Madagascar at its best

  Wonderful custom tour of several places - Dadamanga and Brett have an excellent reputation and do great work. Communication was excellent, and especially welcome during the planning stages. We went to some of the common destinations, but... read more also to Masoala NP, Belo Sur Mer (Kirindy Mitre), and parks south of Antsiranana. Over a month tour in total. They did a great job putting it all together. They also went out of their way to help us track, store and deliver lost luggage, all at no charge...

  Unforgettable Honeymoon  - The entire trip was a dream, from start to finish. Dadamanga was easy to work with, incredibly flexible, and thorough in every aspect of their planning. They presented us with... read more a ~50 page PDF of our journey for review prior to our trip which outlined important details such as logistics, along with the nuanced and exciting tidbits about each piece of our journey. Brett was always very prompt and thorough as we planned the trip and worked through the logistics, and he was able to accommodate changes and scheduling questions nearly instantaneously. The trip covered a wide range of activities we were excited about - there was a perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. A perfect mix of natural wildlife, along with sanctuary opportunities to cover all sorts of opportunities to experience the flora and fauna of Madagascar.

We had the two most incredible guides as well to assist us with our journey across Madagascar. Malala and Lionel are both unbelievable at what they do. Their kindness and personability shone through from the moment we met them. Their logistical expertise and professionalism also was clear from the second we met - they made sure we had everything we could possibly needed from the second we landed, to the second our trip concluded and they were with us every step of the way. In case that wasn't enough, they're also super knowledgeable of all aspects of Madagascar and they were able to answer pretty much every question we had along the way without hesitation. My wife and I left happy, and well-informed with countless priceless memories and huge smiles on our faces. We cannot imagine exploring Madagascar (or having even 1/10th the experience we had) without everyone from the Dadamanga team. If you're thinking about visiting, they're a must!

  Don't even think about doing your own itinerary, if you are spending a couple of weeks in the country. Where to start...... I had a couple of weeks, wanted to... read more get some fresh air, see the countryside, see the lemurs, baobabs and chameleons, and wanted to know what it was like to be a local. With that brief, Brett and his team applied their extensive knowledge of the country, the sights and experiences, the weather, the locations, the road conditions, and the local tour & accommodation offerings. They overlayed the best modes of transport across all of those things and came up with the most fantastic two week private itinerary, first draft. They do itineraries to suit all budgets. After agreeing the itinerary, I was contacted before I arrived about a couple of things that needed to change due to local airline cancellations etc. From the second we arrived in the country to the time we left, all went smoothly and only had one issue/query which was immediately addressed over the phone - my itinerary came with a guarantee that Brett is contactable 24/7 to address any issues and I got instant service when I needed it. The accommodation that the team chose and the local tours that we went on in the various places that we visited were second to none, super locations/lodges and super tour guides, we really stayed in, and saw the best of this amazing country. The places we went to and things we saw were made even more special by the driver/guides that Dadamanga assigned us - they were excellent and careful drivers, professional, enthusiastic and entertaining people, their cars were well kept & spotless, they were well presented and punctual, very knowledgeable about the areas that they were driving and passionate about their country - they made it such a great experience. All our drivers were excellent, but a special mention to request if available, Gideona, a super chilled and knowledgeable guy, and the stellar city guide Malala created a super fun and interesting city tour, she knows everyone and everywhere to go - absolutely the best guides and absolutely the best tour company in Madagascar.

  We booked a 23 day holiday directly with Dadamanga from the UK. We discussed their suggested itinerary by email with the company and agreed a couple of minor changes. Dadamanga... read more arranged our guides, drivers, hotels, internal flights, and excursions. Everything worked absolutely perfectly: the guides were helpful and knowledgeable; the drivers and vehicles were if a high standard; the hotels exceeded our expectations and our wildlife excursions in the National Parks were the highlights of our holiday. In summary; an excellent experience with a highly professional company.

