



Verified Madagascar is extraordinary — and Vivy helped us experience the real island
Madagascar was perhaps the biggest surprise of our entire journey. Before travelling, many people think primarily of lemurs and beaches. In reality, the island is far richer and more complex than that: extraordinary landscapes, baobabs, dry forests, lemurs, chameleons, unique geology, remote villages and an enormous variety of environments that change completely as you move across the country. But what stayed with us most strongly were the people. Madagascar faces obvious economic challenges, yet we encountered an extraordinary degree of warmth, dignity, humour and generosity everywhere we went. There is a Malagasy concept called Fihavanana — a sense of kinship, solidarity and human connection — and after travelling through the country, we began to understand what that word really means. Our journey was also far from a standard tourist itinerary. We asked Vivy Travel to organise a highly specialised programme involving Antananarivo, Mahajanga, a visit to the remote celestite workings at Sakoany, private aviation, boats, local permissions and finally Anjajavy. The logistics behind Sakoany in particular were complicated. This is not a normal tourist attraction that can simply be booked online. Access, transport, tides, local contacts and arrangements on site all had to come together. We appreciate how much work was required behind the scenes to make it happen. The person who made the Madagascar journey especially memorable for us was Franci, our guide. Franci was with us from the beginning of the Madagascar programme until the moment we boarded our next flight. He was not simply somebody who accompanied us between hotels and excursions — he became our connection to the country. He helped us understand Madagascar, its people, its traditions and the realities of everyday life. He was endlessly patient with our questions, always attentive and always present when something needed to be solved. Whether we were dealing with airports, boats, remote roads, Sakoany or simply discussing life over a meal, Franci made us feel looked after without ever making the experience feel artificial. And, just as happened with our guides elsewhere in Africa, somewhere along the way the relationship changed. By the end of the journey, Franci felt like a friend. We also greatly enjoyed seeing Madagascar’s extraordinary wildlife — lemurs at remarkably close range, chameleons, giant tortoises and many species found nowhere else on Earth. Anjajavy in particular showed us how spectacular Madagascar can be when nature conservation and thoughtful tourism come together. Madagascar remains surprisingly underrated as a destination. It is not always an easy country to travel through, and that is precisely why a capable local team matters so much. But for travellers who are curious, patient and interested in more than conventional luxury tourism, it offers experiences that are almost impossible to reproduce anywhere else. We are grateful to Axel, Franci and the Vivy Travel team for putting together such an unusual journey and for making a very complicated programme work. We arrived interested in Madagascar. We left genuinely attached to it.