Fake company

Licence from the Madagascar Tourism Board? Licence from the Ministry of Tourism?

Well I'm sure such things exist, but I'm equally sure that there are many small operators in the tourism trade who don't have them. It doesn't automatically mean they're fake, or that you'll lose your money. They may be, you might. They may not be, you won't. That's Madagascar.

I'm afraid you're measuring your expectations against what we take for granted in the industrialized world.

"What would happened if your money is just taken and he disappear or if something happened to you during your trip."

If your money is taken and he disappears, you've lost it. So: don't hand over more than a token deposit until the service you're paying for has been substantially performed. Operators may ask you to pay upfront, but given that most things can be organised at very short notice in Madagascar, there's no compelling need for that. If they insist, go to someone else or set your trip up yourself.

As far as something happening to you is concerned - it's your responsibility to make sure you have health insurance covering medical evacuation. Don't expect anyone in Madagascar to do it for you.

But if by "happen to you" you mean that your operator might physically harm you - well there have been a very few very isolated instances, but the danger of something like that happening in Madagascar is so small as to be negligible.

And by the way, just what kind of comeback do you think you'd have if you found a licenced operator and they didn't provide the service you paid for or "lost" your money - the licence wouldn't make you any better off.

"He is a sort of middle man between tourists and guides!!"

Well yes, that's what even licenced tour operators are. It's their job.

It's also the reason why I personally don't use people like Benjamin or any other tour operator. They provide a service that isn't necessary, given that anyone can organise their own tour of Madagascar by themselves for far less money. For example, one of the operators who is frequently recommended on this forum has a mark-up of 100 per cent over what he actually pays for the services he books for his tourist clients. Also these guys tend to pressure the people who actually do the work to lower their prices - I prefer to pay my money directly to someone who is doing me a service - they get a fair price and so do I.

No, they are not a fake company at all. i used them recently to organise a tour of RN7 for me and they did a perfectly decent job. Using a local agency is always riskier (and much cheaper) than booking a tour through a company in your own country as you cannot complain if things go wrong.

What marogisa says about money going to middlemen may be true to some extent but on the other hand not all drivers can afford to buy a car of their own so they have to work for agencies like this. I have no complaints whatsoever about Visit Mada tours. Given the tight schedule I had I did not want to arrive in Madagascar without having the tour pre-booked.