  Trip of a lifetime - Just completed a fantastic
18 day trip with Dadamanga and cannot recommend them enough, Lionel our driver was superb, nothing was too much trouble. If you're thinking of coming to... read more /> Madagascar Do not hesitate to book with
Dadamanga

  Full care factor all the way - Our trip to Madagascar was amazing, but not trouble free. What was trouble free was dealing with Brett and the Dadamanga team. It started when we wanted to set up... read more our own itinerary from home, advice on trip times and alternative options when we ran out of ideas for ourselves. We designed an itinerary which was truly built for us.
When my partner was hospitalised on Reunion Island, they quickly re-arranged an alternative date for us to commence our tour. When it became apparent he needed surgery they again quickly adapted the tour to look after my nephew who was now travelling on his own. When I was able to leave Reunion they pulled out all stops to get me re-united with my nephew and then again when my partner was able to join us 2 weeks after his surgery they just made stuff happen.
The care continued throughout our 6 weeks together. Help whenever needed and more than willing to take on dodgy businesses on our behalf. Offers of help adjusting the itinerary if the medical condition made things too hard. Thankfully that was never needed, but it gave us great confidence.
On top of that the tour we had planned with them was amazing and Madagascar is a well kept secret. I have already recommended them to several travellers on the way and will continue to do so!

  Full care factor all the way - Our trip to Madagascar was amazing, but not trouble free. What was trouble free was dealing with Brett and the Dadamanga team. It started when we wanted to set up... read more our own itinerary from home, advice on trip times and alternative options when we ran out of ideas for ourselves. We designed an itinerary which was truly built for us.
When my partner was hospitalised on Reunion Island, they quickly re-arranged an alternative date for us to commence our tour. When it became apparent he needed surgery they again quickly adapted the tour to look after my nephew who was now travelling on his own. When I was able to leave Reunion they pulled out all stops to get me re-united with my nephew and then again when my partner was able to join us 2 weeks after his surgery they just made stuff happen.
The care continued throughout our 6 weeks together. Help whenever needed and more than willing to take on dodgy businesses on our behalf. Offers of help adjusting the itinerary if the medical condition made things too hard. Thankfully that was never needed, but it gave us great confidence.
On top of that the tour we had planned with them was amazing and Madagascar is a well kept secret. I have already recommended them to several travellers on the way and will continue to do so!

  Great trip to Madagascar with Dadamanga - My wife and I went to Madagascar in October 2023 and had Dadamanga arrange our internal flights, drivers and lodging after telling them where we wanted to go. We travelled... read more from the United States and usually like to do things on our own and avoid big group tours. But Madagascar logistics seemed challenging so we chose to go with Dadamanga. They took care of everything and it was all done very professionally. Dadamanga exceeded our expectations and we had no problems with anything. We flew to Fort Dauphin then traveled with driver to Berenty. Then we flew to Diego Suarez and Amber Mountain area. We finished with a few days around Anasibe about 4 hours drive from Antananarivo. All of the lodging was really nice and the best in the area. Every single one of our drivers and guides from Dadamanga were great. All very helpful, genuine and professional. You could tell they liked what they
were doing and always seemed to be trying their best and we always had a guide who spoke good English. We saw an incredible amount of wildlife from the lemurs, chameleons and geckos, birds.....too many animals to list. The plants and trees are a botanist's dream. We always felt safe in Dadamanga's hands.
If we went back to Madagascar again we would have Brett and his team arrange everything. I recommend anyone travelling to Madagascar to use Dadamanga. They were great.

  Thorough, Knowledgeable, and Personable Guides through Dadamanga - During the pandemic, I put a lot of energy into planning a six-week trip to Madagascar for myself, my husband, and another couple. After numerous postponements, we finally made this... read more unforgettable trip in September-October 2023.

We used two touring organizations, chosen based on their stellar ratings on TA. It would probably have been more efficient to choose one, but after corresponding with both, I felt some loyalty to each of them, and I proceeded to coordinate segments of our itinerary with each. Both were excellent! But they are quite different, and one might fit your needs better than the other. We remain happy that we worked with both. (My review of Elysée Velomasy’s Masoala Ecotour can be found under “Masoala National Park.) I first “met” Dadamanga because of Brett’s wonderful responses to my queries on the TA Forum for Madagascar. He was consistently helpful—and never even hinted that he could provide the services I would undoubtedly need. He is truly dedicated to being helpful to those interested in Madagascar.

