? X
Ps - I would like to add that there was huge political unrest in 2010 - it may well be a great deal safer now. Pioneer would be able to update you i'm sure.
We went in October, 2011 and felt completely safe. We loved it but I definitely would not go without a guide. We used Rainbow Tours which is a English agency and Derek was so incredibly helpful. I would definitely say to go. My advice is to pick a few places and try not to cover too much and you should have a great trip.
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