Accommodation in
Southern Tip of Madagascar,
Madagascar
In mainland Africa the mobile tented safari has long been accepted as one of the best ways to travel in remote regions, but until recently this hasn’t been available in Madagascar. In 2007 the enterprising Ed Tucker-Brown, drawing on his extensive experience in East Africa, started mobile tented safaris in the Ifotaka region of the south. Small and personal, with just six tents, these are the ultimate way to enjoy Madagascar’s deep south. The sun rises directly in front of the tents over the Mandrare River giving breathtaking early morning views. At night, far from civilisation, the stars are the best you’ll see anywhere in Africa. The tents are set up under tamarind trees and have en suite bathrooms with hot bucket showers. You can spend days hiking in the forest with some of Madagascar’s top wildlife guides, visit local villages where you’ll often be the first western visitor and return, each evening, to Ed’s specialities such as seafood kebabs grilled on vanilla pods. With some of Madagascar’s top guides, a strong community involvement, and tented comforts that exceed most Malagasy hotels this is, in our view, the ultimate way to explore. From April to October the camp is set at Mandrare River in the Ifotaka Community Forest, four hours west of Fort Dauphin. Plans are afoot to move the camp in November to the remote north-east coast for two months of green season birding.