I am also including some specific comments for visitors like me who have mobility challenges. (I use trekking poles for normal walking due to balance issues, have osteoporosis in my knees which limits my flexibility especially in going up and down uneven stair steps, and my stamina is limited.) I wish I had made this trip 20-30 years ago! If you’re fit, do it now!

In getting around in Madagascar, you sometimes have the option to fly between destinations (or more typically between the capital and a destination). I would definitely recommend this over driving. One of the biggest obstacles to tourism is the appalling state of the roads. But many destinations are only accessible by driving.

Brett and the office staff at Dadamanga, especially Urbain and Huguette, with whom I had the most contact, were amazing in organizing all our details and providing step-by-step support in a written guide to everything you need to know as you plan and implement your trip, down to details like what address to use on your visa for your “in-country” address. Dadamanga also went above and beyond to accommodate some last-minute changes we requested as we grew to understand our own limitations as well as to take advantage of unexpected opportunities.

We had two different segments of our trip with Dadamanga. First, we flew to Toliara (Tulear) and drove back to Tana along the N7 route, spending 12 days visiting Zombitse, Isalo, Andringitra, and Ranomafana National Parks, plus Anja Community Reserve. The second part was in the north for which we flew to Diego Suarez and spent four days in Amber Mountain NP and the Ankarana Reserve.

Our driver-guide for the overland trip along the N7 was the incredible Tsiory! First, he was a capable, prudent, cautious driver—and we definitely appreciated that! He also did a fantastic job of providing background on wildlife, cultures, customs, history, and geology as we drove. He organized the best local guides within the National Parks and for city and village tours that included exposure to local culture and to industry and handicrafts. And he was personable and fun! While the number of walks I could handle was limited, Tsiory did a great job of assessing that and providing alternatives. (I had already enjoyed shorter treks in Masoala, Nosy Mangabe, and Andasibe, where I had seen and heard the indri, aye-aye, and many other lemurs, so I didn’t mind.) The rest of our group did more demanding hikes and saw common brown lemurs, sifakas, golden and greater bamboo lemurs, and sportive lemurs, as well as painted frogs, many geckos and chameleons. They also hiked through fascinating geological formations and terrain, while I had the good fortune of visiting a Betsileo village, learning about their customs, and enjoying a traditional lunch in the home of our local guide.

A highlight for me was visiting the Anja Community Reserve and seeing large troops of ring-tailed lemurs. This community had endemic ring-tails who, because of limited natural fruit trees, were raiding the villagers’ crops. Instead of fighting that, they started planting more trees that yield the lemurs’ preferred foods. The lemurs have prospered, and the community now gains some revenue, which they have used for community resources: school, clinic, etc.

The accommodations were incredible! By my standards, they were quite luxurious, with spacious en suite rooms, several with swimming pools, terrific chefs (with varying amounts of menu choice), and lovely grounds, little oases in the dry region of the country. Our final hotel, the Relais d’Ankarana, was the simplest of those arranged through Dadamanga. It was certainly adequate, and the family who own and staff it were absolutely delightful and accommodating, including an excellent chef. It just contrasted to previous hotels, like Hotel Au Bois Vert, the Moringa, le Relais de la Reine, Betsileo Country Lodge, Couleur Café Hotel, and the Nature Lodge, which were impressive.

While our initial focus had been wildlife, we were fascinated by the view into local culture, visiting spice production, craft industries like a paper factory, woodworking, and seeing how so many things are made by hand, including bricks and aluminum pots.

I can’t speak highly enough of Tsiory, whose English is very good, and who took all of our interests into account. Although we aren’t birders, that is his specialty, and he often leads bird-watching groups, so, if that is your interest, definitely request him as your guide!

Our last, shorter segment was with the guide Enyse. He was with a company that Dadamanga subcontracted with, and he was an excellent guide with good English. There was a separate driver, and I understand that Dadamanga normally uses a driver-guide. In our case, there were some problems with the vehicle, and Dadamanga completely supported getting the best situation possible to resolve it. I think it will influence how they arrange visits to that area in the future.

Seeing the incredible Red Tsingy was amazing! Additional lemur sightings included Sanford’s brown, crowned, Amber Mountain mouse, Amber Mountain dwarf, and northern sportive lemurs.

I can highly recommend Dadamanga and confirm their consistent high ratings!