we are looking to team up with some other people in July to do a tour of the south. as 4x4s are very expensive for only two people , Would anyone want to share the costs, we would like to go to Morondava ,Tsingy,Belo sul mare and then down to Salary bay which is said to be wonderful and on to Toliara..Then if we can find some people we can prolong our tour by car. We went to Madagascar last year and went to the North and west. so we know the ropes as to say
Drop us a line if you are interested
julie
gowy
1
hiltonsophia
If your passing Ranomafana you might want to try this. It rocked my world. x x x
In brief, I managed to stay with a real hill tribe in Madagascar thanks to a wonderful young man being my translator and a lot of persistence. Now, as a thank you to him and the village that took me in, I want to help others to feel this life changing experience and help the village as I did. I am not an agency, I will not be asking for any fee and you can be free to email or even call me for advice on how to enjoy this exciting adventure. I’m also not going to over sell it to you. I will write all the positives and negatives about this type of experience so you can make up your own mind whether it’s for you.
In my opinion they are too many of these ‘expensive’ home stay experiences in the world. Many charging around $100 a night run by tour companies. It makes you wonder if any of that money is going to the people or if it is, is this money being used wisely?
Firstly, it was not easy to penetrate this village. With many of the village elders believing ‘the white man is bad,’ considering it is westerners that have exiled them from their own forests for conservation. These people are not willing to give up their time for nothing. But after carful discussions with the village king and elders around a single candle late at night drinking local rum and praying to the spirits we devised a plan.
This village like many others needs help. They live off the land and lack both basic health care and education. But one thing I have learned from a drear friend of mine Christina Dodwell, a famous 60 year old travel writer and owner of one of the biggest charities in Madagascar the Dodwell trust ( Google her, she’s inspirational!) you never give Madagascans cash. Money in the wrong hands is often being squandered on alcohol and other non necessities, as is the problem in villages all over the developing world.
I told them that I hoped there could be a way that others could experience what I had and of course, they asked for money in return. A fair deal. But, as I said, that is not the way to help these people. So, I proposed an idea. ‘If a westerner, were to come and stay with you as I did and in exchange brought you school books, pencils, maps and other things you need at the time, would that be good for you?’ I asked. The king was delighted.
And so, if you would like me to send you a pack I have put together of all the details it would be my pleasure to send it to you. This will include details of the area in Madagascar that it is, the details of the translator who will meet and look after you, where I recommend you stay when your not in the village and other important ‘local tribe’ information that you should read thoroughly. As I told you at the start, I am not a tour operator; this is a no ‘babysitting’ experience. I offer no insurance and no detailed account of exactly what it will entail. But, if you want a real adventure, this is your starting point. Good luck.
Sophia Hilton
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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